Bereshith (Genesis) 50

Lesson date: 7/7/5855AA

Verses 1-3 – Ya’aqob has died and we see an outpouring of emotion for Yoseph toward his father. We can tell because it says that Yospeh wept over his father: Joh 11:35 יהושע wept.

Joh 11:36 The Yehudim therefore said, “See how He loved him!”

The Hebrew custom is to bury the deceased the same day. The problem was that the trip to Hebron would have taken between one and two weeks, @10-12 days at a slow gait. We see Yoseph ordering the surgeons to embalm his father for the journey to the cave of Makpelah in Hebron. The Egyptians wept or mourned for Ya’aqob for 70 days, 40 days during the embalming process and 30 days, according to custom, after his embalming.

Num 20:29 And when all the congregation saw that Aharon was dead, all the house of Yisra’ĕl wept for Aharon, thirty days.

Deu 34:8 And the children of Yisra’ĕl wept for Mosheh in the desert plains of Mo’aḇ thirty days. And the days of weeping and mourning for Mosheh were completed.

Verse 4-7 – During the period of mourning it was customary for the family to not have contact with people outside of the immediate family until the period of mourning was completed. Here, we see that Yoseph does not go and speak to Pharaoh directly. Even though he is second in command in Mitsrayim he speaks to the household of Pharaoh, not Pharaoh. He could have just as easily gone without notifying Pharaoh of his departure because at this time the kingdom of Mitsrayim extends all the way to Damascus. He could have left without telling Pharaoh that he was leaving. This would have been hugely disrespectful. By telling Pharaoh what he is about to do Pharaoh now has the option to participate in the funeral procession by sending his ambassadors and paid mourners in his stead. This is exactly what happens in verse 7. I believe that there is also another reason that Pharaoh sent such a large group representing his household and we will talk about it at Sukkot.

Verse 8 – We see that all of Yoseph’s house went on the journey as well. Also, all of Yoseph’s brothers’ families went except for the children and I am sure also any of the women who were expecting, in order to care for the little ones. Naturally, they left all the livestock in Goshen and the servants probably watched over them.

Verses 9-11 – We see a large group of people going in the funeral procession and stopping at a threshing floor: H1637 – גֹּרֶן – gôren – go’-ren – From an unused root meaning to smooth; a threshing floor (as made even); by analogy any open area: – (barn, corn, threshing-) floor, (threshing-, void) place.

A threshing floor is a large circular area, about 100 feet in diameter and usually on top of a hill to take advantage of the wind to separate the grain for the chaff. This particular threshing floor has a rather mysterious name; threshing floor of Atad: H329 – אטד – ‘âṭâd – BDB Definition:1) bramble, thorn, buckthorn

You don’t thresh thorns, or do you? Mat 13:22 “And that sown among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the worry of this age and the deceit of riches choke the word, and it becomes fruitless.

they lamented there with a great and very heavy lamentation. And he observed seven days of mourning for his father.

Mat_27:29 And plaiting a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand. And they kneeled down before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Greetings, Sovereign of the Yehudim!”

We see that Yoseph mourns for his father 7 additional days at this “threshing floor”

Psa 34:18 יהוה is near to the broken-hearted, And saves those whose spirit is crushed.

Psa 51:17 The slaughterings of Elohim are a broken spirit, A heart broken and crushed, O Elohim, These You do not despise.

Isa 57:15 For thus declares the high and exalted One who dwells forever, whose Name is set-apart, “I dwell in the high and set-apart place, with him who has a bruised and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of bruised ones.

The word for broken-hearted in the KJV is contrite heart. Here is another hint: Deu_15:14 “You shall richly supply him from your flock, and from your threshing-floor, and from your winepress. With that which יהוה has blessed you with, give to him.

Deu_16:13 “Perform the Festival of Booths for seven days after the ingathering from your threshing-floor and from your winepress,

And a couple more: 2Sa_24:18 And Gaḏ came that day to Dawiḏ and said to him, “Go up, raise an altar to יהוה on the threshing-floor of Arawnah the Yeḇusite.”

2Sa_24:21 And Arawnah said, “Why has my master the sovereign come to his servant?” And Dawid said, “To buy the threshing-floor from you, to build an altar to יהוה, so that the plague be withdrawn from the people.”

Jas 4:8 Draw near to Elohim and He shall draw near to you. Cleanse hands, sinners. And cleanse the hearts, you double-minded!

Jas 4:9 Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to dejection.

Jas 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Master, and He shall lift you up.

Remember, the temple was built on the threshing floor.

Now, for the hard part: “which is beyond the Yardĕn.”

The quick answer is, “No, it isn’t”. It would make absolutely no sense whatsoever to leave Mitsrayim and detour into what is now Jordan, and then cross the Yarden to go to Hebron. But we have a clue as to the meaning in verse 11. Who witnessed the event? Kena’anites. If they were on the east side of the Yarden it would have been Ammonites and Moabites, not Kena’anites but, Kena’an is across the Yarden from Moab and Ammon.

Also, remember, there was a main highway which ran through Mamre and on to Damascus.

Verses 12-14 – In these two verses is a big debate. Did the Mitsrites stay at the threshing floor and not go all the way into Mamre? Did they re-join the cortege once it returned by way of the threshing floor? Does this in some way represent that only Yisra’el will go the full distance and those unwilling to leave Mitsrayim will not? We are not told whether or not the Mitsrites went to Mamre or not so I see no need to belabor the point.

Exo 20:12 “Respect your father and your mother, so that your days are prolonged upon the soil which יהוה your Elohim is giving you.

Deu 27:16 ‘Cursed is he who makes light of his father or his mother.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amĕn!’

Eph 6:1 Children, obey your parents in the Master, for this is right.

Eph 6:2 “Respect your father and mother,” which is the first command with promise,

Eph 6:3 in order that it might be well with you, and you might live long on the earth.”

Verses 15-21 – Now that Ya’aqob is buried and everyone has returned to Mitsrayim the brothers begin to worry that Yoseph will try to get revenge upon them for doing evil to him. In chapter 44 Yehudah confesses what was done to Yoseph but this is before they knew they were actually speaking to Yoseph so, they have technically not confessed their sin to their brother. In verse 17 they now confess their sin to Yoseph.

Mat 5:23 “If, then, you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother holds whatever against you,

Mat 5:24 leave your gift there before the altar, and go, first make peace with your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

Luk 17:3 “Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him.

Luk 17:4 “And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day comes back to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.”

1Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is trustworthy and righteous to forgive us the sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

In verse 18 we see the brothers fall on their faces and proclaim themselves the servants of Yoseph. This carries a great deal of symbolism with it: Exo 21:5 “And if the servant truly says, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children, let me not go out free,’

Exo 21:6 then his master shall bring him before Elohim, and shall bring him to the door, or to the doorpost, and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl. And he shall serve him forever.

Rom 1:1 Sha’ul, a servant of יהושע Messiah, a called emissary, separated to the Good News of Elohim,

Jas 1:1 Yaʽaqoḇ, a servant of Elohim and of the Master יהושע Messiah, to the twelve tribes who are in the dispersion: Greetings.

2Pe 1:1 Shimʽon Kĕpha, a servant and emissary of יהושע Messiah, to those who have obtained a belief as precious as ours by the righteousness of our Elohim and Saviour יהושע Messiah:

Jud 1:1 Yehuḏah, a servant of יהושע Messiah, and brother of Yaʽaqoḇ, to those who are called, set-apart by Elohim the Father, and preserved in יהושע Messiah:

Now, Yehudah and Ya’aqob could have said they were brothers of Messiah but instead they said they were servants of Messiah. Yehudah only alludes to the fact that he was the brother of Ya’aqob.

In verse 19 we see that Yoseph does not presume to judge his brothers as Elohim would. In verse 20 Yoseph tells them that even though had meant to do evil YHVH used it for His Esteem to keep a lot of people alive. In verse 21 it tells us the Yoseph comforted his brothers and spoke kindly to them.

Verses 22-26 – We see Yoseph living a full life up 110 years old. It is very interesting once again to see that Ephrayim is mentioned before his elder brother Menashsheh.

Lesson date: 12/18/5858AA

Verses 1-3 – Ya’aqob has died and we see an outpouring of emotion by Yoseph toward his father. We can tell because it says that Yospeh wept over his father: Joh 11:35 יהושע wept.

Joh 11:36 The Yehudim therefore said, “See how He loved him!”

The Hebrew custom is to bury the deceased the same day. The problem was that the trip to Hebron would have taken between one and two weeks, @10-12 days at a slow gait. We see Yoseph orderring the surgeons to embalm his father for the journey to the cave of Makpelah in Hebron. The Egyptians wept or mourned for Ya’aqob for 70 days, 40 days during the embalming process and 30 days, according to custom, after his embalming.

Num 20:29 And when all the congregation saw that Aharon was dead, all the house of Yisra’ĕl wept for Aharon, thirty days.

Deu 34:8 And the children of Yisra’ĕl wept for Mosheh in the desert plains of Mo’aḇ thirty days. And the days of weeping and mourning for Mosheh were completed.

Verse 4-7 – During the period of mourning it was cutomary for the family to not have contact with people outside of the immediate family until the period of mourning was completed. Here, we see that Yoseph does not go and speak to Pharaoh directly. Even though he is second in command in Mitsrayim he speaks to the household of Pharaoh, not Pharaoh. He could have just as easily gone without notifying Pharaoh of his departure because at this time the kingdom of Mitsrayim extends all the way to Damascus. He could have left without telling Pharaoh that he was leaving. This would have been hugely disrespectful. By telling Pharaoh what he is about to do Pharaoh now has the option to participate in the funeral procession by sending his ambassadors and paid mourners in his stead. This is exactly what happens in verse 7. I believe that there is also another reason that Pharaoh sent such a large group representing his household and we will talk about it at Sukkot.