[WELCOME]

GENESIS 50:1-3 "And Joseph fell upon his father's face, and wept upon him, and kissed him. And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father: and the physicians embalmed Israel. And forty days were fulfilled for him; for so are fulfilled the days of those which are embalmed: and the Egyptians mourned for him threescore and ten days."

50:24-26 "And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die; and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence. So Joseph died, being an hundred and ten years old: and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt."

ISRAEL AT HOME

After Jacob's death in Egypt, Joseph had his father embalmed by physicians. The Egyptians had actually perfected the art of embalming at this time as is seen in some of the mummies that have been found in Egypt. The embalming process lasted 40 days and the mourning for Jacob lasted 70 days. After the mourning period was over Joseph asked Pharaoh for permission to leave Egypt and take his father back to his homeland to be buried. Pharaoh not only gave his permission but he sent all his servants and all the elders of the land of Egypt with him. Along with all of Jacob's children this must have made a very large entourage traveling from Egypt to Canaan.

It is not clear why they chose the threshing floor of Atid to stop and mourn for an additional 7 days, but the Canaanites who lived there observed them and remarked that this was a grievious mourning to the Egyptians and called it Abel-mizraim (meaning "the mourning of the Egyptians".) So Jacob's sons buried him in the cave of his ancestors on his own land as he asked.

Upon returning to Egypt, Joseph's brothers became afraid he would try to get even with them for what they had done to him when he was just a boy now that their father was dead. There was nothing to stop him from retaliation, after all he was the governor of the land. They sent a messenger to Joseph saying their father had commanded before he died that Joseph should forgive them for what they had done to him earlier. They fell down at his feet and promised to be his servants (remember Joseph's dreams when he was a child)? Joseph cried when he heard their pleas and told them not to fear for he meant them no harm. He reminded them that even though they meant it for evil against him, God meant it for good and many people were saved due to him coming to Egypt. Joseph assured them that he would take care of them which he did for another 54 years after Jacob died. Joseph told his brothers and their children that God would come and lead them out of Egypt some day and he made them promise to take his bones with them. Genesis ends with the death of Joseph. He was 110 and his family had him embalmed and placed in a coffin (as a mummy) to await their return to Canaan.

Thank you so much for doing the
Bible Study with us this week.
I hope you enjoyed your visit.

BE SURE TO BOOKMARK THIS PAGE
SO YOU CAN FIND YOUR WAY BACK.

LOVE, MEME

Take the test!

Now you can take a test after each 5 chapters.
Click here to go to Exam 10

Click below to send this Bible Study to a friend!

Click your browser back button to return to this page!

View or Post to our Message Board!

For more Christian Sites like this one, click below.

Search the Bible:

HELP