I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will surely bring you back. And Joseph’s own hands will close your eyes.”
Parallel translations
- WEB I will go down with you into Egypt. I will also surely bring you up again. Joseph will close your eyes.”
- KJV I will go down with thee into Egypt; and I will also surely bring thee up again: and Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes.
- NKJV I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again; and Joseph will put his hand on your eyes.”
- NASB I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also assuredly bring you up again; and Joseph will close your eyes.”
- NLT I will go with you down to Egypt, and I will bring you back again. You will die in Egypt, but Joseph will be with you to close your eyes.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God promises to go down to Egypt with Jacob and surely bring him up again, with Joseph closing his eyes. God pledges his presence and a future return.
Overview
God assures Jacob of his abiding presence in Egypt and of bringing his descendants back to Canaan. The promise that Joseph will close his eyes assures the aged father a peaceful death beside his beloved son. This word foreshadows the exodus and confirms God's faithfulness across generations.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Exod 3:8I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.
- Gen 28:15Look, I am with you, and I will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”
- Gen 50:1Then Joseph fell upon his father’s face, wept over him, and kissed him.
- Gen 48:21Then Israel said to Joseph, “Look, I am about to die, but God will be with you and bring you back to the land of your fathers.
- Gen 50:13They carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave at Machpelah in the field near Mamre, which Abraham had purchased from Ephron the Hittite as a burial site.
- Gen 15:14–16But I will judge the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will depart with many possessions.
- Gen 50:5my father made me swear an oath when he said, ‘I am about to die. You must bury me in the tomb that I dug for myself in the land of Canaan.’ Now let me go and bury my father, and then return.”
- Isa 43:1–2Now this is what the LORD says—He who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine!
- Gen 50:24–25Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die, but God will surely visit you and bring you up from this land to the land He promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
From the first promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent (3:15), through Abraham's blessing to all nations and Judah's coming ruler, Genesis sows every seed that flowers in Christ — the true offspring, the better Adam, the ram caught for Isaac.
How Genesis 46:4 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.