Genesis 50:4 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And when the days of weeping for him were past, Joseph spoke to the household of Pharaoh, saying, "If now I have found favor in your eyes, please speak in the ears of Pharaoh, saying,

NIV: When the days of mourning had passed, Joseph said to Pharaoh’s court, "If I have found favor in your eyes, speak to Pharaoh for me. Tell him,

NASB: When the days of mourning for him were past, Joseph spoke to the household of Pharaoh, saying, 'If now I have found favor in your sight, please speak to Pharaoh, saying,

CSB: When the days of mourning were over, Joseph said to Pharaoh’s household, "If I have found favor with you, please tell Pharaoh that

NLT: When the period of mourning was over, Joseph approached Pharaoh’s advisers and said, 'Please do me this favor and speak to Pharaoh on my behalf.

KJV: 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,

NKJV: Now when the days of his mourning were past, Joseph spoke to the household of Pharaoh, saying, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, please speak in the hearing of Pharaoh, saying,

Immediately before he died, Jacob commanded his sons to bury him in Canaan (Genesis 47:29–30), in the family burial tomb. This was where Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, and Leah were all laid to rest (Genesis 49:29–32). To carry out that request, Joseph will need permission to leave Egypt to travel to Canaan. For all of Joseph's power in Egypt, he was still technically a slave owned and controlled by the absolute authority of the Pharaoh.

Joseph brings the request indirectly, asking someone in the household of Pharaoh to present it for him. It's unclear why Joseph would not go straight to the Pharaoh himself now that the 70 days of mourning have passed. Perhaps he felt that this individual in Pharaoh's household may have more influence than he himself would. Another possibility is that local etiquette prevented someone from appearing before Pharaoh while in a state of mourning.

In any case, Joseph approaches this person with great respect, asking for this favor to be based on his own reputation in the land: "If I have found favor in your eyes, please speak in the ears of Pharaoh." He spells out the request in the following verse (Genesis 50:5).

Genesis 50:1–14 begins with Joseph weeping by his father's deathbed. Jacob is embalmed and an official period of mourning is observed in Egypt. With Pharaoh's blessing and a large company of Egyptian mourners, Jacob's sons travel to Canaan. There, as requested, they bury their father in the family tomb, alongside Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, and Jacob's wife Leah. Then they all return to Egypt.

Genesis 50 begins with Joseph's weeping over his father's body, followed by the embalming of Jacob, a 70–day period of state mourning, and a trip to Canaan to bury Jacob with his fathers. Joseph's brothers, worried that he would take his revenge on them for selling him into slavery, seek Joseph's forgiveness. He assures them he will not harm them. The chapter skips to the end of Joseph's life. After assuring his people that God will return them to Canaan one day, Joseph dies and is embalmed.

After settling in Egypt, under his son's protection (Genesis 47—49), Jacob dies (Genesis 49:33). He is embalmed and all of Egypt mourns. Joseph buries his father in the family tomb in Canaan, then returns to Egypt. He asks that his body be taken back to Canaan someday. This sets up the events of the book of Exodus. Over centuries, Israel will grow into a prosperous people, only to be enslaved by a jealous Egyptian monarchy. This provides a context for God to rescue Israel and demonstrate His power.

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.