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.
the physicians. The Hebrew {ropheim,} from {rapha,} to heal, is literally the healers, those whose business it was to heal, or restore the body from sickness, by administering proper medicines; and when death took place, to heal or preserve it from decomposition by embalming. The word {chanat,} to embalm, is also used in Arabic to express the reddening of leather; somewhat analogous to our tanning; which is probably the grand principal in embalming.
embalmed.
Genesis 50:26 So Joseph died, being an hundred and ten years old: and they embalmed …
2 Chronicles 16:14 And they buried him in his own sepulchers, which he had made for …
Matthew 26:12 For in that she has poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial.
Mark 14:8 She has done what she could: she is come beforehand to anoint my …
Mark 16:1 And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother …
Luke 24:1 Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they …
John 12:7 Then said Jesus, Let her alone: against the day of my burying has she kept this.
John 19:39,40 And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by …
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.
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,
My father made me swear, saying, Lo, I die: in my grave which I have digged for me in the land of Canaan, there shalt thou bury me. Now therefore let me go up, I pray thee, and bury my father, and I will come again.
made me.
Genesis 47:29-31 And the time drew near that Israel must die: and he called his son …
Lo, I die.
Genesis 50:24 And Joseph said to his brothers, I die: and God will surely visit you…
Genesis 48:21 And Israel said to Joseph, Behold, I die: but God shall be with you, …
Genesis 49:29,30 And he charged them, and said to them, I am to be gathered to my people…
Deuteronomy 4:22 But I must die in this land, I must not go over Jordan: but you shall …
1 Samuel 14:43 Then Saul said to Jonathan, Tell me what you have done. And Jonathan …
I have.
2 Chronicles 16:14 And they buried him in his own sepulchers, which he had made for …
Isaiah 22:16 What have you here? and whom have you here, that you have hewed you …
Matthew 27:60 And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: …
bury me.
Genesis 3:19 In the sweat of your face shall you eat bread, till you return to …
Job 30:23 For I know that you will bring me to death, and to the house appointed …
Psalm 79:3 Their blood have they shed like water round about Jerusalem; and …
Ecclesiastes 6:3 If a man beget an hundred children, and live many years, so that …
Ecclesiastes 12:5,7 Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall …
let me go.
Matthew 8:21,22 And another of his disciples said to him, Lord, suffer me first to …
Luke 9:59,60 And he said to another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first …
And Pharaoh said, Go up, and bury thy father, according as he made thee swear.
And Joseph went up to bury his father: and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt,
And all the house of Joseph, and his brethren, and his father's house: only their little ones, and their flocks, and their herds, they left in the land of Goshen.
And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen: and it was a very great company.
And they came to the threshingfloor of Atad, which is beyond Jordan, and there they mourned with a great and very sore lamentation: and he made a mourning for his father seven days.
the threshingfloor. This place was situated, according to Jerome, between the Jordan and the city of Jericho, two miles from the former, and three from the latter, where Bethagla was afterwards built. Procopius of Gaza states the same. As {aataad} signifies thorns, the place might have been remarkable for their production; though all the versions except the Arabic consider it as a proper name. As Moses wrote or revised his history on the east side of Jordan, the term beyond Jordan, in his five books, means westward of Jordan; but in other parts of Scripture it generally means eastward.
beyond.
Genesis 50:11 And when the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning …
Deuteronomy 1:1 These be the words which Moses spoke to all Israel on this side Jordan …
seven days.
Genesis 50:4 And when the days of his mourning were past, Joseph spoke to the …
Numbers 19:11 He that touches the dead body of any man shall be unclean seven days.
Deuteronomy 34:8 And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty …
1 Samuel 31:13 And they took their bones, and buried them under a tree at Jabesh, …
2 Samuel 1:17 And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son:
Job 2:13 So they sat down with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, …
Acts 8:2 And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation …
And when the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning in the floor of Atad, they said, This is a grievous mourning to the Egyptians: wherefore the name of it was called Abelmizraim, which is beyond Jordan.
the Canaanites.
Genesis 10:15-19 And Canaan begat Sidon his first born, and Heth…
Genesis 13:7 And there was a strife between the herdsmen of Abram's cattle and …
Genesis 24:6 And Abraham said to him, Beware you that you bring not my son thither again.
Genesis 34:30 And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, You have troubled me to make me …
Abel-mizraim. i.e., The mourning of the Egyptians.
1 Samuel 6:18 And the golden mice, according to the number of all the cities of …
beyond Jordan.
Genesis 50:10 And they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond Jordan, …
Deuteronomy 3:25,27 I pray you, let me go over, and see the good land that is beyond …
Deuteronomy 11:30 Are they not on the other side Jordan, by the way where the sun goes …
And his sons did unto him according as he commanded them:
For his sons carried him into the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which Abraham bought with the field for a possession of a buryingplace of Ephron the Hittite, before Mamre.
And Joseph returned into Egypt, he, and his brethren, and all that went up with him to bury his father, after he had buried his father.
And when Joseph's brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, Joseph will peradventure hate us, and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him.
And they sent a messenger unto Joseph, saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying,
So shall ye say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren, and their sin; for they did unto thee evil: and now, we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy father. And Joseph wept when they spake unto him.
Forgive.
Matthew 6:12,14,15 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors…
Matthew 18:35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also to you, if you from …
Luke 17:3,4 Take heed to yourselves: If your brother trespass against you, rebuke …
Ephesians 4:32 And be you kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, …
Colossians 3:12,13 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels …
they did.
Genesis 50:20 But as for you, you thought evil against me; but God meant it to …
Job 33:27,28 He looks on men, and if any say, I have sinned, and perverted that …
Psalm 21:11 For they intended evil against you: they imagined a mischievous device, …
Proverbs 28:13 He that covers his sins shall not prosper: but whoever confesses …
James 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that …
servants.
Genesis 31:42 Except the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of …
Genesis 49:25 Even by the God of your father, who shall help you; and by the Almighty, …
Matthew 10:42 And whoever shall give to drink to one of these little ones a cup …
Matthew 25:40 And the King shall answer and say to them, Truly I say to you, Inasmuch …
Mark 10:41 And when the ten heard it, they began to be much displeased with James and John.
Galatians 6:10,16 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good to all men, especially …
Philemon 1:8 Why, though I might be much bold in Christ to enjoin you that which …
wept.
Genesis 42:21-24 And they said one to another, We are truly guilty concerning our …
Genesis 45:4,5,8 And Joseph said to his brothers, Come near to me, I pray you. And …
And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants.
And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God?
fear not.
Genesis 45:5 Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that you …
Matthew 14:27 But straightway Jesus spoke to them, saying, Be of good cheer; it …
Luke 24:37,38 But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had …
for am I. It belongs to God to execute vengeance, and Joseph did not intend to usurp his prerogative. Thus he instructed his brethren not to fear him, but to fear God; to humble themselves before God, and to seek his forgiveness.
Genesis 30:2 And Jacob's anger was kindled against Rachel: and he said, Am I in …
Deuteronomy 32:35 To me belongs vengeance and recompense; their foot shall slide in …
2 Kings 5:7 And it came to pass, when the king of Israel had read the letter, …
Job 34:19-29 How much less to him that accepts not the persons of princes, nor …
Romans 12:19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place to wrath: …
Hebrews 10:30 For we know him that has said, Vengeance belongs to me, I will recompense, …
But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.
ye thought.
Genesis 37:4,18-20 And when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all …
Psalm 56:5 Every day they wrest my words: all their thoughts are against me for evil.
God meant.
Genesis 45:5-8 Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that you …
Psalm 76:10 Surely the wrath of man shall praise you: the remainder of wrath …
Psalm 105:16,17 Moreover he called for a famine on the land: he broke the whole staff …
Psalm 119:71 It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn your statutes.
Isaiah 10:7 However, he means not so, neither does his heart think so; but it …
Acts 2:23 Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge …
Acts 3:13-15,26 The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, …
Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love …
Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.
I will nourish.
Genesis 45:10,11 And you shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near …
Genesis 47:12 And Joseph nourished his father, and his brothers, and all his father's …
Matthew 5:44 But I say to you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do …
Matthew 6:14 For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will …
Romans 12:20,21 Therefore if your enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him …
1 Thessalonians 5:15 See that none render evil for evil to any man; but ever follow that …
1 Peter 3:9 Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise …
kindly unto them. Heb. to their hearts.
Genesis 34:3 And his soul joined to Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved …
Isaiah 40:2 Speak you comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry to her, that her warfare …
And Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he, and his father's house: and Joseph lived an hundred and ten years.
an hundred. Joseph's life was the shortest of all the patriarchs; for which Bp. Patrick gives this reason, he was the son of his father's old age.
And Joseph saw Ephraim's children of the third generation: the children also of Machir the son of Manasseh were brought up upon Joseph's knees.
the children.
Genesis 48:19 And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it: he …
Genesis 49:12 His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.
Numbers 32:33,39 And Moses gave to them, even to the children of Gad, and to the children …
Joshua 17:1 There was also a lot for the tribe of Manasseh; for he was the firstborn …
Job 42:16 After this lived Job an hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, …
Psalm 128:6 Yes, you shall see your children's children, and peace on Israel.
brought up. Heb. born. Joseph's.
Genesis 30:3 And she said, Behold my maid Bilhah, go in to her; and she shall …
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.
I die.
Genesis 50:5 My father made me swear, saying, See, I die: in my grave which I …
Genesis 3:19 In the sweat of your face shall you eat bread, till you return to …
Job 30:23 For I know that you will bring me to death, and to the house appointed …
Ecclesiastes 12:5,7 Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall …
Romans 5:12 Why, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; …
Hebrews 9:27 And as it is appointed to men once to die, but after this the judgment:
visit you.
Genesis 21:1 And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did to Sarah …
Exodus 4:31 And the people believed: and when they heard that the LORD had visited …
you out.
Genesis 15:14-16 And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward …
Genesis 26:3 Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you, and will bless you; …
Genesis 35:12 And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to you I will give it, …
Genesis 46:4 I will go down with you into Egypt; and I will also surely bring …
Genesis 48:21 And Israel said to Joseph, Behold, I die: but God shall be with you, …
Exodus 3:16,17 Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say to them, The …
sware.
Genesis 12:7 And the LORD appeared to Abram, and said, To your seed will I give …
Genesis 13:15,17 For all the land which you see, to you will I give it, and to your …
Genesis 15:7,18 And he said to him, I am the LORD that brought you out of Ur of the …
Genesis 17:8 And I will give to you, and to your seed after you, the land wherein …
Genesis 26:3 Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you, and will bless you; …
Genesis 28:13 And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God …
Genesis 35:12 And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to you I will give it, …
Genesis 46:4 I will go down with you into Egypt; and I will also surely bring …
Exodus 33:1 And the LORD said to Moses, Depart, and go up hence, you and the …
Numbers 32:11 Surely none of the men that came up out of Egypt, from twenty years …
Deuteronomy 1:8 Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land …
Deuteronomy 6:10 And it shall be, when the LORD your God shall have brought you into …
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.
being an hundred and ten years old. {Ben meah wediser shanim;} the son of an hundred and ten years; the period he lived being personified.
Genesis 50:22 And Joseph dwelled in Egypt, he, and his father's house: and Joseph …
Genesis 47:9,28 And Jacob said to Pharaoh, The days of the years of my pilgrimage …
Joshua 24:29 And it came to pass after these things, that Joshua the son of Nun, …
they embalmed.
Genesis 50:2,3 And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father: …
CONCLUDING REMARKS.
Thus terminates the Book of Genesis, the most ancient record in the world; including the History of two grand and stupendous subjects, Creation and Providence; of each of which it presents a summary, but astonishingly minute and detailed accounts. From this Book, almost all the ancient philosophers, astronomers, chronologists, and historians have taken their respective data; and all the modern improvements and accurate discoveries in different arts and sciences, have only served to confirm the facts detailed by Moses, and to shew, that all the ancient writers on these subjects have approached, or receded from, truth and the phenomena of Nature, in exactly the same proportion as they have followed or receded from, the Mosaic history. The great fact of the deluge is fully confirmed by the fossilised remains in every quarter of the globe. Add to this, that general traditions of the deluge have veen traced among the Egyptians, Chinese, Japanese, Hindoos, Burmans, ancient Goths and Druids, Mexicans, Peruvians, Brazilians, North American Indians, Greenlanders, Otaheiteans, Sandwich Islanders, and almost every nation under heaven; while the allegorical turgidity of these distorted traditions sufficiently distinguishes them from the unadorned simplicity of the Mosaic narrative. In fine, without this history the world would be in comparative darkness, not knowing whence it came, nor whither it goeth. In the first page, a child may learn more in an hour, than all the philosophers in the world learned without it in a thousand years.
