Commentary - Genesis 50:7-11

Bird's-eye view

What we are witnessing here is far more than a funeral. This is a state procession, a covenantal pilgrimage, and a prophetic sign to the nations. Joseph, having received permission from Pharaoh, acts in faithful obedience to the oath he swore to his father. But God's purposes are always thicker and richer than our simple acts of obedience. The entire political and military might of Egypt is marshaled to honor the patriarch of a family of shepherds. This is a glorious picture of the fruit of faithfulness, where a godly man's integrity results in the most powerful nation on earth serving the purposes of God's covenant. The procession travels to the border of the Promised Land, and their immense mourning becomes an unforgettable testimony to the Canaanites, the pagan inhabitants of the land. They see the glory and the grief, and even in their misunderstanding, they mark the event as a great one. This is God putting the world on notice.

Outline

A Procession of Pomp and Promise (Gen 50:7-9)

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,

The first clause is simple enough: "So Joseph went up to bury his father." This is an act of filial piety and covenant faithfulness. Joseph had sworn an oath to Jacob (Gen 47:29-31), and here he is making good on it. This is the central engine of the narrative. But look at what God attaches to this simple act of obedience. Joseph does not go alone. With him go "all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his household, and all the elders of the land of Egypt." This is the entire upper echelon of Egyptian society. The court, the cabinet, the parliament, the civil service. This is not just Pharaoh's blessing; it is the official participation of the state. Joseph's long years of faithful service have borne this remarkable fruit. He so embodied the wisdom of God that the nation he served now honors the patriarch of his faith. This is a foretaste of the promise that the nations will bring their glory into the city of God (Rev 21:24).

8 and all the household of Joseph and his brothers and his father’s household; they left only their little ones and their flocks and their herds in the land of Goshen.

Next we see the unity of Israel. "All the household of Joseph and his brothers and his father's household." The reconciliation that Joseph orchestrated is now on full display. They are one family, united in their duty to their father and, by extension, to their father's God. They are all in on this mission. But notice what they leave behind: "their little ones and their flocks and their herds." This is a crucial detail. They are not migrating. They are not abandoning their place in Goshen. They are on a temporary, albeit grand, errand. This tells us they are acting in faith. Their hope is not in the wealth of Egypt, which they leave behind, but in the promise of the land to which they are carrying their father's bones. They are pilgrims, and this journey is a declaration of where their true home is.

9 There also went up with him both chariots and horsemen; and it was a very immense camp.

As if the civil leadership were not enough, now the military might of Egypt joins the procession. "Chariots and horsemen." This was the ancient equivalent of a tank division. This funeral procession looked like an invading army. The text underscores this with the phrase, "it was a very immense camp." The Hebrew is emphatic, describing something exceedingly great, heavy, and glorious. This is God flexing. Through His servant Joseph, God demonstrates that the honor due to His covenant people is an honor that the most powerful earthly kingdoms will recognize. This is not about Jacob's personal prestige, but about the prestige of the God whom Jacob served. God is showing the world what it looks like when His people are honored.

A Lament at the Threshold (Gen 50:10-11)

10 And they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, and they lamented there with a very great and immense lamentation; and he observed seven days of mourning for his father.

The destination of this first leg of the journey is significant: "the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan." They are on the very cusp of the Promised Land. A threshing floor is a place of separation, where wheat is separated from chaff. It is a place of judgment and harvest. Here, at the boundary of their inheritance, they stop for a formal, public display of grief. And the grief is as immense as the procession. The text says it was a "very great and immense lamentation." This is not just going through the motions. This is deep, heartfelt sorrow, conducted with the solemnity it deserves. The seven days of mourning was a period of profound and complete grief, a public statement of the value of the man they had lost. This was a patriarch, a carrier of the promise, and his passing was a world historical event.

11 Now the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, and they said, “This is an immense mourning for the Egyptians.” Therefore it was named Abel-mizraim, which is beyond the Jordan.

And who was watching all this? "The inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites." The very people whose land had been promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They witness this unparalleled spectacle of grief and glory, and they are stunned. They can only process it in terms of the great power they knew: "This is an immense mourning for the Egyptians." They get the adjective right, "immense," but they get the noun wrong. They see the Egyptian chariots and elders and assume it is for an Egyptian. The irony is thick. The glory of Egypt is actually in the service of Israel's God. The Canaanites misread the particulars, but they receive the intended message: a people of immense significance are laying claim to this land. The place is named after their mistaken impression: Abel-mizraim, "the mourning of the Egyptians." But God's purpose was served. A sign had been posted on the border of Canaan. The heirs were coming, and they were coming with the backing of a superpower. This was a shot across the bow of the pagan world.

Application

There are several points of application for us here. First, we see the profound importance of keeping our word. Joseph's oath to his father was the engine of this entire glorious event. Our simple faithfulness in small things can be the occasion for God to do great things. Second, we see a model for honoring our parents. The honor Joseph showed Jacob was extravagant, public, and costly, a direct application of the fifth commandment. Third, this passage is a powerful testimony to the watching world. The unity of the brothers, the solemnity of their grief, and the honor afforded them by Egypt all preach a sermon to the Canaanites. Our lives, our family dealings, and even how we grieve should be a witness to the watching world of the gravity and glory of our God. Lastly, this is a picture of the church's triumphant march. We are pilgrims heading for a promised land, and we should live in such a way that the world takes notice. Even if they misunderstand the details, they cannot mistake the fact that we serve a great and glorious God.