Jacob’s final wish shows the permanence of God’s promise and testifies to a faith that perseveres unto the end.
“When the time for Israel to die drew near, he called his son Joseph and said to him, ‘Please, if I have found favor in your sight, place now your hand under my thigh and deal with me in kindness and faithfulness. Please do not bury me in Egypt.’” (v.29)
In this verse, Jacob—also called Israel—senses that his death is approaching and summons his son Joseph, who at this time is a high-ranking official in Egypt, to secure a solemn promise. The phrase place now your hand under my thigh is a cultural form of oath-taking seen elsewhere in Genesis; it underscores the seriousness of the request. Jacob pleads, Please do not bury me in Egypt, indicating his deep desire to be laid to rest in the land promised to his forefathers. Egypt, located in the northeastern corner of Africa, had become a place of both refuge and coming hardship for the Israelite family, but Jacob’s heart remains fixed on his ancestral homeland in Canaan.
Historically, Jacob (born around 2006 BC and died around 1859 BC) stands within a lineage that reaches back to Abraham and forward to the twelve tribes of Israel, including the line of Judah, from which Jesus would later come (Romans 9:5). Though Joseph saved his family from famine through his God-appointed position in Egypt, Jacob’s request signals his faith that God’s covenant journey for his descendants continues beyond their stay in this foreign land. The oath itself underscores both the reverence for heritage and the tangible reality that God’s promises remain steadfast across generations.
Spiritually, this verse reminds believers that even in places of comfort or success (as Egypt was for Joseph), there is a greater inheritance at stake—the land of promise, given and sustained by God. It also foreshadows the importance of returning to the place of covenant blessing, a theme that finds its ultimate fulfillment in Christ, who calls believers to a heavenly homeland beyond earthly borders (Hebrews 11:16). By asking Joseph to bury him with his ancestors, Jacob symbolically entrusts the future of Israel back into God’s hands.
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Genesis 47:29 meaning
“When the time for Israel to die drew near, he called his son Joseph and said to him, ‘Please, if I have found favor in your sight, place now your hand under my thigh and deal with me in kindness and faithfulness. Please do not bury me in Egypt.’” (v.29)
In this verse, Jacob—also called Israel—senses that his death is approaching and summons his son Joseph, who at this time is a high-ranking official in Egypt, to secure a solemn promise. The phrase place now your hand under my thigh is a cultural form of oath-taking seen elsewhere in Genesis; it underscores the seriousness of the request. Jacob pleads, Please do not bury me in Egypt, indicating his deep desire to be laid to rest in the land promised to his forefathers. Egypt, located in the northeastern corner of Africa, had become a place of both refuge and coming hardship for the Israelite family, but Jacob’s heart remains fixed on his ancestral homeland in Canaan.
Historically, Jacob (born around 2006 BC and died around 1859 BC) stands within a lineage that reaches back to Abraham and forward to the twelve tribes of Israel, including the line of Judah, from which Jesus would later come (Romans 9:5). Though Joseph saved his family from famine through his God-appointed position in Egypt, Jacob’s request signals his faith that God’s covenant journey for his descendants continues beyond their stay in this foreign land. The oath itself underscores both the reverence for heritage and the tangible reality that God’s promises remain steadfast across generations.
Spiritually, this verse reminds believers that even in places of comfort or success (as Egypt was for Joseph), there is a greater inheritance at stake—the land of promise, given and sustained by God. It also foreshadows the importance of returning to the place of covenant blessing, a theme that finds its ultimate fulfillment in Christ, who calls believers to a heavenly homeland beyond earthly borders (Hebrews 11:16). By asking Joseph to bury him with his ancestors, Jacob symbolically entrusts the future of Israel back into God’s hands.