Genesis 47:27 · Bible study
Genesis 47:27 Commentary: Israel's Prosperity in Goshen
Hebrew · 6 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Genesis 47:27 shows Israel's growth in Egypt as covenant fulfillment, setting up the Exodus. Textual notes, commentary, and study guide.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Israel’s settlement and multiplication in Goshen directly fulfills God’s covenant promise to make them a great nation (Genesis 46:3).
- Key words: Āḥaz (possess, Niphal), implies temporary, granted residency rather than permanent title; pārâ and rābâ (be fruitful, multiply), echo creation and covenant.
- Main debate: Was Israel’s possession of land in Goshen a temporary lease (Calvin) or a more settled ownership (some later Jewish tradition)? The text supports the former.
- Theological theme: God’s faithfulness to his word; prosperity as both gift and test; the seed of Abraham growing into a nation through providential placement.
- Best use: Transitional verse for a series on the Patriarchs, shows the hinge between promise and oppression, comfort and crisis.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Now the Israelites settled in the land of Egypt, in the region of Goshen. They acquired property there and became fruitful and increased greatly in number.
WEB World English Bible 2000
Israel lived in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen; and they got themselves possessions therein, and were fruitful, and multiplied exceedingly.
KJV King James Version 1769
And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they had possessions therein, and grew, and multiplied exceedingly.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen; and they gat them possessions therein, and were fruitful, and multiplied exceedingly.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
And Israel dwelleth in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen, and they have possession in it, and are fruitful, and multiply exceedingly;
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen; and they had possessions in it, and were fruitful and multiplied exceedingly.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
So Israel dwelt in Egypt, that is, in the land of Gessen, and possessed it; and grew, and was multiplied exceedingly.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Así habitó Israel en la tierra de Egipto, en la tierra de Gosén; y aposesionáronse en ella, y se aumentaron, y multiplicaron en gran manera.
Assim habitou Israel na terra do Egito, na terra de Gósen; e apossaram-se nela, y se aumentaram, e multiplicaram em grande maneira.
Israël habita dans le pays d’ Égypte, dans le pays de Gosen. Ils eurent des possessions, ils furent féconds et multiplièrent beaucoup.
Also wohnte Israel in Ägypten im Lande Gosen, und hatten's inne und wuchsen und mehrten sich sehr.
Zo woonde Israel in het land van Egypte, in het land Gosen; en zij stelden zich tot bezitters daarin, en zij werden vruchtbaar en vermeerderden zeer.
Così gl’Israeliti abitarono nel paese d’Egitto, nel paese di Goscen; vi ebbero de’ possessi, vi s’accrebbero, e moltiplicarono oltremodo.
I mieszkał Izrael w ziemi Egipskiej, w ziemi Gosen, i osadziwszy się w niej, rozrodzili się, i rozmnożyli się wielce.
И жил Израиль в земле Египетской, в земле Гесем, и владели они ею, и плодились, и весьма умножились.
以色列人 住在 埃及 的歌珊 地。他們在那裡 置了產業，並且生育 甚 多。
And so Israel was living among the Egyptians in the land of Goshen; and they got property there, and became very great in numbers and in wealth.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Genesis 47:27
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that this verse reports a decisive stage in the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The repeated promise “I will make of you a great nation” (Genesis 46:3) is now visibly taking shape. Calvin notes that Israel’s dwelling in Goshen was “commodiously for a time” rather than as permanent proprietors, the land remained Pharaoh’s, and possession was by favor. Gill adds that they “grew rich and numerous even in Jacob’s lifetime,” acquiring fields and vineyards by rental. Matthew Henry contrasts Egypt’s impoverishment through Joseph’s economic policy with Israel’s replenishment in a foreign land, calling it “kind Providence.” The verbs “were fruitful and multiplied exceedingly” echo the creation mandate (Genesis 1:28) and covenant language (Genesis 17:6), signaling that the family is becoming the nation God promised. All traditions see this prosperity as both a gift and a hinge: the very growth that fulfills the covenant will soon provoke the oppression that leads to the Exodus.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: Israel’s settlement, prosperity, and growth in Goshen is presented as a definite stage in God’s plan to fulfill his promise to Abraham, even though the same growth will trigger the events of the Exodus.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Fulfillment of the Abrahamic promise | All traditions see this verse as a direct fulfillment of God’s promise to make Israel a great nation (Genesis 12:2; 46:3). | Catholic and Orthodox readers often link this to a broader typology of the Church as the new Israel; some Reformed traditions emphasize the continuity of the covenant across the Exodus. All agree the promise is being realized here. |
| Nature of Israel's possession of Goshen | The land was Pharaoh’s; Israel lived there by royal grant, not by conquest or purchase. | Jewish exegetes (e.g., Rashi) often see the possession as a temporary settlement with eventual full ownership implied; Christian commentators (Calvin, Gill) stress the impermanence to highlight Israel’s dependence on God rather than land title. The Niphal form of אָחַז can suggest either state, but context favors a limited tenure. |
| Whether the prosperity foreshadows oppression | The same growth that is a blessing in Genesis becomes a threat in Exodus 1:7, 10. All traditions read this verse as laying the groundwork for the oppression. | Some see this as a straightforward cause, effect narrative (growth provokes fear); others (Edersheim) read it as a pattern of redemptive history: the people of God are preserved through a period of preparation before suffering. Both views affirm God's sovereignty over the entire arc. |
| Literary source (P vs. J/E) | Most critical scholars assign this verse to the Priestly source (P), noting the genealogical and settlement focus. | Traditional conservative interpreters (e.g., Matthew Henry) treat it as unified Mosaic narrative without source division; the interpretive payoff is the same: Moses records Israel’s prosperity as a gift of God’s covenant faithfulness. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Goshen lay in the eastern Nile Delta, a fertile region well suited for livestock. Unlike the famine‑stricken Canaan, Egypt’s irrigated agriculture had survived the seven lean years through Joseph’s storage policy. Pharaoh granted the family land “in the best of the land” (Genesis 47:6, 11), setting them apart from the native Egyptian population. The verb wayyē’āḥăzû (from H0270, “grasp, seize, take possession”) appears in the Niphal stem, suggesting a settled, established condition rather than outright ownership. Calvin insists they were not proprietors “in the same manner in which the other parts of Egypt were given to the inhabitants for a perpetual possession.” This was a hospitable but precarious residency, a protected minority group dependent on the good will of the crown.
Egyptian records from the New Kingdom period describe a similar practice of granting lands to foreign groups, who were expected to serve as archers or laborers. Israel’s initial prosperity was real but conditional. The very isolation of Goshen (ethnically and geographically) allowed them to multiply without assimilation, preserving their distinct identity during the four centuries before Moses. Yet that isolation also made them visible targets when political winds shifted. The agricultural language, “they had possessions” (fields, vineyards per Targum Jonathan), marks a shift from the nomadic pastoralism of the patriarchs to a more settled, agrarian life. Ellicott’s Commentary observes that this transition, along with the geographical concentration in Goshen, explains both the explosive growth recorded in Exodus 1:7 and the fear it inspired in a later Pharaoh who “knew not Joseph.”
Textual Notes
The Hebrew text of Genesis 47:27 is stable across major manuscripts. The Masoretic Text, the Dead Sea Scrolls (4QGenᵍ), and the Septuagint agree on the verse’s wording, with only minor variations in spelling (e.g., Goshen vs. Tanis in some LXX manuscripts, but this reflects a difference in place‑name identification rather than a textual variant). The consulted sources note no significant variants that affect interpretation.
Reception History
Early Jewish interpreters (Philo, Josephus) read this verse as evidence of God’s providential care, Israel flourished in a foreign land while remaining distinct. The early church, especially in Origen and Augustine, saw Goshen as a type of the Church dwelling in the world but not of it: fruitful yet awaiting a true homeland. Reformation commentators (Calvin, Luther) emphasized the contrast between Egypt’s impoverishment and Israel’s growth, urging that spiritual blessing often comes through temporal vulnerability. In modern evangelical usage, the verse is frequently cited in sermons on God’s covenant faithfulness and the danger of comfort, the very abundance that seems like a final blessing is, in Genesis, the pivot point toward suffering and, ultimately, redemption. The language of ‘fruitful and multiplied’ has also been incorporated into catechetical and liturgical contexts that celebrate God’s gift of children to the Church.
Preaching This Verse
Three‑point outline
- God Keeps His Word, The promise to Abraham (Genesis 13:16) that his offspring would be “as the dust of the earth” begins concrete fulfillment here. Israel’s multiplication is not accident; it is covenant loyalty in motion.
- Prosperity Can Be a Test, Goshen was comfortable. Yet the same growth that felt like blessing became the catalyst for bondage. Preach the realism of peace followed by pressure, a pattern the church knows well.
- Faith Lives with Open Hands, Israel’s possession was by favor, not title deed. They held Goshen loosely, as Abraham had held Canaan. Christians hold earthly goods the same way (1 Timothy 6:17, 19).
Five‑point outline
- Emigration to Egypt (47:27a), God’s providence in relocation.
- Possessions in a foreign land (47:27b), temporal blessings from the hand of God.
- Fruitfulness (47:27c), echoes of Eden and the patriarchs.
- Multiplication (47:27d), the seed becomes a nation.
- Exceedingly (47:27e), the adverb that signals a tipping point toward both glory and crisis.
Illustration hooks
- The immigrant family story, A family moves to a new country, works hard, and flourishes. Yet they never forget they are guests. Their very success can draw suspicion or envy from the host culture.
- The planted tree, A sapling placed in rich soil grows fast, but its roots are shallow. The first storm tests whether it was truly established or just temporarily sheltered.
Questions your congregation is asking
- “If God promised to bless Israel, why did they suffer four hundred years of slavery right after this?”
- “How do I enjoy God’s gifts without becoming attached to them as if they were permanent?”
- “When does material blessing become a spiritual danger?”
Leading a Discussion
Genesis 47:27 sits at a quiet pivot in the Patriarchal narrative. The family of Jacob has survived famine, relocated to Egypt, and now settles into a season of peace and growth. But the same verse that records blessing also records the conditions that will lead to bondage. As you discuss, notice how the text uses language from the creation account (Genesis 1:28) and from the promises to Abraham (Genesis 12:2; 17:6). Pay attention also to what is not said: there is no mention of a permanent homeland, no covenant renewal, no altar built. The people are comfortable, but not yet home.
Discussion questions
- What do the verbs “dwelt,” “had possessions,” “were fruitful,” and “multiplied” communicate about Israel’s situation in Egypt?
- Read Genesis 46:3 and 47:27 side by side. How does the fulfillment of God’s promise begin to appear in this verse?
- The Hebrew word for “had possessions” (’āḥaz) can also mean “grasp” or “seize.” Calvin says they were not proprietors. Why does the difference between owning and renting matter for how we read their security?
- Compare this verse with Exodus 1:7. The same language reappears, but the context has changed. What shifts between the end of Genesis and the beginning of Exodus?
- Israel flourished in a wealthy, polytheistic culture. What challenges do Christians face when they thrive in a society that does not share their faith?
- How does the story of Goshen help you think about seasons of ease in your own life? Are they always a sign of blessing, or can they be preparation for difficulty?
- The verse ends with “exceedingly.” What does that excess suggest about God’s generosity, and about the risks that come with it?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Genesis 8:7 | and he sent out a raven. It went back and forth, until the waters were dried up from the earth. |
| Genesis 8:9 | but the dove found no place to rest her foot, and she returned into the ship to him, for the waters were on the surface of the whole earth. He put out his hand, and took her, and brought her to him into the ship. |
| Genesis 13:16 | I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if a man can count the dust of the earth, then your offspring may also be counted. |
| Genesis 17:6 | I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you. Kings will come out of you. |
| Genesis 26:4 | I will multiply your offspring as the stars of the sky, and will give all these lands to your offspring. In your offspring all the nations of the earth will be blessed, |
| Genesis 28:14 | Your offspring will be as the dust of the earth, and you will spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south. In you and in your offspring, all the families of the earth will be blessed. |
| Genesis 46:3 | He said, “I am God, the God of your father. Don’t be afraid to go down into Egypt, for there I will make of you a great nation. |
| Exodus 1:7 | The children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and grew exceedingly mighty; and the land was filled with them. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
6 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin stresses that Jacob's family did not own the land permanently but lived there by Pharaoh's favor, as long as they remained peaceable. Their rapid growth, he argues, came through God's hidden power protecting and exalting his Church amid constant threats of death.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
This clause marks the finish of the Priestly writer's account of Jacob and his sons settling in Egypt. The commentator identifies it as the concluding line of that specific source's narrative thread.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note highlights that God's blessing on Jacob's family continued even in a foreign land. Their great increase in Goshen directly fulfilled the promise to Abraham, proving that divine favor does not depend on location but on God's covenant faithfulness.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill notes that even during Jacob's lifetime, the Israelites in Goshen began to grow both rich and numerous. While the land belonged to Pharaoh and was rented, the family prospered through agriculture and multiplied greatly, long before the later oppression.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange stresses that Jacob's halt at Beersheba to seek divine sanction reveals the crucial distinction between human confidence and God's assurance. The migration into Egypt was a bold undertaking that required the promise of a return to Canaan. The number 70 marks the family as the holy seed of God's people.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry marvels at the providential symmetry: Jacob nourished Joseph for seventeen years as a father, and then Joseph nourished Jacob for seventeen years as a provider in Egypt. He also highlights that even Israel, a prince who prevailed with God, could not escape death—the one appointment no man can avoid.