Genesis 50:16

Genesis 50:16, in plain English

The brothers send a message to Joseph, saying that before Jacob died, he gave them instructions about what to tell Joseph. They're appealing to their father's authority even after his death.

Why it's here

This is brilliant in a way—and possibly an exaggeration. They're using Jacob's memory and authority as leverage. Whether Jacob actually gave these exact instructions or whether the brothers are being strategic, they're trying to invoke their father's wishes as the reason Joseph should forgive them. It's a way of saying: 'This isn't just about us asking; our father asked this of you.'

Who's speaking

The brothers, sending a message to Joseph

Where it sits in the story

The brothers are still trying to manage Joseph through indirect channels. They don't quite trust him yet, so they're using their father's memory as an intermediary. This sets up Joseph's response—will he forgive them because Jacob asked, or because he actually means it?

The scholarly reading

Joseph's brothers send a message to him, claiming (falsely or with uncertainty) that Jacob commanded him to forgive them before his death.

Language and setting

The brothers employ what scholars call a 'deathbed instruction' motif (צִוָּה אָבִיךָ, 'your father commanded'), a narrative device common in the ancient Near East wherein patriarchs bind their heirs through final words. The authenticity of this claim is deliberately ambiguous—the text does not confirm that Jacob actually made such a statement, leaving open the possibility that the brothers fabricate or elaborate the message. This ambiguity forces readers to consider: does the message's truth matter if the brothers are genuinely seeking reconciliation? The mechanism of communication—sending word rather than confronting Joseph directly—reveals their continued deference and fear. Medieval commentators debated whether the brothers were lying or misremembering, while modern exegetes note that the narrative technique itself suspends judgment.

Voice

The narrator, describing the brothers' calculated message.

Significance

This indirect appeal for forgiveness contrasts with genuine repentance—the brothers are employing Jacob's authority as a mediating shield rather than taking full responsibility for their guilt. This sets up Joseph's response as one that transcends both revenge and mere parental mediation.

14After Joseph had buried his father, he returned to Egypt with his brothers and all who had gone with him to bury his father.

15When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph bears a grudge? Then he will surely repay us for all the evil that we did to him.”

16So they sent word to Joseph, saying, “Before he died, your father commanded,

17‘This is what you are to say to Joseph: I beg you, please forgive the transgression and sin of your brothers, for they did you wrong.’ So now, Joseph, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.”

18His brothers also came to him, bowed down before him, and said, “We are your slaves!”

Read all of Genesis 50 — Joseph looks his brothers in the eye and speaks one of the most redemptive sentences in Scripture.