Genesis 50:16

Genesis 50:16

ESV: So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, "Your father gave this command before he died:

KJV: And they sent a messenger unto Joseph, saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying,

NIV: So they sent word to Joseph, saying, "Your father left these instructions before he died:

NKJV: So they sent messengers to Joseph, saying, "Before your father died he commanded, saying,

NLT: So they sent this message to Joseph: "Before your father died, he instructed us

Meaning

Genesis 50:16 states that Joseph's brothers, out of fear, dispatched a message to him, attributing a specific command to their deceased father, Jacob. The verse marks the initiation of the brothers' plea for mercy, emphasizing their continued apprehension regarding Joseph's intentions after Jacob's passing. It highlights their strategic invocation of Jacob's authority to protect themselves from perceived retaliation.

Cross References

Context

Genesis chapter 50 opens with the period of mourning for Jacob's death, his grand funeral procession to Canaan, and his burial in the cave of Machpelah. After returning to Egypt, Joseph's brothers grew deeply fearful that with their father, Jacob, no longer alive, Joseph would now exact vengeance upon them for their past evils of selling him into slavery (Genesis 37). Their persistent fear shows that despite Joseph's prior expressions of forgiveness and his provision for them and their families for years (Genesis 45:5-8), their guilt still haunted them. Genesis 50:16 introduces their pre-emptive, self-protective action of sending a fabricated message, invoking their father's (presumed) last wish, demonstrating their deep-seated insecurity and the continued brokenness from their past sins.

Word analysis

• So they sent: The Hebrew word is (וַיְצַוּוּ, vaytzavu), though often translated "sent a message" here, it more precisely means "they commanded/charged [someone] (to say)." This choice of verb suggests the brothers gave a direct, firm instruction to their messenger. This reveals their anxious strategizing, commissioning an envoy rather than facing Joseph directly, implying a mixture of fear and calculated deference.
• a message to Joseph: The phrase is "saying to Joseph" (לֵאמֹר אֶל יוֹסֵף, leʼmor el Yosef). Le'mor often introduces direct speech or a message. It frames the following words as their official communication, emphasizing its declarative nature and the importance they wish to attach to it. "Joseph" (יוֹסֵף) is the target of their fear and their plea.
• saying: (לֵאמֹר, leʼmor), a repetition for emphasis. It acts as a marker for the verbatim message, making it a powerful and official declaration in the eyes of the brothers.
• Your father: (אֲבִיךָ, ʼavīkha). Referring to Jacob, the patriarch, and Joseph's beloved father. Invoking the father's name carried immense weight in ancient Near Eastern society, especially concerning deathbed wishes. This was their key leverage, knowing Joseph's profound respect and love for Jacob.
• gave this command: The Hebrew is (צִוָּה, tzivvah), from the root (צוה, tzawah), meaning "to command," "to order," "to appoint." This is a strong verb indicating a formal, binding directive, not a mere suggestion. The brothers intentionally use this potent word to imbue their fabricated request with the highest authority and legitimacy, hoping Joseph would be bound by it.
• before he died: (בְּמוֹתוֹ, bəmotō). Literally "in his dying," or "at his death." This phrase underscores the gravity and solemnity of the supposed command. Dying words or last testaments were sacred and generally considered inviolable in the ancient world, representing the final will of the deceased. The timing elevates the perceived obligation on Joseph.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "So they sent a message to Joseph, saying:" This opening highlights the brothers' trepidation. They don't approach Joseph directly but through a messenger. This indirect communication suggests distance, fear, and a degree of shame or reluctance to confront him face-to-face about their deepest anxieties and past transgressions. It signifies a tactical maneuver born of intense fear after the patriarch's death.
• "'Your father gave this command before he died:'" This is the crux of their strategy. By claiming Jacob's dying command, the brothers invoke the ultimate authority figure in their family line to emotionally and spiritually compel Joseph. The choice of "command" (tzivvah) rather than "said" or "requested" reveals their understanding of its binding nature and their desperate attempt to secure their lives, playing on Joseph's known reverence for his father and for divine ordinance (implied by deathbed wishes). The specific timing, "before he died," adds a layer of sanctity and urgency to the purported command, portraying it as Jacob's solemn final instruction.

Commentary

Genesis 50:16 marks a critical moment illustrating the profound impact of unresolved guilt and the redemptive power of forgiveness. The brothers, burdened by their past wickedness of selling Joseph into slavery, found their deep-seated fear reawakened by Jacob's death. Despite Joseph's years of consistent care and prior expressions of forgiveness (Gen 45:4-8), their ingrained guilt made them believe his kindness was solely out of deference to their father. The verse unveils their cunning but fearful ploy: dispatching a messenger, rather than facing him directly, to deliver a supposed "dying command" from Jacob. This tactic reveals their lack of trust and their inability to fully grasp Joseph's profound, God-centred forgiveness, which stemmed not from filial obligation but from his understanding of divine sovereignty (Gen 50:20). Their desperate invocation of their father's authority speaks volumes about the human tendency to seek external leverage when faced with deep personal guilt, rather than simply relying on mercy already offered.

Bonus section

• The Ambiguity of the Command: The biblical text in Genesis 49, which records Jacob's last words, makes no explicit mention of him commanding Joseph not to take revenge on his brothers. This leads many scholars to suggest that the brothers likely fabricated or at least extrapolated this "command" out of their own fear and perceived need for protection. This potential fabrication highlights the manipulative nature of fear and guilt.
• Human Nature and Forgiveness: The brothers' persistent fear despite Joseph's consistent actions of kindness and assurance throughout the famine years, demonstrates a deep psychological reality: the recipient of severe harm often forgives more readily than the perpetrator fully accepts forgiveness. Guilt can be a stubborn chain, blinding individuals to genuine reconciliation.
• Joseph's Character and God's Sovereignty: This verse sets the stage for Joseph's powerful reaffirmation of forgiveness and divine sovereignty in the subsequent verses (Gen 50:19-21). Joseph does not forgive merely because of a "command" but because of his fundamental belief that "God meant it for good." This elevates his forgiveness from human obligation to divine conviction, a key theological point in the Genesis narrative.

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