Genesis Chapter 50

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425. CHAPTER FIFTY THE LAST DAYS OF JACOB

With loving care Joseph gives himself to fulfilling the dying wish of his father. The preparation of the body of Jacob and his burial in the Land of Promise is conducted with great ceremony. On the return of Jacob's sons to Egypt, the brethren express their concern as to Joseph's future intentions towards them. Their suspi­cious attitude causes him great distress. He assures them that he has their welfare at heart and that he will care for both them and their children. Then after a long period of sojourning in Egypt, Joseph also dies. Prior to his death he repeats the assurance of Jacob that God will deliver Israel out of Egypt. Therefore, on his death, he is embalmed and placed in a coffin awaiting the moment of departure.

The Mourning for Jacob — Vv. 1-6.

Joseph's affection for his family means more to him than the glory and dignity of his position in Egypt. He manifests great emotion on the death of his beloved father, and openly reveals his feelings in that regard. He seeks and receives permission from Pharaoh to superintend the burial of Jacob in the Land of Promise.

VERSE 1

"And Joseph fell upon his father's face" — He embraced him, closing his eyes in death as Jacob had been promised he would do (Gen. 46:4).

"And wept upon him, and kissed him" — Joseph was a man of deep com­passion. As has already been noted, it is mentioned seven times that he wept. See note Gen. 42:24.

VERSE 2

"And Joseph commanded his ser­vants the physicians" — The word "physicians" is raphaim in Hebrew. A variation of the word is used as a divine title in Exod. 15:26. In Egypt, in the times of Joseph, medicine was the prerogative of the priesthood. Moreover, the Edwin Smith Surgical Papyrus (1550 B.C.), which

is named after the Egyptologist who found it, reveals that doctors in Egypt practised real medicine, even by modern standards. This papyrus takes up 48 cases of injury, including wounds, fractures, and disloca­tions, in a systematic order, starting from the head and working downwards, includ­ing ten cases of injury to the brain, four to the nose, and so on to the spinal column. In each case the condition is carefully described, and the descriptions make abundantly clear that an examination by an Egyptian doctor was thorough. It included interrogation, inspection, func­tional tests, and a diagnosis with one of three conclusions: favourable to treatment, uncertain, unfavourable.

The Ebers Medical Papyrus is also impressive. It provides teaching for gener­al practitioners. It has a section on the heart and the vessels, which is rated a most interesting essay on speculative med­ical philosophy; and another on pharmacy. One of its remedies is a prescription for castor oil as a laxative (see Ancient Egypt). Herodotus states (Hist. Book 2.84) that Egyptian physicians were specialists devoted to certain disorders, and claims that they were world renowned. Neverthe­less, Egyptian medicine, being in the hands of the priesthood, was closely relat­ed to Egyptian mythology. Because of this, Israelites were instructed to place their confidence in Yahweh Ropheka, and not in Egyptian physicians (cp. Exod. 15:26 with 2 Chron. 16:12). However, the physicians used by Joseph constituted "his servants," and as such were perhaps taught in the principles of the truth.

"To embalm his father: and the physicians embalmed Israel" — In embalming, the Egyptians removed the brain and viscera, and with a concoction of spices, and by mummification, they preserved the body. The purpose of embalming, according to their religious beliefs, was in order that the Ka or ghostly double of the person, might return to take possession of the body, and that it might be ready for resurrection. According to Diodorus (1.91) the process took over thir­ty days; according to Herodotus (Book 2:86-88) it took seventy days. Both peri­ods are referred to in the following verse. The embalming of the bodies of Jacob and Joseph, however, was merely an expedient for preserving the body until burial could take place. It endorsed the Hebrew belief in the resurrection without subscribing to the Egyptian superstition concerning the soul.

VERSE 3

"And forty days were fulfilled for him" — According to The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge "we learn from the Greek historians, that the time of mourn­ing was while the body remained with embalmers, which Herodotus says was seventy days. During this time the body lay in nitre, the use of which was to dry up all its superfluous and noxious moisture: and when, in the space of thirty days, this was sufficiently effected, the remaining forty, the time mentioned by Diodorus, were employed in anointing it with gums and spices to preserve it, which was prop­erly the embalming. This sufficiently explains the phraseology of the text."

"For so are fulfilled the days of those which are embalmed" — These parenthetical words are inserted in expla­nation by Moses, because the Hebrews did not practise the art of embalming.

"And the Egyptians mourned for him threescore and ten days" — This coincides with the period mentioned by Herodotus as cited above. It is also indica­tive of the great respect that was paid Joseph throughout Egypt, for such a lengthy mourning was reserved for the nobles of the land. Jacob was honored in such a way because of his relationship with his son Joseph.

VERSE 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" — Joseph sought the help of Pharaoh's household for such a purpose because he was still in mourning for his father, and therefore felt it unbecoming to enter thus into the presence of the king (cp. Est. 4:2). According to Herodotus (Book 2:36), the Egyptians "left the hair of their head and beard to grow in mourning being at all other times shaven." Previously, when Joseph made ready to visit Pharaoh, he "shaved himself (Gen. 41:14), but to do so on this occasion would dishonour his mourning for his father; and therefore he adopted the expedient of approaching Pharaoh through nobles of his household.

VERSE 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" — Jacob's solemn request of Joseph is recorded in Gen. 47:29. The reference to Jacob having "digged" his grave, evidently relates to some preparation of the niche that he would occupy in the cave of Machpelah, to which the patriarch evidently gave him­self.

"Now therefore let me go up, I pray thee, and bury my father, and I will come again" — The royal permission was required for Joseph to pass beyond the boundaries of Egypt and to return again, especially when accompanied by such a large retinue of people as on this occasion. His request was equivalent to obtaining passport permission today.

VERSE 6

"And Pharaoh said, Go up, and bury thy father, according as he made thee swear" — The answer would have been made through Joseph's intermedi­aries.

The Burial of Jacob — Vv. 7-13

A large procession is formed to con­vey the body of Jacob to its resting place. It comprises not only members of the patriarch's family, but representatives of the principal Egyptians. Indeed, at first the Egyptians take the principal part in the mourning, and make themselves so conspicuous, as to impress the Canaanites with the solemnity of the occasion. Accordingly, the name of the place where the procession rests is changed from Goren-Atad to Abel-Mizraim. At this spot, the last rites are performed by Joseph and his brethren. Leaving the Egyptians at Goren-Atad they carry the body of their father to the cave in the field of Mach-pelah, to place it by the side of Leah.

VERSE 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"—The burial procession comprised a witness to Israel's hope of the resurrec­tion.

VERSE 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" — In this description of the funeral procession, seven specific groups are mentioned (the covenant number), comprising all sections of the community such as are called by the gospel. They are (1 ) the servants of Pharaoh; (2) the elders of his house, perhaps religious leaders; (3) the elders of the land, perhaps princes of the realm; (4) the house of Joseph; (5) his brethren; (6) his father's house; (7) Joseph himself.

VERSE 9

"And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen: and it was a very great company" — Funeral proces­sions are commonly displayed on the monuments, but never with horses. The exceptional character of this procession, and the fact that the burial was in a far­away land would account for that, and would provide for any protection neces­sary under such conditions.

VERSE 10

"And they came to the thresh-ingfloor of Atad" — In Hebrew this is Goren-Atad, and signifies the thresh-ingfloor of buckthorn. "Atad" is from a root signifying to pierce, or hold fast, and therefore, is appropriate for death. The { Egyptians ascended to the place, mourning greatly; the Israelites were more re- ] strained, as appropriate to them in view of their hope (cp. 1 Thess. 4:13). The place and the circumstances suggest judgment, ; for here a discrimination was made I between the wheat and the chaff. From here, Jacob's sons went on alone with the | body of their father to the cave of Mach-pelah, leaving the Egyptians at Goren- ! Atad. Thus, although a great company of all classes came out of Egypt, it was sepa­rated into two categories at the place signi- , fying The Threshingfloor of Buckthorns, and the genuine mourners went on alone.

"Which is beyond Jordan" — As Moses wrote on the east side of Jordan this expression in his books means west­ward of Jordan (Deut. 1:1) whereas in other parts of Scripture it generally means eastward. Mamre, is west of the Jordan.

"And there they mourned with a great and very sore lamentation" — In the next verse, this extremity of mourning is attributed mainly to the Egyptians, who evidently "mourned as those who have no hope" (1 Thess. 4:13).

"And he made a mourning for his father seven days" — The mourning of Joseph and the Israelites with him was more restrained, though more genuine, than that of the Egyptians. Their mourning at this stage (cp. v. 4) was a special mourning before interment. See also Num. 19:11; 1 Sam. 31:13; 2 Sam. 1:17; Job. 2:13. They "sorrowed not as others which have no hope."

VERSE 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"— The word for "mourning" is ebel, so there follows a play on words. The Egyptians were noted for their excessive and vehe­ment display of lamentations of the dead, rending their garments, smiting their breasts, throwing dust on their heads, call­ing on the deceased by name, and chanting funeral dirges.

"Wherefore the name of it was called Abel-mizraim, which is beyond Jordan" — The name of the place as in the Hebrew text (with the vowel points) signifies The Meadow of the Egyptians, but with different vowel points and the same consonants. This becomes The Mourning of the Egyptians as in the mar­gin of the A.V. and the text of the Septu-agint. The translators of the latter read the original Hebrew in that way; evidently it is a more correct reading. The word "Miz-raim," or "Egyptians" signifies oppressors (see note Gen. 12:12). The book of Exo­dus reveals how the Egyptians lived up to the significance of their name as far as the Israelites were concerned. In the day of judgment, all oppressors will have cause to mourn.

VERSE 12

"And his sons did unto him accord­ing as he commanded them" — They honored their father by respecting his request. See Gen. 47:29-31; 49:29-32; Exod. 20:12; Acts 7:16; Eph. 6:1.

VERSE 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" —The con­stant repetition of these details emphasises the only portion of the Land of Promise secured by those to whom it was promised for an everlasting possession. Jacob's insistence upon being buried at this spot underlined his hope in the resurrection and ultimate possession of that promised unto him. Therefore, in the circumstances of his burial he gave witness to his hope, the cave of Machpelah being a token of this to all true Israelites. Though representatives of all stratas of society were drawn out of Egypt by this mute witness of Israel, the demonstration at Goren-Atad separated genuine mourners from pseudo-mourners. There have been many who mourned the passing of Jacob politically, but genuine worshippers, are separated from mere pseudo-worshippers by recognising the divine purpose to revive the nation again by a political resurrection (Ezek. 37).

THE LAST DAYS OF JOSEPH (Genesis 50:14-26)

The death of Jacob brings to the surface fears that had lain latent in the minds of his sons since the revelation of Joseph to them. Now that the restraining influence of the father is gone, would Joseph exact vengeance upon them such as they realise is his due? When they humbly approach him seeking forgiveness, he is overwhelmed that they should think such of him, and with deep affection allays their fears. Instead of harming them, he uses his influence in Egypt to help both them and their descendants. Finally, after a sojourn of an hundred and ten years in the land of oppression, he dies, leaving a message of hope behind him, in the assurance that God will visit the Israelites, and take them out of Egypt to the Land of Promise. He repeats the request of his father that he be not buried in Egypt, and, in consequence, his body is embalmed, and is placed in a coffin awaiting the moment of depar­ture.

Joseph Reassures His brethren — Vv. 14-21

The selfless love of Joseph is beyond the comprehension of his brethren. They view the death of Jacob as the end of an epoch, and fear that Joseph may now take revenge for their previous conduct of which they are now thoroughly ashamed. Joseph reassures them, and promises a continuance of the good he has already shown towards them.

VERSE 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" — The Hebrew is in the imperfect tense, suggesting a pos­sible but undesirable hypothesis. The New-Old Testament (Hebrew Interlinear) renders: "//(he) should be hostile to us..." In view of such a hypothesis, they tactful­ly decided to again express the genuine­ness of their contrition. The antitype of such action will be revealed when the rev­elation is brought home to Israel after the flesh that they are nationally responsible for the death of Christ (Acts 2:23). They will be overwhelmed with fear (Rev 1:7; Zech. 12:10-12) but then will learn that the goodness and mercy of Yahweh and His Son are adequate for all such needs. Instead of condemnation, they will receive consideration and mercy (Rom. 11:26-27).

VERSE 16

"And they sent a messenger unto Joseph" — This can be literally rendered, They sent a message unto Joseph. This, probably, was through one of their own number, and who better than Benjamin,

Joseph's brother? The antitype will be revealed in the interest shown by the Israel of God (Gal. 6:16) in the destiny of Israel after the flesh. Even now, the former pray for the peace of Jerusalem; how much greater will be their solicitousness for Israel in the age to come.

"Saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying" — The alleged command of Jacob is not recorded, but the instruction could be true fact. It represents the spirit that was later reflected in the "Father's Son" (Luke 23:34).

VERSE 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" — This approach and con­fession evinces their humility and gen­uineness. It indicates the vast change that had been brought about in their attitudes and characters due to their contact with Joseph. So do the examples and actions of good men inspire others. The humility of the brethren on this occasion foreshadows the contrition that will be manifested by Israel in the future when the nation is restored to covenant-relationship with Yahweh through the mediation of the Son. See Ezek. 43:6-11,25-27.

"And now, we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy father" — They correctly approach Joseph as the servants of the God of Jacob, and their frank confession evinces the depth of their humility, the sincerity of their repentance, and the genuineness of their status as the servants of God.

"And Joseph wept when they spake unto him" — As a man of deep emotion, he typified the Lord who wept at the graveside of a friend, and over a disobedi­ent city. See comment at Gen. 42:24.

VERSE 18

"And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants" — For the antitype see Phil. 2:10; Ezek. 43:27.

VERSE 19

"And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God?"— According to the Hebrew, this can be ren­dered as a statement instead of a question: "I am in the place of God." Indeed, the context indicates that this is how Joseph's words should be treated, and it is so ren­dered in the Septuagint version. Joseph became mediator between his brethren and God, as Moses did later between the peo­ple and Yahweh (see Exod. 4:16 where similar words are used). The Lord Jesus Christ is Yahweh's representative to the people, and therefore, truly Emmanuel or God with us (Matt. 1:23). Mortals will have to acknowledge that principle before they will be accepted in the age to come (see Isa. 45:14-15). Therefore of national Israel it is recorded: "They shall look upon Me (Yahweh) Whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him (the Lord Jesus), as one... that is in bitterness for his firstborn" (Zech. 12:10). They will be compelled to see in the Lord Jesus more than a mere historic reality, a great prophet and a great teacher; they will acknowledge in him the principle of God manifest in the flesh, as was typified by Joseph.

VERSE 20

"As for you, ye thought evil against me" — This, likewise, was the motive of the Jewish leaders in their opposition to Christ. See Luke 20:14; Acts 2:23; 7:52.

"But God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive" — As Joseph re­viewed the past, he could discern the hand of God in all that had happened, using the evil motives of his brethren to the advan­tage of a numerous people. See his expla­nation in Gen. 45:5,7. He was conscious of the reality of God. He recognised a divine manipulation of those actions intended to harm him, so that they worked out for the good of all concerned. How true this is of Joseph's great antitype. Peter preached: "Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknow-ledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain" (Acts 2:36). The Jewish leaders meant it for evil but God turned it to good.

The "good" in Joseph's case, was not merely to save people from starvation, but to preserve them for the kingdom. The reverses suffered by each member of the family assisted in purifying the characters of each one, so that under God's provi­dence all the brethren were benefited by the circumstances of trial that their own folly had helped to create.

VERSE 21

"Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones" — Joseph repeats and confirms the promise which he originally made to them when he invited them to come to Egypt (Gen. 45:11). As he superintended events to their good and the good of their seed, so also does Christ in regard to those who shelter under his wings. The benefits of the truth extend to the families of those who "love and fear Yahweh," even though eternal life will be reserved for those alone who assume the individual responsibilities of the Truth. See Isa. 65: 23.

"And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them" — Joseph spake to his brethren as the Lord will speak to the chil­dren of Israel in the age to come (Isa. 40:1-5; Mic. 7:19-20). To "speak kindly," is literally to speak to their hearts (see mg); an expression that is also found in Isa. 40:2 (see mg). The brethren of Joseph were touched and moved by his words, as Israel after the flesh will be at the coming of the Lord.

Joseph's Long Life — Vv. 22-23.

Joseph's life extends for a further fifty-six years after the death of Jacob, enabling him to see the children of Ephraim and Manasseh unto the third generation.

VERSE 22

"And Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he, and his father's house" — Joseph lived in Egypt 93 years in all, and his father's descendants lived there 215 years (Exod. 12:40; Gal. 3:17).

"And Joseph lived an hundred and ten years" — It is interesting that Joshua, who superintended the burial of Joseph, also lived 110 years (Josh. 24:29).

VERSE 23

"And Joseph saw Ephraim's chil­dren of the third generation" — This suggests the rapid increase of the children of Israel, a population explosion, the effects of which are described in the early chapters of Exodus (see Exod. 1:10). Joseph was 30 when he appeared before Pharaoh (Gen. 41:46). Some time after this he was married to Asenath (Gen. 41:45), and then followed the births of Manasseh and Ephraim. The latter son might well have been born when Joseph was 33 years of age, allowing a span of seventy-seven years. Granted early mar­riages, the statement that Joseph saw the third generation of Ephraim's children is very probable.

"The children also of Machir the son of Manasseh"—The name Machir signifies sold. He was the firstborn of Manasseh, and founder of the family of the Machirites (Josh. 17:1). His mother was an Aramitess, a concubine. Owing to the fact that Machir's grandson, Zelophe-had, only had daughters, a special enact­ment was made as to their inheritance (Num. 27:1; 36:1; Josh. 17:3).

"Were brought up upon Joseph's knees" — The descendants of both Ephraim and Manasseh were given Joseph's particular care, and treated as his (cp. Gen. 48:5). The Lord has concern for both Israel spiritual and natural.

Joseph's Final Message and Death — Vv. 24-26.

The time comes for Joseph to die. He delivers a final message and prophecy to the children of Israel, and, like his father before him, takes steps to ensure that he will be buried in the Land of Promise.

VERSE 24

"And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die" — As his life neared its end, Joseph called his associates to him to deliver a final message of comfort and exhortation. The term his brethren signifies his associ­ates, members of the covenant nation, and not necessarily Jacob's immediate sons (cp. Acts 2:29). The Lord Jesus also gath­ered his friends around him with words of instruction in his final hours (John 14:16).

"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" — On his deathbed Joseph reminds the children of Israel of the family covenant promise. His words form an introduction to the Book of Exodus, for that Book records the visitation of Yahweh through the Elohim to Israel. See how Moses drew attention to Joseph's words when about to leave Egypt (Exod. 13:19). "God will surely visit you," he declared. There was no doubt about it in his mind. The very promise made to Abraham and repeated to Isaac and Jacob necessitated it. Paul cites this incident in the life of Joseph as an outstanding evidence of his faith (Heb. 11:22). Like Jacob before him, on the threshold of death, Joseph anticipated the resurrection, for he made reference to a land promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who, to obtain it, must be resurrect­ed. So, as he was about to close his eyes in death, his spiritual vision took hold of the promise of the return of Israel to the land; the resurrection of the fathers; and the inheritance promised each one. "By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones" (Heb. 11:22). And "faith is the confident anticipation of things hoped for, the full persuasion of things unseen" (Heb. 11:1).

VERSE 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" — He repeated the action and words of his father (cp. Gen. 47:29-30; 48:21; 49:29-33). In Elpis Israel, Brother Thomas comments: "The last thoughts of these holy men were on 'the exceeding great and precious promis­es' which are to be manifested in the land of Canaan; where their posterity will yet become 'a great and mighty nation' under Shiloh and his saints as the lords of Israel and the Gentiles. Seeing this, then, though afar off, they gave expression to their faith by giving commandment concerning their bodies; as it is written, 'By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the depart­ing of the children of Israel: and gave commandment concerning his bones'." (p. 279).

Actually 144 years passed away before the time came for Israel to leave Egypt, and, unfortunately, long before then the people had forgotten the warning message of Joseph. They became so involved with the materialistic opportunities of Egypt, that the coffin of Joseph became only an interesting relic of the past. When they did leave, they carried out Joseph's instruc­tions (Exod. 13:19), and he was ultimately buried near Shechem, in the piece of ground reserved by his father for him (Gen. 48:22). Therefore, throughout the wilderness wanderings of the children of Israel, they carried with them the tokens of the death of Joseph, as believers remember the death and resurrection of the Lord to this day (1 Cor. 11:24-26). So the type is completed in the death of Joseph, and his confident expectation of a resurrection unto life eternal.

VERSE 26

"So Joseph died, being an hundred and ten years old — See note v. 22.

"And they embalmed him" — See note v. 2.

"And he was put in a coffin in Egypt" — The Hebrew arown signifies "chest," and perhaps relates to a mummy-case usually made of sychomore wood. The mummy was then usually placed in a stone sarcophagus (coffin). If this was the case with Joseph, the children of Israel had the laborious task of conveying that heavy, stone sarcophagus through the wilderness to the Promised Land where Joseph's remains were deposited in the sepulchre of Shechem — "the Burden Bearer".

This remarkable first book of the Bible, the seed-bed of all subsequent revela­tion, ends with the statement a coffin in Egypt: expressive of death in exile. Such a conclusion is indicative of the fallen state of humanity, from the time that the Creator looked upon "all that He had made and, behold, it was very good" (Gen. 1:31). That very good state of creation had been disrupted by the sin of the first human pair, and the further transgression of their posterity. The great theme of Genesis is the unfolding purpose of Yahweh as shown in cre­ation, the fall, and the redemption of man. The book provides the foundation for all that follows. Every great doctrine, every prophetic vision, is rooted in Genesis, found there either in type or direct teaching. With a thorough grip of the teaching of this seed-plot of the Bible, the student is equipped to move into the glorious revelation found in the remaining sixty-five books of revela­tion, until in The Apocalypse, the final unveiling of the divine purpose is revealed; and there is outlined how all will end that commenced in the Book of Beginnings.