Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Genesis 50:10
And they came to the threshingfloor of Atad, which [is] beyond Jordan, and there they mourned with a great and very sore lamentation: and he made a mourning for his father seven days.
10. the threshing-floor of Atad ] Goren-ha-Atad, a threshing-floor of “the thornbush,” or “bramble” (Jdg 9:14-15). The place is nowhere else referred to.
beyond Jordan ] By this expression is generally meant “on the east side of Jordan.” If so, we must suppose that for some reason the burial company leaving Egypt travelled round the southern extremity of the Dead Sea. But this appears extremely improbable. The traditional burial-place of Jacob was at Machpelah. No Israelite could suppose that, even for the purpose of doing honour to Jacob, it would have been necessary to go round into trans-Jordanic territory. Winckler conjectures that the original reading was “on the other side of the river” (viz. “the River of Egypt,” or ‘El-Arsh, the boundary of Egypt and Canaan, cf. Num 34:5; 1Ki 8:65), and that this was carelessly altered by the error of a scribe to the more familiar phrase “beyond Jordan.” Whether this conjecture be accepted or not, the present text is unintelligible. It is very unlikely that any legend would have arisen connecting Jacob’s burial-place with the eastern bank of the Jordan.
seven days ] See note on Gen 50:3. “Lamentation” (cf. Gen 23:2), i.e. the Oriental custom of “wailing” for the dead.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 10. The threshing-floor of Atad] As atad signifies a bramble or thorn, it has been understood by the Arabic, not as a man’s name, but as the name of a place; but all the other versions and the Targums consider it as the name of a man. Threshing-floors were always in a field, in the open air; and Atad was probably what we would call a great farmer or chief of some clan or tribe in that place. Jerome supposed the place to have been about two leagues from Jericho; but we have no certain information on this point. The funeral procession stopped here, probably as affording pasturage to their cattle while they observed the seven days’ mourning which terminated the funeral solemnities, after which nothing remained but the interment of the corpse. The mourning of the ancient Hebrews was usually of seven days’ continuance, Nu 19:19; 1Sa 31:13; though on certain occasions it was extended to thirty days, Nu 20:29; De 21:13; De 34:8, but never longer. The seventy days’ mourning mentioned above was that of the Egyptians, and was rendered necessary by the long process of embalming, which obliged them to keep the body out of the grave for seventy days, as we learn both from Herodotus and Diodorus. Seven days by the order of God a man was to mourn for his dead, because during that time he was considered as unclean; but when those were finished he was to purify himself, and consider the mourning as ended; Nu 19:11; Nu 19:19. Thus God gave seven days, in some cases thirty, to mourn in: man, ever in his own estimation wiser than the word of God, has added eleven whole months to the term, which nature itself pronounces to be absurd, because it is incapable of supporting grief for such a time; and thus mourning is now, except in the first seven or thirty days, a mere solemn ill-conducted FARCE, a grave mimicry, a vain show, that convicts itself of its own hypocrisy. Who will rise up on the side of God and common sense, and restore becoming sorrow on the death of a relative to decency of garb and moderation in its continuance? Suppose the near relatives of the deceased were to be allowed seven days of seclusion from society, for the purpose of meditating on death and eternity, and after this to appear in a mourning habit for thirty days; every important end would be accomplished, and hypocrisy, the too common attendant of man, be banished, especially from that part of his life in which deep sincerity is not less becoming than in the most solemn act of his religious intercourse with God.
In a kind of politico-religious institution formed by his late majesty Ferdinand IV., king of Naples and the Sicilies, I find the following rational institute relative to this point: “There shall be no mourning among you but only on the death of a father, mother, husband, or wife. To render to these the last duties of affection, children, wives, and husbands only shall be permitted to wear a sign or emblem of grief: a man may wear a crape tied round his right arm; a woman, a black handkerchief around her neck; and this in both cases for only two months at the most.” Is there a purpose which religion, reason, or decency can demand that would not be answered by such external mourning as this? Only such relatives as the above, brothers and sisters being included, can mourn; all others make only a part of the dumb hypocritical show.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Atad, a man so called; or, of thorn, or thorns, as the word signifies, Jdg 9:14; Psa 58:9. So it might be a place either abounding or encompassed with thorns.
Beyond, or on this side; for the word signifies both, and it may be taken either way here; the one in respect of Egypt, the other in regard of the place in which Moses wrote. It is certain they fetched a great compass, whether for the commodiousness of the way for their chariots, and for conveniences for so great a company, or to prevent all jealousies in the people, as if they came thither with ill design, is not material.
There they mourned, because there was the entrance into that country or territory where he was to be buried. Though the Egyptians were not much grieved nor concerned for Jacobs death, yet they used bitter cries and lamentations, which possibly were made or aggravated by persons hired and used upon such occasions. See Jer 9:17.
Seven days, according to the custom. See 1Sa 31:13.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
10. they came to the threshing-floorof Atad, c.”Atad” may be taken as a common noun,signifying “the plain of the thorn bushes.” It was on theborder between Egypt and Canaan and as the last opportunity ofindulging grief was always the most violent, the Egyptians made aprolonged halt at this spot, while the family of Jacob probablyproceeded by themselves to the place of sepulture.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And they came to the threshingfloor of Atad,…. Which was either the name of a man the owner of it, or of a place so called from the thorns and brambles which grew here, and with which the threshingfloor was surrounded, as Jarchi says, see Jud 9:14 and it was usual to make a hedge of thorns round about a threshingfloor o, that it might be preserved; mention is made in the Talmud p of the wilderness of Atad, perhaps so called from the thorns and brambles in it: Jerom says q it was three miles from Jericho and two from Jordan, and was in his time called Bethagla, the place of a circuit, because there they went about after the manner of mourners at the funeral of Jacob. This, according to some r, was two hundred and forty miles from On, where Joseph was supposed to live, sixteen from Jerusalem, and forty from Hebron, where Jacob was buried: nay, Austin s says it was above fifty miles from that place, as affirmed by those who well knew those parts:
which is beyond Jordan; as it was to those that came out of Egypt:
and there they mourned with a great and very sore lamentation; being now entered into the country where the corpse was to be interred; and perhaps they might choose to stop here and express tokens of mourning, that the inhabitants might be apprised of their design in coming, which was not to invade them and make war upon them, only to bury their dead: this mourning seems to be made chiefly by the Egyptians, which was done in an external way, and it may be by persons brought with them for that purpose; since both the name of the place after given was from their mourning there, and the mourning of Joseph is next observed as distinct from theirs:
and he made a mourning for his father seven days; which was the time of mourning, afterwards observed by the Jews, see 1Sa 31:13, this Joseph ordered and observed after he had buried his father, as Aben Ezra says, is affirmed by their ancient Rabbins, and perhaps might be at this same place upon their return.
o T. Bab. Sotah, fol. 13. 1. & Gloss. in ib. Aruch in voc. fol. 39. 4. p T. Hieros. Nedarim, fol. 40. 1. q De locis Heb. fol. 87. G. r Bunting’s Travels, p. 79, 80. s Quaest. is Gen. l. 1. p. 54. “inter opera ejus”, tom. 4.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Thus they came to Goren Atad beyond the Jordan, as the procession did not take the shortest route by Gaza through the country of the Philistines, probably because so large a procession with a military escort was likely to meet with difficulties there, but went round by the Dead Sea. There, on the border of Canaan, a great mourning and funeral ceremony was kept up for seven days, from which the Canaanites, who watched it from Canaan, gave the place the name of Abel-mizraim, i.e., meadow ( with a play upon mourning) of the Egyptians. The situation of Goren Atad (the buck-thorn floor), or Abel-mizraim, has not been discovered. According to Gen 50:11, it was on the other side, i.e., the eastern side, of the Jordan. This is put beyond all doubt by Gen 50:12, where the sons of Jacob are said to have carried the corpse into the land of Canaan (the land on this side) after the mourning at Goren Atad.
(Note: Consequently the statement of Jerome in the Onam. s. v. Area Atad – “ locus trans Jordanem, in quo planxerunt quondam Jacob, tertio ab Jerico lapide, duobus millibus ab Jordane, qui nunc vocatur Bethagla, quod interpretatur locus gyri, eo quod ibi more plangentium circumierint in funere Jacob ” – is wrong. Beth Agla cannot be the same as Goren Atad, if only because of the distances given by Jerome from Jericho and the Jordan. They do not harmonize at all with his trans Jordanem, which is probably taken from this passage, but point to a place on this side of the Jordan; but still more, because Beth Hagla was on the frontier of Benjamin towards Judah (Jos 15:6; Jos 18:19), and its name has been retained in the fountain and tower of Hajla, an hour and a quarter to the S.E. of Riha (Jericho), and three-quarters of an hour from the Jordan, by which the site of the ancient Beth Hagla is certainly determined. (Vid., Robinson, Pal., ii. p. 268ff.))
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
(10) Threshingfloor of Atad.Atad means a thorn-bush, the rhamnus paliurus of Linnaeus, translated bramble in Jdg. 9:14. As agriculture was only beginning to be practised in Canaan, this threshing. floor would be common property, situated in some place easy of access, and probably a village would grow up near it.
Beyond Jordan.It is disputed whether this means on the east or on the west of the Jordan. It is certain that the route taken by Joseph lay to the east of the Dead Sea; for Goren-Atad is placed by Jerome at Beth-Hoglah, which lay between the Jordan and Jericho, and Joseph could have gone thither only by travelling through the territories of Moab and Amnion. This may seem a long detour, but, as may be seen in the Excursus on the Expedition of Chedorlaomer, the route through the wilderness of Judah was very difficult; and though the western shore of the Dead Sea was practicable as far as Engedi, it was necessary there to ascend a mountain-path so steep that a few Amorites might have guarded it against any number of invaders; and probably it was absolutely impracticable for chariots. It would have been easy, however, to reach Hebron through the Philistine country; but it is remarkable that we find hostilities going on between the descendants of Joseph and the Philistines (1Ch. 7:21); and if raids were of common occurrence between the Semitic clans in Goshen and the Philistines, Joseph would not expose his fathers remains to the danger of an attack. Possibly they may even have refused their consent, and hence the attack upon them by Ephraims sons. On the other hand, the sons of Esau would show great respect to the body of their uncle(Jewish tradition makes even the sons of Ishmael and of Keturah take part in the mourning)and moreover they had not yet attained to any great power; and we gather from Esaus march through the lands on the west of the Dead Sea (Gen. 32:6) that the natives there were too few and feeble to resist the chariots and horsemen which formed the escort. While therefore beyond Jordan would naturally mean on the east of Jordan, it may here express the fact that Joseph had just crossed the Jordan when the lamentation was made. The only other tenable explanation is that Goren-Atad was really on the eastern bank of the Jordan, and that though Beth-Hoglah was the nearest village, the two were not identical. It would be natural to make the solemn seven days mourning, either when just about to enter the Canaanite territory or at the tomb.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
10. The threshing-floor of Atad Or, the threshing-floor of the thorn . The words may be taken as the proper name of a place, Goren-haatadh . It was beyond Jordan, that is, on the east of Jordan, for such is the natural meaning of this phrase . Accordingly, it appears that this vast procession took a circuitous route, went round the Dead Sea, and entered Canaan on the east . Why they should have taken such a journey does not appear in this narrative, and some have regarded it as so improbable that they have discarded the natural meaning of the language here employed, and have explained beyond Jordan as meaning west of the Jordan . According to Jerome it was called in his time Beth-agla, and some have sought to identify it with the modern Ain Hadjla, the Beth-hoglah of the tribe of Judah, (Jos 15:6,) situated at the northern end of the Dead Sea, about two miles west of the Jordan . One writing at the east of the Jordan, as the author of this passage is supposed to have done, would have spoken of this place as beyond Jordan. But this identification with Beth-hoglah is of no sufficient authority, and why any writer should have designated a place west of the Jordan as beyond Jordan is inexplicable, if this funeral procession did not go anywhere in the vicinity of the Jordan. Better, therefore, to suppose that this round-about journey was taken to avoid conflict with hostile tribes then occupying the country on the direct road to Hebron. For a similar reason the whole house of Israel at a later day compassed the land of Edom and entered Canaan from the east. At this place, perhaps nothing but a threshing-floor surrounded by thornbushes, but affording a suitable place for the purpose, they mourned with a great and very sore lamentation for the space of seven days. Thus to the seventy days of mourning in Egypt, (Gen 50:3,) they now added a full week at the borders of Canaan.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Gen 50:10. They came to the threshing-floor of Atad Atad is, according to some, the proper name of a person; according to others, the word is an appellative, and signifies brambles; and so should be rendered the threshing-floor of brambles. See Jdg 9:14. Psa 58:9. The place is supposed to be about two leagues from Jericho, on the other side Jordan, at fifty miles distance from Hebron. Beyond Jordan, is, by Junius and others, translated, at the passage of Jordan, which agrees with some of the ancient persons. Those who justify our translation suppose these words to have been spoken in respect of the place where Moses was when he wrote this history, which was in the wilderness of Arabia, on the east of Jordan; Deu 1:1; Deu 25:19.
He made a mourning for his father seven days We have here the most ancient monument of the mourning of seven days, which was afterwards observed among the Jews. See Num 19:19. 1Sa 31:13. Sir 22:12. And their rejoicing at weddings was of the same continuance. See ch. Gen 29:27. Other passages however shew that their funeral mourning, on other occasions, lasted a month, or thirty days; Num 20:29. Deu 21:13; Deu 34:8. It is difficult to say why Joseph observed this ceremonial at the threshing-floor of Atad: the most probable reason is that which is given by Musculus, that they chose this place for the solemnity, as being a proper place for them to rest their weary cattle, which had travelled a long way through the solitary and sandy desert, and needed refreshment. See Calmet’s Dissertation on the Funerals of the Hebrews. Note; 1. Those who have been eminent in their day deserve to be honourably attended to their grave. The death of a great good man is not only a loss to his family but to his country. 2. When we attend the funerals of others, it becomes us seriously to think of our own. 3. Who could have thought, that the nation who thus lamented the father could afterwards so sorely have afflicted the children? 4. We must not give way to over-much sorrow; the living call for our regard, and our tears cannot profit the dead.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Atad was westward of Jordan, Deu 1:1 ; Job 2:13 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Gen 50:10 And they came to the threshingfloor of Atad, which [is] beyond Jordan, and there they mourned with a great and very sore lamentation: and he made a mourning for his father seven days.
Ver. 10. And he made a mourning for his father. ] Not seventy days, as those infidels did, Gen 50:3 . But why mourned he at all, since God had signified his will? So far forth as something concurs with God’s will that is grievous to us, we may mourn moderately without offence.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
the threshingfloor: This place was situated, according to Jerome, between the Jordan and the city of Jericho, two miles from the former, and three from the latter, where Bethagla was afterwards built. Procopius of Gaza states the same. As aataad signifies thorns, the place might have been remarkable for their production; though all the versions except the Arabic consider it as a proper name. As Moses wrote or revised his history on the east side of Jordan, the term beyond Jordan, in his five books, means westward of Jordan; but in other parts of Scripture it generally means eastward.
beyond: Gen 50:11, Deu 1:1
seven days: Gen 50:4, Num 19:11, Deu 34:8, 1Sa 31:13, 2Sa 1:17, Job 2:13, Act 8:2
Reciprocal: Gen 23:2 – mourn Gen 27:41 – The days Jos 15:6 – Bethhogla 1Sa 1:10 – wept sore 1Ch 10:12 – fasted 2Ch 32:33 – did him Eze 3:15 – sat
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Gen 50:10. They mourned with a very great and sore lamentation This, says Sir John Chardin, quoted by Harmer, (vol. 2. p. 136,) is exactly the genius of the people of Asia, especially of the women. Their sentiments of joy or grief are properly transports; and their transports are ungoverned, excessive, and truly outrageous. When any one returns from a long journey, or dies, his family bursts into cries that may be heard twenty doors off; and this is renewed at different times, and continues many days, according to the vigour of the passion. Especially are these cries long in the case of death, and frightful; for their mourning is right down despair, and an image of hell. I was lodged, in the year 1676, at Ispahan, near the royal square; the mistress of the next house to mine died at that time. The moment she expired, all the family, to the number of twenty-five or thirty people, set up such a furious cry, that I was quite startled, and was above two hours before I could recover myself. These cries continue a long time, then cease all at once; they begin again as suddenly at day-break and in concert. It is this suddenness which is so terrifying, together with a greater shrillness or loudness than any one would easily imagine. This enraged kind of mourning, if I may call it so, continued forty days, not equally violent, but with diminution from day to day. The longest and most violent acts were when they washed the body, when they perfumed it, when they carried it out to be interred, at making the inventory, and when they divided the effects. You are not to suppose that those that were ready to split their throats with crying out wept as much: the greatest part of them did not shed a single tear through the whole tragedy. It is probable, however, that there was more sincerity in the mourning, even of the Egyptians, for Jacob, than is described in these words; for they seem evidently to have greatly respected him. And their solemn mourning for him (Gen 50:11) gave a name to the place, Abel-Misraim, which, in Hebrew, signifies, The mourning of the Egyptians: which served for a testimony against the next generation of the Egyptians, who oppressed the posterity of this Jacob, to whom their ancestors showed such respect.