Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
back to:
Genesis
Book: Genesis
Chapter: 50
Overview:
The mourning for
Jacob.
(1-6) His
Funeral.
(7-14) Joseph's
brethren crave his
Pardon, He comforts them.
(15-21) Joseph's
direction concerning his bones, His
Death.
(22-26)
1-6 Though pious relatives and friends have lived to a good old
Age, and we are confident they are gone to
Glory, yet we may
regret our own loss, and pay respect to their memory
By
lamenting them.
Grace does not destroy, but it purifies,
moderates, and regulates natural
Affection. The departed soul is
out of the reach of any tokens of our
Affection; but it is
proper to show respect to the body, of which we look for a
glorious and joyful resurrection, whatever may become of its
remains in this world. Thus
Joseph showed his
Faith in
God, and
Love to his
Father. He ordered the body to be embalmed, or
wrapped up with
Spices, to preserve it. See how vile our bodies
are, when the soul has forsaken them; they will in a very little
time become noisome, and offensive.
7-14 Jacob's body was attended, not only
By his own family, but
By the great men of
Egypt. Now that they were better acquainted
with the
Hebrews, they began to respect them. Professors of
religion should endeavour
By Wisdom and
Love to remove the
prejudices many have against them. Bystanders took notice of it
as a grievous mourning. The
Death of good men is a loss to any
place, and ought to be greatly lamented.
15-21 Various motives might cause the sons of
Jacob to continue
in
Egypt, notwithstanding the prophetic
Vision Abraham had of
their
Bondage there. Judging of
Joseph from the general temper
of human nature, they thought he would now avenge himself
On
those who hated and injured him without cause. Not being able to
resist, or to flee away, they attempted to soften him
By
humbling themselves. They pleaded with him as the servants of
Jacob's
God.
Joseph was much affected at seeing this complete
fulfilment of his dreams. He directs them not to fear him, but
to fear
God; to humble themselves before the
Lord, and to seek
the Divine forgiveness. He assures them of his own kindness to
them. See what an excellent
Spirit Joseph was of, and learn of
him to render good for evil. He comforted them, and, to banish
all their fears, he spake kindly to them. Broken spirits must be
bound up and encouraged. Those we
Love and forgive, we must not
only do
Well for, but speak kindly to.
22-26 Joseph having honoured his
Father, his days were long in
the land, which, for the present,
God had given him. When he saw
his
Death approaching, he comforted his brethren with the
Assurance of their return to
Canaan in due time. We must comfort
others with the same comforts with which we have been comforted
of
God, and encourage them to
Rest On the promises which are our
support. For a
Confession of his own
Faith, and a confirmation
of theirs, he charges them to keep his remains unburied till
that glorious
Day, when they should be settled in the land of
promise. Thus
Joseph,
By Faith in the doctrine of the
resurrection, and the promise of
Canaan, gave commandment
concerning his bones. This would keep up their expectation of a
speedy departure from
Egypt, and keep
Canaan continually in
their minds. This would also attach
Joseph's posterity to their
brethren. The
Death, as
Well as the
Life of this eminent
Saint,
was truly excellent; both furnish us with strong encouragement
to persevere in the service of
God. How happy to set out early
in the heavenly race, to continue stedfastly, and to finish the
course with joy! This
Joseph did, this we also may do. Even when
the pains of
Death are upon us, if we have trusted in Him upon
whom the patriarchs, prophets, and apostles depended, we need
not fear to say, "My
Flesh and my
Heart faileth, but
God is the
strength of my
Heart, and my portion for ever."