Genesis 46:34

My Notes

What Does Genesis 46:34 Mean?

"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 dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians." Joseph COACHES his family on what to tell Pharaoh: emphasize that you're SHEPHERDS — your trade has been cattle from youth, across generations. The purpose: so you'll be placed in GOSHEN — the fertile, separate, pastoral region. The strategy is BRILLIANT: the very thing that makes shepherds ABOMINABLE to Egyptians is what keeps Jacob's family SEPARATE from Egyptian culture. The Egyptian disgust is the instrument of Hebrew preservation.

The phrase "every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians" (ki to'avat Mitzrayim kol ro'eh tzon — for an abomination of Egypt is every shepherd of flocks) reveals the CULTURAL PREJUDICE Joseph exploits: the Egyptians considered shepherds DETESTABLE — socially inferior, ritually impure, culturally repulsive. Joseph USES this prejudice: by identifying the family as shepherds, they'll be placed in GOSHEN — separated from Egyptian society, isolated in their own territory, protected from cultural ASSIMILATION by Egyptian cultural DISGUST.

The strategy is PRESERVATION THROUGH SEPARATION: the thing that makes the family UNWELCOME in Egyptian society is the thing that keeps them INTACT as a distinct people. The disgust that the Egyptians feel toward shepherds creates the BUFFER ZONE that preserves Hebrew identity. The cultural prejudice becomes the cultural protection. The abomination becomes the salvation.

Reflection Questions

• 1.What thing that makes you 'unwelcome' is actually preserving your distinct identity?
• 2.What does Joseph using Egyptian prejudice as a preservation-tool teach about leveraging rejection?
• 3.How does separation through cultural disgust describe the mechanism God uses to prevent assimilation?
• 4.What Goshen — what separate space — has your identity been preserved in because the surrounding culture didn't want you?

Devotional

Tell Pharaoh you're SHEPHERDS. Because shepherds are an ABOMINATION to Egyptians. And that abomination? It's what will keep you SEPARATE — in Goshen, away from Egyptian culture, preserved as a distinct people. Joseph uses EGYPTIAN DISGUST as the instrument of HEBREW PRESERVATION. The prejudice becomes the protection.

The 'your servants' trade hath been about cattle' is the COACHED answer: Joseph tells his family WHAT to say. The answer is TRUE (they ARE shepherds). But the framing is STRATEGIC — emphasizing the pastoral identity to produce the DESIRED OUTCOME (placement in Goshen). The truth serves the strategy. The honest answer produces the intended result.

The 'every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians' is the CULTURAL REALITY Joseph exploits: Egyptians found shepherds detestable — socially low, culturally inferior, ritually impure. Joseph doesn't try to OVERCOME the prejudice. He LEVERAGES it. The Egyptian disgust toward shepherds will cause Pharaoh to place Jacob's family in GOSHEN — separate, pastoral, away from the capital. The segregation that results from the prejudice is the PRESERVATION that the family needs.

The BRILLIANCE is in using REJECTION as PROTECTION: in Egypt's cities, Jacob's family would ASSIMILATE — intermarrying, adopting Egyptian gods, losing their identity. In Goshen — SEPARATED by Egyptian cultural prejudice — they remain DISTINCT. The four hundred years in Egypt that follow will produce a SEPARATE PEOPLE (not an assimilated one) because the shepherding identity kept them APART. The abomination became the fence. The rejection became the boundary.

What cultural 'abomination' — what thing that makes you unwelcome in the surrounding culture — is actually the boundary that preserves your identity?

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture