Genesis 50:11
When the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning on the threshing floor of Atad, they said, “This is a grievous mourning by the Egyptians.” Therefore the place was named Abel-mizraim; it is beyond the Jordan.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The Canaanites' observation of this grand mourning reveals how deeply Egyptians respected Jacob, even while Joseph's family was still seen as outsiders. This recognition by the locals, leading to the naming of the place "Abel-mizraim" (mourning of Egypt), highlights a pivotal moment where the integrity and influence of Jacob's family began to be acknowledged by those already living in the land.
After Jacob's death and the extensive mourning ceremonies, Joseph and his family are on their way to bury Jacob in Canaan. As they pass through Canaan, the local inhabitants, the Canaanites, witness the procession and the deep grief displayed by the Egyptians. They comment on the profound mourning, leading the place to be named Abel-mizraim, signifying "mourning of Egypt." This event occurs as Joseph and his brothers have just been assured of Joseph's forgiveness, and it marks the final act of Jacob's burial before Joseph and his family's return to Egypt.
Understand the original words
kena‘ani · Hebrew Noun
A term used to identify those living in a specific geographical region, often used in the Old Testament to describe the pagan inhabitants of the promised land who were culturally and religiously distinct from the patriarchs.
ebel · Hebrew Noun
A formal expression of grief, typically through weeping, lamentation, or outward signs like tearing clothes or wearing sackcloth, often associated with the death of a loved one or national calamity.
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goren · Hebrew Noun
A place where harvested grain is separated from the chaff, often used in Scripture as a place of judgment, meeting, or significant activity.
Abel-mitsrayim · Hebrew Proper Noun
A Hebrew term often associated with 'mourning' or 'meadow,' here used to commemorate a specific site of lamentation, signifying the intersection of human death and divine promise.
The naming of Abel-mizraim by the Canaanites highlights the significant impact of Jacob's funeral procession and the Egyptians' respect for the family, creating a marker that would later stand in contrast to the future enslavement of the Israelites in the same land.
c. 1800 BC
Abraham buys Machpelah
Abraham purchased the cave of Machpelah from Ephron the Hittite to serve as a burial place for his family, establishing a significant ancestral site in Canaan.
c. 1700 BC
Jacob's Family Migrates to Egypt
Jacob and his entire household, numbering about 70 people, moved to Egypt to escape a famine, settling in the land of Goshen.
c. 1630 BC
Joseph's Death
Joseph dies at the age of 110 years in Egypt, after a long and influential life.
c. 1630 BC— this verse
Jacob's Funeral Procession
Joseph, along with Pharaoh's officials and the elders of Egypt, leads a grand funeral procession from Egypt to Canaan to bury Jacob in the cave of Machpelah.
c. 1630 BC
Mourning at Atad's Threshing Floor
A significant period of mourning occurs at the threshing floor of Atad as Jacob's body is prepared for final burial. This event leads to the place being named Abel-mizraim.
c. 1630 BC
Burial in the Cave of Machpelah
After the procession and mourning, Jacob is finally laid to rest in the ancestral tomb at Machpelah, fulfilling his wishes.
This passage directly follows the reconciliation between Joseph and his brothers, showing how their past actions, though evil, were used by God for a greater good, mirroring the idea that even in death and mourning, God's plan unfolds.
Exodus 13:19This verse highlights the importance of carrying Joseph's bones out of Egypt, connecting this moment of mourning and burial to the future redemption and exodus of the Israelites, showing that this event was a signpost for their eventual deliverance.
Psalm 116:15This verse speaks to the preciousness of God's sight regarding the death of His saints, offering a theological perspective on why such a significant mourning for Jacob, even by Egyptians, would be noted by God and become a historical marker.
Acts 7:16This New Testament passage recounts the burial of Jacob in the same field that Abraham purchased, directly referencing the events of this chapter and placing them within the broader history of God's covenant people.
calvinGenesis 50:1-26: "And Joseph fell upon his father's face, and wept upon him, and kissed him."
- Et viderunt habitatores terrae Chenaaneaei luctum in area Atad, et dixerunt, Luctus gravis est iste Aegyptiis: idcirco vocatum fuit nomen ejus Abel -- Misraim, (id est luctus Aegyptorum,) qui est trand Jordanem.
12 And his sons did unto him according as he commanded them:
- Fecerunt ergo filii ejus ei sic, quemadmodum praeceperat eis.
13 For his sons carried him into the land of Canaan, and bu…
ellicottGenesis 50:11: "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."
(11) Abel-mizraim. —There is here an example of that play upon words that is always dear to Orientals. The word for “mourning” is êbel, while abel means a meadow, and is often found prefixed to the names of towns. When the Versions were made no vowel points w…
The Canaanites' observation of this grand mourning reveals how deeply Egyptians respected Jacob, even while Joseph's family was still seen as outsiders. This recognition by the locals, leading to the naming of the place "Abel-mizraim" (mourning of Egypt), highlights a pivotal moment where the integrity and influence of Jacob's family began to be acknowledged by those already living in the land.
After Jacob's death and the extensive mourning ceremonies, Joseph and his family are on their way to bury Jacob in Canaan. As they pass through Canaan, the local inhabitants, the Canaanites, witness the procession and the deep grief displayed by the Egyptians. They comment on the profound mourning, leading the place to be named Abel-mizraim, signifying "mourning of Egypt." This event occurs as Joseph and his brothers have just been assured of Joseph's forgiveness, and it marks the final act of Jacob's burial before Joseph and his family's return to Egypt.
After Jacob's death and the extensive mourning ceremonies, Joseph and his family are on their way to bury Jacob in Canaan. As they pass through Canaan, the local inhabitants, the Canaanites, witness the procession and the deep grief displayed by the Egyptians. They comment on the profound mourning, leading the place to be named Abel-mizraim, signifying "mourning of Egypt." This event occurs as Joseph and his brothers have just been assured of Joseph's forgiveness, and it marks the final act of Jacob's burial before Joseph and his family's return to Egypt.
"When the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning on the threshing floor of Atad, they said, “This is a grievous mourning by the Egyptians.” Therefore the place was named Abel-mizraim; it is beyond the Jordan." — The Canaanites' observation of this grand mourning reveals how deeply Egyptians respected Jacob, even while Joseph's family was still seen as outsiders. This recognition by the locals, leading to the…
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