Genesis 49:31

ESV There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife. There they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah —

NIV There Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried, there Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried, and there I buried Leah.

NASB There they buried Abraham and his wife Sarah, there they buried Isaac and his wife Rebekah, and there I buried Leah—

CSB Abraham and his wife Sarah are buried there, Isaac and his wife Rebekah are buried there, and I buried Leah there.

NLT There Abraham and his wife Sarah are buried. There Isaac and his wife, Rebekah, are buried. And there I buried Leah.

KJV There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah.

NKJV There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife, there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah.

What does Genesis 49:31 mean?

After a long and often-difficult life (Genesis 47:9), Jacob is making final statements to his sons (Genesis 49:28–30). These last commands involve his burial. He is using his last breath to urgently command his gathered sons to lay his body to rest in the Promised Land of Canaan, not in Egypt. The intended spot is the family tomb, purchased by Abraham for this very purpose (Genesis 23:3–20).

Here, Jacob drives home the importance of this location. Both Abraham and Sarah are buried there, as are his own parents Isaac and Rebekah. In addition, Leah—Jacob's wife and the mother of six of the sons gathered around him—is buried in the cave as well. Now the time has come for Jacob's body to join theirs.

Expand

Context Summary
Genesis 49:28–33 contains Jacob's last words before his death. He commands his sons to see that his body is buried in Canaan in the family tomb. It is one of the few pieces of property the family owns outright in the Promised Land. Abraham bought it from the Hittites. He and Sarah are buried there, as are Jacob's parents Isaac and Rebekah, and Jacob's first wife Leah. His sons must take his body there to lay it to rest with the others. After saying this, the man God renamed "Israel" (Genesis 35:10–1) dies in the presence of his extended family.

Expand

Chapter Summary
Genesis 49 contains Jacob's dying prophetic remarks. In the form of poetry, Jacob pronounces positive and negative "blessings" about each of his 12 sons and the people who will come from them. Reuben, Simeon, and Levi are each held to account for their past sins. Judah is described as a lion; the kingly line will come from his people. Joseph and his descendants are lavished with blessings. Once the oracle is completed, Jacob commands his sons to bury him with his fathers in Canaan. Then, the man God named "Israel" (Genesis 35:10–11) dies.

Expand

What is the Gospel?

Download the app: