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Updated Bible Version
Genesis 47:31
Bible Study Resources
Concordances:
- Nave'sDictionaries:
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- CondensedParallel Translations
He said, "Swear to me," and he swore to him. Yisra'el bowed himself on the bed's head.
And he said, Swear unto me. And he sware unto him. And Israel bowed himself upon the bed's head.
Then he said, "Swear to me." And he swore to him. Then Israel bowed himself on the head of the bed.
Then Jacob said, "Promise me." And Joseph promised him that he would do this. Then Israel worshiped as he leaned on the top of his walking stick.
Jacob said, "Swear to me that you will do so." So Joseph gave him his word. Then Israel bowed down at the head of his bed.
Then he said, "Swear to me [that you will do it]." So he swore to him. Then Israel (Jacob) bowed in worship at the head of the bed.
And he said, "Swear to me." So he swore to him. Then Israel bowed in worship at the head of the bed.
The he said, Sweare vnto me. And he sware vnto him. And Israel worshipped towardes the beds head.
Then he said, "Swear to me." So he swore to him. Then Israel bowed in worship at the head of the bed.
"Will you give me your word?" Jacob asked. "Yes, I will," Joseph promised. After this, Jacob bowed down and prayed at the head of his bed.
He said, "Swear it to me," and he swore to him. Then Isra'el bowed down at the head of his bed.
And he said, Swear to me; and he swore to him. And Israel worshipped on the bed's head.
Then Jacob said, "Make a vow to me." And Joseph vowed to him that he would do this. Then Israel laid his head back down on the bed.
And he said, "Swear to me"; and he swore to him. Then Israel bowed himself upon the head of his bed.
And he said, Swear to me. And he swore to him. And Israel bowed himself upon the head of his staff.
Jacob said, "Make a vow that you will." Joseph made the vow, and Jacob gave thanks there on his bed.
And Jacob said, “Swear to me.” So Joseph swore to him. Then Israel bowed in thanks at the head of his bed.
And he said, Swear to me. And he swore to him. And Israel bowed on the head of the bed.
But he sayde: Then sweare vnto me. And he sware vnto him. The Israel bowed himself towarde the bed heade.
And he said, Swear unto me: and he sware unto him. And Israel bowed himself upon the bed's head.
And he said, Take an oath to me; and he took an oath to him: and Israel gave worship on the bed's head.
And he sayde: Sweare vnto me. And he sware vnto him. And Israel worshipped towarde the beddes head.
And he said: 'Swear unto me.' And he swore unto him. And Israel bowed down upon the bed's head.
And he said, Sweare vnto mee: and he sware vnto him. And Israel bowed himselfe vpon the beds head.
And he said, Swear to me; and he swore to him. And Israel did reverence, leaning on the top of his staff.
And he said, Swear unto me: and he sware unto him. And Israel bowed himself upon the bed's head.
"Swear to me," Jacob said. So Joseph swore to him, and Israel bowed in worship at the head of his bed.
And Israel seide, Therfor swere thou to me; and whanne Joseph swoor, Israel turnede to the heed of the bed, and worschipide God.
and he saith, `Swear to me;' and he sweareth to him, and Israel boweth himself on the head of the bed.
And he said, Swear to me: and he swore to him. And Israel bowed himself upon the bed's head.
He said, "Swear to me," and he swore to him. Israel bowed himself on the bed's head.
Then he said, "Swear to me." And he swore to him. So Israel bowed himself on the head of the bed.
"Swear that you will do it," Jacob insisted. So Joseph gave his oath, and Jacob bowed humbly at the head of his bed.
Jacob said, "Promise me." So Joseph gave him his promise. Then Israel bowed in worship at the head of the bed.
And he said, "Swear to me"; and he swore to him. Then Israel bowed himself on the head of his bed.
Then he said: Come, swear to me! And he sware to him. Then did Israel how himself down on the head of the couch.
And he said: Swear then to me. And as he was swearing, Israel adored God, turning to the bed’s head.
And he said, "Swear to me"; and he swore to him. Then Israel bowed himself upon the head of his bed.
Israel said, "Promise me." Joseph promised. Israel bowed his head in submission and gratitude from his bed.
He said, "Swear to me." So he swore to him. Then Israel bowed in worship at the head of the bed.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
Swear: Genesis 24:3
And Israel bowed: As shachah, which primarily signifies to bow, denotes also to worship; and as mittah, a bed, pronounced matteh, is a staff; the LXX have taken the passage in the latter sense, and rendered it ××× × ×¡××£×××¥×××£×× ï§×£×¡××× ×× × ×¤× ××ס×× ×¤××¢ ס×××××¥ ×ץפ××¥, "and Israel worshipped upon the top of his staff," which is literally copied by the apostle Paul, in his Epistle to the Hebrews. The present reading is, however, supported by the Masoretic pointing and the Targums; and is most probably correct, as it would appear that Jacob was confined to his bed. Genesis 47:29, Genesis 24:26, Genesis 48:1, Genesis 48:2, 1 Kings 1:47, Hebrews 11:21
Cross-References
Now therefore swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my son's son. But according to the kindness that I have done to you, you shall do to me, and to the land wherein you have sojourned.
And I will make you swear by Yahweh, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell.
And the man bowed his head, and worshiped Yahweh.
Then Joseph went in and told Pharaoh, and said, My father and my brothers, and their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have, have come out of the land of Canaan; and, look, they are in the land of Goshen.
And from among his brothers he took five men, and presented them to Pharaoh.
And the time drew near that Israel must die: and he called his son Joseph, and said to him, If now I have found favor in your sight, put, I pray you, your hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me: don't bury me, I pray you, in Egypt;
And moreover the king's slaves came to bless our lord king David, saying, Your God make the name of Solomon better than your name, and make his throne greater than your throne: and the king bowed himself on the bed.
By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph; and worshiped, [leaning] on the top of his staff.
Gill's Notes on the Bible
And he said, swear unto me,.... This he required, not from any distrust of Joseph, but to show his own eagerness, and the intenseness of his mind about this thing, how much he was set upon it, and what an important thing it was with him; as also, that if he should have any objections made to it, or arguments used with him to divert him from it, by Pharaoh or his court, he would be able to say his father had bound him by an oath to do it, which would at once stop their mouths, and be judged a sufficient reason for what he did, see
Genesis 50:5:
and he sware unto him; not only gave his promise, but confirmed it with an oath:
and Israel bowed himself upon the bed's head: not in a way of civil respect to Joseph, giving him thanks for the assurance he had given him, that he would bury him, not in Egypt, but in Canaan; but in a religious way to God, giving thanks to him that he had lived to see his son Joseph, who, according to the promise, would close his eyes, and that he had inclined his heart to fulfil his request; though some think that no more is meant, than that after Jacob had spent himself in discoursing with Joseph, he sunk down and reclined on his pillow at his bed's head, to take some rest; for as for what the apostle says in
Hebrews 11:21; that refers to another thing at another time;
Hebrews 11:21- :.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
- Jacob in Goshen
11. רע×סס raâmeseÌs, Raâmeses âson of the sun.â
31. ××× mıÌtÌ£tÌ£aÌh, âbed.â ××× matÌ£tÌ£eh âstaff.â
Arrangements are now made for the settlement of Israel in Goshen. The administration of Joseph during the remaining years of the famine is then recorded. For the whole of this period his father and brothers are subject to him, as their political superior, according to the reading of his early dreams. We then approach to the death-bed of Jacob, and hear him binding Joseph by an oath to bury him in the grave of his fathers.
Genesis 47:1-12
Joseph announces to Pharaoh the arrival of his kindred. âOf the whole of his brethren,â more exactly from the end of his brethren. Five men, a favorite number in Egypt. Shepherds, owners and feeders of sheep and other cattle. âPasture.â Hence, it appears that the drought had made the grazing extremely scanty. Men of ability, competent to take the oversight of others. âJacob his father,â he presents before Pharaoh, after he has disposed of all business matters. âJacob blessed Pharaoh.â This is the patriarchâs grateful return for Pharaohâs great kindness and generosity toward him and his house. He is conscious of even a higher dignity than that of Pharaoh, as he is a prince of God; and as such he bestows his precious benediction. Pharaoh was struck with his venerable appearance, and inquired what was his age. âPilgrimageâ - sojourning, wandering without any constant abode or fixed holding.
Such was the life of the patriarchs in the land of promise Hebrews 11:13. âFew and evil.â Jacobâs years at this time were far short of those of Abraham and Isaac, not to speak of more ancient men. Much bitterness also had been mingled in his cup from the time that he beguiled his brother of the birthright and the blessing, which would have come to him in a lawful way if he had only waited in patience. Obliged to flee for his life from his fatherâs house, serving seven years for a beloved wife, and balked in his expected recompense by a deceitful father-in-law, serving seven long years more for the object of his affections, having his wages changed ten times during the six years of his further toil for a maintenance, afflicted by the dishonor of his only daughter, the reckless revenge taken by Simon and Levi, the death of his beloved wife in childbed, the disgraceful incest of Reuben, the loss of Joseph himself for twenty-two years, and the present famine with all its anxieties - Jacob, it must be confessed, has become acquainted with no small share of the ills of life. âBlessed Pharaoh.â It is possible that this blessing is the same as that already mentioned, now reiterated in its proper place in the narrative. âAccording to the little ones.â This means either in proportion to the number in each household, or with all the tenderness with which a parent provides for his infant offspring.
Genesis 47:13-26
Joseph introduces remarkable changes into the relation of the sovereign and the people of Egypt. âThere was no bread in all the land.â The private stores of the wealthy were probably exhausted. âAnd Joseph gathered up all the silver.â The old stores of grain and the money, which had flowed into the country during the years of plenty, seem to have lasted for five years. âAnd Joseph brought the silver into Pharaohâs house.â He was merely the steward of Pharaoh in this matter, and made a full return of all the payments that came into his hands. âThe silver was spent.â The famishing people have no more money; but they must have bread. Joseph is fertile in expedients. He proposes to take their cattle. This was really a relief to the people, as they had no means of providing them with fodder. The value of commodities is wholly altered by a change of circumstances. Pearls will not purchase a cup of water in a vast and dreary wilderness. Cattle become worthless when food becomes scarce, and the means of procuring it are exhausted. For their cattle Joseph supplies them with food during the sixth year.
Genesis 47:18-20
The seventh year is now come. The silver and cattle are now gone. Nothing remains but their lands, and with these themselves as the serfs of the soil. Accordingly they make this offer to Joseph, which he cannot refuse. Hence, it is evident that Pharaoh had as yet no legal claim to the soil. In primeval times the first entrants into an unoccupied country became, by a natural custom, the owners of the grounds they held and cultivated. The mere nomad, who roamed over a wide range of country, where his flocks merely cropped the spontaneous herbage, did not soon arrive at the notion of private property in land. But the husbandman, who settled on a promising spot, broke up the soil, and sowed the seed, felt he had acquired by his labor a title to the acres he had cultivated and permanently occupied, and this right was instinctively acknowledged by others. Hence, each cultivator grew into the absolute owner of his own farm. Hence, the lands of Egypt belonged to the peasantry of the country, and were at their disposal. These lands had now become valueless to those who had neither provisions for themselves nor seed for their ground. They willingly part with them, therefore, for a yearâs provision and a supply of seed. In this way the lands of Egypt fell into the hands of the crown by a free purchase. âAnd the people he removed into the cities.â This is not an act of arbitrary caprice, but a wise and kind measure for the more convenient nourishment of the people until the new arrangements for the cultivation of the soil should be completed. The priestly class were sustained by a state allowance, and therefore, were not obliged to alienate their lands. Hence, they became by this social revolution a privileged order. The military class were also exempted most probably from the surrender of their patrimonial rights, as they were maintained on the crown lands.
Genesis 47:23-26
I have bought you. - He had bought their lands, and so they might be regarded, in some sort, as the servants of Pharaoh, or the serfs of the soil. âIn the increase ye shall give the fifth to Pharaoh.â This explains at once the extent of their liability, and the security of their liberty and property. They do not become Pharaohâs bondmen. They own their land under him by a new tenure. They are no longer subject to arbitrary exactions. They have a stated annual rent, bearing a fixed ratio to the amount of their crop. This is an equitable adjustment of their dues, and places them under the protection of a statute law. The people are accordingly well pleased with the enactment of Joseph, which becomes henceforth the law of Egypt.
Genesis 47:27-31
And they were possessed thereof. - They become owners or tenants of the soil in Goshen. The Israelites were recognized as subjects with the full rights of freemen. âThey grew and multiplied exceedingly.â They are now placed in a definite territory, where they are free from the contamination which arises from promiscuous intermarriage with an idolatrous race; and hence, the Lord bestows the blessing of fruitfulness and multiplication, so that in a generation or two more they can intermarry among themselves. It is a remarkable circumstance that until now we read of only two daughters in the family of Jacob. The brothers could not marry their sisters, and it was not desirable that the females should form affinity with the pagan, as they had in general to follow the faith of their husbands. Here the twelfth section of the Pentateuch terminates.
Genesis 47:28-31
Jacob lives seventeen years in Egypt, and so survives the famine twelve years. âHe called his son Joseph.â Joseph retained his power and place near Pharaoh after the fourteen years of special service were completed; hence, Jacob looks to him for the accomplishment of his wishes concerning the place of his burial. âPut thy hand under my thighâ Genesis 24:2. He binds Joseph by a solemn asseveration to carry his mortal remains to the land of promise. âAnd Israel bowed himself on the head of the bed.â On receiving the solemn promise of Joseph, he turns toward the head of the bed, and assumes the posture of adoration, rendering, no doubt, thanks to God for all the mercies of his past life, and for this closing token of filial duty and affection. The Septuagint has the rendering: εÌÏÎ¹Ì ÏÎ¿Ì Î±ÌÌκÏον ÏηÍÏÏÌαÌβδον Î±Ï ÌÏÎ¿Ï Í epi to aÌkron akron teÌs rabdou autou âon the top of his staff,â which is given in the Epistle to the Hebrews Hebrews 11:21. This is obtained by a mere change in the vowel pointing of the last word.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Genesis 47:31. And Israel bowed himself upon the bed's head. — Jacob was now both old and feeble, and we may suppose him reclined on his couch when Joseph came; that he afterwards sat up erect (see Genesis 48:2) while conversing with his son, and receiving his oath and promise; and that when this was finished he bowed himself upon the bed's head - exhausted with the conversation, he again reclined himself on his bed as before. This seems to be the simple meaning, which the text unconnected with any religious system or prejudice, naturally proposes. But because ש×× shachah, signifies not only to bow but to worship, because acts of religious worship were performed by bowing or prostration, and because ××× mittah, a bed, by the change of the points, only becomes matteh, a staff, in which sense the Septuagint took it, translating the original words thus: Îαι ÏÏοÏÎµÎºÏ Î½Î·Ïεν ÎÏÏαηλ εÏι Ïο ακÏον ÏÎ·Ï ÏÌÎ±Î²Î´Î¿Ï Î±Ï ÏÎ¿Ï , and Israel worshipped upon the top of his staff, which the writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews, Hebrews 11:21, quotes literatim; therefore some have supposed that Jacob certainly had a carved image on the head or top of his staff, to which he paid a species of adoration; or that he bowed himself to the staff or sceptre of Joseph, thus fulfilling the prophetic import of his son's dreams! The sense of the Hebrew text is given above. If the reader prefers the sense of the Septuagint and the Epistle to the Hebrews, the meaning is, that Jacob, through feebleness, supported himself with a staff, and that, when he got the requisite assurance from Joseph that his dead body should be carried to Canaan, leaning on his staff be bowed his head in adoration to God, who had supported him all his life long, and hitherto fulfilled all his promises.
