He took some of his brethren The original words here, literally translated, are, He took from the end, extremity, or tail of his brethren, five men And some have thought the sense is, He took five of the meanest of them, as to their persons and appearance, as the word קצה is used, 1 Kings 12:31, lest, if he had presented the goodliest of them, Pharaoh should have required their attendance upon him either at court or in the camp.
Related Commentaries of Genesis 47:2
Genesis 47:2
2 And he took some of his brethren, even five men, and presented them unto Pharaoh.