And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they had possessions therein, and grew, and multiplied exceedingly.
Parallel translations
- WEB Israel lived in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen; and they got themselves possessions therein, and were fruitful, and multiplied exceedingly.
- BSB 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.
- NKJV So Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they had possessions there and grew and multiplied exceedingly.
- NASB Now Israel lived in the land of Egypt, in Goshen, and they acquired property in it and were fruitful and became very numerous.
- NLT Meanwhile, the people of Israel settled in the region of Goshen in Egypt. There they acquired property, and they were fruitful, and their population grew rapidly.
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
Israel settles in Goshen, gains possessions, and multiplies greatly. God's promise of fruitfulness begins to be visibly fulfilled.
Overview
While Egypt was being reduced to servitude, God's covenant people prospered and grew exceedingly in Goshen. This fruitfulness directly echoes God's promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to multiply their seed. The verse marks the beginning of Israel's growth into the great nation that Exodus opens by describing, all under God's faithful hand.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 16
- Gen 46:3And he said, I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation:
- Exod 1:7And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them.
- Acts 7:17But when the time of the promise drew nigh, which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt,
- Ps 107:38He blesseth them also, so that they are multiplied greatly; and suffereth not their cattle to decrease.
- Zech 10:8I will hiss for them, and gather them; for I have redeemed them: and they shall increase as they have increased.
- Deut 26:5And thou shalt speak and say before the LORD thy God, A Syrian ready to perish was my father, and he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there with a few, and became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous:
- Gen 26:4And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;
- Ps 105:24And he increased his people greatly; and made them stronger than their enemies.
- Neh 9:23Their children also multipliedst thou as the stars of heaven, and broughtest them into the land, concerning which thou hadst promised to their fathers, that they should go in to possess it.
- Gen 13:16And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.
- Deut 10:22Thy fathers went down into Egypt with threescore and ten persons; and now the LORD thy God hath made thee as the stars of heaven for multitude.
- Gen 17:6And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.
- Gen 8:9But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth: then he put forth his hand, and took her, and pulled her in unto him into the ark.
- Gen 8:7And he sent forth a raven, which went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the earth.
- Exod 1:12But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel.
- Gen 28:14And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
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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 47:27 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
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