Holly Bible - KJV with Concise Commentaries by Z Selam - HTML preview
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Genesis -50
1 And Joseph fell upon his father’s face, and wept upon him, and
kissed him.
Joseph is here paying his last respects to his deceased father. With tears and kisses, and all the tender expressions of a filial affection, he takes leave of the deserted body, Ge 50:1. Though Jacob was old and decrepit, and must needs die in the course of nature--though he was poor comparatively, and a constant charge to his son Joseph, yet such an affection he had for a loving father, and so sensible was he of the loss of a prudent, pious, praying father, that he could not part with him without floods of tears. Note, As it is an honour to die lamented, so it is the duty of survivors to lament the death of those who have been useful in their day, though for some time they may have survived their usefulness. The departed soul is out of the reach of our tears and kisses, but with them it is proper to show our respect to the poor body, of which we look for a glorious and joyful resurrection. Thus Joseph showed his faith in God, and love to his father, by kissing his pale and cold lips, and so giving an affectionate farewell. Probably the rest of Jacob's sons did the same, much moved, no doubt, with his dying words.
2 And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his
father: and the physicians embalmed Israel.
He ordered the body to be embalmed (Ge 50:2), not only because he died in Egypt, and that was the manner of the Egyptians, but because he was to be carried to Canaan, which would be a work of time, and therefore it was necessary the body should be preserved as well as it might be from putrefaction. See how vile our bodies are, when the soul has forsaken them; without a great deal of art, and pains, and care, they will, in a very little time, become noisome. If the body have been dead four days, by that time it is offensive.