And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.

GENESIS 45:7KJV
Know the Bible

Genesis 45:7 (KJV)

What does Genesis 45:7 mean?

Genesis 45:7 means that Joseph is telling his brothers God had a purpose in sending him ahead to Egypt: to make sure their family would survive and have a future, and to rescue their lives through a remarkable act of deliverance. Joseph sees his suffering and rise to power as part of God's plan to save his family from famine.

In this verse, Joseph is speaking directly to his brothers after revealing his identity to them in Egypt. The brothers had sold Joseph years earlier, and now he explains that what happened was not just their doing, but part of God's greater plan. Joseph emphasizes that God "sent" him ahead, not just to provide food, but to ensure the survival and continuation of their family line during a severe famine.

The Hebrew behind Genesis 45:7

  • "God" (אֱלֹהִים, Elohim): This is the common Hebrew word for God, highlighting God's active role in Joseph's story, not just fate or human action.
  • "Sent" (שָׁלַח, shalach): This word means to send or dispatch. Joseph frames his journey to Egypt as something God intentionally arranged, shifting the focus from his brothers’ betrayal to God’s purpose.
  • "Posterity" (שְׁאֵרִית, she'erit): This word means a remnant or survivors. Joseph is saying God wanted to keep a surviving group of their family alive, not just save them from hunger.
  • "Deliverance" (פְּלֵיטָה, pelētah): This word refers to escape or rescue. The phrase "great deliverance" highlights the extraordinary way God preserved their lives, not just ordinary survival.

Why Genesis 45:7 matters

  • Genesis 45:7 helps clear up the idea that Joseph’s suffering was pointless or only caused by his brothers; Joseph sees a bigger purpose directed by God.
  • The verse emphasizes that God’s plans can work through human actions, even wrong ones, to bring about good for others.
  • This verse connects to the larger story of Genesis, showing how the family of Israel is preserved and setting the stage for their growth into a nation in Egypt.

Where else these words appear

“deliverance” Hebrew H6413 · used in 28 verses

  • Genesis 32:8 And said, If Esau come to the one company, and smite it, then the other company which is left shall escape.
  • 2 Chronicles 30:6 So the posts went with the letters from the king and his princes throughout all Israel and Judah, and according to the commandment of the king, saying, Ye children of Israel, turn again unto the LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, and he will return to the remnant of you, that are escaped out of the hand of the kings of Assyria.
  • Isaiah 37:31 And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward:

“posterity” Hebrew H7611 · used in 66 verses

  • 2 Samuel 14:7 And, behold, the whole family is risen against thine handmaid, and they said, Deliver him that smote his brother, that we may kill him, for the life of his brother whom he slew; and we will destroy the heir also: and so they shall quench my coal which is left, and shall not leave to my husband neither name nor remainder upon the earth.
  • Jeremiah 23:3 And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase.
  • Ezekiel 11:13 And it came to pass, when I prophesied, that Pelatiah the son of Benaiah died. Then fell I down upon my face, and cried with a loud voice, and said, Ah Lord GOD! wilt thou make a full end of the remnant of Israel?