but let me lie with my fathers. Carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burying place.” He answered, “I will do as you have said.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jacob’s request isn't just about wanting to be buried with his ancestors; it's a profound statement of faith. By insisting on burial in Canaan, not Egypt, he's declaring his ultimate hope lies not in his current comfortable refuge but in God's promised land, a powerful reminder that our true home is not here.
but let me lie with my fathers. Carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burying place.” He answered, “I will do as you have said.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
Approaching the end of his life, Jacob, now called Israel, summons his devoted son Joseph to his side. He makes a solemn request: not to be buried in Egypt where his family has found refuge, but to be carried back to the land of Canaan and laid to rest with his fathers Abraham and Isaac. Joseph, deeply moved, pledges to honor his father's dying wish.
Jacob is on his deathbed, surrounded by his family in Egypt. Yet, his final thoughts aren't about comfort or immediate possessions, but about a piece of land thousands of miles away. Why?
Jacob's request to be buried in Canaan isn't just about family tradition or a sentimental longing for his homeland. It's a profound act of faith.
A Pledge of Future Inheritance
Jacob’s request to be buried in Canaan carries a strong undercurrent of caution. He wanted to be distinctly separate from the people of Egypt. What was he so afraid of?
Jacob’s desire to be buried away from Egypt wasn’t merely about avoiding an uncomfortable resting place. It was a strategic move to safeguard his family's spiritual distinctiveness.
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Maintaining Purity and Identity
Jacob's final request highlights the deep significance of the Promised Land as a symbol of God's covenant and a foreshadowing of the heavenly inheritance.
~1800 BC
Joseph sold into slavery
Joseph is sold into slavery by his brothers and eventually rises to a position of power in Egypt.
c. 1800-1700 BC
Seven years of famine begins
A severe famine grips the land of Canaan and Egypt, prompting Jacob's family to seek sustenance in Egypt.
c. 1700 BC
Jacob's family settles in Goshen
Jacob and his entire family relocate to Egypt and are given land to settle in the region of Goshen.
c. 1683 BC— this verse
Jacob's final days in Egypt
Jacob, now an old man, is nearing the end of his life in Egypt, having lived there for seventeen years.
c. 1683 BC
Jacob's burial instructions
Jacob makes Joseph swear to bury him not in Egypt, but in the ancestral burial place of his fathers in Canaan.
This passage describes Abraham's burial in the cave of Machpelah, establishing the ancestral burial ground that Jacob specifically requests to be a part of.
Genesis 49:29-30Jacob repeats this same charge to Joseph regarding his burial in Canaan, reinforcing the importance of this request for him and the family's future.
Genesis 50:25Joseph, following Jacob's instructions, also makes the charge that his bones be carried out of Egypt, echoing his father's desire and linking their faith to the promised land.
Hebrews 11:21This New Testament passage interprets Jacob's final act of worship 'upon the head of his bed' as an act of faith, looking forward to the resurrection and the heavenly inheritance.
Philippians 3:20Jacob's desire to be buried with his fathers in the promised land reflects the Christian hope of citizenship in heaven, demonstrating a longing for a 'heavenly country' rather than earthly comfort.
calvinGenesis 47:1-31: "Then Joseph came and told Pharaoh, and said, My father and my brethren, and their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have, are come out of the land of Canaan; and, behold, they are in the land of Goshen."
- Et dixerunt ad Pharaonem, Ut peregrinaremur in hac terra, venimus, quia non est pascuum pecudibus, quae sunt servis tuis: gravis enim fames est in terra Chenaan: nunc igitur habitent quaeso servi tui in terra Gosen.
5 And Pharaoh spake unto Joseph, saying, Thy fat…
clarkeGenesis 47:30: "But I will lie with my fathers, and thou shalt carry me out of Egypt, and bury me in their buryingplace. And he said, I will do as thou hast said."
I will lie with my fathers - As God had promised the land of Canaan to Abraham and his posterity, Jacob considered it as a consecrated place, under the particular superintendence and blessing of God: and as Sarah, Abraham, and Isaac were interred near to Hebron, he in all probability wished to lie, not only in the same place, but in…
Jacob’s request isn't just about wanting to be buried with his ancestors; it's a profound statement of faith. By insisting on burial in Canaan, not Egypt, he's declaring his ultimate hope lies not in his current comfortable refuge but in God's promised land, a powerful reminder that our true home is not here.
Approaching the end of his life, Jacob, now called Israel, summons his devoted son Joseph to his side. He makes a solemn request: not to be buried in Egypt where his family has found refuge, but to be carried back to the land of Canaan and laid to rest with his fathers Abraham and Isaac. Joseph, deeply moved, pledges to honor his father's dying wish.
Approaching the end of his life, Jacob, now called Israel, summons his devoted son Joseph to his side. He makes a solemn request: not to be buried in Egypt where his family has found refuge, but to be carried back to the land of Canaan and laid to rest with his fathers Abraham and Isaac. Joseph, deeply moved, pledges to honor his father's dying wish.
"but let me lie with my fathers. Carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burying place.” He answered, “I will do as you have said.”" — Jacob’s request isn't just about wanting to be buried with his ancestors; it's a profound statement of faith. By insisting on burial in Canaan, not Egypt, he's declaring his ultimate hope lies not in…
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Last reviewed October 2026