Study notes

Genesis 50

Introducing GenesisWho wrote it, when, why, and what to look for as you read

45:16–50:26 Section

Before leaving Canaan, Jacob worshipped God at Beersheba. God appeared to him in a vision. God spoke parts of the covenant again. God promised to bring Jacob’s family back to the land of Canaan.

Abraham’s family line had grown very large. Joseph used his authority to provide land for Jacob’s family. They could continue their work as shepherds in Goshen. Joseph also used his authority to provide food for the Egyptians and people from other lands. The way he did this made Pharaoh richer and more powerful. Later this would cause problems for Abraham’s family line. God had warned Abraham about these problems in Genesis 15:13.

Jacob adopted Joseph’s sons Ephraim and Manasseh as his own. After speaking the father’s blessing to his sons, Jacob died. After Jacob’s death the brothers were afraid that Joseph would finally harm them. But Joseph had fully forgiven his brothers. Though he had suffered a lot, God had saved many lives through him. This was one way that Abraham’s family line was a blessing to others.

It was very important both to Jacob and to Joseph to be buried in Canaan. They trusted God’s promise to give the land of Canaan to Abraham’s family line.

50:1–6

Like his father and his grandfather, Jacob’s death marked the end of an important time in Israel’s history.

50:2

Jacob’s body was embalmed for burial in typical Egyptian fashion. Embalming is the process of preserving a body after death.

50:3

The Egyptians mourned Jacob for 70 days, just two days less than they would for a pharaoh. This showed their great respect for Joseph.

50:4–6

Joseph needed Pharaoh’s permission to leave his official duties for a short time. He wanted to bury his father in Canaan.

Pharaoh quickly gave permission to Joseph, who had once been a slave.

50:7–9

This was Joseph’s first return to his homeland in 39 years. The trip was temporary. Hundreds of years later, the family of Israel would permanently leave Egypt, taking Joseph's bones with them for burial in the promised land (see 50:25).

50:10–13

This journey to Canaan was a sorrowful one, because they went there to bury a man. The next journey into the land would be to live there.

50:15–18

The brothers begged Joseph to forgive them, referring to themselves as his slaves (compare 37:7; 44:16, 33). They worried that Joseph had only made peace with them earlier because he wanted to see his father again. Now that Jacob and Pharaoh were not there to restrain him, they feared he might seek revenge. But Joseph wept because they still feared he would punish them.

50:19–21

Joseph comforted his brothers, explaining that God intended to fulfill the promised blessing (compare 45:5, 7–9). He also promised them kindness and support (see 45:11).

50:23

were brought up on Joseph’s knees: Placing them on his knees at their birth was a symbolic act signifying that they came from him and belonged to him (compare Job 3:12).

50:24–25

  • God will surely visit you: These words from Joseph are repeated twice. They summarize the hope found in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. God would come to his people and act to save them.

    God’s coming in the Messiah (the promised descendant of Abraham and God’s chosen king) would bring an end to the curse (the result of sin) and bring God’s promised blessing in a new creation (a renewed world). God’s faithful people would wait with hope for this to happen.

  • Like his father, Joseph made his brothers promise to take his bones out of Egypt when God came to lead them back to Canaan ("attend to you"; see Exodus 13:19; Joshua 24:32; Hebrews 11:22).

50:26

  • Joseph’s death signified the end of his generation (see study notes on 25:7–8; 35:1–29) and of the patriarchal age. From this point forward, God dealt with Israel as a nation. •

  • Joseph’s body stayed in Egypt as a symbol of hope for slaves awaiting the promised land (see Exodus 13:19; Hebrews 11:39–40). They eventually buried him in Shechem (see Joshua 24:32), where Jacob had originally sent him (Genesis 37:13).

Verse notes: Adapted by Mission Mutual (Aquifer Open Study Notes) from Tyndale Open Study Notes © 2023 Tyndale House Publishers. CC BY-SA 4.0. Section notes: Biblica Study Notes © 2023 Biblica, Inc. CC BY-SA 4.0, via BibleAquifer. About the sources