John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Genesis 47:9
Jacob said unto Pharaoh, the days of the years of my pilgrimage are an hundred and thirty years ,.... He calls his life a "pilgrimage"; as every good man's is; they are not at home in their own country, they are seeking a better, even an heavenly one: Jacob's life was very emphatically and literally a pilgrimage; he first dwelt in Canaan, from thence he removed to Padanaram, and sojourned there awhile, and then came to Canaan again; for some time he dwelt at Succoth, and then at Shechem,... read more
John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Genesis 47:8
And Pharaoh said unto Jacob, how old art thou? Or, "how many are the days of the years of thy life?" which way of speaking Jacob takes up, and very pertinently makes use of in his answer that follows: Dr. Lightfoot F13 Works, vol. 1. p. 667. thinks Pharaoh had never seen so old a man before, so grave a head, and so grey a beard, and in admiration asked this question. read more