Commentaire sur La Genèse 46:32

AND THE MEN ARE SHEPHERDS, FOR THEY HAVE BEEN KEEPERS OF CATTLE. Joseph told them that they are shepherds but that they do not tend to the cattle of others because even with respect to their own cattle, they have servants and attendants to pasture them. It is only that their wealth consists of cattle. This is the sense of the expression, they have been keepers of cattle, and had wealth, and a very great household²³¹Job 1:3. by virtue of the great multitude of cattle which they possessed. It was Joseph’s intention to mention them in an honorable way.

THE MEN ARE SHEPHERDS. Yosef said all this to Par'oh.

והאנשים רועי צאן, “and the men are shepherds by vocation.” He did not mean to say that the brothers themselves were shepherds, but that they were experts in sheep and cattle raising as their vast wealth consisted primarily of flocks and herds, while their servants did the actual minding of the beasts.