Genesis 50: Burial, Forgiveness, and Hope
Joseph mourns and buries his father, then forgives his brothers and dies trusting God's promise.
Genesis 50 (WEB)
1 Joseph fell on his father’s face, wept on him, and kissed him.
2 Joseph commanded his servants, the physicians, to embalm his father; and the physicians embalmed Israel.
3 Forty days were fulfilled for him, for that is how many the days it takes to embalm. The Egyptians wept for him for seventy days.
4 When the days of weeping for him were past, Joseph spoke to the house 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 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.’”
6 Pharaoh said, “Go up, and bury your father, just like he made you swear.”
7 Joseph 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,
8 all 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.
9 There went up with him both chariots and horsemen. It was a very great company.
10 They 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.
11 When 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.
12 His sons did to him just 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 burial site, from Ephron the Hittite, before Mamre.
14 Joseph returned into Egypt—he, and his brothers, and all that went up with him to bury his father, after he had buried his father.
15 When 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 of the evil which we did to him.”
16 They 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.
18 His brothers also went and fell down before his face; and they said, “Behold, we are your servants.”
19 Joseph said to them, “Don’t 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, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save many people alive.
21 Now therefore don’t be afraid. I will nourish you and your little ones.” He comforted them, and spoke kindly to them.
22 Joseph lived in Egypt, he, and his father’s house. Joseph lived one hundred ten years.
23 Joseph saw Ephraim’s children to the third generation. The children also of Machir, the son of Manasseh, were born on Joseph’s knees.
24 Joseph 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.”
25 Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.”
26 So Joseph died, being one hundred ten years old, and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.
Genesis 50 (KJV)
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 Abel–mizraim, 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.
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.
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.
Genesis 50 (ASV)
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 embalming: and the Egyptians wept for him threescore and ten days.
4 And when the days of weeping for him were past, Joseph spake unto the house of Pharaoh, saying, If now I have found favor 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 threshing-floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, and there they lamented with a very great and 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 Abel-mizraim, which is beyond the 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 burying-place, 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.
15 And when Joseph’s brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, It may be that Joseph will hate us, and will fully requite us all the evil which we did unto him.
16 And they sent a message unto Joseph, saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying,
17 So shall ye say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the transgression of thy brethren, and their sin, for that they did unto thee evil. And now, we pray thee, forgive the transgression 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 are thy servants.
19 And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God?
20 And as for you, ye meant evil against me; but God meant it for 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.
22 And Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he, and his father’s house: and Joseph lived a 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 born upon Joseph’s knees.
24 And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die; but God will surely visit you, and bring you up 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 a hundred and ten years old: and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.
Summary
Joseph falls on his father's face, weeps, and has him embalmed, with Egypt mourning seventy days. Securing Pharaoh's permission, Joseph leads a great company up to Canaan to bury Jacob in the cave of Machpelah, just as he had sworn. After their father's death, Joseph's brothers fear he will finally repay their old wrong, and they beg his forgiveness. Joseph weeps and reassures them: though they meant evil against him, God meant it for good, to save many people alive. He comforts them and promises to provide for them and their little ones. Joseph lives to a hundred and ten, sees his great-grandchildren, and at the last assures his brothers that God will surely visit them and bring them to the land he promised. He charges them to carry his bones up, then dies and is placed in a coffin in Egypt.
Main Characters
- Joseph — The grieving, forgiving son who buries his father, reassures his brothers, and dies trusting God's promise.
- Joseph's brothers — The men who fear revenge after their father's death and seek Joseph's forgiveness for their past evil.
- Pharaoh — The king of Egypt who grants Joseph leave to go up and bury his father in Canaan.
- Jacob (Israel) — The father whose body is embalmed, mourned, and carried to the cave of Machpelah for burial.
Key Verse
Genesis 50:20 (WEB)
As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save many people alive.
Lessons Learned
- Grief and faith belong together; Joseph weeps deeply yet acts in obedience and hope.
- Forgiveness frees us from repaying evil and entrusts justice to God, who alone stands in his place.
- God can weave human evil into his good purposes without excusing the wrong that was done.
- Faith looks beyond the present to God's promises, even at the very end of life.
- Honoring others honors God. Joseph keeps his promise and goes up with a great company to bury his father in Canaan, showing faithfulness to family and to a vow (Genesis 50:7, WEB).
- Fear often whispers that grace cannot last. With their father gone, the brothers fear Joseph will pay them back for their evil, mistaking past guilt for present danger (Genesis 50:15, WEB).
- Forgiveness leaves judgment to God. Joseph asks, 'Don't be afraid, for am I in the place of God?' refusing to take revenge that belongs to the Lord alone (Genesis 50:19, WEB).
- God can mean for good what others mean for evil. Joseph tells his brothers that what they meant for evil, God meant for good, to save many people alive (Genesis 50:20, WEB).
- Grace speaks comfort, not condemnation. Joseph promises to nourish his brothers and their little ones, and he comforts them and speaks kindly to them (Genesis 50:21, WEB).
- Faith rests on God's sure promise. Dying, Joseph assures his brothers that God will surely visit them and bring them to the promised land, and asks that his bones be carried there (Genesis 50:24-25, WEB).
- How does Joseph honor his father in death (Genesis 50:1-13)?
- Why are Joseph's brothers afraid once their father has died (Genesis 50:15)?
- What does Joseph mean when he says, 'You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good' (Genesis 50:20)?
- How does Joseph respond to his fearful brothers, and what does that show about real forgiveness?
- Where do you need to trust that God can bring good out of something painful that was meant against you?
- Joseph weeps over him, has him embalmed, observes the days of mourning, secures Pharaoh's permission, and leads a great company to bury him in the cave of Machpelah in Canaan as he had sworn (50:1-13); he honors both his father and his promise.
- They fear that with their father gone, the restraint is removed and Joseph will hate them and fully pay them back for the evil they did to him (50:15); their guilt makes them doubt the forgiveness already shown.
- He means that although his brothers intended harm, God overruled their actions for a good purpose, to preserve many lives during the famine (50:20); God's sovereign goodness worked through, without approving, their sin.
- He weeps, tells them not to be afraid, declares he is not in the place of God, and promises to nourish them and their children, comforting them and speaking kindly (50:19-21); true forgiveness gives up revenge and actively seeks the good of the one who wronged us.
- Personal: encourage members to name a specific painful situation and prayerfully consider how they might trust God's good purposes within it, while still being honest about the hurt, as Joseph was.