Genesis 50:16

Old Testament Law (Torah) ASV (1901)

What does Genesis 50:16 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And they sent a message unto Joseph, saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying,” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And they sent a message unto Joseph, saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying,
Genesis 50:16 — American Standard Version

Context — Genesis 50

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
16And they sent a message unto Joseph, saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying,

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And they sent a messenger unto Joseph, etc.] Not Bilhah, as the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem, nor her sons, Dan and Naphtali, as Jarchi, grounding it on (<013701>Genesis 37:1-36) though it is not improbable that some from among themselves were deputed, who were most interested in Joseph; since it is not very likely they would commit such an affair to a stranger or to a servant; and the most proper persons to be sent on such an errand seem to be Judah and Benjamin, the latter as having had no concern in the affair of selling him, and was his own brother by father and mother’s side, and very dear to him; and the former, because he saved his life, when the rest, excepting Reuben, were for…”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“- The Burial of Jacob 10. אטד 'āṭâd Atad, “the buck-thorn.” 11. מצרים אבל 'ābêl-mı̂tsrayı̂m, Abel-Mitsraim, “mourning of Mizraim,” or meadow of Mizraim. This chapter records the burial of Jacob and the death of Joseph, and so completes the history of the chosen family, and the third bible for the instruction of man. Genesis 50:1-3 After the natural outburst of sorrow for his deceased parent, Joseph gave orders to embalm the body, according to the custom of Egypt. “His servants, the physicians.” As the grand vizier of Egypt, he has physicians in his retinue. The classes and functions of the physicians in Egypt may be learned from Herodotus (ii. 81-86). There were special physicians for…”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification