Year of the Bible
Genesis 50
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Commentary on the Book of Genesis, Chapter 50:
Joseph and his brothers travel north to bury their father and we glimpse the extensive funeral rites of the ancient world. After fulfilling their father’s request, the brothers return to Egypt. Fearing reprisal from Joseph for having sold him into slavery, the brothers ask for forgiveness. Joseph again points to God’s work in his life and how God was able to bring good out of an action the brothers intended for evil. Joseph assures his brothers of his care, and, on his deathbed, he blesses them that God return them to the land God had promised to their fathers. He asks for his own bones to be carried there (see Exod 13:19) and dies in peace, bringing the great narrative of the Patriarchs and the Book of Genesis to an end.
The Book of Genesis, Chapter 50:
1 Then Joseph fell on his father’s face, and wept over him, and kissed him. 2 And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Israel; 3 forty days were required for it, for so many are required for embalming. And the Egyptians wept for him seventy days.
4 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, speak, I beg you, in the ears of Pharaoh, saying, 5 My father made me swear, saying, ‘I am about to die: in my tomb which I hewed out for myself in the land of Canaan, there shall you bury me.’ Now therefore let me go up, I beg you, and bury my father; then I will return.” 6 And Pharaoh answered, “Go up, and bury your father, as he made you swear.” 7 So Joseph went up to bury his father; and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his household, and all the elders of the land of Egypt, 8 as well as all the household of Joseph, his brothers, and his father’s household; only their children, their flocks, and their herds were left in the land of Goshen. 9 And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen; it was a very great company.
10 When they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, they lamented there with a very great and sorrowful lamentation; and he made a mourning for his father seven days. 11 When the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning on the threshing floor of Atad, they said, “This is a grievous mourning to the Egyptians.” Therefore the place was named Abel-mizraim; it is beyond the Jordan. 12 Thus his sons did for him as he had commanded them; 13 for his sons carried him to the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field at Mach-pelah, to the east of Mamre, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite, to possess as a burying place. 14 After he had buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt with his brothers and all who had gone up with him to bury his father.
Joseph Forgives His Brothers
15 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “It may be that Joseph will hate us and pay us back for all the evil which we did to him.” 16 So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, “Your father gave this command before he died, 17 ‘Say to Joseph, Forgive, I beg you, the transgression of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to you.’ And now, we pray you, forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when they spoke to him. 18 His brothers also came and fell down before him, and said, “Behold, we are your servants.” 19 But Joseph said to them, “Fear not, for am I in the place of God? 20 As for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. 21 So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” Thus he reassured them and comforted them.
Joseph’s Last Days and Death
22 So Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he and his father’s house; and Joseph lived a hundred and ten years. 23 And Joseph saw Ephraim’s children of the third generation; the children also of Machir the son of Manasseh were born upon Joseph’s knees. 24 And Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die; but God will visit you, and bring you up out of this land to the land which he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” 25 Then Joseph took an oath of the sons of Israel, saying, “God will visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.” 26 So Joseph died, being a hundred and ten years old; and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.
*Daily Lectio Divina Question:
Re-read verses 17-21 as if you were the very person of Joseph. Take a moment to experience the love and mercy he shares with his siblings who betrayed him and now beg for his forgiveness. Lord, help me soak in the way of the merciful heart of Joseph in my own life.
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Revised Standard Version; Second Catholic Edition. (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2006).
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Entonces José se inclinó sobre el
rostro de su padre, lloró y le besó.
2 Luego ordenó a los médicos a su servicio
que embalsamaran a su padre, y los
médicos embalsamaron a Israel. 3 Emplearon
en ello cuarenta días, para que
así se cumplieran los días del embalsamamiento; y los egipcios le lloraron durante
setenta días.
4 Cuando pasaron los días del duelo,
José habló a la casa del Faraón diciendo:
–Si he hallado gracia ante vosotros,
hablad, por favor, al faraón en estos términos:
5 «Mi padre me hizo jurar esto:
“Cuando yo muera, me enterrarás en
el sepulcro que me excavé en el país de
Canaán”. Ahora, pues, voy a subir a enterrar
a mi padre, y luego volveré».
6 El faraón respondió:
–Sube y entierra a tu padre, tal como
te hizo jurar.
7 José subió a enterrar a su padre,
y con él subieron todos los siervos del
faraón, los ancianos de su corte, y todos
los ancianos del país de Egipto, 8 así
como toda la casa de José, sus hermanos
y la casa de su padre; solamente sus niños,
ganados y vacadas quedaron en el
país de Gosen. 9 También subieron con
él carros y jinetes, formando un cortejo
imponente. 10 Cuando llegaron a Goren–
Atad, al otro lado del Jordán, celebraron
allí un gran rito fúnebre muy
solemne, y José hizo duelo por su padre
siete días. 11 Al ver los habitantes de
la tierra, los cananeos, el duelo en Goren–
Atad, dijeron: «Qué solemne es el
duelo de los egipcios». Por eso se llamó
a aquel lugar Abel–Misraim, que está al
otro lado del Jordán.
12 Los hijos de Jacob hicieron con él
tal como les había mandado: 13 lo llevaron
a tierra de Canaán y lo sepultaron
en la cueva del campo de Macpelá, el
campo que Abrahán había comprado a
Efrón, el hitita, como propiedad sepulcral
frente a Mambré. 14 Después de haber
sepultado a su padre, José, sus hermanos
y todos los que habían subido
con él a enterrar a su padre volvieron a
Egipto.
15 Al ver los hermanos de José que
había muerto su padre se dijeron:
–Quizá José nos guarde rencor y nos
devuelva todo el mal que le hicimos.
16 Entonces mandaron decir a José:
–Tu padre, antes de su muerte, dio
esta orden: 17 «Así diréis a José: “Por favor,
perdona el crimen de tus hermanos
y su pecado, pues te hicieron mal”. Ahora
perdona el crimen de los siervos del
Dios de tu padre».
Al hablarle así, José se echó a llorar.
18 Entonces fueron también sus hermanos,
se postraron ante él y dijeron:
–Aquí nos tienes como esclavos tuyos.
19 José les respondió:
–No temáis. ¿Acaso estoy yo en lugar
de Dios? 20 Vosotros planeasteis el
mal contra mí, pero Dios lo planeó para
el bien, para hacer, tal como hoy ocurre,
que viviera un pueblo numeroso.
21 Ahora, pues, no temáis; yo os alimentaré
a vosotros y a vuestros hijos.
Y José los consoló hablándoles al corazón.
22 José vivió en Egipto con la casa de
su padre, y llegó a los ciento diez años.
23 José vio a los descendientes de Efraím
hasta la tercera generación; también los
hijos de Maquir, hijo de Manasés, nacieron
sobre las rodillas de José.
24 José dijo a sus hermanos:
–Yo voy a morir; pero Dios os visitará
sin falta y os hará subir desde esta tierra
a la tierra que juró a Abrahán, Isaac
y Jacob.
25 Luego José hizo jurar a los hijos de
Israel de esta manera:
–Cuando Dios os visite, sacaréis mis
huesos de aquí.
26 José murió a los ciento diez años;
lo embalsamaron y fue puesto en un féretro
en Egipto.
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