Genesis 47:9 kjv

And Jacob said unto Pharaoh, The days of the years of my pilgrimage are an hundred and thirty years: few and evil have the days of the years of my life been, and have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage.

Genesis 47:9 nkjv

And Jacob said to Pharaoh, "The days of the years of my pilgrimage are one hundred and thirty years; few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage."

Genesis 47:9 niv

And Jacob said to Pharaoh, "The years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty. My years have been few and difficult, and they do not equal the years of the pilgrimage of my fathers."

Genesis 47:9 esv

And Jacob said to Pharaoh, "The days of the years of my sojourning are 130 years. Few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their sojourning."

Genesis 47:9 nlt

Jacob replied, "I have traveled this earth for 130 hard years. But my life has been short compared to the lives of my ancestors."

Genesis 47 verses

Genesis 47 9 Meaning

Jacob, standing before Pharaoh, states that the "days of the years of his sojourning" have been 130 years. He qualifies this advanced age by lamenting that his years have been "few and evil," meaning short and full of hardship and sorrow, especially when compared to the much longer and seemingly less troubled lives of his forefathers, Abraham and Isaac, who also lived as sojourners. This verse reflects Jacob's life perspective, marked by struggle and loss, and a deep sense of humility regarding his temporal existence.

Genesis 47 9 Context

Genesis 47 portrays the culmination of Joseph's plan to save his family from famine and reunite them in Egypt. Joseph presents his aged father, Jacob, and five of his brothers to Pharaoh. Pharaoh inquires about Jacob's age, and Jacob's reply in verse 9 is a poignant reflection on his life. It occurs at the high point of his earthly prosperity—his family reunited and secure in a land of plenty under Pharaoh's favor—yet his perspective remains colored by the trials and pilgrim nature of his journey. This verse sets the stage for Jacob's final years in Egypt and his prophetic blessings before his death, anchoring his identity not in settled comfort, but in a long, difficult "sojourning" journey, characteristic of the patriarchs.

Genesis 47 9 Word analysis

• Jacob (יַעֲקֹב - Ya'aqov): Meaning "heel-grasper" or "supplanter." His life, from birth, was marked by struggle and challenge (Gen 25:26). His personal identity underwent a pivotal change to Israel (Gen 32:28), "strives with God," reflecting a life of wrestling with both God and man. Even at this grand meeting with Pharaoh, he sees himself through the lens of hardship and divine interaction.
• Pharaoh (פַּרְעֹה - Parʿoh): The royal title for the king of Egypt. In ancient Egypt, Pharaoh was considered a divine being, the son of Re (the sun god) and a living god. Jacob's meeting with Pharaoh signifies a spiritual and political interface between God's chosen patriarch, a simple shepherd-foreigner, and the most powerful, divine-claimed ruler on earth. This direct address challenges any absolute authority of the Pharaoh, implicitly valuing the "sojourner's" perspective rooted in a higher, monotheistic God.
• "The days of the years of my sojourning" (יְמֵי שְׁנֵי מְגוּרַי - yemey sh'ney m'guray):
  • "Sojourning" (מְגוּרִים - m'gurim): Signifies a temporary residence, a state of being an alien, a non-citizen dwelling in a foreign land. This term has profound theological implications throughout the Hebrew Bible, depicting the life of Abraham and his descendants, including Israel in the Promised Land (Lev 25:23), as ultimately temporary. It highlights that this earth is not humanity's ultimate, eternal home, pointing towards a spiritual homeland. Jacob's entire life was one of movement—from Canaan to Haran, back to Canaan, and now to Egypt—always dependent on divine guidance and provision, never fully settled.
• "130 years" (שְׁלֹשִׁים וּמְאַת שָׁנָה - sh'loshim u'me'at shanah): A very long life by modern standards, but a concrete statement of Jacob's precise age, acknowledging the fulfillment of God's timing in his life.
• "few and evil" (מְעַט וְרָעִים - m'at v'ra'im):
  • "Few" (מְעַט - m'at): Expresses the relative brevity or insignificance of his years, particularly when compared to the 175 years of Abraham (Gen 25:7) and 180 years of Isaac (Gen 35:28). It's a humble acknowledgment that even at a ripe old age, life felt short given the accumulated struggles.
  • "Evil" (רָעִים - ra'im): This does not imply Jacob's moral wickedness, but refers to the profound hardships, sorrow, misfortune, and afflictions that characterized his life. Examples include being cheated by Laban, the distress over Dinah's defilement, the rivalry among his wives, the violent deeds of Simeon and Levi, the loss of Rachel in childbirth, Reuben's transgression, the apparent death of Joseph, and now the prolonged famine that led them to Egypt. Jacob's perspective acknowledges the reality of suffering within God's sovereign plan.
• "have not attained to the days of the years of the lives of my fathers in the days of their sojourning": This phrase draws a direct comparison to Abraham and Isaac. While his fathers also faced trials, Jacob views his own life as uniquely marked by a higher concentration of sorrow and difficulty. It underlines his humility and his consciousness of a divine purpose within their patriarchal line, even through personal suffering.

Genesis 47 9 Bonus section

Jacob's act of blessing Pharaoh (Gen 47:10) immediately after this conversation is highly significant. Despite describing his own life as "few and evil," Jacob, as the elder and a servant of the Most High God, pronounces a blessing upon Pharaoh. This act establishes the spiritual superiority of the patriarch and his God over the Egyptian sovereign, affirming the unique authority of God's covenant people. The encounter subtly sets a polemical tone against the absolute authority of the Egyptian pharaoh, by showcasing a man whose life experiences, shaped by a true and living God, offered a deeper wisdom than worldly power could fathom. This meeting highlights that God often chooses to work through the humble and sojourning rather than through those with apparent power and settled earthly kingdoms, foreshadowing the divine King who would arrive as a "sojourner."

Genesis 47 9 Commentary

Jacob's declaration to Pharaoh is a profound and poignant summary of his long and arduous life. It is not a complaint against God, but a humble acknowledgment of his experience as a "sojourner," echoing the transient nature of life on earth as seen throughout the Bible. His "evil days" reflect the cumulative weight of deceit, loss, fear, and family strife he endured, revealing that even God's chosen servants are not immune to profound human suffering. Yet, this confession before the world's most powerful ruler implicitly testifies to the reality that true identity and lasting significance are not found in worldly power or permanence, but in a pilgrimage of faith, even if that path is fraught with difficulty. Jacob’s perspective on life’s hardships points to a deeper reliance on God, whose promises sustained him through all these trials, shaping his character as Israel, the one who wrestled with God and prevailed.

• Example 1 (Humility): Despite being the patriarch of a divinely chosen lineage and now in a position of favor, Jacob's first impulse is to humbly articulate the fleeting and challenging nature of his earthly existence before a powerful ruler, reminding us to maintain a proper perspective on life's brevity.
• Example 2 (Perspective on Suffering): Jacob's definition of "evil" days highlights that life's trials are real and impactful, even for the faithful. It encourages believers to acknowledge their suffering honestly while still trusting in God's overarching purpose.
• Example 3 (Pilgrim Identity): This verse reinforces the biblical theme of believers as sojourners, our ultimate home is not here. This encourages detachment from temporal pursuits and an orientation towards eternal promises.