So Joseph died, being 110 years old. They embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.
English Standard Version (ESV)
What's easily missed is that Joseph’s being placed in a coffin in Egypt, not immediately buried in Canaan, underscores his faith. This act was a deliberate act of hope, waiting for the fulfillment of God's promise of return to the Promised Land, a testament to his enduring belief even in death.
So Joseph died, being 110 years old. They embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse marks the end of Joseph's remarkable life and the entire book of Genesis. After reassuring his brothers and ensuring his family's well-being in Egypt, Joseph gives his final instructions regarding his burial in the promised land, a testament to his enduring faith. His death at 110 years old concludes a narrative that began with his miraculous rise from slavery to power, showcasing God's faithfulness through generations.
Joseph's life was marked by incredible hardship and soaring triumph. But his final act wasn't about his Egyptian success; it was about his hope in God's promise.
Joseph lived to be 110 years old. While his life in Egypt was one of immense blessing and influence, his true focus remained on the land God had promised to Abraham and his descendants.
His final command—to carry his bones out of Egypt—was a profound act of faith. It wasn't about the embalming or the coffin; it was a declaration that his hope lay not in Egypt, but in the future God had planned.
This shows us that even amidst great worldly success, our ultimate hope and allegiance should be to God's eternal promises.
The elaborate embalming and coffin were more than just Egyptian customs; they carried a deeper meaning for Joseph and his family.
The practice of embalming, while deeply ingrained in Egyptian culture, held a symbolic significance for Joseph and the Israelites. It wasn't merely about preserving a body; it was a tangible, though imperfect, representation of the hope in the resurrection.
For the Egyptians, it was a ritual for the afterlife. For Joseph, looking forward to God's promise of the land and, by extension, the future resurrection (as Hebrews 11:35 suggests), it was a signpost.
By being embalmed and placed in a coffin, but not buried in Egypt, Joseph's body served as a constant reminder to his family: their true home and destiny were elsewhere. His body would not rest in Egypt, just as their hope was not rooted there.
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Understand the original words
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 death at 110 years old, with his body embalmed and placed in a coffin in Egypt, marks the end of an era. It underscores the Israelites' deep-seated hope for future deliverance and return to the promised land, a hope preserved for over 400 years until their actual exodus.
c. 1700 BC
Joseph sold into slavery
Joseph, son of Jacob, is sold into slavery by his jealous brothers and eventually rises to power in Egypt.
c. 1660 BC
Jacob and his family move to Egypt
Jacob and his entire family, numbering about 70 people, move to the land of Goshen in Egypt at Joseph's invitation, escaping a severe famine.
c. 1635 BC
Death of Jacob
Jacob dies in Egypt. Joseph and his brothers transport his body to Canaan for burial, a significant journey that highlights their identity and future hopes.
c. 1595 BC— this verse
Joseph's death
Joseph dies at the age of 110 in Egypt after a life of remarkable faithfulness and service. His body is embalmed and placed in a coffin, awaiting the future deliverance of his people.
c. 1595 BC - 1445 BC
Israelites multiply in Egypt
Following Joseph's death, the Israelites multiply significantly in the land of Goshen, growing into a large population over the next century.
c. 1445 BC
The Exodus from Egypt
Under Moses' leadership, the Israelites leave Egypt after 400 years of sojourn. They carry Joseph's bones with them as commanded, a testament to their faith and future hope.
c. 1405 BC
Burial of Joseph's bones
After the conquest of Canaan, Joshua fulfills Joseph's dying wish by burying his bones in Shechem, in the land promised to Abraham and his descendants.
This passage directly echoes Joseph's dying wish, showing that the Israelites did indeed carry his bones with them when they left Egypt, fulfilling his faith-filled command.
Hebrews 11:22This verse highlights Joseph's faith even in death, stating that by faith he 'made mention of the departing of the children of Israel, and gave commandment concerning his bones.' This illuminates the significance of his embalmment and command for future burial.
Joshua 24:32This passage provides the fulfillment of Joseph's final instruction, showing that his bones were eventually buried in Shechem, connecting his death and burial to the promised land inheritance.
Genesis 47:29-30Just before his death, Joseph made his brothers swear not to bury him in Egypt but to carry him to the land of his fathers, directly setting the stage for the events described in Genesis 50:26 and his final wishes.
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…
clarkeGenesis 50:26: "So Joseph died, being an hundred and ten years old: and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt."
Joseph died, being a hundred and ten years old - בן מאה ועשר שנים ben meah vaeser shanim; literally, the son of a hundred and ten years. Here the period of time he lived is personified, all the years of which it was composed being represented as a nurse or father, feeding, nourishing, and supporting him to the end. This figure, which is termed by rhetoricians prosopo…
What's easily missed is that Joseph’s being placed in a coffin in Egypt, not immediately buried in Canaan, underscores his faith. This act was a deliberate act of hope, waiting for the fulfillment of God's promise of return to the Promised Land, a testament to his enduring belief even in death.
This verse marks the end of Joseph's remarkable life and the entire book of Genesis. After reassuring his brothers and ensuring his family's well-being in Egypt, Joseph gives his final instructions regarding his burial in the promised land, a testament to his enduring faith. His death at 110 years old concludes a narrative that began with his miraculous rise from slavery to power, showcasing God's faithfulness through generations.
This verse marks the end of Joseph's remarkable life and the entire book of Genesis. After reassuring his brothers and ensuring his family's well-being in Egypt, Joseph gives his final instructions regarding his burial in the promised land, a testament to his enduring faith. His death at 110 years old concludes a narrative that began with his miraculous rise from slavery to power, showcasing God's faithfulness through generations.
"So Joseph died, being 110 years old. They embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt." — What's easily missed is that Joseph’s being placed in a coffin in Egypt, not immediately buried in Canaan, underscores his faith. This act was a deliberate act of hope, waiting for the fulfillment of…
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Last reviewed October 2026