Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
Genesis 50:17 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 17. 17So shall ye say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren, and their sin; for they did unto thee evil: and now, we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy father. And Joseph wept when they spake unto him.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
The message asks Joseph to forgive the brothers' trespass and sin and identifies them as servants of the God of his father. Joseph weeps when he hears it. Genesis does not say whether Jacob actually gave the reported command or exactly why Joseph weeps.
Read It With
- Genesis 50:15–21
Read verses 16–18 with 45:4–15. The brothers seek protection through Jacob's memory and shared worship, then appear before Joseph themselves and offer service.
Why This Verse Appears Here
The message names sin, asks forgiveness, invokes shared worship, and elicits Joseph's tears before direct contact resumes.
Read Genesis 50:15–17 together
Why these verses belong together: Fear of revenge produces the reported command, forgiveness plea, shared-God appeal, and Joseph's tears.
Verse 15. 15 And when Joseph’s brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, Joseph will peradventure hate us, and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him.
Verse 16. 16 And they sent a messenger unto Joseph, saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying,
Verse 17. 17 So shall ye say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren, and their sin; for they did unto thee evil: and now, we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy father. And Joseph wept when they spake unto him.
Follow the Context
- The brothers fear that Joseph may hate them and repay all the evil they did to him (50:15).
- They send Joseph a message reporting that Jacob commanded him to forgive their trespass and sin; they identify themselves as servants of the God of his father, and Joseph weeps (50:16–17).
- The brothers come, bow before Joseph, and offer themselves as his servants (50:18).
- Joseph tells them not to fear and asks whether he stands in God's place (50:19).
- Joseph names their intention as evil and God's intention as good in order to preserve many people alive (50:20).
- Joseph again tells them not to fear, promises to nourish them and their children, comforts them, and speaks to their heart (50:21).
Phrase-by-Phrase Explanation
“forgive ... trespass ... sin”
In plain language: Please bear or lift the offense and wrongdoing.
The message names the brothers' actions as culpable rather than accidental.
Why it matters: Providence is not used to deny sin.
How certain? very strong“servants of the God of thy father”
In plain language: They appeal to a shared relationship with Jacob's God.
The phrase seeks a family-and-faith basis for mercy.
Why it matters: Religious identity cannot force a harmed person's response.
How certain? very strong“Joseph wept”
In plain language: Joseph cries when the message reaches him.
The tears show deep emotional impact.
Why it matters: The text does not label the exact mixture of emotion.
How certain? strongWhat This Verse Is Not Saying
The verse does not prove that Jacob certainly gave this command, and it does not prove the brothers fabricated it.
Joseph's tears do not disclose one certain emotion such as anger, relief, hurt, or joy.
Calling themselves servants of God does not erase their trespass, compel Joseph, or make religious identity a substitute for repair.
A request for forgiveness does not entitle offenders to restored access, trust, affection, or freedom from lawful consequences.
What Remains True
A sincere plea should name wrongdoing and shared moral accountability, while listeners must avoid inventing certainty about unrecorded motives or messages.
How It Can Shape Life
- When seeking forgiveness, describe the wrong concretely, avoid manipulating a third person's authority, and allow the harmed person freedom to respond without demanding a specific emotion.
Teach It Back
Explain Genesis 50:17's contribution to Genesis 50:15–21. 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 50:15–21 — Joseph Reassures His Fearful BrothersSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? strong
Where care is needed
The text does not give enough information to determine with certainty whether Jacob gave the reported command or why Joseph wept.
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 wording, sale, guilt, family change, providential interpretation, fear, forgiveness plea, care, and final-book movement.
Exact location: Genesis 50:15–21 with Genesis 37:18–36; 42:18–28; 44:18–45:15; and 50:1–14, 22–26 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: Repayment, forgiveness, God's place, paired intentions, preservation, provision, and heart-directed speech.
Exact location: WLC Genesis 50:15–21, especially yashev, sa na, hatahat elohim ani, repeated hashav, lehahayot am-rav, akhalkel, and vayedabber al-libbam
Open source ↗Translation and textual notes
NET Bible — Genesis with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, Digital edition accessed 2026
Supports: Fear wording, sent-word alternative, forgiveness idiom, rhetorical question, repeated planning verb, preserving lives, and reassuring speech.
Exact location: NET Genesis 50 translator notes for verses 15–21
Open NET Genesis 50 ↗peer reviewed open narrative theological and psychoanalytic study
The acts of God and restorative justice in the Joseph story
Sonia Kwok Wong
Stellenbosch Theological Journal 10.3, article a7, pages 1–21, 2024
Supports: Brothers' continuing fear, Joseph's tears, competing interpretations of God's action, restorative justice, and incomplete relational closure.
Exact location: Stellenbosch Theological Journal 10.3 (2024), discussion of Genesis 45 and 50:15–21
Open source ↗