The Burial of Jacob In Canaan (50:1-13).
‘And Joseph fell on his father's face, and wept on him, and kissed him. And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father, and the physicians embalmed Israel. And forty days were taken for it, for those are the number of days taken for embalming. And the Egyptians wept for him for seventy days.'
Joseph is heartbroken at the death of his father. Then he takes charge of preparation of the body and calls for his physicians to embalm his father. The period taken for embalming in Egypt varied in length, but required some considerable time if done properly. ‘Forty days' probably means just over a month. The Egyptians were experts in the subject.
Embalming consisted of removal of the viscera (brain, heart, liver and so on) for separate preservation, and desiccation of the body by packing in salt Then the body was packed with impregnated linen and wrapped in linen in its entirety.
“Physicians.” This parallels the term seyen, "physician", employed by the Egyptians to denote the embalmers.
“And the Egyptians wept for him for seventy days.” This was the recognised period for mourning in Egypt for highly place persons. The ‘Egyptians wept' because they were paid to do so or because it was sensible to do so if you belonged to Joseph's entourage. Weeping at funerals was something that was ensured financially and performed by professionals. This was a sign of great respect. That of course is not to deny that there were genuine mourners. But the private mourning by his family is not mentioned here. Here we are dealing with the official ceremonies.
‘And when the days of weeping for him were past, Joseph spoke to the house of Pharaoh saying, “If now I have found favour in your eyes, speak, I pray you, in the ears of Pharaoh saying, ‘My father made me swear, saying, “Lo, I die. In my grave which I have dug for myself in the land of Canaan, there you will bury me.” ' Now therefore let me go up I pray, and bury my father, and I will return.” '
“The days of weeping.” This expression reproduces the Egyptian expression herwu-en-reny, "days of weeping", for the time observed for mourning. Its Egyptian origin is denoted by the fact that it occurs here in connection with Jacob's mourning in Egypt, and nowhere else in the Old Testament. During the "days of weeping" there was an extraordinarily elaborate program of mourning processions, with wailing women crying aloud, rending their garments, and tearing their hair. The mourning program also comprised very complicated ceremonies in which various priests took part.
“Joseph spoke to the house of Pharaoh.” If there was a death in the family, it was not permissible to come into Pharaoh's presence, however high your position, until the dead had been buried. Thus Joseph has to make his approach through court officials. His approach follows court etiquette.
“Made me swear.” He stresses that what he is seeking to do is as a result of an oath. But Pharaoh was not likely to refuse such permission. It was quite customary in Egypt to convey the dead to distant burial places and to devote long periods for mourning.
Which I have dug for myself.' This refers to preparations Jacob had already made in the cave of Machpelah to receive his body. Joseph wants Pharaoh to know that a place has been made ready. (For ‘dug' in this connection compare 2 Chronicles 16:14)
‘And Pharaoh said, “Go up and bury your father just as he made you swear.” '
The message comes back that permission has been granted. The Pharaoh acknowledged that as his father had made him take an oath, he had to fulfil it.
‘And Joseph went up to bury his father, and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt. And all the house of Joseph and his brothers, and his father's house. Only their little ones, and their flocks, and their herds they left in the land of Goshen.'
So Joseph departs from Egypt with a great funeral procession. Egypt was well known for its grand funerals and this was no exception.
“All the servants of Pharaoh.” That is all of the court officials that could be spared. The "servants of Pharaoh" were the court officials who formed a close circle round the king and stood nearest to him.
“The elders of the house.” These are identical with the shemesu - hayit, which means "the elders of the hall". They held high-court rank.
“The elders of the land of Egypt,” These are the leading councillors representing every district of Egypt. They had seats in the supreme council of the king.
“All the house of Joseph and his brothers.” All their servants and retainers apart from a skeleton staff necessarily required to remain to care for the little ones and tend the flocks and herds.
“His father” s house.' Jacob's own servants and retainers. This reminds us again that the number who came down to Egypt was quite large.
‘And there went up both chariots and horsemen, and it was a very great company.'
The statements that the cortege was joined by a whole galaxy of high dignitaries and by horsemen and chariots, corresponds to the Egyptian custom of accompanying funeral processions to the burial place in large bands. As a matter of fact, in no other country but Egypt were funerals composed of such elaborate processions, and the interment ceremonies were carried out with the greatest pomp in the case of highly situated personages.
“Chariots and horses.” Chariots and horses were comparatively rare in Egypt before the reign of the Hyksos. This may therefore indicate an elite group. The very best is available for the burial of the father of the Vizier of Egypt. Or it may be that the Pharaoh was now one of the Hyksos. There is no reason why the Hyksos should not have allowed Joseph, as a Semite, to continue in high office. It would provide some kind of continuation in the civil service.
‘And they came to the threshingfloor of Atad which is ‘Beyond Jordan', and there they lamented with a great and bitter lamentation, and he made mourning for his father seven days.'
The Egyptian official mourning being over, similar mourning now took place in accordance with Canaanite custom.
“The threshing floor of Atad.” This special mention of the threshing floor is significant. The threshing floor was held in great esteem as the place where the heaps of corn were piled in full view of the villagers in harvest times, speaking of blessing from heaven and providing food and happiness. It was therefore considered a place of honour in which an important villager could be honoured in death, and the threshing board was regularly used as a bier, symbolical of the work and the activity of the villager, in a similar way to a soldier being borne on his shield.
A threshingfloor was placed where the winds would be helpful for winnowing. It would be either a rock outcropping or a soil area covered with marly clay.
“Beyond Jordan.” A technical name (compare Transjordan - you can be in Transjordan and still call it Transjordan) that could refer to either side of the Jordan. Thus Moses could use it as referring to the west side of the river (Deuteronomy 3:20) and to the east side (Deuteronomy 9:10). Compare also ‘Beyond Jordan in the wilderness' (Deuteronomy 1:1; ‘Beyond Jordan westward' (Joshua 5:1; Joshua 12:7; Joshua 22:7) and ‘Beyond Jordan eastward' (Joshua 13:8; Joshua 18:7). See also its use in Isaiah 9:1.
“Made mourning seven days.” Here too there was an ostentatious funeral, with official and loud mourners and undoubtedly a period of feasting to mark the occasion.
‘And when the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning in the floor of Atad, they said, “This is grievous mourning ('ebel) to the Egyptians.” That is why the name of it was called Abel-mizraim (‘water-course of Egypt') which is Beyond Jordan.'
There is a pun and play on words here. 'ebel means mourning, and 'abel means water-course or brook. The Canaanites were understandably surprised by this huge gathering of Egyptians in mourning, following Canaanite customs, and it was ever linked to the place in a new name. ‘Water-course' may refer to the flow of tears thought to be coming from Egyptian eyes. And it was not surprising that they thought that they were Egyptians for that is how they were all dressed and adorned.
Once the typical Canaanite funeral was over the main body possibly remained here while the brothers went on to Machpelah to bury their father.
“Beyond Jordan.” The site of the threshingfloor was not necessarily east of the Jordan. ‘Beyond Jordan' is a technical name, and mention of Canaanites as ‘inhabitants of the land' also suggests otherwise (see above on verse 10). But if it was then it would suggest that the party had deliberately taken this route as a less disturbing route. Such a large party could easily have given the wrong impression
‘And his sons did as he had commanded them, for his sons carried him into the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave of Machpelah which Abraham bought, with the field, for a possession of a burial place, from Ephron the Hittite, before Mamre.'
The final burial was carried out by the sons of Jacob. They bore his body to Mamre and laid him in the place he had prepared from himself in the Cave of Machpelah. So we have three ‘funerals'. The official ceremony in Egypt, a local ceremony in Abel-mizraim and a private ceremony at the tomb. Jacob has indeed died in honour. But his own choice was not to be buried in honour, but to be back in the land that God had promised. For that was where his heart was.
“Did as he commanded them.” Their filial obedience is stressed. They did what was right. They ‘carried him into the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave of Machpelah'. The writer is stressing that that was what he had commanded them, and that that was what they did.