Genesis 50:24-26
And Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die, but God will visit you and bring you up out of this land to the land that he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.” So Joseph died, being 110 years old. They embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Even as Joseph faces his own death, he doesn't focus on his own end. Instead, he points his brothers toward God's faithfulness, reminding them that God's promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob transcends any human life or current circumstances. This highlights that true hope isn't in people, but in God's enduring covenant.
With Jacob now deceased and buried in Canaan, Joseph's older brothers, still haunted by guilt over their past betrayal, fear Joseph will finally seek revenge. Joseph reassures them, not only forgiving them but also promising to care for them and their families. He then looks beyond his own impending death, placing his ultimate hope and their future in God's faithfulness to the covenant promises.
Joseph is facing his own death, a moment of profound personal uncertainty. Yet, in this very moment, he speaks with unshakeable confidence about God's future actions.
A Glimpse of the Unseen
Joseph's dying words are not about his own legacy or his family's immediate comfort. Instead, he points his brothers forward, to a future they cannot yet see. He says, "God will surely visit you and bring you out of this land."
This isn't a hopeful wish; it's a prophetic declaration. "Surely visit" (literally, "visiting He will visit") is a strong Hebrew idiom emphasizing certainty. Even though the family is deeply entrenched in Egypt, and a departure seems impossible, Joseph trusts that God's covenant promises will be fulfilled.
The Anchor of Faith
Joseph's faith isn't based on his own power or his brothers' current circumstances. It's rooted in God's unchanging character and His sworn promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This assurance is what allows him to face his own death with peace, and to offer that same peace to his family.
Joseph is about to die, but his final words are designed to guide his family's faith after he is gone. His legacy isn't just in his actions, but in the enduring hope he passes on.
A Living Legacy of Hope
Joseph's final act is to entrust his brothers not to his own memory, but to God's unfailing promise. He declares, "I die, but God will visit you..."
This is a powerful example of passing on a faith that is bigger than any single individual. Joseph knows he won't be there to see the Exodus, but he is confident that God's plan will unfold. His command to carry his bones out of Egypt (Genesis 50:25) is not just about a physical burial; it's a tangible reminder of this future hope.
The Covenant Continues
By referencing the oath God made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Joseph connects his family's future directly to the Abrahamic covenant. This covenant is God's enduring commitment, a thread of faithfulness that runs through generations.
Understand the original words
shaba' · Hebrew Verb
The act of making a solemn oath or calling upon God to witness the truth of a statement or the commitment to fulfill a promise. It invokes the divine name as a guarantee of integrity and future action.
paqad · Hebrew Verb
In a biblical context, a divine intervention where God draws near to His people, either to judge or—as is the case here—to deliver and redeem. It signifies that God has not forgotten His covenant promises and is actively working on behalf of His people.
shaba' · Hebrew Verb
A solemn, binding agreement established by God with His people, often involving promises of land, descendants, and divine presence. It is an act of sovereign grace that defines the identity and future destiny of the recipients.
etsem · Hebrew Noun
Joseph's dying words are not just a farewell but a prophetic declaration of faith, anchoring his family to the promise of God's faithfulness to bring them out of Egypt, a promise that would be fulfilled generations later during the Exodus.
c. 1750 BC
Joseph sold into slavery
Joseph is sold by his brothers into slavery, eventually rising to a high position in Egypt.
c. 1720 BC
Jacob and family move to Egypt
A famine forces Jacob and his entire family to relocate to Egypt, settling in the land of Goshen.
c. 1710 BC
Death of Jacob
Jacob dies in Egypt after blessing his sons and prophesying about their future. Joseph ensures his burial in Canaan.
c. 1710 BC
Joseph comforts his brothers
After Jacob's death, Joseph reassures his fearful brothers that their past actions were part of God's plan for good and promises to care for them.
c. 1710 BC— this verse
This passage echoes Joseph's words by describing God's intention to 'come down' and 'deliver' His people from oppression and bring them to a promised land, highlighting God's active intervention in His people's history.
Hebrews 11:22This verse specifically references Joseph's faith, noting that 'By faith Joseph, when his end was drawing near, spoke concerning the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions concerning his bones,' directly connecting his deathbed promise to his unwavering faith in God's plan.
Deuteronomy 18:18This verse speaks of God raising up a prophet 'like Moses' through whom He will speak, mirroring the idea that God continues to speak through His chosen servants, like Joseph, to reveal His future plans for His people.
Joshua 24:32This verse shows the fulfillment of Joseph's deathbed prophecy, stating, 'The bones of Joseph, which the people of Israel brought up from Egypt, were buried at Shechem...' This demonstrates the tangible realization of God's promise and Joseph's foresight.
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…
gillGenesis 50:24: "And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die: and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob."
And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die,.... Some time before his death he called them together, and observed to them, that he expected to die in a little time, as all must: and God will surely visit you; not in a way of wrath and vindictive justice, as he sometimes does, but in a way of love, grace, and mercy:…
Even as Joseph faces his own death, he doesn't focus on his own end. Instead, he points his brothers toward God's faithfulness, reminding them that God's promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob transcends any human life or current circumstances. This highlights that true hope isn't in people, but in God's enduring covenant.
With Jacob now deceased and buried in Canaan, Joseph's older brothers, still haunted by guilt over their past betrayal, fear Joseph will finally seek revenge. Joseph reassures them, not only forgiving them but also promising to care for them and their families. He then looks beyond his own impending death, placing his ultimate hope and their future in God's faithfulness to the covenant promises.
With Jacob now deceased and buried in Canaan, Joseph's older brothers, still haunted by guilt over their past betrayal, fear Joseph will finally seek revenge. Joseph reassures them, not only forgiving them but also promising to care for them and their families. He then looks beyond his own impending death, placing his ultimate hope and their future in God's faithfulness to the covenant promises.
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Joseph's death is an ending, but through his words and actions, the promise continues. His faith serves as a bridge, ensuring that even after he is gone, his family remains tethered to the hope of God's deliverance and the inheritance of the promised land.
The anatomical structure representing the physical person; in death, the bones are often associated with the hope of resurrection or, as in this case, the expectation of occupying the promised land, symbolizing a final resting place within the covenantal inheritance.
mut · Hebrew Verb
The cessation of biological life; in Scripture, it is often viewed as the consequence of sin, yet for the believer, it marks the transition to the presence of God. It signifies the end of a person's earthly labor and their entry into their eternal destiny.
chanat · Hebrew Verb
A cultural practice of preserving a corpse, primarily associated with ancient Egyptian funerary rites. In the biblical narrative, it highlights the foreign context of Joseph's death and the temporary nature of his resting place, anticipating the future Exodus.
aron · Hebrew Noun
A container for the remains of the deceased. In this context, it represents a temporary state of waiting, as Joseph's body was kept in Egypt in anticipation of God's promise to bring his people into the land of Canaan.
Mitsrayim · Hebrew Proper Noun
A historical and geographical region that serves as a recurring symbol in the Bible for worldly power, bondage, and the place from which God delivers His people. It is the setting for the unfolding of God’s redemptive plan in the lives of the patriarchs.
Joseph's final words and death
As Joseph faces his own death, he reiterates God's promise to lead his people out of Egypt to the Promised Land and makes them swear to carry his bones with them.
c. 1710 BC
Joseph's burial in Egypt
Joseph is embalmed and placed in a coffin in Egypt, awaiting the future exodus.
"And Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die, but God will visit you and bring you up out of this land to the land that he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, “God will surel…" — Even as Joseph faces his own death, he doesn't focus on his own end. Instead, he points his brothers toward God's faithfulness, reminding them that God's promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob transcen…
