Genesis 49:32 - Printer Friendly

ESV: the field and the cave that is in it were bought from the Hittites."

NIV: The field and the cave in it were bought from the Hittites. "

NASB: the field and the cave that is in it, purchased from the sons of Heth.'

CSB: The field and the cave in it were purchased from the Hethites."

NLT: It is the plot of land and the cave that my grandfather Abraham bought from the Hittites.'

KJV: The purchase of the field and of the cave that is therein was from the children of Heth.

NKJV: The field and the cave that is there were purchased from the sons of Heth.”

Jacob has just commanded his twelve sons, gathered around his death bed, to bury his body in Canaan and not in Egypt (Genesis 49:28–31). Specifically, they must bury him in the family burial tomb, a cave in a field near Mamre. This was in Hittite territory. It was obtained by legal and contractual purchase by Abraham with the full blessing of the Hittites (Genesis 23:3–20) after Abraham's beloved wife Sarah died.

As part of his last words, Jacob is reiterating that the cave is the full legal property of his family. He mentioned in the previous verse that his grandparents Abraham and Sarah are buried there, along with his parents Isaac and Rebekah, and his own wife Leah, the mother of six of the sons gathered around him. It was fully appropriate and necessary for Jacob's body to join theirs in that cave.

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.

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.

After a life of struggle and controversy, Jacob's family has securely settled in Egypt. Genesis 48 told of Jacob's blessing on Joseph's two oldest sons: Ephraim and Manasseh. In Genesis 49, Jacob gives both positive and negative predictions to each of his sons, in turn. Jacob then commands his sons to bury him in Canaan, then dies. The final chapter of Genesis describes the family's mourning and Joseph's death. The opening verses of Exodus race forward some 400 years, as the nation of Israel falls into harsh slavery under new Egyptian rulers (Exodus 1:8–14).

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.

Accessed 11/21/2024 11:07:24 AM