Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Exodus 13:19
And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him: for he had straitly sworn the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you; and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you.
19. See Gen 50:25; and cf. Jos 24:32.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Exo 13:19
Moses took the bones of Joseph.
An interesting incident in Israels departure from Egypt
I. The discharge of a sacred trust (Gen 50:24-25). Pay attention to the requests of the dead.
II. THE fulfilment of an ancient prophecy (Gen 1:25). God can kindle the fire of prophecy in the soul of a dying saint, that the sorrowful may be encouraged.
III. The giving of a timely encouragement.
IV. The bestowal of an appropriate honour on an illustrious ancestor. (J. S. Exell, M. A.)
A memento and a pledge
And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him. This rendered the march a kind of funeral procession, and such as no other history relates. Never was body so long in its conveyance to the grave, for forty years were taken up in bearing Joseph to his burial. We read at the death of Joseph that they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt. The precious deposit, likely to be cared for by some of the descendants of his own family, was dear to all. It was a memento of the vanity of human greatness. It was also a moral as well as a mortal memento. Joseph was a very pious character; he had been highly exemplary in every relation and condition of life, and much of God, of providence, and of grace was to be read in his history. What an advantage to be always reminded of such a man in having his remains always in the midst of them! But the body would be above all valuable as a pledge of their future destination. It was a present palpable sign of Gods covenant with their fathers in their behalf. (A. Nevin, D. D.)
Rest in native land
Sir Bartle Frere was often asked at the Cape, What do you expect when you reach England? His reply, which was found written on a slip in his Bible after his death, was thus expressed:
Where in the summer sun the early grasses grow,
Six feet of English ground, a Britons grave,
Rest in my native land is all I crave.
Burial places
It is the almost universal custom in America, and seems to be growing in favour here, for great men to be buried in the place where they have mostly lived, and among their own kith and kin. Washington lies at Mount Vernon; Lincoln at Springfield; Emerson and Hawthorne under the pines of New England; Irving on the banks of the Hudson; Clay in Kentucky. They are laid to rest not in some central city or great structure, but where they have lived, and where their families and neighbours may accompany them in their long sleep. (H. O. Mackey.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 19. Moses took the bones of Joseph] See Clarke on Ge 50:25. It is supposed that the Israelites carried with them the bones or remains of all the twelve sons of Jacob, each tribe taking care of the bones of its own patriarch, while Moses took care of the bones of Joseph. St. Stephen expressly says, Ac 7:15-16, that not only Jacob, but the fathers were carried from Egypt into Sychem; and this, as Calmet remarks, was the only opportunity that seems to have presented itself for doing this: and certainly the reason that rendered it proper to remove the bones of Joseph to the promised land, had equal weight in reference to those of the other patriarchs. See Clarke on Ge 49:29.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
The bones of Joseph, and the other patriarchs, as appears from Act 7:16. The oath was taken only by the parents, but because the matter of it was not personal, and of particular concernment to them, but common to them and their children, therefore it obliged both the parents and their children, as Moses here signifieth.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
19. Moses took the bones of Josephwith himin fulfilment of the oath he exacted from his brethren(Gen 50:25; Gen 50:26).The remains of the other patriarchs (not noticed from theirobscurity) were also carried out of Egypt (Act 7:15;Act 7:16); and there would be nodifficulty as to the means of conveyancea few camels bearing theseprecious relics would give a true picture of Oriental customs, suchas is still to be seen in the immense pilgrimages to Mecca.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him,…. And his remains might well be called bones, since at such a distance from his death the flesh must be gone, and nothing but bones left; of the place where Joseph’s coffin was laid, [See comments on Ge 50:26]. The Jews pretend, that Moses was informed where Joseph was buried by Sarah, the daughter of Asher, who they say was living at this time q; and many other fables they relate concerning the manner of finding him, which are not worthy of any notice. Jarchi thinks, that the bones of all the tribes, or of the sons of Jacob, were carried with them, but that does not appear from the text; though it seems, according to Stephen’s account, that they were carried over to Canaan; but then, whether immediately after their death, or at this time, and also by whom, is not certain, see Ac 7:15:
for he had straitly sworn the children of Israel; his brethren; or “in swearing had caused them to swear” r, had given them a very strict oath, and which they had related to their children, and so from one generation to another, and thus it became known, and Moses looked upon himself and the people of Israel as bound to observe it:
saying, God will surely visit you; in a way of mercy and goodness, and bring you out of Egypt, and put you it possession of the land of Canaan:
and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you;
[See comments on Ge 50:25].
q T. Bab. Sotah, fol. 13. 1. r “adjurando adjuraverat”, Pagninus, Montanus, Drusius.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
19. And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him. Hence it appears, that even in their adversity the memory of their promised deliverance had never departed from the people, for had not the adjuration of Joseph been currently spoken of in common conversation, Moses would never have been able to imagine it; but he expressly states that he acted in obedience to the holy patriarch in carrying away his bones. It is, therefore, probable that they were so deposited, that the hope of the people might be kept alive by seeing daily the urn or coffer which contained them, as if the holy man even after death uplifted from his tomb a sign of their deliverance; for although by this symbolical act he cherished his own faith, when he desired that, though dead, he might enter on the possession of the promised land, yet there is no doubt that he had more regard to his brethren and the whole posterity of the holy race. (149) For, having known by experience their apathy and the weakness of their faith, he naturally feared lest in a longer lapse of time they should grow more and more indifferent, and at length should despise the proraise, and give themselves up altogether to listlessness about it. And certainly it must have been this mistrust of them which urged him not to be contented with a simple injunction, but to bind their minds more strongly by an oath. In Act 7:16, Stephen seems to assert that the other eleven sons of Jacob were also buried in Sichem; and it may be probably conjectured, that they were led piously to emulate the example of their brother Joseph. Assuredly the faith of the departed Joseph, even in his dry bones, preached loudly to his descendants of the promised deliverance, lest they should grow careless from the long delay; and when at length the Israelites were led forth, the bones or ashes of the twelve Patriarchs were like so many standard-bearers, going before the several tribes to encourage their confidence. Wherefore the cowardice of the people was still more detestable, so often basely turning their backs upon their journey, when they had in sight so eminent a ground for confidence. The words of Joseph, which Moses reports, “God will surely visit you,” etc., confirm the expression of the Apostle, (Heb 11:22,) that “by faith — he gave commandment concerning his bones,” because he thus takes upon himself the character and office of their surety, to exhort his nation to embrace the promise. How far the silly superstition of the Papists in worshipping the relics of saints differs from this object we may gather from hence without difficulty, viz., that they studiously catch at every means whereby they may be withdrawn further from the word of God.
(149) D’Abraham. — Fr.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(19) Moses took the bones of Joseph.Josephs body had been embalmed according to the Egyptian fashion (Gen. 1:26). He had ordered it to be conveyed to Canaan when the Israelites went there (Gen. 1:25).
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
19. And Moses took the bones of Joseph Joseph’s dying charge and Israel’s solemn vow, made more than a century before, (Gen 50:24-25,) are now sacredly remembered. His body had not been carried to the Land of Promise, like that of Jacob, nor buried in Egypt, like those of his brethren the fathers of the tribes, but, wrapped in its fragrant bandages, it waited the fulfilment of the patriarch’s prophecy, “God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence.” Through all the years of their bondage the mummied form of their famous ancestor had been a perpetual prophecy and admonition. It ever held before their eyes the great promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the sublime destiny that awaited Israel.
Only in Egypt would such a century-long “object-lesson” have been possible. The mummied form of the dead was there often kept for months, and sometimes for years, before final burial, in a closet made in the house for the purpose, with folding doors, and standing upon a sledge, so that it could be drawn to an altar where were offered “prayers for the dead.” It was this idolatrous superstition which Moses so expressly forbade, Lev 19:28; Lev 21:1. It was, however, deemed a calamity for the dead to remain thus unburied unless there were especial reasons, which the friends were careful to have made known, and thus the fact that so eminent a person as Joseph remained unburied would give rise to constant inquiry and explanation. (Wilkinson’s Ancient Egyptians, chap. 10.) How wonderfully adapted was this act of Joseph to ensure the resurrection of Israel’s life from the grave of Egyptian heathenism!
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Exo 13:19. Moses took the bones of Joseph See Gen 50:25. One would conclude from Act 7:16 that the bones of all the patriarchs, as well as of Joseph, were, upon this occasion, removed out of Egypt; and the Jews have a tradition, that every tribe brought the bones of the heads of their families with them. They tell us, too, that those of Joseph were placed in a new sumptuous cart, or open hearse, which they made to march under the guard and conduct of the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh.
Straitly sworn Or, strictly sworn.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Gen 50:25-26 with Heb 11:22
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
“Handfuls of Purpose”
For All Gleaners
“And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him: for he had straitly sworn the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you; and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you.” Exo 13:19 .
A very simple thing it appears to be to us that Moses took the bones of Joseph with him. The circumstance is full of poetry and moral significance. Do not we all carry with us the bones of the past? This is the very pith of history. If we did not take the past with us the present would be a continual disappointment, a line coming and going without bringing with it any opportunity of service and enlargement of soul. Much depends upon our conscious and intelligent relation to the past We ought to have brought a good deal with us from all the centuries that are gone. If we have come up out of them empty-handed, we have by so much turned the counsel of God to non-effect Every wise heart is carrying up with it memories, vows, oaths, traditions, sacred impressions, and is under the responsibility of trusteeship to the future to be faithful to all the highest claims of the past. Poor is he who has no history behind him. He becomes the victim of every combination of circumstances; the dupe of every tempter that assails his heart with unfamiliar and lying promises. To carry up the past may steady our whole movement and give it dignity in times of fear and depression. However little we may be in ourselves, we are charged as messengers of Heaven to carry on certain work and to connect transient periods of time and so assist in the consolidation of human history. On the other hand we must guard against the worship of ancestry which is founded upon mere superstition. We do not carry the bones of Joseph, we honour his service and redeem our own pledge. What bones all Christians have to carry! Think of all the heroes, witnesses, martyrs, and confessors of the past, and let the humblest Christian pilgrim realise that he has it distinctly in his charge to carry forward such histories and testimonies to the age that is to follow. Whatever Israel carried through the wilderness derived importance from the fact that it was associated with the bones of Joseph. Those bones kept Israel from going back to Egypt. When Israel reeled in its purpose and thought of returning to the land of tyranny the question would arise again and again, What are we to do with the bones which we promised to carry up and to protect by burial in another land? By many curious lines and ties does God bind us down to the fulfilment of our destiny. The record is not all written in plain letters; many an invisible line now and then comes into sight to show us that under all the great letters which the naked eye can see there are writings and meanings which are only disclosed to patient waiting and scrutiny.
Fuente: The People’s Bible by Joseph Parker
Exo 13:19 And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him: for he had straitly sworn the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you; and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you.
Ver. 19. And Moses took the bones of Joseph. ] And with those, as it is likely, the bones of the other patriarchs too. Act 7:16
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
the bones of Joseph. Another evidence of order. Compare Gen 50:25. Joseph’s faith exhibited 150 years before. Compare also Jos 24:32 and Act 7:15, Act 7:16.
surely visit you. See Gen 50:25, and compare note on Gen 26:28.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
for he had: Gen 50:24, Gen 50:25, Jos 24:32, Act 7:16
God: Exo 4:31, Gen 48:21, Luk 1:58, Luk 7:16
Reciprocal: Exo 3:16 – visited Heb 11:22 – faith
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
THE BONES OF JOSEPH.
Exo 13:19.
It is certain that Moses, in the days of his greatness, must often have mused by the sepulchre of the one Israelite before himself who held high rank in Egypt. The knowledge that Joseph’s elevation was providential must have helped him at that time, now many years ago, to think rightly of his own. And now we read that Moses took the bones of Joseph with him. In the Epistle to the Hebrews (Heb 11:22) it is recorded as the most characteristic example of the faith of the patriarch, that instead of desiring to be carried, like his father, at once to Canaan, he made mention of the departure of the children of Israel, and gave commandment concerning his bones. To him Egypt was no longer an alien land. There only he had known honour without envy, and happiness without betrayal. There his bones could rest in quiet; but not for ever. Personal elevation, which had not rent the cord between him and his unworthy family, could still less sever the bands between him and the sacred race. Let him sleep in Egypt while his grave there was honoured: let the remembrance of him be kept fresh, to protect awhile his kindred; and when the predicted days of evil came, let his ashes share the neglect and dishonour of his people, if only they would remember his remains when the Lord would lead them forth. This confidence in their emancipation was his faith–which meant, here as always, not a clear view of truth, but an assuring grasp of it. He had straitly sworn the children of Israel saying, “God will surely visit you; and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you.”
Many a Christian might well envy a confidence so practical, so thoroughly realised, entering so naturally into the tissue of his thoughts and calculations. And their actual remembrance of him goes to show that the tradition of his faith had never completely died out, but was among the influences which kept alive the nation’s hope.
And as the people bore his honoured ashes through the desert, these being dead spoke of bygone times, they linked the present and the past together, they deepened the national consciousness that Israel was a favoured people, called to no common destiny, sustained by no common promises, pressing toward no common goal.
If Israel had been wise, they would have thought of him, the Israelite in heart, though glittering in the splendours of Egypt; and would have considered well that as little as men detected his secret life from his appearance, so little could theirs be judged. To the eye, they were free from the foreign trammels in which he was seemingly entangled, yet many of them in heart turned back to all which strove in vain to bind his affections down. The lesson holds good today. Many a modern religionist looks askance at the “worldliness” of high office and rank and state; little dreaming that the “world” he censures is strong in his own ambitious and self-asserting spirit, and is overcome by the gentle and tranquil spirit of hundreds of those whom he condemns.
Bearing this hallowed burden, which might easily have become an object of superstitious regard, the nation moved from Succoth to Etham on the edge of the wilderness. And with them a Presence moved which rebuked all others, however venerable. The Lord went before them. It has already been pointed out that throughout the early history of this nation, just come out of an idolatrous land, and too ready to lapse back into superstition, God never reveals Himself except in fire. To Abraham and to Jacob He appeared in human form, and again to Joshua; but in the interval, never. So now they see Him by day in a pillar of cloud to guide them on the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light. The glory of the nation was that manifested Presence, lacking which, Moses besought Him to carry them up no farther. Nothing in the Exodus is more impressive, and it sank deep into the national heart. Many centuries afterwards, the ideal of a golden age was that the Lord should “create over the whole habitation of Mount Zion, and over her assemblies, a cloud of smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night” (Isa 4:5).
But it has been well observed that, amid the various allusions to it in Hebrew poetry, not one treats it as modern literature has done, with an eye to its marvellous sublimity and picturesque effects:
“By day, along the astonished lands
The cloudy pillar glided slow:
By night, Arabia’s crimsoned sands
Returned the fiery column’s glow.”
The Hebrew poetry is vivid and passionate, but all its concerns are human or divine–God, and the life of man. It is not artistic, but inspired. “The modern poet is delighting in the scenic effect; the ancient chronicler was wholly occupied with the overshadowing power of God.”[24]
FOOTNOTES:
[24] Hutton’s Essays, Vol. ii., Literary: The Poetry of the Old Test.