And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants . Both the attitudes assumed and the words spoken were designed to express the intensity of their contrition and the fervor of their supplication. read more
And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? — i.e. either reading the words as a question, Should I arrogate to myself what obviously belongs to Elohim, viz; the power and right of vengeance (Calvin, Kalisch, Murphy, 'Speaker's Commentary'), or the power to interfere with the purposes of God? (Keil, Rosenmüller); or, regarding them as an assertion, I am in God's stead, i.e. a minister to you for good (Wordsworth). read more
But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good (literally, and ye were thinking or meditating evil against me ; Elohim was thinking or meditating for good, i.e. that what you did should be for good), to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive ( vide Genesis 45:5 ). read more
Intended bane an unintentional boon. "Ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good." Joseph must have been deeply pained by the mistrust of his brethren. They implied that it was only out of consideration for his father that he had been kind to them. Yet Joseph had forgiven them. They could not so easily believe in the forgiveness; just as man now is forgiven by God, but he has the greatest difficulty in believing in the reconciliation. Joseph's brethren sent a messenger unto... read more
Now therefore (literally, and now) fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. Thus he repeats and confirms the promise which he had originally made to them when he invited them to come to Egypt ( Genesis 45:11 , Genesis 45:18 , Genesis 45:19 ). And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them —literally, to their hearts (cf. Genesis 34:3 ). read more
- The Burial of Jacob10. אטד 'āṭâd Atad, “the buck-thorn.”11. מצרים אבל 'ābêl-mı̂tsrayı̂m, Abel-Mitsraim, “mourning of Mizraim,” or meadow of Mizraim.This chapter records the burial of Jacob and the death of Joseph, and so completes the history of the chosen family, and the third bible for the instruction of man.Genesis 50:1-3After the natural outburst of sorrow for his deceased parent, Joseph gave orders to embalm the body, according to the custom of Egypt. “His servants, the physicians.”... read more
Genesis 50:19. Am I in the place of God? Dare I usurp the prerogative of God, to whom it belongs to take vengeance? Or, can I do what I please with you, without God’s leave? Fear him rather than me, and upon your experience of his wonderful care of and kindness to you, be persuaded he will still befriend you, and therefore I will. Or, perhaps, in his great humility, he thought they showed him too much respect, and saith to them, in effect, as Peter to Cornelius, “Stand up; I myself also am... read more
Genesis 50:20-21 . Ye thought evil, but God meant it unto good In order to the making Joseph a greater blessing to his family than otherwise he could have been. Fear not, I will nourish you See what an excellent spirit Joseph was of, and learn of him to render good for evil. He did not tell them they were upon their good behaviour, and he would be kind to them, if he saw them carry themselves well: no, he would not thus hold them in suspense, nor seem jealous of them, though they had been... read more
Deaths of Jacob and Joseph (49:29-50:26)Again Jacob insisted that he be buried at Machpelah, as a final witness that he died having the same faith as Abraham and Isaac (29-33; cf. 47:29-31). When Jacob died, Pharaoh declared an official time of mourning for him of seventy days. Pharaoh also sent a large group of officials and servants to Canaan with Jacob’s family to provide all necessary help and protection (50:1-9). The Canaanites were amazed that Egyptians should come all the way to Canaan... read more
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The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 50:15-26
The last of the house of Jacob. I. JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN ( Genesis 50:15-18 ). 1. The unworthy suspicion . After Jacob's death, Joseph's brethren began to fear lest he should seek to revenge himself on account of his early injuries. It was perhaps natural that such an apprehension should arise within their breasts, considering the enormity of the wickedness of which they had been guilty; but remembering all the tokens of Joseph's love which already they had received, it... read more