Genesis 47:28 meaning summary explained with word-by-word analysis enriched with context, commentary and Cross References from KJV, NIV, ESV and NLT.
Genesis 47:28 kjv
And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years: so the whole age of Jacob was an hundred forty and seven years.
Genesis 47:28 nkjv
And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. So the length of Jacob's life was one hundred and forty-seven years.
Genesis 47:28 niv
Jacob lived in Egypt seventeen years, and the years of his life were a hundred and forty-seven.
Genesis 47:28 esv
And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. So the days of Jacob, the years of his life, were 147 years.
Genesis 47:28 nlt
Jacob lived for seventeen years after his arrival in Egypt, so he lived 147 years in all.
Genesis 47 28 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 25:7 | This is the length of Abraham’s life: one hundred and seventy-five years... | Abraham's full lifespan. |
| Gen 35:28 | Isaac lived one hundred and eighty years. | Isaac's full lifespan. |
| Gen 47:9 | Jacob said to Pharaoh, "The days of the years of my sojourning have been a hundred and thirty years; few and evil..." | Jacob's earlier description of his hardship. |
| Gen 50:26 | So Joseph died when he was one hundred and ten years old... | Joseph's full lifespan, a future patriarch. |
| Exod 1:7 | But the Israelites were fruitful and increased greatly... | Fulfillment of growth during Egyptian sojourn. |
| Deut 10:22 | Your fathers went down to Egypt, seventy persons... and now the Lord your God has made you as numerous as the stars of heaven. | Recalls initial number and later multiplication. |
| Ps 90:10 | The days of our years are seventy, or eighty, if we have the strength... | General biblical perspective on human lifespan. |
| Acts 7:15 | Jacob went down to Egypt and died there, he and our fathers. | Stephen's sermon summarizing Jacob's end. |
| Heb 11:13 | All these died in faith, without having received the promises... but having seen them... | Patriarchs lived as sojourners of faith. |
| Gen 37:2 | Joseph, being seventeen years old, was pasturing the flock... | Joseph's age when separated from Jacob, mirroring Jacob's 17 final years. |
| Gen 12:2 | And I will make of you a great nation... | God's initial promise to Abraham, impacting Jacob's lineage. |
| Gen 15:13 | Then the Lord said to Abram, "Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs... afflicted..." | Prophecy of affliction in Egypt. |
| Gen 28:15 | Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go... and bring you back to this land... | God's promise of presence and return to Jacob. |
| Gen 46:3-4 | He said, "I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt... For I will make you a great nation there... | God encourages Jacob to go to Egypt for nation-building. |
| Gen 47:27 | Thus Israel lived in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen... They gained possessions in it and were fruitful and multiplied greatly. | Immediate context: prosperity and growth in Goshen. |
| Heb 11:21 | By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each one of the sons of Joseph... | Jacob's final act of faith, in line with later chapters. |
| Gen 48:1-2 | After this, Joseph was told, "Your father is ill." So he took his two sons... | Precedes Jacob's final blessings. |
| Josh 24:4 | I gave to Isaac Jacob and Esau. And I gave to Esau Mount Seir... but Jacob and his children went down into Egypt. | Historical review of Jacob's descendants in Egypt. |
| Exod 13:19 | Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for Joseph had made the people of Israel solemnly swear... "God will surely visit you..." | Reminds of later return from Egypt, honoring ancestral wishes. |
| Gen 49:33 | When Jacob finished commanding his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed and breathed his last and was gathered to his people. | Conclusion of Jacob's life after this summary verse. |
| 1 Pet 2:11 | Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh... | Christian analogy of earthly life as a sojourn. |
Genesis 47 verses
Genesis 47 28 meaning
Genesis 47:28 states that Jacob lived for seventeen years in the land of Egypt, completing his lifespan at one hundred and forty-seven years. This verse summarizes the peaceful and prosperous final period of the patriarch Jacob's life, highlighting God's faithfulness in providing for him and his family even in a foreign land. It marks the concluding summary of his earthly sojourn before the narrative transitions to his blessings, final instructions, and eventual death.
Genesis 47 28 Context
Genesis chapter 47 primarily focuses on Jacob and his family's settlement in Egypt during the severe famine. Joseph, as Pharaoh's prime minister, strategically arranges for them to live in the fertile land of Goshen. Earlier in the chapter, Jacob meets Pharaoh and even blesses him. He also articulates that his life has been "few and evil" (Gen 47:9), indicating the hardships he faced before finding peace. The narrative ensures that the family receives the best land and provisions, highlighting God's protective hand. This verse, 47:28, serves as a concluding temporal marker for Jacob's time in Egypt and his entire lifespan, directly preceding his final actions, such as blessing Joseph's sons (Chapter 48) and all his own sons (Chapter 49), and giving instructions for his burial. It signals the imminent transition from the patriarchal generation to the development of the nation of Israel in Egypt.
Genesis 47 28 Word analysis
- And Jacob lived: (וַיְחִי יַעֲקֹב, vayĕḥî yaʿăqōḇ)
- vayĕḥî ("he lived" from ḥāyâ): Indicates continuation of life, implying a period of significant experience. Despite Jacob's earlier lament of "few and evil days" (Gen 47:9), this verb choice suggests that God granted him a period of stability and peace in the final chapter of his life.
- Yaʿăqōḇ ("Jacob"): While his name "Israel" (meaning "contends with God" or "God prevails") was given at Peniel (Gen 32:28), the text uses "Jacob" here to refer to his personal, earthly lifespan and identity, emphasizing the continuity of the patriarchal lineage.
- in the land of Egypt: (בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם, bĕʾereṣ miṣrayim)
- ʾereṣ ("land"): Denotes a specific geographical territory and political domain.
- Miṣrayim ("Egypt"): A foreign land and eventually a place of enslavement, yet here it paradoxically serves as a place of refuge and prosperity for Jacob in his last years, illustrating God's providence beyond the promised land.
- seventeen years: (שְׁבַע עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה, shəvaʿ ʿeśreh shanah)
- seventeen: A specific number. It remarkably parallels the seventeen years Joseph spent with Jacob before being sold into slavery (Gen 37:2), suggesting a beautiful symmetry of reconciliation and completion. Joseph was lost to Jacob for many years but was reunited for the exact duration of time he had with him as a young man at the beginning. This numerical precision highlights divine order and purpose in the narrative.
- So the days of Jacob, the years of his life: (וַיְהִי יְמֵי יַעֲקֹב, שְׁנֵי חַיָּיו, vayĕhî yĕmê yaʿăqōḇ, shənê ḥayyāv)
- "So": A connective indicating summation and consequence.
- "days of...years of his life": This Hebrew idiom (hendiadys) emphasizes the totality and entirety of Jacob's life duration, signifying a complete cycle from birth to the present age. It is a common way in the Bible to refer to a person's lifespan. The slight redundancy adds a solemn tone, underscoring the finality of this temporal marker.
- were one hundred and forty-seven years: (שֶׁבַע וְאַרְבָּעִים וּמְאַת שָׁנָה, shevaʿ wəʾarbāʿîm ûməʾaṯ shanah)
- "one hundred and forty-seven": This is a precise numerical detail. It is shorter than Abraham (175) and Isaac (180), fitting the general biblical pattern of declining lifespans. This precise accounting signals the end of an era for the last of the major patriarchs. His "evil" days culminated in 17 peaceful years, demonstrating God's ultimate blessing at the close of his tumultuous life.
Genesis 47 28 Bonus section
- Jacob's age of 147 means he outlived his favored son Joseph, who would live to 110 years (Gen 50:26). However, Jacob died 37 years before Joseph, leaving Joseph as the last of his direct lineage to live for a substantial period in Egypt.
- The meticulous recording of lifespans in Genesis underscores God's sovereignty over life and death and emphasizes the orderly unfolding of His plan for humanity and Israel.
- Jacob's time in Egypt facilitated the growth of his seventy-member household into a multitude (Gen 47:27), a direct fulfillment of God's covenant promise to make his descendants a great nation. This growth would be critical for the Exodus narrative.
- The focus on "Jacob" here, rather than "Israel," emphasizes his personal journey and the fulfillment of his individual life story, a journey marked by struggle and eventual divine grace.
Genesis 47 28 Commentary
Genesis 47:28 serves as a concise yet profound summary statement for the end of Jacob's earthly life, framing his seventeen years in Egypt as a period of final rest and peace. This brief verse sets the stage for the crucial chapters that follow, where Jacob, now revitalized by reuniting with Joseph and settling his family, prepares to transition his blessing and legacy to the next generation, establishing the framework for the tribes of Israel. The seventeen years in Egypt are poignant, as they equal the number of years Joseph spent with Jacob before his traumatic disappearance. This divine symmetry underscores the theme of restoration and God's perfect timing, bringing comfort and reconciliation to Jacob in his last days. Despite Jacob's earlier pronouncements to Pharaoh about his life being "few and evil," this final period illustrates God's faithfulness in bringing him comfort and fruitfulness, signifying that divine purposes transcend immediate circumstances of hardship. It marks the concluding chapter for the last major patriarch, shifting the narrative focus from individuals to the burgeoning nation of Israel poised to grow exponentially in Egypt before the Exodus.