🌱WEB · Genesis 50:24
What does Genesis 50:24 mean?
"Joseph said to his brothers, “I am dying, but God will surely visit you, and bring you up out of this land to the land which he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.”"
— Genesis 50:24 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
Now therefore don’t be afraid. I will nourish you and your little ones.” He comforted them, and spoke kindly to them.
Joseph lived in Egypt, he, and his father’s house. Joseph lived one hundred ten years.
Joseph saw Ephraim’s children to the third generation. The children also of Machir, the son of Manasseh, were born on Joseph’s knees.
Joseph said to his brothers, “I am dying, but God will surely visit you, and bring you up out of this land to the land which he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.”
Joseph took an oath from the children of Israel, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.”
So Joseph died, being one hundred ten years old, and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.
Explanation
Genesis 50:24 records the final words of Joseph to his brothers as he approaches death in Egypt. In plain language, Joseph is telling his family that although his own life is ending, this is not the end of God's plan for them. He assures them that God will personally intervene on their behalf, and that this intervention will result in their departure from Egypt and their return to the land promised long ago to their ancestors—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
This statement comes at the very close of the book of Genesis, which was traditionally attributed to Moses. Joseph, once sold into slavery by his own brothers, had risen to become second-in-command in Egypt and had saved his family from famine by bringing them to settle there. By this point in the narrative, Jacob has already died and been buried in Canaan, and now Joseph himself, likely well over a hundred years old, senses his own death approaching. His brothers and their families have lived comfortably in Egypt for years under his protection. Joseph's words function as both a deathbed testimony and a piece of prophetic instruction, preparing his family for a future he will not personally witness. Notably, he goes on to make them swear an oath to carry his bones out of Egypt when God does bring them back to Canaan, showing his confidence was not vague optimism but firm conviction rooted in God's covenant promises.
Theologically, this verse ties together the entire book of Genesis, which began with promises to Abraham that his descendants would become a great nation and possess the land of Canaan. Joseph's declaration affirms that these promises remain valid even gener
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