Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
Genesis 47:30 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 30. 30But I will lie with my fathers, and thou shalt carry me out of Egypt, and bury me in their buryingplace. And he said, I will do as thou hast said.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
Jacob asks to lie with his fathers and be carried out of Egypt into their burial place; Joseph promises to do what Jacob has said. The request joins death, family belonging, Canaan, and a concrete executor duty.
Read It With
- Genesis 47:27–31
Read verse 30 with Genesis 23:1–20, 35:19–20, 49:29–33, and 50:1–14. Machpelah is the purchased ancestral tomb, Rachel has a different burial place, Jacob later specifies the family members and property, and Joseph fulfills the burial journey.
Why This Verse Appears Here
After forbidding burial in Egypt, Jacob states the positive destination and receives Joseph's promise.
Read Genesis 47:29–30 together
Why these verses belong together: Jacob summons Joseph, defines the obligation not to bury him in Egypt, names the ancestral burial destination, and receives Joseph's promise.
Verse 29. 29 And the time drew nigh that Israel must die: and he called his son Joseph, and said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me; bury me not, I pray thee, in Egypt:
Verse 30. 30 But I will lie with my fathers, and thou shalt carry me out of Egypt, and bury me in their buryingplace. And he said, I will do as thou hast said.
Follow the Context
- Israel settles, gains holdings, bears fruit, and multiplies greatly in Goshen (47:27).
- Jacob lives seventeen years in Egypt and reaches a total age of 147 (47:28).
- As death approaches, Israel summons Joseph, asks for steadfast and faithful treatment, and requires the hand-under-thigh oath that he not be buried in Egypt (47:29).
- Jacob asks to lie with his fathers and to be carried out of Egypt into their burial place; Joseph promises to act as requested (47:30).
- Jacob insists on an oath, Joseph swears, and Israel bows at the bed's head in the Masoretic/KJV reading or on the staff's top in the Septuagint reading followed by Hebrews 11:21 (47:31).
Phrase-by-Phrase Explanation
“lie with my fathers”
In plain language: Die and join the ancestors.
Jacob places his death within the ancestral family story.
Why it matters: The idiom is followed by, and therefore distinct from, the physical burial instruction.
How certain? very strong“carry me out of Egypt”
In plain language: Transport Jacob's body from Egypt.
Joseph must act after Jacob's death.
Why it matters: The requested return is embodied and logistical, not merely symbolic.
How certain? very strong“bury me in their buryingplace”
In plain language: Place Jacob in the ancestral tomb.
The destination is the family grave later identified as Machpelah.
Why it matters: The grave connects legal memory, family identity, and land promise without becoming a universal rule.
How certain? very strongWhat This Verse Is Not Saying
'Lie with my fathers' does not describe sexual action or eliminate the separate physical burial request.
Burial with the ancestors does not earn salvation, guarantee resurrection, or make Rachel's different grave dishonorable.
Jacob's request does not command every migrant to return a body to an ancestral country.
The promised-land connection does not authorize modern land seizure, displacement, or violence.
What Remains True
Belonging and family memory can shape burial wishes, but honoring them requires concrete care rather than romantic slogans or claims over living people.
How It Can Shape Life
- When someone requests burial near family, clarify the exact place, legal ownership or permission, transport plan, costs, and alternatives while respecting all living people affected.
Teach It Back
Explain Genesis 47:30's contribution to Genesis 47:27–31. Include why the nearby verses are required, what the verse clearly says, and one conclusion it does not justify.
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Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Genesis 47:27–31 — Jacob Makes Joseph Swear to Bury Him in CanaanSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? very strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Displayed text, settlement, lifespan, oath, burial, canonical land-and-bones movement, and New Testament reception.
Exact location: Genesis 47:27–31 with 23:1–20; 28:10–22; 35:16–20; 46:1–7; 48:1–22; 49:29–50:14; 50:22–26; Exodus 13:19; Joshua 24:32; and Hebrews 11:21–22 in the pinned standardized 1769 KJV
Open source ↗hebrew text morphology and lemma data
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible — Genesis
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible Project
Open Scriptures, Version 2.2 released 2021; repository inspected 2026
Supports: Settlement, multiplication, oath, death, burial, bowing, and bed/staff lexical and grammatical evidence.
Exact location: WLC Genesis 47:27–31, especially vayye'ahazu, vayyifru, vayyirbu, hesed ve'emet, tahat yereki, shakhav im avot, vayyishtahu, and the consonants h-m-t-h in verse 31
Open source ↗Translation and textual notes
NET Bible — Genesis with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, Digital edition accessed 2026
Supports: Translation, syntax, and textual-variant cross-checks.
Exact location: NET Genesis 47:27–31 translator and textual notes, especially possession, kindness and faithfulness, oath wording, bowing, and the Masoretic bed / Septuagint staff difference
Open NET Genesis 47 ↗