Genesis 50:22-26

"And Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he, and his father's house: and Joseph lived a hundred and ten years. 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. And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die; but God will surely visit you, and bring you up 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 a hundred and ten years old: and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt."

"Joseph lived a hundred and ten years ..." Many have pointed out that such an age "represented the Egyptian ideal of a complete life."[20]

"The third generation ..." It is not clear whether "grandchildren," or "great grandchildren." are meant, depending on whether "third" is figured from Joseph or Ephraim. However, regarding the children of Machir, it is clearly the great grandchildren which are meant. And, from this, it is usually assumed that the same is true of the descendants of Ephraim.

"Born on his knees ..." In some circumstances, these words imply the adoption of the children so born, but we agree with Leupold that this meaning is "not suitable here."[21] It appears to mean that they were born while Joseph still had the strength to take them upon. his knees, thus loving them.

"Machir ..." This individual headed "a powerful Manassite clan."[22]

The outstanding thing in this whole chapter is the conviction of all of Jacob's sons that God, in time, would remove them from Egypt and bring them into the Promised land. This appears in Genesis 50:17, where the brethren of Joseph referred to themselves as "the servants of the God of thy father," and again here, where Joseph refused to be buried in Egypt and took an oath of the children of Israel that they would take his remains with them when they went into Canaan, a promise that was fulfilled (Exodus 13:19; Joshua 24:32). Of course, the same conviction motivated and sustained Jacob throughout his whole life, appearing dramatically here in these final chapters of Genesis in the dying patriarch's requiring an oath of Joseph that he would bury him in Canaan. This faith was continued throughout the history of the old Israel. However, it may be doubted that they understood fully the spiritual purpose of God in bringing in the Messiah through them. Nevertheless, despite their focal attention upon the land promise, there always continued to be a remnant Israel who were deeply aware of the Messianic import of their separation from the pagan nations about them. Even from the tribe of Simeon, one of his descendants also called Simeon "looked for the consolation of Israel" (Luke 2:25), and Anna the prophetess was "of the tribe of Asher" (Luke 2:36). From this, it may be inferred that despite the apostasy of the great majority of Israel, each of the Twelve Patriarchs had a part in the fulfillment of God's purpose. The failure of the majority of men did not foil the purpose of the Eternal.

This chapter records the burial of Jacob by the side of Leah, instead of by Rachel his favorite wife. Apparently, Jacob finally accepted the rightful place of the long-despised Leah as actually his true wife. Francisco has this:

After the death of Rachel, Leah had Jacob alone for a number of years. Did she finally win his love, and did Jacob see that her love was far more meaningful than the fitful passion of the more beautiful Rachel? We cannot tell for certain, but this passage hints at Leah's ultimate victory over Rachel.[23]

In connection with this, it should be recalled that Judah (Leah's son) emerged as the spiritual leader of Israel, that the Messiah came through Leah, and that, at last, in the cave of Machpelah, her body rested alone by the side of Jacob. On the other hand, Rachel apparently continued to be an idolater, as witnessed by her stealing the gods of Laban, and her son Joseph's marriage to the daughter of a pagan priest probably planted the seeds of destruction for all of northern Israel (the Ten Tribes).

"He was put in a coffin in Egypt ..." "Coffin" here was not at all like the burial caskets used today. "The word in Hebrew is [~'arown], primarily meaning a box, and also used for the `ark of the covenant.' Here the term indeed may mean coffin, but the type of coffin used for mummies in Egypt is the familiar, painted, wooden mummy case."[24]

What a glorious book is the Book of Genesis! In this marvelous narrative, the principal purpose was that of outlining the providential manner in which God brought about the separation of the Hebrews in order to bless "all the families of men," how He providentially over-ruled the sins, hatreds, failures, and disobedience of men in order to achieve His purpose, and how, for thousands of years, He guided the Chosen Nation to that hour when the angels of heaven would shout over the hills of Judea, "Glory to God in the Highest ... for there is born to you this day in the city of David a Saviour which is Christ the Lord."