Joseph reunited with his father, Jacob - Genesis 46

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God speaks to Jacob in a dream, and reassures him that Joseph is still alive.

He renews his covenant with him to make him a great nation. Jacob may have wondered if he should leave Canaan, the land God promised to his family. God makes it clear that for him to leave is part of his plan.

Would this have reminded the early Israelites of chapter 12, when Abraham is told to go to the land God will show him?

God does not reveal himself by name this time, but by relationship. God is the God of Jacob's fathers.

The readers of this book had recently left Egypt. This chapter reminds them that it was God who brought then there, just as it was God who brought them out. In the context of Joseph's story, they will see that God has not abandoned them. God has not changed. Just as God meant all that happened to Joseph for good, so too did he mean all that happened to them in Egypt for good.

From Joseph, all the nations were blessed. From the nation of Israel, all the nations will be blessed.

Jacob brought everything and everyone. He had no intention to return personally. The Israelites reading this are reminded that there are no kin in Canaan.

Seventy Israelites settled in Egypt. The number seventy is reached carefully. Onan and his brother are counted, though they are dead. We might assume the sons of Tamar have replaced them. Numbers 26:5-50 has a somewhat different list if names. We can assume that some fathers and sons may have been swapped out in similar ways to Onan and his brother being switched with Tamar's sons, or other changes made. Onan legally entered Egypt, but did not biologically enter Egypt. The intention at least, is to come to the number 70. It probably also describes for future generations who the legal family settlers of Goshen are.

When Joseph saw his father, he had another good cry. The fifth.

Goshen was a land settles by shepherds. Shepherds are detestable to the Egyptians. Earlier, the text already told us that Hebrews were also detestable to Egyptians. This is not a great way to start a relationship in a new land.