Genesis 50

Introduction

Genesis 50 brings the book of beginnings to its close with three final scenes: the burial of Jacob, Joseph's forgiveness of his brothers, and Joseph's death. The chapter moves from Egypt to Canaan and back again, as Jacob's body is carried in a grand procession to the cave of Machpelah — the only piece of the promised land the patriarchs owned. The burial is attended by Egyptian officials and chariots, a remarkable tribute to the family of a Hebrew shepherd.

After Jacob's death, the brothers fear that Joseph's kindness was only for their father's sake, and they send a message begging forgiveness. Joseph's response contains one of the most theologically profound statements in all of Scripture: "You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good" (Genesis 50:20). This single sentence encapsulates the entire Joseph narrative and provides the theological key to the book of Genesis — God's sovereign providence working through and despite human sin. The book ends with Joseph's death at 110 years and his request that his bones be carried to Canaan when God "visits" his people — a promise pointing toward the exodus.

The Burial of Jacob (vv. 1-14)

¹ Then Joseph fell upon his father's face, wept over him, and kissed him. ² And Joseph directed the physicians in his service to embalm his father Israel. So they embalmed him, ³ taking the forty days required to complete the embalming. And the Egyptians mourned for him seventy days. ⁴ When the days of mourning had passed, Joseph said to Pharaoh's court, "If I have found favor in your eyes, please tell Pharaoh that ⁵ my father made me swear an oath when he said, 'I am about to die. You must bury me in the tomb that I dug for myself in the land of Canaan.' Now let me go and bury my father, and then return." ⁶ Pharaoh replied, "Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear to do." ⁷ Then Joseph went to bury his father, and all the servants of Pharaoh accompanied him — the elders of Pharaoh's household and all the elders of the land of Egypt — ⁸ along with all of Joseph's household, and his brothers, and his father's household. Only their children and flocks and herds were left in Goshen. ⁹ Chariots and horsemen alike went up with him, and it was an exceedingly large procession. ¹⁰ When they reached the threshing floor of Atad, which is across the Jordan, they lamented and wailed loudly, and Joseph mourned for his father seven days. ¹¹ When the Canaanites of the land saw the mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, "This is a solemn ceremony of mourning by the Egyptians." Thus the place across the Jordan is called Abel-mizraim. ¹² So Jacob's sons did as he had charged them. ¹³ They carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave at Machpelah in the field near Mamre, which Abraham had purchased from Ephron the Hittite as a burial site. ¹⁴ After Joseph had buried his father, he returned to Egypt with his brothers and all who had gone with him to bury his father.

¹ Then Joseph fell on his father's face and wept over him and kissed him. ² Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Israel. ³ Forty days were spent for him, for that is the time required for embalming. And the Egyptians wept for him seventy days. ⁴ When the days of weeping for him had passed, Joseph spoke to the household of Pharaoh, 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 about to die. In my tomb that I dug for myself in the land of Canaan — there you shall bury me." Now please let me go up and bury my father, and I will return.'" ⁶ Pharaoh said, "Go up, and bury your father, as he made you swear." ⁷ So Joseph went up to bury his father, and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his household, and all the elders of the land of Egypt, ⁸ along with all the household of Joseph, his brothers, and his father's household. Only their little ones, their flocks, and their herds they left in the land of Goshen. ⁹ Both chariots and horsemen went up with him — a very great company. ¹⁰ When they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, they lamented there with a very great and grievous lamentation, and he observed seven days of mourning for his father. ¹¹ When the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, "This is a grievous mourning for the Egyptians." Therefore the place was called Abel-mizraim; it is beyond the Jordan. ¹² So his sons did for him just as he had commanded them. ¹³ His sons carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, east of Mamre, which Abraham had purchased with the field from Ephron the Hittite as a burial site. ¹⁴ After burying his father, Joseph returned to Egypt — he and his brothers and all who had gone up with him to bury his father.

Notes

הָרֹפְאִים ("the physicians") — Joseph commands physicians, not priests, to embalm Jacob. In Egyptian practice, embalming was typically a priestly function. Joseph's use of court physicians rather than pagan priests may reflect his desire to honor his father without subjecting him to Egyptian religious rituals. The forty-day embalming period aligns with what is known from Egyptian sources, though the standard period varied.
The seventy-day mourning period by the Egyptians is remarkable — Herodotus reports that the customary mourning period for a Pharaoh was seventy-two days. That Egypt mourned Jacob for nearly the same duration as a king reflects Joseph's status and the honor accorded to his father.
מַחֲנֶה כָּבֵד מְאֹד ("a very great company") — The word כָּבֵד ("heavy, weighty") describes not just the size but the grandeur and importance of the procession. Chariots and horsemen — the military elite of Egypt — accompanied the family. This is not a simple family funeral but a state affair.
אָבֵל מִצְרַיִם ("Abel-mizraim") — The place name involves a wordplay: אָבֵל means "mourning" but also sounds like אָבֵל, "meadow." The Canaanites named the site "mourning of Egypt" because of the intensity of the lamentation they witnessed. The seven-day mourning period (שִׁבְעַת יָמִים) became the basis for the Jewish practice of shiva — seven days of mourning for the dead.
Joseph speaks to Pharaoh's court rather than directly to Pharaoh (v. 4), likely because he was in a state of ritual mourning and could not appear before the king. His careful diplomacy — emphasizing the oath, promising to return — shows that even in grief, Joseph is mindful of political realities. The family's children, flocks, and herds left behind in Goshen serve as a guarantee of return.

Joseph Forgives His Brothers (vv. 15-21)

¹⁵ When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, "What if Joseph bears a grudge? Then he will surely repay us for all the evil that we did to him." ¹⁶ So they sent word to Joseph, saying, "Before he died, your father commanded, ¹⁷ 'This is what you are to say to Joseph: I beg you, please forgive the transgression and sin of your brothers, for they did you wrong.' So now, Joseph, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father." When their message came to him, Joseph wept. ¹⁸ His brothers also came to him, bowed down before him, and said, "We are your slaves!" ¹⁹ But Joseph replied, "Do not be afraid. Am I in the place of God? ²⁰ As for you, what you intended against me for evil, God intended for good, in order to accomplish a day like this — to preserve the lives of many people. ²¹ Therefore do not be afraid. I will provide for you and your little ones." So Joseph reassured his brothers and spoke kindly to them.

¹⁵ When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, "What if Joseph bears a grudge against us and pays us back in full for all the evil that we did to him?" ¹⁶ So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, "Your father gave this command before he died: ¹⁷ 'Say this to Joseph: Please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, for they did evil to you.' Now please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father." Joseph wept when they spoke to him. ¹⁸ His brothers also came and fell down before him and said, "Behold, we are your servants." ¹⁹ But Joseph said to them, "Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? ²⁰ As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, in order to bring about this present result — to preserve alive a great people. ²¹ So do not be afraid. I myself will provide for you and your little ones." And he comforted them and spoke to their hearts.

Notes

לוּ יִשְׂטְמֵנוּ יוֹסֵף ("What if Joseph bears a grudge against us") — The particle לוּ expresses anxious possibility. The verb שָׂטַם ("to bear a grudge, harbor hostility") is the same word used for Esau's hatred of Jacob after the stolen blessing (Genesis 27:41). The brothers fear that history will repeat — that the death of the father will unleash the brother's vengeance, just as Esau planned to kill Jacob after Isaac's death. וְהָשֵׁב יָשִׁיב ("will surely pay back") uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis — they fear certain retribution.
Whether Jacob actually gave the command in v. 16-17 is uncertain. The text does not record Jacob making this request, and some commentators suggest the brothers fabricated it out of desperation. Others argue that Jacob may well have said it privately, knowing his sons' character. Either way, their appeal reaches Joseph through the authority of their deceased father and through their identity as "servants of the God of your father."
וַיֵּבְךְּ יוֹסֵף בְּדַבְּרָם אֵלָיו ("Joseph wept when they spoke to him") — Joseph's tears reveal grief — not at the request for forgiveness but at the realization that his brothers still do not trust his love. After all that has happened — the revelation, the reconciliation, the years together in Egypt — they still expect punishment. Their guilt has not allowed them to fully receive his grace.
הֲתַחַת אֱלֹהִים אָנִי ("Am I in the place of God?") — This rhetorical question is the theological center of the chapter. Joseph refuses to act as judge or avenger because that role belongs to God alone. The question echoes Genesis 30:2, where Jacob asked Rachel the same thing in a different context. Joseph recognizes that to take vengeance would be to usurp God's prerogative.
וְאַתֶּם חֲשַׁבְתֶּם עָלַי רָעָה אֱלֹהִים חֲשָׁבָהּ לְטֹבָה ("You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good") — The same verb חָשַׁב ("to think, plan, intend") is used for both the brothers' intention and God's. The brothers' evil was real and culpable — Joseph does not minimize it. But God's counter-intention was also real, working through and beyond their sin to accomplish salvation. This is not fatalism or excuse-making; it is a profound statement of divine providence that holds human responsibility and divine sovereignty in tension.
לְהַחֲיֹת עַם רָב ("to preserve alive a great people") — The verb חָיָה in the Hiphil means "to cause to live, to preserve alive." The "great people" preserved includes not only Jacob's family but the surrounding nations who survived the famine through Joseph's administration.
וַיְדַבֵּר עַל לִבָּם ("he spoke to their hearts") — The idiom "to speak to the heart" means to speak tenderly, reassuringly, comfortingly. It is used of God comforting Israel in Isaiah 40:2 and of Boaz speaking kindly to Ruth (Ruth 2:13). Joseph does not merely forgive with words — he comforts with sustained, tender care.

Interpretations

Genesis 50:20 is a key text in discussions of divine providence and the problem of evil:

Reformed/Calvinist perspective: This verse is often cited as evidence for meticulous providence — God does not merely permit evil but actively "means" or "intends" it for good purposes. The same verb (חָשַׁב) is used for both God and the brothers, suggesting that God's purposeful intention was at work in the very events the brothers set in motion. This does not excuse their sin but demonstrates that God's sovereign plan encompasses even human wickedness.
Arminian/Wesleyan perspective: While affirming God's sovereignty, this reading emphasizes that God's "meaning it for good" is a response to human evil rather than a predetermined decree. God's providential genius lies in his ability to transform evil into good — he does not cause the evil but overcomes it. The brothers remain fully responsible for their choices.
Both traditions agree that this verse provides comfort in the face of suffering: what is meant for harm, God is able to turn to redemptive purposes.

The Death of Joseph (vv. 22-26)

²² Now Joseph and his father's household remained in Egypt, and Joseph lived to the age of 110. ²³ He saw Ephraim's sons to the third generation, and indeed the sons of Machir son of Manasseh were brought up on Joseph's knees. ²⁴ Then Joseph said to his brothers, "I am about to die, but God will surely visit you and bring you up from this land to the land He promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." ²⁵ And Joseph made the sons of Israel take an oath and said, "God will surely attend to you, and then you must carry my bones up from this place." ²⁶ So Joseph died at the age of 110. And they embalmed his body and placed it in a coffin in Egypt.

²² Joseph remained in Egypt — he and his father's household — and Joseph lived 110 years. ²³ Joseph saw the sons of Ephraim to the third generation. Also the sons of Machir the son of Manasseh were born on Joseph's knees. ²⁴ Joseph said to his brothers, "I am about to die, but God will surely visit you and bring you up from this land to the land that he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob." ²⁵ Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, "God will surely visit you, and you shall carry my bones up from here." ²⁶ So Joseph died at the age of 110 years. They embalmed him, and he was placed in a coffin in Egypt.

Notes

Joseph's age of 110 years was considered the ideal lifespan in Egyptian culture — a sign of divine favor and a life perfectly fulfilled. Several Egyptian texts describe 110 as the age of the blessed. That Joseph dies at this age reflects his complete integration into Egyptian life while remaining faithful to the God of his fathers.
בְּנֵי שִׁלֵּשִׁים ("sons of the third generation") — Joseph lived to see his great-great-grandchildren through Ephraim. עַל בִּרְכֵּי יוֹסֵף ("on Joseph's knees") — The gesture of placing children on the knees signifies adoption or formal recognition (cf. Genesis 30:3, Genesis 48:12). Machir's sons were claimed as Joseph's own, just as Jacob had claimed Ephraim and Manasseh.
פָּקֹד יִפְקֹד אֱלֹהִים אֶתְכֶם ("God will surely visit you") — The infinitive absolute פָּקֹד intensifies the promise. The verb פָּקַד means "to visit, attend to, take notice of" — it implies both awareness and action. Joseph uses this phrase twice (vv. 24-25), and it becomes a code word for the exodus. When God finally acts, Moses will use the same formula: "God has surely visited you" (Exodus 3:16, Exodus 4:31).
וְהַעֲלִתֶם אֶת עַצְמֹתַי מִזֶּה ("you shall carry my bones up from here") — Joseph does not ask to be buried in Canaan immediately, as Jacob did. He knows his family will remain in Egypt for a long time. But his request for the future transport of his bones is an act of faith — he believes God's promise of return even though he will not live to see it. The book of Hebrews cites this: "By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones" (Hebrews 11:22). This oath was fulfilled in Exodus 13:19 and Joshua 24:32.
וַיִּישֶׂם בָּאָרוֹן בְּמִצְרָיִם ("he was placed in a coffin in Egypt") — The word אָרוֹן means both "coffin" and "ark" (it is the same word used for the Ark of the Covenant). Genesis ends with Joseph in a coffin in Egypt — a body embalmed, waiting. The book that began with the creation of life ends with death, but death infused with hope. The coffin is not a conclusion but a promise: Joseph's bones await the day when God will visit his people and bring them home. The entire book of Genesis thus ends on a note of anticipation — looking forward to the exodus, to the promised land, and ultimately to the resurrection.