Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Joshua 24:32
And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt, buried they in Shechem, in a parcel of ground which Jacob bought of the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for a hundred pieces of silver: and it became the inheritance of the children of Joseph.
32. And the bones of Joseph ] For the careful instructions of this patriarch respecting his remains, see Gen 50:24-25; and for their careful removal from Egypt by Moses, see Exo 13:19.
brought up out of Egypt ] The body of the patriarch was embalmed, and placed in an Egyptian coffin. The sacred burden had been borne by the two tribes of the house of Joseph all through the wanderings of the wilderness, and was now reverently laid
in a parcel of ground ] which Jacob had bought for a hundred pieces of silver, of the sons of Hamor (Gen 33:19), and given “to the favourite son of his favourite Rachel.”
an hundred pieces of silver ] or lambs, “for an hundrid yonge scheep,” Wyclif. See Gen 33:19, margin; but comp. Act 7:16.
and it became ] i. e. the plot of ground, as well as Shechem.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 32. And the bones of Joseph] See Clarke on Ge 50:25, and on Ex 13:19. This burying of the bones of Joseph probably took place when the conquest of the land was completed, and each tribe had received its inheritance; for it is not likely that this was deferred till after the death of Joshua.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
In Shechem; not in the city of Shechem, but in a field near and belonging to it, as appears from the following words, and from Gen 33:18, and from the ancient custom of the Israelites to have their burying-places without cities, in fields or gardens.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
32. the bones of JosephTheyhad carried these venerable relics with them in all their migrationsthrough the desert, and deferred the burial, according to the dyingcharge of Joseph himself, till they arrived in the promised land. Thesarcophagus, in which his mummied body had been put, was broughtthither by the Israelites, and probably buried when the tribe ofEphraim had obtained their settlement, or at the solemn convocationdescribed in this chapter.
in a parcel of ground whichJacob bought . . . for an hundred pieces of silverKestitahtranslated, “piece of silver,” is supposed to mean “alamb,” the weights being in the form of lambs or kids, whichwere, in all probability, the earliest standard of value amongpastoral people. The tomb that now covers the spot is a MohammedanWelce, but there is no reason to doubt that the preciousdeposit of Joseph’s remains may be concealed there at the presenttime.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt,…. At the request, and by the order of Joseph,
Ge 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, Ex 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 g, that Joseph was buried at a village called Belata, a sabbath day’s journey from Shechem; but Jerom says h 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 comments on Ge 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 comments on Ge 48:22].
g Ut supra. (Cippi Heb. p. 32.) h Quaest. Heb. in Genesim, fol. 73. C.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
32. And the bones of Joseph, etc The time when the bones of Joseph were buried is not mentioned; but it is easy to infer that the Israelites had performed this duty after they obtained a peaceful habitation in the city of Shechem. For although he had not designated a particular place for a sepulchre, they thought it a mark of respect to deposit his bones in the field which Jacob had purchased. It may be, however, that this is expressed as a censure on the sluggishness of the people, to which it was owing, that Joseph could not be buried with Abraham, that locality being still in the power of the enemy. Stephen (Act 7:0) mentions the bones of the twelve patriarchs, and it is not impossible that the other tribes, from feelings of emulation, gathered together the ashes of their progenitors. It is there said that the field was purchased by Abraham; but obviously an error in the name has crept in. With regard to sepulture, we must hold in general, that the very frequent mention of it in Scripture is owing to its being a symbol of the future Resurrection.
END OF THE COMMENTARY ON THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
‘ And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt, they buried in Shechem in the parcel of ground which Jacob bought of the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem, for a hundred pieces of silver, and they became the inheritance of the children of Joseph.’
The parcel of ground that Jacob had bought (Gen 33:19) was still recognised as belonging to him, and was identifiable. This demonstrated that there were those alive, who were descended from members of the household of Jacob, who were still living there. This burial would have taken place many years earlier, but is mentioned here as a finalising of the deliverance record, demonstrating that the journey from Egypt was finally over. All was at rest.
“The inheritance of the children of Joseph.” Shechem was within the inheritance of Manasseh, the son of Joseph. But this suggests that in a special way the grave and the bones became the inheritance of the two tribes as the sons of Joseph. Joseph himself had requested that his bones be brought there (Gen 50:25; Exo 13:19), and now it was accomplished.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Ver. 32. And the bones of Josephburied they in Shechem See Gen 50:25. Some are of opinion, that Joshua performed this duty soon after the passage over Jordan, immediately after he had built the altar on mount Ebal, near Shechem. Others think that it was not done till the peace which followed the conquest of the land of Canaan. They all conclude, that Joshua would not have longer deferred paying to the patriarch Joseph an honour so frequently enjoined. The reason, say they, that no mention of the ceremony occurs before, is, that it was thought proper to collect together, in this concluding passage, what respected the funerals of three great men. But there seems no difficulty in supposing Joshua to have discharged himself of this tribute to the remains of Joseph in the great assembly of the nation at Shechem. We might even suppose, that it was the design of interring the bones of that patriarch with greater solemnity, which determined Joshua to convene that assembly there, rather than at Shiloh.
In a parcel of ground which Jacob bought, &c. See Gen 23:16; Gen 33:18-19; Gen 48:22; Gen 50:25. Joseph was not interred in Shechem, but, according to the ancient custom, in a field adjoining. Probably, the other children of Jacob received the like honour, each tribe taking care to bury its ancestor, either at Machpelah, or elsewhere, in the land of Canaan. Josephus asserts that it was so, upon the credit of an ancient tradition, , Hist. Jud. l. ii. c. 4.; and St. Stephen confirms the relation, Act 7:16.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
The remembrance of the just is blessed. The bones of Joseph had been long kept if, as we may suppose, the funeral of them was only now performed. He had been dead nearly 200 years. Yet such was the affection of Israel to his memory, and obedience to his dying request, that they thought it no trouble to carry his bones about with them in all their journeys. See Gen 1:25 ; Exo 13:19 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Jos 24:32 And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt, buried they in Shechem, in a parcel of ground which Jacob bought of the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for an hundred pieces of silver: and it became the inheritance of the children of Joseph.
Ver. 32. Buried they in Shechem. ] Where his monument was to be seen in Jerome’s time, as he testifieth in his questions upon Genesis.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED TEXT): Jos 24:32-33
32Now they buried the bones of Joseph, which the sons of Israel brought up from Egypt, at Shechem, in the piece of ground which Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for one hundred pieces of money; and they became the inheritance of Joseph’s sons. 33And Eleazar the son of Aaron died; and they buried him at Gibeah of Phinehas his son, which was given him in the hill country of Ephraim.
Jos 24:32 bones of Joseph This was Joseph’s request (cf. Gen 50:24-26; Exo 13:19). He had been embalmed with great care in the tradition of the Egyptians.
which Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor (cf. Gen 33:19). Shechem was also in the land allotment of Joseph’s two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh.
NASB, NRSVpieces of money
NKJV, TEV,
NJBpieces of silver
The Hebrew is uncertain (BDB 903, Gen 33:19; Job 42:1). It occurs three times in the OT. It seems to refer to an unknown weight functioning as money. The Septuagint translates the term as lamb, which may mean (1) shape of a lamb or (2) the value of a lamb (cf. NIDOTTE, vol. 4, p. 239).
Jos 24:33 Eleazar The High Priest during Joshua’s day also died and was buried at Gibeah, not the city in the tribal allocation of Benjamin, but a place near Shiloh in the allocation of Ephraim.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.
These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.
1. What is the difference between chapter 23 and 24?
2. Does the Bible teach against inter-racial marriage?
3. Is this chapter a literary unit written in Joshua’s day or a later compilation?
4. Why does I appear so often in Jos 24:3-13?
5. Was Abraham a polytheist before God called him?
6. Why are Jos 24:14-15 so important in describing biblical faith?
7. Are Jos 24:29-33 a later addition?
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
the bones of Joseph. Compare Gen 50:25. Heb 11:22. Shechem. Where God first appeared to Abraham in Canaan (Gen 12:6), and where he built his first altar (Gen 12:6, Gen 12:7).
Jacob bought. Compare Gen 33:19. Not Act 7:16, nor Gen 23, which was quite a different transaction.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
bones: Gen 50:25, Exo 13:19, Act 7:16, Heb 11:22
buried: Gen 33:19, Gen 48:22
pieces of silver: or, lambs
Reciprocal: Gen 12:6 – Sichem Jos 17:7 – Shechem 2Sa 23:1 – the last 1Ki 12:1 – Shechem Psa 60:6 – Shechem Jer 41:5 – Shechem Joh 4:5 – the parcel
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jos 24:32. The bones of Joseph Joseph died two hundred years before in Egypt, but gave commandment concerning his bones, that they should not rest in a grave till Israel rested in the land of promise. Now, therefore, they were deposited in that piece of ground which his father gave him near Shechem. One reason why Joshua called all Israel to Shechem, might be to attend Josephs bones to the grave. So that he now delivered, as it were, both Josephs funeral sermon, and his own farewell sermon. And if it was in the last year of his life, the occasion might well remind him of his own death now at hand. For he was just of the same age with his illustrious ancestor, who died, being one hundred and ten years old, Gen 50:26.