Genesis 50:9

9 And he had chariots, and horsemen, and (his) fellowship (with him), and the company was made not little.

Genesis 50:9 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 50:9

And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen
Which was done both for the sake of honour and grandeur, and for safety and defence, should they be attacked by robbers in the deserts, or opposed by the Canaanites, and be refused the use of the cave of Machpelah, and the right to it disputed: and it was a very great company;
both for quantity and quality; the attendants at this funeral were very numerous, and many of them great personages, and upon the whole was a very honourable company, as the word ^F11 signifies, and made a very great figure and grand appearance: or a very great army
^F12, consisting of chariots and horsemen fit for war; if there should be any occasion for it: and the Jews ^F13 pretend that Esau came out with a large army, and met Joseph at the cave of Machpelah, and endeavoured to hinder the burial of Jacob there, where he lost his life, having his head struck off with the sword of Chushim, the son of Dan: some say it was Zepho, the grandson of Esau, with the sons of Esau, that made the disturbance there, on which a battle ensued, in which Joseph was the conqueror, and Zepho was taken captive, (See Gill on Genesis 36:11), the Jews ^F14 give us the order and manner of the above procession thus; first Joseph, next the servants of Pharaoh, or the princes, then the elders of the court of Pharaoh, then all the elders of the land of Egypt, then the whole house of Joseph, next to them the brethren of Joseph, who were followed by their eldest sons, and after them were the chariots, and last of all the horses.

---

FOOTNOTES:

F11 (dbk) "honorabilis"; so Abendana.
F12 (hnxmh) "exercitus ille"; Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Drusius, Schmidt.
F13 T. Bab. Sotah, fol. 13. 1. Targum Jon. in ver. 13. Pirke Eliezer, c. 39. Shalshalet Hakabala, fol. 5. 1.
F14 R. Bechai apud Hottinger. Smegma, c. 8. p. 381.

Genesis 50:9 In-Context

7 And when Joseph went up, all the elder men of the house of Pharaoh went with him, and all the greater men in birth of the land of Egypt; (And when Joseph went up, all the elders of Pharaoh's household, and all the men of great age, that is, the elders, of the land of Egypt, went up with him;)

8 (and all) the house of Joseph with their brethren, (but) without (the) little children, and flocks, and great beasts, which they left in the land of Goshen, went with him. (and all of Joseph's household, and his brothers, went with him, but not their little children, or their flocks, or their great beasts, which they left in the land of Goshen.)

9 And he had chariots, and horsemen, and (his) fellowship (with him), and the company was made not little.

10 And they came to the cornfloor of Atad, which is set over Jordan, where they made the service of the dead body, with great wailing and strong, and filled seven days. (And they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is on the east side of the Jordan River, where they held a service for the dead man, with much loud wailing, and filled seven days there.)

11 And when the dwellers of the land of Canaan had seen this, they said, This is a (time of) great wailing to the Egyptians; therefore they called the name of that place The wailing of Egypt. (And when the people of the land of Canaan had seen this, they said, This is a time of great wailing, or of great mourning, for the Egyptians; and so they named that place Abelmizraim.)