Topical Bible: Jacob: Body of, Embalmed

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Jacob, also known as Israel, is a patriarchal figure whose life and legacy are foundational to the history of the Israelites. The account of Jacob's death and subsequent embalming is found in the Book of Genesis, which provides a detailed narrative of his final days and the care taken for his body after death.

Death of Jacob

Jacob spent his final years in Egypt, having moved there with his family during a severe famine. This relocation was facilitated by his son Joseph, who had risen to a position of power in Egypt. As Jacob approached the end of his life, he gathered his sons to bless them and to express his final wishes. Genesis 49:33 records, "When Jacob had finished instructing his sons, he drew his feet into the bed, breathed his last, and was gathered to his people."

Embalming of Jacob

Following Jacob's death, Joseph ordered that his father's body be embalmed, a practice customary in Egypt but not among the Hebrews. Genesis 50:2-3 states, "Then Joseph directed the physicians in his service to embalm his father Israel. So they embalmed him, taking the full forty days required for embalming. And the Egyptians mourned for him seventy days."

The embalming process, which took forty days, was a sophisticated method of preservation that involved the removal of internal organs, treatment with natron (a type of salt), and wrapping in linen. This practice was intended to prepare the body for the afterlife, according to Egyptian beliefs. However, for Jacob, the embalming served a practical purpose, ensuring the preservation of his body for transport back to Canaan, as he had requested to be buried in the cave of Machpelah alongside his ancestors.

Significance of the Embalming

The embalming of Jacob's body is significant for several reasons. It highlights the intersection of Hebrew and Egyptian customs during the period of the Israelites' sojourn in Egypt. While the Hebrews did not traditionally embalm their dead, Joseph's decision to have Jacob embalmed reflects the influence of his Egyptian environment and his desire to honor his father with the highest respect and care.

Furthermore, the embalming and the extended period of mourning by the Egyptians underscore the high regard in which Jacob was held, not only by his family but also by the Egyptian people. This respect is further evidenced by the large entourage that accompanied Joseph and his brothers to Canaan to bury Jacob, as described in Genesis 50:7-9 : "So Joseph went to bury his father. All Pharaoh’s officials, the elders of his household, and all the elders of the land of Egypt, along with all of Joseph’s household, his brothers, and his father’s household, went with him."

Burial in Canaan

Jacob's embalmed body was eventually transported to Canaan, fulfilling his wish to be buried in the family tomb. Genesis 50:13 records, "They carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave at Machpelah, the field near Mamre that Abraham had purchased as a burial site from Ephron the Hittite." This act of returning Jacob to the Promised Land symbolizes the enduring connection of the patriarchs to the land God had promised to Abraham and his descendants.

In summary, the embalming of Jacob's body serves as a testament to the cultural interactions between the Hebrews and Egyptians and reflects the deep respect and honor accorded to Jacob by both his family and the Egyptian nation.

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Genesis 50:2
And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father: and the physicians embalmed Israel.
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Library

A Calm Evening, Promising a Bright Morning
... It is noteworthy that Jacob desired to be laid beside his ancestors, and ... Joseph felt
that his position in Egypt required that his embalmed body should for a ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture k/a calm evening promising a.htm

Joseph --The Savior of his People.
... Joseph had the body of his father embalmed, as the Egyptians had the custom ... and many
Egyptians who were Joseph's friends, carried the body of Jacob to Canaan ...
/.../lathbury/childs story of the bible/chapter viii josephthe savior of.htm

Of the Incomparable Love which the Mother of God, Our Blessed Lady ...
... body, obedient to divine love, and wholly embalmed with a ... as regards the spirit,
though as regards the body it was ... under her"or if ever, like Jacob, she saw ...
/.../francis/treatise on the love of god/chapter viii of the incomparable.htm

Here Beginneth the History of Joseph and his Brethren
... Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. When that time shall come, take my bones and lead them
with you from this place, and then died. Whose body was embalmed with sweet ...
/.../wells/bible stories and religious classics/here beginneth the history of 2.htm

Chapter l
... Afterward the whole body was washed with a palm wine. ... Jacob and Joseph are the only
two Israelites of ... the Scriptures tell that they were "embalmed," chanat, a ...
//christianbookshelf.org/leupold/exposition of genesis volume 1/chapter l.htm

Following the Cloud.
... They bore with them the embalmed body of Joseph, for they had promised to bury him ...
long among the Egyptians, and were very far from being like Jacob and Joseph ...
/.../lathbury/childs story of the bible/chapter xii following the cloud.htm

Cambyses.
... and plundering the country as he went on, and at length, in the course of his conquests,
he gained possession of the tomb in which the embalmed body of Amasis ...
//christianbookshelf.org/abbott/darius the great/chapter i cambyses.htm

Joseph's Faith
... or other there could be no life without a body, and that ... so Joseph, who was himself
going to be embalmed and put ... of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob; by which ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture k/josephs faith.htm

The Prayer of Jabez
... so far sounded, his name so lastingly embalmed"he was ... When Jacob was surnamed Israel,
he received his princedom ... He that has a healthy body is infinitely more ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 17 1871/the prayer of jabez.htm

A Discourse of Mercifulness
... Isaac would not bless Jacob by the voice, but he feels ... his flesh; He made a medicine
of his body and blood ... name of a merciful man shall be embalmed with honour ...
/.../15 a discourse of mercifulness.htm