Genesis 47:29 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And when the time drew near that Israel must die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, “If now I have found favor in your sight, put your hand under my thigh and promise to deal kindly and truly with me. Do not bury me in Egypt,

NIV: When the time drew near for Israel to die, he called for his son Joseph and said to him, 'If I have found favor in your eyes, put your hand under my thigh and promise that you will show me kindness and faithfulness. Do not bury me in Egypt,

NASB: When the time for Israel to die drew near, he called his son Joseph and said to him, 'Please, if I have found favor in your sight, place your hand under my thigh now and deal with me in kindness and faithfulness: please do not bury me in Egypt,

CSB: When the time approached for him to die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, "If I have found favor with you, put your hand under my thigh and promise me that you will deal with me in kindness and faithfulness. Do not bury me in Egypt.

NLT: As the time of his death drew near, Jacob called for his son Joseph and said to him, 'Please do me this favor. Put your hand under my thigh and swear that you will treat me with unfailing love by honoring this last request: Do not bury me in Egypt.

KJV: And the time drew nigh that Israel must die: and he called his son Joseph, and said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me; bury me not, I pray thee, in Egypt:

NKJV: When the time drew near that Israel must die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, “Now if I have found favor in your sight, please put your hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me. Please do not bury me in Egypt,

It's not clear exactly when this conversation took place. Jacob came into Egypt speaking as if he was about to die (Genesis 46:30), only to live another seventeen years (Genesis 47:28). Whenever it happened, it's in a moment when Jacob is planning for the aftermath of his own death. He has successfully resettled his large family in Egypt, and they are thriving (Genesis 47:27). He knows the family will not be leaving this area any time soon. A key concern in Jacob's mind is burial: he doesn't want his remains to stay in Egypt. He wants to be interred with his ancestors, in Canaan (Genesis 47:30).

Jacob calls Joseph to his side and puts his request to Joseph very formally. The expression "if I have found favor in your sight" implies an obligation on the person being asked, while also expressing humility. This is an extremely important issue for Jacob. It's critical enough for Jacob to request a common, solemn gesture of promise. This is a guarantee that Joseph will make this request happen.

As was Abraham's servant (Genesis 24:2–3), Joseph is asked to put his hand "under my thigh" and swear a promise. In practice, this likely meant putting the hand just below, or even on, the genitals. Symbolically, the promise is being associated with the descendants of that person. Joseph is not merely vowing to Jacob, but to all of Jacob's posterity. In some cultures, this gesture also implied that breaking the oath would be avenged by those descendants.

Strange as this seems to modern readers, the same intent is used in more recent practices. Legal witnesses or political appointees would often place their hand on a Bible to swear an oath. Symbolically, their promise is also being made to God; Joseph's vow is also being made to Jacob's future line.

Genesis 47:27–31 follows an explanation of how a famine brought all Egypt into servanthood under the Pharaoh. That included a standing twenty percent tax. The Israelites, meanwhile, grow and prosper. In the future, this will lead to jealousy and oppression by leaders with no memory of Joseph and his contributions (Exodus 1:8–13). After years of safety in his son's care, Jacob nears death and asks for his body to one day be buried with his ancestors in Canaan.

Genesis 47 begins with Pharaoh interviewing Joseph's brothers and father before granting their request to settle in the region of Goshen in Egypt. Just as Joseph had hoped, his family is secure. The rest of the people of Egypt and Canaan are not. Most run out of money and can no longer buy food from Joseph. On Pharaoh's behalf, Joseph trades food for their livestock and then their land and even their freedom. Nearly all people will be required to pay to Pharaoh 20 percent of their harvest each year from this time forward. After several years, Jacob asks Joseph to swear that he will bury Jacob's body with his fathers in Canaan.

After describing the family's journey from Canaan and their arrival in Egypt in chapter 46, this passage opens on a formal conversation between Pharaoh and Joseph's family. He officially grants their request to settle in Egypt. As the famine continues, citizens of Egypt and Canaan turn over their money, land, and livestock to Joseph in exchange for food. The final three chapters of Genesis explain Jacob's dying blessings, and the passing of both Jacob and Joseph.

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.