102 | Genesis 50:1
50 Jo seph threw him self on his fa ther and wept over him and kissed him . h 2 Then
Jo seph di rected the phy si cians in his ser vice to em balm his fa ther Is rael . So the phy si cians em balmed him , i
3 tak ing a full forty days , for that was the time re quired for em balm ing . And the Egyp tians mourned for him sev enty days . j
4 When the days of mourn ing had passed , Jo seph said to Phar aoh ’ s court , “ If I have found fa vor in your eyes , speak to Phar aoh for me . Tell him , 5 ‘ My fa ther made me swear an oath k and said , “ I am about to die ; bury me in the tomb I dug for my self l in the land of Canaan .” m
Now let me go up and bury my fa ther ; then I will re turn .’ ” 6 Phar aoh said , “ Go up and bury your fa ther , as he made you swear to do .” 7 So Jo seph went up to bury his fa ther . All Phar aoh ’ s of fi cials ac com pa nied him — the dig ni tar ies of his court and all the dig ni tar ies of Egypt — 8 be sides all the mem bers of Jo seph ’ s house hold and his broth ers and those be long ing to his fa ther ’ s house hold . Only their chil dren and their flocks and herds were left in Go shen . 9 Char i ots and horse men a also went up with him . It was a very large com pany . 10 When they reached the thresh ing floor of Atad , near the Jor dan , they la mented loudly and bitterly ; n and there Jo seph ob served a seven-day pe riod o of mourn ing for his fa ther . 11 When the Ca naan ites who lived there saw the mourn ing at the thresh ing floor of Atad , they said , “ The Egyp tians are hold ing a sol emn cer e mony of mourn ing .” That is why that place near the Jordan is called Abel Mizraim . b
12 So Ja cob ’ s sons did as he had com manded them : 13 They car ried him to the land of Canaan and bur ied him in the cave in the field of Mach pe lah , near Mamre , which Abra ham had bought along with the field p as a burial place from Ephron the Hit tite . 14 After burying his fa ther , Jo seph re turned to Egypt , to gether with his broth ers and all the oth ers who had gone with him to bury his fa ther .
50:1 h Ge 46:4
50:2 i ver 26 ; 2Ch 16:14
50:3 j Ge 37:34 ; Nu 20:29 ; Dt 34:8
50:5 k Ge 47:31 l 2Ch 16:14 ; Isa 22:16
m Ge 47:31
50:10 n 2Sa 1:17 ; Ac 8:2 o 1Sa 31:13 ; Job 2:13
50:13 p Ge 23:20 ; Ac 7:16
50:15 q Ge 37:28 ; 42:21‐22
50:18 r Ge 37:7 s Ge 43:18
50:19 t Ro 12:19 ; Heb 10:30
50:20 u Ge 37:20 v Mic 4:11-12 w Ro 8:28
x Ge 45:5
50:21 y Ge 45:11 ; 47:12
50:22 z Ge 25:7 ; Jos 24:29
50:23 a Job 42:16 b Nu 32:39 , 40
Joseph Reassures His Brothers
15 When Jo seph ’ s broth ers saw that their fa ther was dead , they said , “ What if Jo seph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him ?” q 16 So they sent word to Jo seph , say ing , “ Your fa ther left these in struc tions be fore he died : 17 ‘ This is what you are to say to Jo seph : I ask you to for give your broth ers the sins and the wrongs they com mit ted in treat ing you so badly .’ Now please for give the sins of the ser vants of the God of your fa ther .” When their mes sage came to him , Jo seph wept .
18 His broth ers then came and threw them selves down be fore him . r “ We are your slaves ,” s they said .
19 But Jo seph said to them , “ Don ’ t be afraid . Am I in the place of God ? t 20 You intended to harm me , u but God in tended v it for good w to ac com plish what is now be ing done , the sav ing of many lives . x 21 So then , don ’ t be afraid . I will pro vide for you and your chil dren . y ” And he re as sured them and spoke kindly to them .
The Death of Joseph
22 Jo seph stayed in Egypt , along with all his fa ther ’ s fam ily . He lived a hun dred and ten years z
23 and saw the third generation a of Ephra im ’ s chil dren . Also the chil dren of Ma kir b son of Ma nas seh were placed at birth on Jo seph ’ s knees . c
a 9 Or charioteers b 11 Abel Mizraim means mourning of the Egyptians . c 23 That is , were counted as his
50:2 embalm . Perhaps to delay the process of decomposition . Since this was not the normal custom of the Israelites , Egyptian physicians undertake the task . Joseph probably employs physicians , rather than priests , because of his father ’ s commitment to worship only the Lord God . 50:3 seventy days . Typical of Egyptian practices ; Israelites usually mourned between seven and thirty days . 50:7 Joseph ’ s high standing in Egypt explains why court officials and other dignitaries accompany him . 50:10 the threshing floor of Atad . Location unknown , although the text places it “ near the Jordan .” 50:11 Abel Mizraim . The location is aptly named ( see NIV text note ) due to the unusual sight of Egyptians holding a seven-day mourning ritual in Canaan . 50:13 Abraham had bought . See ch . 23 .
50:15 – 21 Joseph Reassures His Brothers . After the death of their father , Joseph ’ s brothers are deeply concerned that Joseph will take revenge for their earlier mistreatment of him . Joseph swiftly reassures them that he has forgiven their treachery . 50:15 Joseph ’ s brothers are still troubled by their past actions and fear that Joseph will repay them for what they did in selling him into slavery ( 37:23 – 36 ). 50:16 – 17 Their guilt prevents the brothers from addressing Joseph directly ; instead , they send a message seeking forgiveness for their past actions . Their confession moves Joseph deeply . 50:18 – 21 Joseph ’ s reaction opens the way for his brothers to come to him . 50:18 threw themselves down before him . For a fourth time ( see 42:6 ; 43:26 ; 44:14 ), Joseph ’ s brothers fulfill his dreams as a teenager ( 37:5 – 11 ) by bowing down before him . We are your slaves . Sharply contrasts with how they previously sold Joseph into slavery ( 37:23 – 28 ). 50:19 – 21 Appreciating how God has guided his circumstances , Joseph boldly affirms that what has happened has resulted in “ the saving of many lives ” ( v . 20 ; see 45:5 – 8 ). Joseph ’ s sensitivity to God ’ s providential activity enables him graciously to forgive his brothers . Joseph ’ s experience demonstrates how God can overturn evil actions and through them bring salvation to people . The ultimate example of this is the crucifixion of Jesus ( Act 2:22 – 24 ; 3:13 – 26 ). 50:22 – 26 The Death of Joseph . After the death and burial of Jacob , the narrative jumps forward about 60 years to the death of Joseph . While the report of Joseph ’ s death is clearly important , preparing for the continuation of the story in the book of Exodus , the narrator lessens the sense of loss by looking optimistically to the future . Apart from mentioning the birth of great-grandchildren , Joseph