Genesis 50:17Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Observe how they end up condemning themselves; witness the profound influence of conscience in reproach. You fully recognize the unrighteousness and transgressions you have committed, the evil you have done. “And now receive the unrighteousness of the servants of God your father's God.” Thus, without any external pressure, they find themselves accusing their own actions, saying, “Your father commanded: forsake them, for they have demonstrated wickedness, and accept the unrighteousness of the servants of God, your father's God.” Yet this remarkable individual, endowed with all virtues, was not only oblivious to their misdeeds but also distressed by their words. “And Joseph wept, saying to them that said unto him.”

Convinced that Joseph sought to spare his elderly father from the turmoil of revenge and was merely postponing retribution until a more appropriate moment, they approached him with the message, ‘Father, before his passing, he instructed, “Say to Joseph, ‘Pardon their transgressions, overlook their injustice; they have wronged you, yet you shall absolve them of their sins for the sake of the God of your ancestors.’” Upon hearing this, Joseph was overwhelmed with emotion and wept.

Pardon the servants of your heavenly Father. This is a simple yet profoundly compelling call to compassion. "We have sinned; we do not deserve to be considered your brothers; yet we worship the God of your father, and we rely on Him; if God has shown us mercy thus far for the sake of our father, may He also grant you mercy for the sake of your God."

Joseph's brothers, in their plea for him to "forgive their iniquity," meaning that he should not seek retribution for their wrongs, highlight two key points: first, their father Jacob had instructed them, prior to his passing, to ask Joseph for his pardon (though the earlier account by Moses does not mention this detail); second, they identified themselves as "the servants of the God of their father," indicating that they were devoted to the same God honored by Jacob. Thus, Joseph was compelled to show mercy towards them, in deference to his father's wishes and because they were among the few in the world who revered the true God. Joseph's tears in response to his brothers' words demonstrated that he was moved by their plea and held no malice against them.