Joshua 24:32

32 The bones of Joseph, which the Israelites had brought up from Egypt, were buried at Shechem, in the portion of ground that Jacob had bought from the children of Hamor, the father of Shechem, for one hundred pieces of money; it became an inheritance of the descendants of Joseph.

Joshua 24:32 Meaning and Commentary

Joshua 24:32

And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought
up out of Egypt
At the request, and by the order of Joseph, ( Genesis 50:25 ) ; which were punctually observed by the children of Israel under the direction and command of Moses, and therefore is ascribed to him, as here to them, ( Exodus 13:19 ) ;

buried they in Shechem;
not in the city, but in a field near it, as the next clause shows. The Jews in their Cippi Hebraici say F7, that Joseph was buried at a village called Belata, a sabbath day's journey from Shechem; but Jerom says F8 he was buried in Shechem, and his monument was to be seen there in his time. Not that they buried him at the same time Joshua was buried, but very probably as soon as the tribe of Ephraim was in the quiet possession of this place; though the historian inserts the account of it here, taking an occasion for it from the interment of Joshua:

in a parcel of ground which Jacob bought of the sons of Hamor, the
father of Shechem, for an hundred pieces of silver;
of which purchase (See Gill on Genesis 33:19);

and it became the inheritance of the children of Joseph;
and particularly of the tribe of Ephraim by lot, agreeably to the gift and disposal of it by Jacob to Joseph, (See Gill on Genesis 48:22).


FOOTNOTES:

F7 Ut supra. (Cippi Heb. p. 32.)
F8 Quaest. Heb. in Genesim, fol. 73. C.

Joshua 24:32 In-Context

30 They buried him in his own inheritance at Timnath-serah, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.
31 Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua and had known all the work that the Lord did for Israel.
32 The bones of Joseph, which the Israelites had brought up from Egypt, were buried at Shechem, in the portion of ground that Jacob had bought from the children of Hamor, the father of Shechem, for one hundred pieces of money; it became an inheritance of the descendants of Joseph.
33 Eleazar son of Aaron died; and they buried him at Gibeah, the town of his son Phinehas, which had been given him in the hill country of Ephraim.

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. Heb [one hundred qesitah]
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.