Genesis 50:6 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And Pharaoh answered, "Go up, and bury your father, as he made you swear."

NIV: Pharaoh said, "Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear to do."

NASB: Pharaoh said, 'Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear.'

CSB: So Pharaoh said, "Go and bury your father in keeping with your oath."

NLT: Pharaoh agreed to Joseph’s request. 'Go and bury your father, as he made you promise,' he said.

KJV: And Pharaoh said, Go up, and bury thy father, according as he made thee swear.

NKJV: And Pharaoh said, “Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear.”

Joseph has brought a request to Pharaoh, through a member of the household, to leave Egypt to bury his father. Jacob has recently died (Genesis 49:33) and was adamant about being buried in his family tomb in Canaan (Genesis 47:29–30). Joseph has made it clear that he swore, on his honor, to fulfill this request (Genesis 50:5).

Pharaoh agrees, apparently with no hesitation whatsoever. Thanks to Joseph's impeccable integrity and success, Egypt's ruler has always agreed to Joseph's requests. At times, he has given far more than was asked for (Genesis 45:16–20). Joseph clearly found favor in Pharaoh's eyes. His God-given interpretation of Pharaoh's dream saved Egypt from starvation (Genesis 41:28–31, 53–57). Joseph's administration also made Pharaoh an enormously wealthy and powerful (Genesis 47:20–21).

In addition, doubtless with Pharaoh's approval, Egypt has just completed 70 days of mourning for Jacob. It comes as no surprise to read that he will allow Joseph to bury his own father, and to honor his last request.

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.

Accessed 11/21/2024 8:39:33 PM