7 So Joseph went up to bury his father, and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his household and all the elders of the land of Egypt, 8 and all the household of Joseph and his brothers and his father’s household; they left only their little ones and their flocks and their herds in the land of Goshen. 9 Chariots with teams of horses also went up with him; and it was a very great company. 

10 When they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, they mourned there with a very great and sorrowful lamentation; and he observed seven days of mourning for his father. 11 Now when the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, “This is a grievous mourning for the Egyptians.” Therefore it was named Abel-mizraim, which is beyond the Jordan.

12 And so his sons did for him as he had commanded them; 13 for his sons carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah opposite Mamre, which Abraham had bought along with the field as a burial site from Ephron the Hittite. 14 And after he had buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, he and his brothers, and all who had gone up with him to bury his father.

Genesis 50:7-14 (NASB)

Royal procession

Recently, there was a modern-day royal funeral procession – that of Queen Elizabeth of England. It was filled with much pomp and circumstance. If you saw it, you may have a sense of what this event was like when the Egyptians took Jacob back to Cannan to bury him. Everyone in Jacob’s extended family attended – except the little ones. And it seems the whole host of Egyptian leadership went. Wow! What an event. Imagine just the logistics of food and lodging for a 300 mile journey.

Stop at Atad

They make a stop at Atad, at a grain threshing floor of all places. It was likely in a large field, easily accessible for the task of threshing grain. “[T]he Egyptians made a prolonged halt at this spot, while the family of Jacob probably preceded by themselves to the place of [tomb].” (JFB commentary) This was a spot “beyond the Jordan”, from the perspective of Jerusalem, so East of the Jordan. 

It surely was an amazing display, like none the local Canannites had seen before. They were very impressed. Likely it stuck fear and respect in them. They likely remember they had relied on Egypt (Joseph’s planning and God’s providence) to provide for them during the famine (which likely was over by now).

Burial done

So they bury dad in the cave. “This was the cave purchased by Abraham (Genesis 23:9), the only part of the land of Canaan that Abraham held deed to (Genesis 23:17). This was the burial place of Sarah (Genesis 23:19), of Abraham (Genesis 25:9), and of Isaac, Rebekah, and Leah (Genesis 49:31).” (enduringword.com) They return to Egypt. Everyone is now in good relationship with each other. Or maybe not…

RЯeflection

• The brothers fulfilled the wish of Jacob which they had vowed to him. The honored him. Are we careful when we make vows, and faithful to fulfill them?