Genesis 50:1

1 And Joseph fell upon his father's face, and wept on him, and kissed him.

Genesis 50:1 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 50:1

And Joseph fell upon his father's face
Laid his own face to the cold face and pale cheeks of his dead father, out of his tender affection for him, and grief at parting with him; this shows that Joseph had been present from the time his father sent for him, and all the while he had been blessing the tribes, and giving orders about his funeral:

and wept upon him;
which to do for and over the dead is neither unlawful nor unbecoming, provided it is not carried to excess, as the instances of David, Christ, and others show:

and kissed him;
taking his farewell of him, as friends used to do, when parting and going a long journey, as death is. This was practised by Heathens, who had a notion that the soul went out of the body by the mouth, and they in this way received it into themselves: so Augustus Caesar died in the kisses of Livia, and Drusius in the embraces and kisses of Caesar ^F23. Joseph no doubt at this time closed the eyes of his father also, as it is said he should, and as was usual; see ( Genesis 46:4 ) .

---

FOOTNOTES:

F23 Vid. Kirchman. de Funer. Rom. l. 1. c. 5.

Genesis 50:1 In-Context

1 And Joseph fell upon his father's face, and wept on him, and kissed him.

2 And Joseph commanded his servants the embalmers to embalm his father; and the embalmers embalmed Israel.

3 And they fulfilled forty days for him, for so are the days of embalming numbered; and Egypt mourned for him seventy days.

4 And when the days of mourning were past, Joseph spoke to the princes of Pharao, saying, If I have found favour in your sight, speak concerning me in the ears of Pharao, saying,

5 My father adjured me, saying, In the sepulchre which I dug for myself in the land of Chanaan, there thou shalt bury me; now then I will go up and bury my father, and return again.