Genesis 45:20

Genesis 45:20, in plain English

Pharaoh tells them not to worry about what they're leaving behind in Canaan because Egypt's best resources are now theirs to enjoy.

Why it's here

This is Pharaoh releasing them from anxiety about material loss. He's saying, 'Don't cling to what you have in Canaan—Egypt is better, and it's yours.' It's the ultimate assurance that their move isn't a sacrifice but an upgrade.

Who's speaking

Pharaoh, making the final assurance that moving to Egypt is their gain, not their loss

Where it sits in the story

This reflects a biblical truth: when God calls us to something, He doesn't leave us impoverished. He calls us toward abundance. The family that thought they'd lost everything now stands to gain everything.

The scholarly reading

Pharaoh concludes his offer by assuring the family not to worry about their material possessions left behind, as they'll be abundantly provided for in Egypt.

Language and setting

The instruction 'pay no regard to your belongings' (אַל־תִּשְׁמְרוּ כְלֵיכֶם, literally 'do not grieve over your vessels/possessions') recognizes a natural concern—families would hesitate to abandon their accumulated wealth and property. Pharaoh's assurance essentially says: leave everything behind, as the resources of Egypt will provide for you abundantly. This is remarkable generosity, suggesting that Joseph's position has earned him (and by extension, his family) the trust and favor of Egypt's highest authority. The repetition of 'the best of all the land of Egypt is yours' emphasizes abundance and security as the destination, not loss and deprivation.

Voice

Pharaoh

Significance

Pharaoh's final assurance removes the last obstacle to the family's relocation: anxiety about material loss. It frames the move not as abandonment but as an exchange—leaving the uncertain resources of famine-stricken Canaan for the guaranteed abundance of Egypt. This paradoxically prefigures Israel's later departure from Egypt: just as they're being welcomed and provided for now, they will later be expelled, yet with spoils taken from the Egyptians (Exodus 12:35-36). The cyclical pattern of welcome and rejection, provision and deprivation, frames the entire Egyptian sojourn.

18Then bring your father and your families and return to me. I will give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you shall eat from the fat of the land.’

19You are also directed to tell them: ‘Take wagons from the land of Egypt for your young children and your wives, and bring your father and come back.

20But pay no regard to your belongings, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.’”

21So the sons of Israel did as they were told. Joseph gave them wagons as Pharaoh had instructed, and he also gave them provisions for their journey.

22He gave new garments to each of them, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred shekels of silver and five sets of clothes.

Read all of Genesis 45 — Three words that shatter twenty years of silence. Joseph weeps, forgives, and reframes every betrayal as providence.