a man in general (singly or collectively) · conjunction + definite article + noun, common masculine plural absolute
shepherds
רֹ֣עֵיRo.'ei
H7462
to tend a flock · verb, qal active participle, masculine plural construct
cattle
מִקְנֶ֖הmik.Neh
H4735
something bought · noun, common masculine singular absolute
brought
הֵבִֽיאוּhe.Vi.'u
H935
to go or come (in a wide variety of applications) · verb, hiphil perfect, 3rd person common plural
flocks
צֹ֔אןTzon
H6629
a collective name for a flock (of sheep or goats) · noun, common both genders singular absolute
herds
וּבְקָרָ֛םu.ve.ka.Ram
H1241
beef cattle or an animal of the ox family of either gen… · conjunction + noun, common both genders singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine plural
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Genesis 47:3 And Pharaoh said unto his brethren, What is your occupation? And they said unto Pharaoh, Thy servants are shepherds, both we, and also our f…
Genesis 4:2 And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
Genesis 9:20 And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard:
Genesis 31:18 And he carried away all his cattle, and all his goods which he had gotten, the cattle of his getting, which he had gotten in Padan-aram, for…
Genesis 37:2 These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the son…
Genesis 45:10 And thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto me, thou, and thy children, and thy children’s children, and thy flo…
Genesis 46:34 That ye shall say, Thy servants’ trade hath been about cattle from our youth even until now, both we, and also our fathers: that ye may dwel…
Exodus 3:1 Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to…
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Genesis 46:28–end
We have here, I. The joyful meeting between Jacob and his son Joseph, in which observe,
1. Jacob's prudence in sending Judah before him to Joseph, to give him notice of his arrival in Goshen. This was a piece of respect owing to the government, under the protection of which these strangers had come to put themselves, Gen 46:28. We should be very careful not to give offence to any, especially not to the higher powers.
2. Joseph's filial respect to him. He went in his chariot to met him, and, in the interview, showed, (1.) How much he honoured him: He presented himself unto him. Note, It is the duty of children to reverence their parents, yea, though Providence, as to outward condition, has ad…
Joseph said, . . . I will go up, and show Pharaoh--It was a tribute of respect due to the king to inform him of their arrival. And the instructions which he gave them were worthy of his character alike as an affectionate brother and a religious man.
Next: Genesis Chapter 47
Adam Clarke on Genesis 46:30
Now let me die, since I have seen thy face - Perhaps old Simeon had this place in view when, seeing the salvation of Israel, he said, Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, etc., Luk 2:29.
John Gill on Genesis 46:32
And the men are shepherds,.... That was their occupation and employment, by which they got their livelihood. Joseph was not ashamed of the business his father and brethren followed, even though mean; and besides, such men were an abomination to the Egyptians: this he thought proper to tell Pharaoh, lest he should think of putting them into some offices of the court or army, which would expose them to the envy of the Egyptians, and might endanger the corruption of their religion and manners, as well as be the means of separating them one from another, which he was careful to guard against, as Josephus (b) the historian suggests:
for their trade hath been to feed cattle; this was what they we…
The Church Fathers
WHY THE SCRIPTURES PRAISE IN THE PATRIARCHS THEIR PROFESSION, SHEPHERDS OF HERDS. — When speaking of the patriarchs, it is made more explicit that they were shepherds from their youth, just as their fathers had been. And rightly so, because no doubt is given the just servitude and the right rule when the cattle serve man and man dominates the cattle. Indeed, in the creation of man, Scripture says: Let us make man in our image and likeness, and have power over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over all the cattle that are upon the earth (Gen. 1:26). Here it is hinted that reason must rule over irrational life. And iniquity or adversity made man a servant of man. Iniquity, no doubt, according to the words of the Scripture: Cursed be Canaan; will be a servant of his brothers (Gen. 9:25). Adversity also, as happened to Joseph, sold by his brothers as a servant to a foreigner. The wars gave rise to the first to whom this name of slaves was given in the Latin language. For the man overcome by another man, who by right of war could have been killed, by pardoning his life, became a servant. They are also called mancipia (slave), because they have been captured by hand. There is also a natural order in men, so that women serve their husbands and children to their fathers. For in this too there is a justification, which is that the weakest reason serves the strongest. There is, therefore, a clear justification and legal right in names, so that those who excel in reason, also excel in the domain. But as in the present world this is disturbed by the iniquity of men or by the diversity of fleshly natures, the righteous endure temporal perversity, since on the day of death they are to obtain the most ordained and everlasting happiness. [
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Dictionary and topics
Jews, The · An agricultural people — An agricultural people
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
I will go up and show Pharaoh. After Joseph had gone forth to meet his father for the purpose of doing him honor, he also provides what will be useful for him. On this account, he advises Jacob to declare that he and all his family were keepers of cattle, to the end that he might obtain, from the king, a dwelling-place for them, in the land of Goshen. Now although his moderation deserves commendation on the ground, that he usurps no authority to himself, but that, as one of the common people, he waits the pleasure of the king: he yet may be thought craftily to have devised a pretext, by which he might circumvent the king. We see what he desired. Seeing that the land of Goshen was fertile, an…
This list of the house of Jacob is followed by an account of the arrival in Egypt.
Gen 46:28
Jacob sent his son Judah before him to Joseph, "to show (להורת) before him to Goshen;" i.e., to obtain from Joseph the necessary instructions as to the place of their settlement, and then to act as guide to Goshen.
Gen 46:29
As soon as they had arrived, Joseph had his chariot made ready to go up to Goshen and meet his father (ויּעל applied to a journey from the interior to the desert or Canaan), and "showed himself to him there (lit., he appeared to him; נראה, which is generally used only of the appearance of God, is selected here to indicate the glory in which Joseph came to meet his father); and fe…
Jacob was satisfied just to see his beloved son alive—the firstborn of his chosen wife Rachel and the designated family leader (see study note on 48:5-7; see also 1 Chr 5:1-2). More than just a family reunion, this was confirmation that God’s plan was intact.
Rashi on Genesis 46:31
'ואמרה אליו אחי וגו AND I WILL SAY TO HIM— “MY BRETHREN … have come unto me” and further I will say to him, והאנשים רעי צאן 'וגו AND THE MEN ARE SHEPHERDS etc.
