What Does Genesis 47:2 Mean?

And from among his brothers he took five men and presented them to Pharaoh. Joseph selects five of the eleven brothers to present before Pharaoh: a representative delegation rather than the full group. Why five? Five is the manageable number for an audience with a king: enough to represent the family, not so many as to overwhelm the court. Five also has resonance throughout the Joseph narrative: Joseph given five times at feast (Genesis 43:34), five changes of clothes to Benjamin (Genesis 45:22), five of the best of the land in Genesis 47:11. Five is Joseph's recurring numerological signature in the concluding chapters.

The selection of five unnamed brothers (rather than named individuals) for the Pharaoh presentation maintains the narrative's focus on Joseph and Jacob's encounters with Pharaoh (verse 7) rather than on the individual brothers. The five brothers are representative of the family's occupation and character: they provide the testimony Pharaoh needs about their vocation. They are the evidence supporting Joseph's report (v.1) and the voices answering Pharaoh's question (v.3).

The formal presentation: "presented them to Pharaoh": uses the court register. Joseph is presenting his family to the king as the prime minister introduces distinguished guests, not as a petitioner bringing foreigners for a favor. The family of the prime minister is being received in a context of honor. The five brothers stand before the most powerful man in the ancient world, the ruler of the civilization that has fed the known world through the famine. They are shepherds from Canaan being received by Pharaoh because their brother is his prime minister.