Genesis 46 · Verse 3

Genesis 46:3

And he said, I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation:
Genesis 46:3, King James Version

Genesis 46:3 in other translations

BSB“I am God,” He said, “the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there.
WEBHe 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.
ASVAnd he said, I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation:
YLTAnd He saith, ‘I am God, God of thy father, be not afraid of going down to Egypt, for for a great nation I set thee there;
DARBYAnd he said, I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down to Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation.
BBEAnd he said, I am God, the God of your father: go down to Egypt without fear, for I will make a great nation of you there:
WebsterAnd he said, I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation:

What does Genesis 46:3 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
3. I will there make of thee a great nation--How truly this promise was fulfilled, appears in the fact that the seventy souls who went down into Egypt increased [Ex 1:5-7], in the space of two hundred fifteen years, to one hundred eighty thousand.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 3 Fear not to go down into Egypt - It appears that there had been some doubts in the patriarch's mind relative to the propriety of this journey; he found, from the confession of his own sons, how little they were to be trusted. But every doubt is dispelled by this Divine manifestation. 1. He may go down confidently, no evil shall befall him. 2. Even in Egypt the covenant shall be fulfilled, God will make of him there a great nation. 3. God himself will accompany him on his journey, be with him in the strange land, and even bring back his bones to rest with those of his fathers. 4. He shall see Joseph, and this same beloved son shall be with him in his last hours, and do the last kind office for him. Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes. It is not likely that Jacob would have at all attempted to go down to Egypt, had he not received these assurances from God; and it is very likely that he offered his sacrifice merely to obtain this information. It was now a time of famine in Egypt, and God had forbidden his father Isaac to go down to Egypt when there was a famine there, Gen 26:1-3; besides, he may have had some general intimation of the prophecy delivered to his grandfather Abraham, that his seed should be afflicted in Egypt, Gen 15:13, Gen 15:14; and he also knew that Canaan, not Egypt, was to be the inheritance of his family, Genesis 12, etc. On all these accounts it was necessary to have the most explicit directions from God, before he should take such a journey.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Genesis 46:1-4

Even as to those events and undertakings which appear most joyful, we should seek counsel, assistance, and a blessing from the Lord. Attending on his ordinances, and receiving the pledges of his covenant love, we expect his presence, and that peace which it confers. In all removals we should be reminded of our removal out of this world. Nothing can encourage us to fear no evil when passing through the valley of the…

Read the full comment on Genesis 46:1-4 →

Genesis 46:3 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַיֹּ֕אמֶרvai.Yo.merand he saidH559
אָנֹכִ֥י'a.no.KhiIH595
הָאֵ֖לha.'El[am] the GodH410
אֱלֹהֵ֣י'e.lo.Hei[the] God ofH430
אָבִ֑יךָ'a.Vi.khafather yourH1
אַל\־'al-may notH408
תִּירָא֙ti.Ra'you be afraidH3372
מֵרְדָ֣הme.re.Dahfrom going downH3381
מִצְרַ֔יְמָהmitz.Ray.mahEgypt towardsH4714
כִּֽי\־ki-forH3588
לְג֥וֹיle.Goyinto a nationH1471
גָּד֖וֹלga.DolgreatH1419
אֲשִֽׂימְךָ֥'a.si.me.KhaI will make youH7760
שָֽׁם\׃ShamthereH8033

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Genesis 46:3

  • Genesis 12:2

    And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

  • Deuteronomy 26:5

    And thou shalt speak and say before the Lord thy God, A Syrian ready to perish was my father, and he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there with a few, and became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous:

  • Acts 27:24

    Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Cesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.

  • Isaiah 43:1-2

    But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

  • Genesis 35:11

    And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins;

  • Genesis 26:2-3

    And the Lord appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of: Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father;

  • Genesis 28:13-14

    And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

  • Isaiah 41:10

    Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

  • Genesis 15:13

    And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;

  • Deuteronomy 1:10

    The Lord your God hath multiplied you, and, behold, ye are this day as the stars of heaven for multitude.

  • Genesis 15:1

    After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.

  • Genesis 18:18

    Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
the God.
28:13
fear not.
15:1,13; 26:2,3; Isa 41:10; 43:1,2; Jer 40:9; Ac 27:24
I will.
12:2; 13:15,16; 18:18; 22:17; 28:14; 35:11; 47:27; Ex 1:7-10; De 1:10
De 10:22; 26:5; Ac 7:17

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Genesis 46:2

    And God spake unto Israel in the visions of the night, and said, Jacob, Jacob. And he said, Here am I.

  • Genesis 46:3

    And he said, I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation:

  • Genesis 46:4

    I will go down with thee into Egypt; and I will also surely bring thee up again: and Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes.

Read all of Genesis 46

Genesis 46:3 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Y dijo: Yo soy Dios, el Dios de tu padre; no temas de descender á Egipto, porque yo te pondré allí en gran gente.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
Et il dit: Moi, je suis ✶Dieu, le Dieu de ton père: ne crains pas de descendre en Égypte; car je t’y ferai devenir une grande nation.
German
Elberfelder 1871
Und er sprach: Ich bin Gott, der Gott deines Vaters; fürchte dich nicht, nach Ägypten hinabzuziehen; denn zu einer großen Nation will ich dich daselbst machen.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
Ait illi Deus: Ego sum fortissimus Deus patris tui: noli timere, descende in Ægyptum, quia in gentem magnam faciam te ibi.