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.
Parallel translations
- WEB I will go down with you into Egypt. I will also surely bring you up again. Joseph will close your eyes.”
- BSB I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will surely bring you back. And Joseph’s own hands will close your 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 3:8And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.
- Gen 28:15And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.
- Gen 50:1And Joseph fell upon his father’s face, and wept upon him, and kissed him.
- Gen 48:21And Israel said unto Joseph, Behold, I die: but God shall be with you, and bring you again unto the land of your fathers.
- Gen 50:13For his sons carried him into the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which Abraham bought with the field for a possession of a buryingplace of Ephron the Hittite, before Mamre.
- Gen 15:14–16And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.
- Gen 50:5My father made me swear, saying, Lo, I die: in my grave which I have digged for me in the land of Canaan, there shalt thou bury me. Now therefore let me go up, I pray thee, and bury my father, and I will come again.
- Isa 43:1–2But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.
- Gen 50:24–25And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die: and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
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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.