Genesis 50:16
ESV
So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, "Your father gave this command before he died:
NIV
So they sent word to Joseph, saying, "Your father left these instructions before he died:
NASB
So they sent instructions to Joseph, saying, 'Your father commanded us before he died, saying,
CSB
So they sent this message to Joseph, "Before he died your father gave a command:
NLT
So they sent this message to Joseph: 'Before your father died, he instructed us
KJV
And they sent a messenger unto Joseph, saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying,
NKJV
So they sent messengers to Joseph, saying, “Before your father died he commanded, saying,
What does Genesis 50:16 mean?
Joseph's brothers are comfortably settled in Egypt, provided with food, despite a severe famine (Genesis 47:11–13). This was arranged by their brother, Joseph, who is the governor of the entire nation (Genesis 41:44). However, now that their father is dead and buried (Genesis 50:1–14), they seem fearful. They're afraid Joseph has only been kind to them for the sake of their father, Jacob. Now that Jacob is gone, they worry Joseph will exact revenge on them for selling him into slavery as a teenager (Genesis 37:26–28). They, themselves, know they are guilty of sin worthy of such punishment (Genesis 42:21–22).Taking something of their father's lead, the brothers seek to proactively appease Joseph (Genesis 32:9–16; 43:11–14). They send a message to Joseph, appealing to his fondness for their departed father. Their claim is that Jacob gave them a message, for Joseph, asking him to forgive his brothers for their sins against him (Genesis 50:17). Interpreters debate whether that statement really came from Jacob, or if it was invented by the brothers for this purpose.
Genesis 50:15–21 reveals that Joseph's brothers are consumed with guilt and fear after their father's death. They worry Joseph has been waiting for Jacob to die before taking revenge. This would not be unexpected, as they cruelly sold Joseph into slavery as a teenager (Genesis 37:26–28). The brothers attempt to appease Joseph with a message, supposedly from Jacob, but he tells them not to be afraid. In one of Scripture's most pivotal remarks, Joseph explains his conviction that, though their intent was evil, God's good purposes were behind everything that had happened. Despite their bad intentions, God used their acts to save many lives. Joseph assures them he will not harm them.
Genesis 50 begins with Joseph's weeping over his father's body, followed by the embalming of Jacob, a 70–day period of state mourning, and a trip to Canaan to bury Jacob with his fathers. Joseph's brothers, worried that he would take his revenge on them for selling him into slavery, seek Joseph's forgiveness. He assures them he will not harm them. The chapter skips to the end of Joseph's life. After assuring his people that God will return them to Canaan one day, Joseph dies and is embalmed.
