Genesis 50:11Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Beloved, as you hear these words, do not overlook them; instead, reflect on the time when these events unfolded, and do not judge Joseph in any manner. In that era, the gates of hell had yet to be shattered, the chains of death had not been unbound, and death was not recognized as a state of rest. This fear of death is what led people to act as they did. However, through God’s grace, death has transformed into a mere slumber, it has become a place of rest, and we now possess great confidence in the resurrection. Thus, as we transition from one life to another, we celebrate and find joy. And what do I mean by transitioning from one life to another? From the worst to the best, from the transient to the eternal, from the earthly to the heavenly.

The funeral procession did not take the most direct path to Hebron via the land of the Philistines. Instead, it took a more circuitous route through the Arabian desert, reaching Idumea and then following the eastern shore of the Dead Sea to the eastern banks of the Jordan, where it paused at the threshing-floor of Atad. One can observe in this procession a prophetic foreshadowing of the Israelites' journey to Canaan, which occurred two centuries later following their exodus from Egypt, as their path mirrored this same direction. Those who participated in the funeral stayed at Atad's threshing floor for seven days, mourning for Jacob with great lamentation. This practice of seven days of mourning for the deceased, rooted in Jewish tradition, continued to be observed by the Jewish people in later times.