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.
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Jacob's Embalming and Burial Preparation

1
And Joseph fell upon his father's face, and wept upon him, and kissed him. ​
2
And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father: and the physicians embalmed Israel. ​
3
And forty days were fulfilled for him; for so are fulfilled the days of those which are embalmed: and the Egyptians mourned for him threescore and ten days. ​
4
And when the days of his mourning were past, Joseph spake unto the house of Pharaoh, saying, If now I have found grace in your eyes, speak, I pray you, in the ears of Pharaoh, saying,
5
My father made me swear, saying, Lo, I die: in my grave which I have digged for me in the land of Canaan, there shalt thou bury me. Now therefore let me go up, I pray thee, and bury my father, and I will come again. ​
6
And Pharaoh said, Go up, and bury thy father, according as he made thee swear.
7
And Joseph went up to bury his father: and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt, ​
8
And all the house of Joseph, and his brethren, and his father's house: only their little ones, and their flocks, and their herds, they left in the land of Goshen.
9
And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen: and it was a very great company.
10
And they came to the threshingfloor of Atad, which is beyond Jordan, and there they mourned with a great and very sore lamentation: and he made a mourning for his father seven days. ​
11
And when the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning in the floor of Atad, they said, This is a grievous mourning to the Egyptians: wherefore the name of it was called Abelmizraim, which is beyond Jordan.
12
And his sons did unto him according as he commanded them:
13
For his sons carried him into the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which Abraham bought with the field for a possession of a buryingplace of Ephron the Hittite, before Mamre. ​
14
And Joseph returned into Egypt, he, and his brethren, and all that went up with him to bury his father, after he had buried his father.

Reconciliation and Joseph's Forgiveness

15
And when Joseph's brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, Joseph will peradventure hate us, and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him. ​
16
And they sent a messenger unto Joseph, saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying,
17
So shall ye say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren, and their sin; for they did unto thee evil: and now, we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy father. And Joseph wept when they spake unto him. ​
18
And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants.
19
And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? ​
20
But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. ​
21
Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.

Joseph's Last Instructions and Death

22
And Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he, and his father's house: and Joseph lived an hundred and ten years.
23
And Joseph saw Ephraim's children of the third generation: the children also of Machir the son of Manasseh were brought up upon Joseph's knees.
24
And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die: and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. ​
25
And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence. ​
26
So Joseph died, being an hundred and ten years old: and they embalmed him, and he was put 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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