> Genesis 46:4 I (God) will go down with thee (Jacob) into Egypt; and I will also surely bring thee up again: and Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes.

Some argue that the phrase "and Joseph" should have been translated as "then Joseph", interpreting the prophecy to mean that Jacob would return to Israel from Egypt while still alive, whereas Genesis 47:28-30 shows he died in Egypt.

However, major translations (NIV, NRSV, NASB, KJV) do not translate "and" as "then", offering no scholarly support for this argument. Furthermore, verse 3 says, "do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you a great nation there". The "you" in verse 4 is referring to Jacob's descendants corporately, as Jacob would not become a great nation all by himself. God did bring his descendants up again from Egypt.