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Psalm 105:23
Israel also came into Egypt. Jacob lived in the land of Ham.
21He made him lord of his house, and ruler of all of his possessions,
22to discipline his princes at his pleasure, and to teach his elders wisdom.
23Israel also came into Egypt. Jacob lived in the land of Ham.
24He increased his people greatly, and made them stronger than their adversaries.
25He turned their heart to hate his people, to conspire against his servants.
Notice
Jacob’s arrival in Egypt marks a change of home, recorded in a few words that leave the cost of that move unstated.
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What changes of home come to mind as you read that Jacob lived in Egypt?
Write on thisHow does the coming hostility in the surrounding verses shape your reading of Jacob’s arrival?
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Where else Scripture says this
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Psalm 78:51and struck all the firstborn in Egypt, the chief of their strength in the tents of Ham.Both passages name Egypt and associate it with Ham; Psalm 78 recounts the killing of its firstborn.
Acts 7:11–15Now a famine came over all the land of Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction. Our fathers found no food.Egypt is the shared setting; Acts describes famine and hunger, while the psalm records Israel’s arrival and residence there.
Acts 13:17The God of this people chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they stayed as aliens in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted arm, he led them out of …Both passages recall Israel’s stay in Egypt, with Acts describing the people as aliens whom God later led out.
Genesis 46:6They took their livestock, and their goods, which they had gotten in the land of Canaan, and came into Egypt—Jacob, and all his offspring with him,Both record Jacob’s arrival in Egypt; Genesis adds that his offspring came with him, bringing livestock and goods.
Psalm 106:22wondrous works in the land of Ham, and awesome things by the Red Sea.Both name the land of Ham, one recording Jacob’s residence there and the other recalling wondrous works there.
Genesis 47:4They also said to Pharaoh, “We have come to live as foreigners in the land, for there is no pasture for your servants’ flocks. For the famine is severe in the …Both concern living in Egypt; Genesis explains the request to settle there through famine and the need for pasture.
Genesis 46:2–7God spoke to Israel in the visions of the night, and said, “Jacob, Jacob!” He said, “Here I am.”Both use the names Israel and Jacob for the same person, whom Genesis records God addressing by name.
Genesis 45:9–11Hurry, and go up to my father, and tell him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says, “God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me. Don’t wait.Joseph’s message urges his father to come to Egypt, and the psalm records Jacob’s arrival and residence there.
Deuteronomy 23:7You shall not abhor an Edomite, for he is your brother. You shall not abhor an Egyptian, because you lived as a foreigner in his land.Both recall residence in Egypt; Deuteronomy makes that history a reason Israel must not abhor an Egyptian.
Joshua 24:4I gave to Isaac Jacob and Esau: and I gave to Esau Mount Seir, to possess it. Jacob and his children went down into Egypt.Both recount Jacob’s move into Egypt, with Joshua stating that his children went with him.
1 Chronicles 4:40They found rich, good pasture, and the land was wide, and quiet, and peaceful, for those who lived there before were descended from Ham.Ham is the shared name; the psalm identifies Egypt with him, while Chronicles describes land once inhabited by his descendants.
Psalm 105:27They performed miracles among them, and wonders in the land of Ham.Both name the land of Ham as the setting, first for Jacob’s residence and later for miracles and wonders.
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Encouragement
Egypt would become a place of hostility, yet the next verse names Israel as God’s people. Their change of country did not erase that bond.
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Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).