What does Genesis 50:11 mean?
Clearly, this was a strange sight to see for the local people of the region. The news would have spread quickly: a large company of Egyptians arrived at the threshing flood of Atad—likely a large flat meadow—with an armed escort of horsemen and chariots. There, they have been mourning—with great emotion and ceremony—for a week (Genesis 50:7–10). The locals may never have known that the loud, wealthy, Egyptian group was there to honor a Canaanite patriarch of a clan of Hebrews (Genesis 49:33).Whether they knew the exact reasons or not, the event was significant enough to earn the place a new name: 'ābēl' Misra'im. The root word 'abel means "meadow," and variations on Mizraim are references to Egypt. There is wordplay involved, however, since the rhyming word 'ebel refers to mourning. Paraphrased, the text says "the Canaanites saw the 'ebel…they said, 'this is grievous 'ebel'…therefore it was named 'Abel-Mizraim." This is not unlike how, in English, the terms "morning" and "mourning" are almost identical.