Genesis 46: Group Study Handout

How to use: read Genesis 46 aloud together, then take the questions in order. One page is enough for an evening.

Overview

In Genesis chapter 46, Jacob receives reassurance from God before relocating his family to Egypt. The chapter begins with Jacob's journey to Egypt, where God speaks to him in a vision at night, promising to be with him and to make him a great nation there. Jacob, known as Israel, takes his family and all they possess, numbering seventy members, to join his son Joseph, whom he thought was dead for many years. This significant move symbolizes the endurance and survival of Jacob's lineage within God's providential plan, despite the impending challenges they will face in Egypt.

Key verse

“He said, “I am God, the God of your father. Don’t be afraid to go down into Egypt, for there I will make of you a great nation.”
Genesis 46:3 (WEB)

Outline

Genesis 46:1–4 Jacob's Journey and God's Assurance
Genesis 46:5–7 Gathering the Family
Genesis 46:8–25 Names of Jacob's Descendants
Genesis 46:26–27 Total Count of Jacob's Family
Genesis 46:28–34 Meeting and Preparing for Pharaoh

Discussion questions

In v2, who speaks to Israel in the visions of the night?
What does Jacob offer in v1 when he arrives at Beersheba?
God says in v4, 'I will also surely bring you up again': what does this imply about Jacob's future?
In v34, why are shepherds considered 'an abomination to the Egyptians'?
When have you had to trust in God's guidance during a significant life change, like Jacob in v5?

Go deeper

Passages that echo Genesis 46: Numbers 26, Numbers 1, Genesis 45.

Before next time: read Genesis 47.