Genesis 50
World English Bible
WEB1Joseph fell on his father’s face, wept on him, and kissed him. 2Joseph commanded his servants, the physicians, to embalm his father; and the physicians embalmed Israel. 3Forty days were used for him, for that is how many days it takes to embalm. The Egyptians wept for Israel for seventy days. 4When the days of weeping for him were past, Joseph spoke to Pharaoh’s staff, saying, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, please speak in the ears of Pharaoh, saying, 5‘My father made me swear, saying, “Behold, I am dying. Bury me in my grave which I have dug for myself in the land of Canaan.” Now therefore, please let me go up and bury my father, and I will come again.’” 6Pharaoh said, “Go up, and bury your father, just like he made you swear.” 7Joseph went up to bury his father; and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, all the elders of the land of Egypt, 8all the house of Joseph, his brothers, and his father’s house. Only their little ones, their flocks, and their herds, they left in the land of Goshen. 9Both chariots and horsemen went up with him. It was a very great company. 10They came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, and there they lamented with a very great and severe lamentation. He mourned for his father seven days. 11When the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning in the floor of Atad, they said, “This is a grievous mourning by the Egyptians.” Therefore its name was called Abel Mizraim, which is beyond the Jordan. 12His sons did to him just as he commanded them, 13for 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, as a possession for a burial site, from Ephron the Hittite, near Mamre. 14Joseph returned into Egypt—he, and his brothers, and all that went up with him to bury his father, after he had buried his father. 15When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “It may be that Joseph will hate us, and will fully pay us back for all the evil which we did to him.” 16They sent a message to Joseph, saying, “Your father commanded before he died, saying, 17‘You shall tell Joseph, “Now please forgive the disobedience of your brothers, and their sin, because they did evil to you.”’ Now, please forgive the disobedience of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when they spoke to him. 18His brothers also went and fell down before his face; and they said, “Behold, we are your servants.” 19Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid, for am I in the place of God? 20As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to save many people alive, as is happening today. 21Now therefore don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your little ones.” He comforted them, and spoke kindly to them. 22Joseph lived in Egypt, he, and his father’s house. Joseph lived one hundred ten years. 23Joseph saw Ephraim’s children to the third generation. The children also of Machir, the son of Manasseh, were born on Joseph’s knees. 24Joseph said to his brothers, “I am dying, but God will surely visit you, and bring you up out of this land to the land which he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” 25Joseph took an oath from the children of Israel, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.” 26So Joseph died, being one hundred ten years old, and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.
World English Bible, 2020 stable text edition. Public domain; “World English Bible” is a trademark of eBible.org. eBible.org
Overview
Genesis Chapter 50 concludes the Book of Genesis with the death of Jacob and the subsequent events surrounding his burial. After Jacob's passing, Joseph, who had risen to power in Egypt, demonstrates his deep love and respect for his father by weeping and mourning for him. Joseph orders physicians to embalm Jacob, which reflects the Egyptian customs of honoring the dead. The chapter emphasizes the importance of family and the fulfillment of God's promises, as Joseph ensures that Jacob is buried in the land of Canaan, the land promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This act signifies the continuation of God's covenant with the patriarchs and the future of the Israelites in the Promised Land.
Following Jacob's burial, Joseph's brothers fear that he may seek revenge for their past actions of selling him into slavery. However, Joseph reassures them with a message of forgiveness, stating, "You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good" (Genesis 50:20). This powerful statement highlights the sovereignty of God in using even the most difficult circumstances for His divine purposes. The chapter closes with Joseph's own death, where he makes his brothers promise to carry his bones back to Canaan when God delivers them from Egypt, reinforcing the hope of future redemption and the fulfillment of God's promises to His people.
Overall, Genesis 50 encapsulates themes of forgiveness, family unity, and the faithfulness of God in His covenant promises, reminding us that even in our trials, God is at work for our good. #Jacob #Joseph #Forgiveness #Covenant #Egypt #PromisedLand
Referenced by
- Genesis 45:5v20In Genesis 45:5, Joseph reassures his brothers that God sent him to Egypt to preserve life. This theme of divine providence is reiterated in Genesis 50:20, where Joseph acknowledges that what his brothers intended for harm, God intended for good.
- Joshua 24:32v25Joshua 24:32 records the burial of Joseph's bones in Shechem, fulfilling the oath made in Genesis 50:25 where Joseph asks the Israelites to carry his bones out of Egypt.
- 1 Samuel 11:13v20In 1 Samuel 11:13, Saul attributes the victory to the Lord, showing mercy, similar to Joseph's recognition of God's providence in Genesis 50:20.
- 1 Samuel 24:17v20Saul acknowledges David's righteousness and kindness, similar to Joseph's recognition of God's good purpose in his brothers' actions in Genesis 50:20.
- 1 Samuel 31:13v10The seven-day fast by the men of Jabesh-gilead in 1 Samuel 31:13 parallels the mourning period for Jacob in Genesis 50:10, reflecting a traditional period of mourning.
- 2 Samuel 21:14v132 Samuel 21:14 describes the burial of Saul and Jonathan's bones, paralleling the burial of Jacob in Genesis 50:13, emphasizing the importance of proper burial and honoring the dead.
- Romans 8:28v20Romans 8:28 assures that God works all things for good for those who love Him, which is exemplified in Genesis 50:20, where Joseph tells his brothers that God intended their actions for good.
Topics in this chapter
- Forgiveness
- Reconciliation
- Providence
- Faith
- Sovereignty of God
- Covenant
- Joseph
- Mourning
- Egypt
- Hope
- Jacob
- Legacy
- Promise
- Promises
- Burial
- Canaan
- Divine Providence
- Faithfulness
- God's Plan
- Grace
- Israel
- Patriarchs
- Pharaoh
- Purpose
- Respect
- Trust
- Art in the Bible
- Assurance
- Atad
- Authority
- Brothers
- Camp
- Carry
- Chesed
- Commitment
- Compassion
- Creed
- Cultural Integration in the Bible
- Deliverance
- Eternal Hope
- Exodus
- Family Bonds
- Family Values
- Fulfillment
- Funeral
- Future Promise
- Genesis
- God's Justice
- God's Sovereignty
- Good from Evil
- Goshen
- Grief
- Honor
- Honor Your Parents
- Hymn
- Inheritance
- Literature in the Bible
- Lovingkindness
- Mercy
- Nomadic Life
- Patriarchs
- Prayer
- Promised Land
- Promised Land
- Provision
- Redemption
- Refuge
- Social Healing
- Trusting God
- Vengeance
Related chapters
- Genesis 45GoshenJosephJacob
- Hebrews 11Eternal HopeJosephJacob
- Genesis 37GriefJosephJacob
- Genesis 47GoshenJosephJacob
- Genesis 49BurialJosephJacob
- Romans 8CreedAssuranceInheritance
- Genesis 42GriefJosephJacob
- 2 Samuel 21BurialVengeanceMourning
- Genesis 46GoshenJosephJacob
- Genesis 23BurialPatriarchsPatriarchs
- Genesis 29GenesisJacobPatriarchs
- Exodus 3PharaohExodusAssurance
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