How Did the Israelites End Up in Egypt — In Biblical Context
Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery in Egypt, but God raised him to second-in-command. During a famine, Jacob's entire family relocated to Egypt, where they eventually became enslaved for 400 years.
Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery in Egypt, but God raised him to second-in-command. During a famine, Jacob's entire family relocated to Egypt, where they eventually became enslaved for 400 years.
"God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance." — Genesis 45:7 (KJV)
The Biblical Context
The story begins with Joseph, Jacob's favored son, whose brothers sold him to traders heading to Egypt (Genesis 37:28). Through God's providence, Joseph rose from slave to prisoner to Pharaoh's second-in-command, interpreting dreams and managing Egypt's grain during famine (Genesis 41). When famine struck Canaan, Jacob sent his sons to buy grain. Joseph revealed himself and invited his family: 'God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth' (Genesis 45:7). Jacob's family of 70 settled in Goshen (Genesis 46:27). For generations they prospered, but 'there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph' (Exodus 1:8). This Pharaoh enslaved Israel, fearing their numbers. For 400 years they suffered — fulfilling God's prophecy to Abraham: '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' (Genesis 15:13). God then raised up Moses for deliverance. The entire narrative demonstrates God's sovereign hand turning human evil into divine purpose.
Where It Sits in Scripture
The core passage for this question, Genesis 45:7, sits inside Genesis 45. To grasp the full meaning, read the surrounding paragraph — the verses before set up the thought, the verses after carry it forward.
"God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance."
Supporting Passages
"There arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph."
"Ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good."
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