“For his sons carried him into the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which Abraham bought with the field for a possession of a buryingplace of Ephron the Hittite, before Mamre.”
My Notes
What Does Genesis 50:13 Mean?
"His sons carried him into the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah." Jacob is carried back to Canaan for burial — fulfilling his request to be buried with Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah. The funeral procession travels from Egypt to Canaan with Jacob's body. The patriarch who lived in Egypt dies looking toward the promised land.
The cave of Machpelah — purchased by Abraham in Genesis 23 — receives its fifth occupant. Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, and now Jacob are all buried in the same cave. The family tomb in Canaan is the patriarchs' only property in the promised land. Their one piece of real estate is a grave.
The burial in Canaan rather than Egypt is a theological statement: this family belongs to the promised land, not to the place of sojourn. Even in death, the patriarchs assert their claim to Canaan. The bones in the soil say: we're here permanently. Our bodies testify to our future possession.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What permanent commitment are you planting in the 'land of promise'?
- 2.How does burying the dead in promised-but-unowned land express faith?
- 3.What does the direction of Jacob's burial (Egypt to Canaan) teach about where you belong?
- 4.What 'bones' are you leaving in the ground of your future?
Devotional
They carried him home. From Egypt to Canaan. From the place of sojourn to the place of promise. Jacob's body makes the journey his living descendants won't complete for four hundred years.
The burial in Machpelah is the most eloquent act of faith in Genesis: the patriarchs bury their dead in a land they don't own because they believe their descendants will own it. Every body placed in that cave is a deposit on a future the burier can't see. Abraham bought the cave for Sarah. Isaac and Rebekah were added. Now Jacob joins them. Five bodies in one cave, claiming a land that belongs to someone else — by faith.
The funeral procession from Egypt to Canaan is the reverse of the famine-driven migration: the family went to Egypt for food. The body goes back to Canaan for burial. The living went to Egypt because Canaan couldn't feed them. The dead returns to Canaan because Egypt can't hold him. The direction of the burial is the direction of the promise.
Jacob's bones in Canaan are a prophetic act: the body says 'we're coming back.' The dead patriarch makes the claim the living descendants can't yet make. Four hundred years will pass before the Exodus brings the family back to the land where their fathers are buried. But the bones are already there. Waiting.
What claim are you making with your 'burial' — with the permanent commitments you're planting in the land of promise? Where are you putting down roots that say: we're not leaving?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And Joseph returned into Egypt,.... As he promised he would, Gen 50:5.
he and his brethren; the eleven sons of Jacob;…
- The Burial of Jacob 10. אטד 'āṭâd Atad, “the buck-thorn.” 11. מצרים אבל 'ābêl-mı̂tsrayı̂m, Abel-Mitsraim,…
We have here an account of Jacob's funeral. Of the funerals of the kings of Judah, usually, no more is said than this,…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture