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And he took five men from among his brothers and presented them to Pharaoh.
Genesis 47:2 · New King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB From among his brothers he took five men, and presented them to Pharaoh.
  • KJV And he took some of his brethren, even five men, and presented them unto Pharaoh.
  • BSB And he chose five of his brothers and presented them before Pharaoh.
  • NASB And he took five men from among his brothers and presented them to Pharaoh.
  • NLT Joseph took five of his brothers with him and presented them to Pharaoh.

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

Joseph presents five of his brothers to Pharaoh. They serve as representatives of the family before the king.

Overview

Selecting five brothers, Joseph presents them to Pharaoh in person. This deliberate, modest introduction allows Pharaoh to receive the family graciously. The scene continues to display God's providence in giving His servant favor in the highest court of Egypt.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 4

  • Acts 7:13On the second time Joseph was made known to his brothers, and Joseph’s race was revealed to Pharaoh.
  • 2 Cor 4:14knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus, and will present us with you.
  • Col 1:28whom we proclaim, admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus;
  • Jude 1:24Now to him who is able to keep them from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory in great joy,

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (2)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Genesis videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Genesis 47:2YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on GenesisMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

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 47:2 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.