Rashi
1040–1105
“ויברך יעקב AND JACOB BLESSED — this was the greeting of peace, as is usual in the case of all who are granted an interview with kings at long intervals; saluer in old French”
The interpretation timeline
Gen 47:7
How this passage has been read — the sources, oldest to newest.
From the early Church Fathers to now.
Scholastic
c. 1100 – 1500
1105
A.D.
165 years pass — nothing from this stretch is hosted yet
1270
A.D.
Ramban
1194–1270
“AND JACOB BLESSED PHARAOH. This refers to a salutation, as is customary for all who are granted an occasional interview with kings. Thus the language of Rashi. But this does not appear to be so, for it is not royal protocol for a person to greet the king, and the Rabbis have similarly said: “May a servant greet the king?” Instead, it refers to a real blessing which Jacob bestowed upon Pharaoh, for it is customary for aged and pious people who come before kings to bless them with wealth, possessions, honor, and the advancement of their kingdom, even as Scripture says, Let my lord king David live forever. Upon his taking leave of Pharaoh, Jacob again blessed him in order to take permission to leave. Our Rabbis have said that he blessed him that the Nile might rise at his approach.”
Modern · 1953 →
The in-app commentary runs from the Fathers to the early-modern record, then stops — that's where the public-domain sources end, not where the reading does. For the modern reading, follow the sources directly.