Genesis50

After Jacob's death, Joseph oversaw his embalming and a seventy-day period of mourning in Egypt. Joseph then secured Pharaoh's permission to bury his father in the land of Canaan, fulfilling Jacob's dying wish. Following the burial, Joseph's brothers feared his retribution, but Joseph reassured them, explaining that God had intended their evil for good to preserve many lives. Joseph lived to be one hundred and ten years old, and before his death, he prophesied that God would bring Israel out of Egypt and commanded that his bones be carried with them.

Jacob's Embalming and Burial Preparation

Yosef fell on his father's face, wept over him and kissed him.

Then Yosef ordered the physicians in his service to embalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Isra'el.

Forty days were spent at this, the normal amount of time for embalming. Then the Egyptians mourned for him seventy days.

When the period of mourning was over, Yosef addressed to the household of Pharaoh: "I would like to ask a favor. Tell Pharaoh,

'My father had me swear an oath. He said, "I am going to die. You are to bury me in my grave, which I dug for myself in the land of Kena'an."Therefore, I beg you, let me go up and bury my father; I will return.'"

Pharaoh responded, "Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear."

So Yosef went up to bury his father. With him went all Pharaoh's servants, the leaders of his household and the leaders of the land of Egypt,

along with the entire household of Yosef, his brothers and his father's household; only their little ones, their flocks and their cattle did they leave in the land of Goshen.

Moreover, there went up with him both chariots and horsemen - it was a very large caravan.

When they arrived at the threshing-floor in Atad, beyond the Yarden, they raised a loud and bitter lamentation, mourning for his father seven days.

When the local inhabitants, the Kena'ani, saw the mourning on the floor of Atad they said, "How bitterly the Egyptians are mourning!"This is why the place was given the name Avel-Mitzrayim [mourning of Egypt], there beyond the Yarden.

His sons did to him as he had ordered them to do -

they carried him into the land of Kena'an and buried him in the cave in the field of Makhpelah, which Avraham had bought, along with the field, as a burial-place belonging to him, from 'Efron the Hitti, by Mamre.

Then, after burying his father, Yosef returned to Egypt, he, his brothers and all who had gone up with him to bury his father.

Reconciliation and Joseph's Forgiveness

Realizing that their father was dead, Yosef's brothers said, "Yosef may hate us now and pay us back in full for all the suffering we caused him."

So they sent a message to Yosef which said, "Your father gave this order before he died:

'Say to Yosef, "I beg you now, please forgive your brothers' crime and wickedness in doing you harm."' So now, we beg of you, forgive the crime of the servants of the God of your father."Yosef wept when they spoke to him;

and his brothers too came, prostrated themselves before him and said, "Here, we are your slaves."

But Yosef said to them, "Don't be afraid! Am I in the place of God?

You meant to do me harm, but God meant it for good -so that it would come about as it is today, with many people's lives being saved.

So don't be afraid -I will provide for you and your little ones." In this way he comforted them, speaking kindly to them.

Joseph's Last Instructions and Death

Yosef continued living in Egypt, he and his father's household. Yosef lived 110 years.

Yosef lived to see Efrayim's great-grandchildren, and the children of M'nasheh's son Makhir were born on Yosef's knees.

Yosef said to his brothers, "I am dying. But God will surely remember you and bring you up out of this land to the land which he swore to Avraham, Yitz'chak and Ya'akov."

Then Yosef took an oath from the sons of Isra'el: "God will surely remember you, and you are to carry my bones up from here."

So Yosef died at the age of 110, and they embalmed him and put him in a coffin in Egypt.

Study Notes for Genesis 50

Verse 1

Joseph’s immediate and intense grief (wept and kissed) highlights his deep filial devotion, even after years of separation and his high status in Egypt.

Verse 2

Embalming was a necessary Egyptian custom for preservation during the long procession to Canaan. Joseph utilized the resources and customs of his adopted land to honor his father.

Verse 3

The 40 days for embalming and 70 days of mourning reflect standard Egyptian royal funerary rites, demonstrating the immense respect shown to Jacob due to Joseph's status.

Verse 5

Jacob’s final oath regarding his burial underscores the centrality of the covenant land (Canaan) to the patriarchs, even while the family was residing safely in Egypt.

Verse 7

The procession included high-ranking Egyptian officials and elders, signifying the strategic importance of Joseph and serving as a major diplomatic event.

Verse 10

The mourning ritual at Atad was so profound that the local Canaanites named the place Abelmizraim ('Mourning of Egypt'). This location was likely east of the Jordan, a common staging area before crossing to the burial site.

Verse 13

Jacob was buried in the Cave of Machpelah, fulfilling the promise and joining Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, and Leah. This act reaffirmed the family's claim to the promised land.

Verse 15

The brothers' persistent fear shows that they believed Joseph's kindness was conditional upon Jacob’s life. Their guilt resurfaces immediately upon their father's death, fearing retribution.

Verse 17

The brothers appeal not just to kinship but to covenant, calling themselves 'servants of the God of thy father.' Joseph’s weeping demonstrates his genuine sorrow over their continued distress and lack of trust.

Verse 19

Joseph’s response is a profound theological statement, asserting that judgment and vengeance belong solely to God. He refuses to usurp divine authority or act as God’s avenger.

Verse 20

This verse is the theological climax of the Joseph narrative. It articulates the doctrine of divine sovereignty, where God orchestrates human evil for a greater redemptive purpose—in this case, the preservation of Israel and Egypt.

Verse 24

Joseph ensures the family’s future focus remains fixed on the covenant promise. By reminding them that God 'will surely visit you,' he points forward to the Exodus event.

Verse 25

Joseph’s command to carry his bones to Canaan mirrors Jacob’s request, making him a perpetual symbol of Israel's promised return and faithfulness to the covenant.

Verse 26

Joseph’s death at 110 years (an idealized Egyptian lifespan) and his embalming symbolize his complete integration into Egyptian high society, yet his request for burial in Canaan confirms his identity as a member of the covenant people.

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Genesis50

Jacob's Embalming and Burial Preparation

Reconciliation and Joseph's Forgiveness

Joseph's Last Instructions and Death

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