And Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices unto the God of his father Isaac.

GENESIS 46:1KJV
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Genesis 46:1 (KJV)

What does Genesis 46:1 mean?

Genesis 46:1 describes how Israel (Jacob) gathered all his belongings and traveled to Beersheba, where he offered sacrifices to the God worshipped by his father Isaac. This verse shows Jacob pausing to worship God as he begins his journey to Egypt.

Jacob, called Israel here, is responding to the news that his son Joseph is alive in Egypt and has invited the family to come. Before leaving the land of Canaan, Jacob stops at Beersheba, a place with spiritual significance to his family, to seek God’s guidance and blessing through sacrifice. This act highlights Jacob’s desire to honor God and maintain the faith of his ancestors as he faces a major life transition.

The Hebrew behind Genesis 46:1

  • יִשְׂרָאֵל (Yisra'el, "Israel"): The use of "Israel" instead of "Jacob" emphasizes his identity as the chosen patriarch and the father of the nation.
  • בְּאֵר שֶׁבַע (Be'er Sheva, "Beersheba"): Beersheba is a significant location in the stories of Abraham and Isaac, marking it as a place of covenant and worship for the family.
  • זָבַח (zavach, "offered") and זֶבַח (zevach, "sacrifices"): The word for "offered sacrifices" refers specifically to animal sacrifices, which were a traditional way to seek God's favor or guidance at important moments.

Why Genesis 46:1 matters

  • Genesis 46:1 shows Jacob’s carefulness to seek God’s direction before making a major move, rather than acting on his own.
  • The mention of Beersheba connects Jacob’s journey to the spiritual heritage of Abraham and Isaac, reminding the reader of God’s ongoing promises to the family.
  • This verse sets up the following passage, where God speaks directly to Jacob, reassuring him about the journey to Egypt and the future of his descendants.

Where else these words appear

“Beersheba” Hebrew H884 · used in 33 verses

  • Genesis 21:14 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away: and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.
  • Joshua 19:2 And they had in their inheritance Beersheba, or Sheba, and Moladah,
  • 2 Kings 12:1 In the seventh year of Jehu Jehoash began to reign; and forty years reigned he in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Zibiah of Beersheba.

“Isaac” Hebrew H3327 · used in 101 verses

  • Genesis 17:19 And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.
  • Genesis 26:12 Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him.
  • Genesis 35:27 And Jacob came unto Isaac his father unto Mamre, unto the city of Arbah, which is Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac sojourned.

“offered” Hebrew H2076 · used in 127 verses

  • Genesis 31:54 Then Jacob offered sacrifice upon the mount, and called his brethren to eat bread: and they did eat bread, and tarried all night in the mount.
  • 1 Samuel 2:13 And the priests' custom with the people was, that, when any man offered sacrifice, the priest's servant came, while the flesh was in seething, with a fleshhook of three teeth in his hand;
  • 2 Chronicles 15:11 And they offered unto the LORD the same time, of the spoil which they had brought, seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep.

“journey” Hebrew H5265 · used in 140 verses

  • Genesis 11:2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there.
  • Numbers 10:25 And the standard of the camp of the children of Dan set forward, which was the rereward of all the camps throughout their hosts: and over his host was Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai.
  • Numbers 33:32 And they removed from Benejaakan, and encamped at Horhagidgad.