Topical Bible: Seven: Days: Mourning for Jacob Lasted For

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In the biblical narrative, the mourning period for Jacob, also known as Israel, lasted for seven days. This event is recorded in the Book of Genesis, specifically in Genesis 50:10. Jacob, the patriarch of the Israelites, had passed away in Egypt, where he had been living with his family during the latter years of his life. His death marked a significant moment for his descendants, who would later become the twelve tribes of Israel.

After Jacob's death, his son Joseph, who held a prominent position in Egypt, sought permission from Pharaoh to fulfill his father's last wish to be buried in the land of Canaan, in the cave of Machpelah, which Abraham had purchased as a burial site. Pharaoh granted this request, and Joseph, along with his brothers and a large entourage of Egyptian dignitaries, journeyed to Canaan to bury Jacob.

Genesis 50:10 states: "When they reached the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, they lamented and wailed loudly, and Joseph observed a seven-day period of mourning for his father." This passage highlights the deep respect and honor Joseph and his family had for Jacob, as well as the cultural practices of mourning during that time.

The seven-day mourning period, also known as "shiva" in later Jewish tradition, was a time of intense grief and reflection. It allowed the family and community to come together to honor the deceased, share memories, and offer support to one another. The location of the mourning, the threshing floor of Atad, is noted to be beyond the Jordan, indicating that the mourning took place outside of Egypt, closer to the burial site in Canaan.

This period of mourning for Jacob is significant not only for its demonstration of filial piety and respect but also for its foreshadowing of the Israelites' eventual return to the Promised Land. Jacob's burial in Canaan served as a reminder of God's covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the promise of the land to their descendants.

The seven days of mourning for Jacob reflect the importance of honoring one's ancestors and the continuity of God's promises through the generations. This event underscores the deep familial bonds and the enduring faith of the patriarchs, which would continue to shape the identity and destiny of the Israelite people.

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Genesis 50:10
And they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond Jordan, and there they mourned with a great and very sore lamentation: and he made a mourning for his father seven days.
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Library

The Book of Jubilees
... The mourning on the Day of Atonement commemorated the ... but it dates the arrival of
Jacob in Egypt ... Tabernacles lasted each of them seven days; seven weeks after ...
//christianbookshelf.org/deane/pseudepigrapha/the book of jubilees.htm

What Messiah did the Jews Expect?
... of sin, since the good deeds of seven righteous men ... displays in the heavens tokens
of mourning, corresponding to ... brief and broken sunshine of the days of Ezra ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter v what messiah did.htm

Of Antichrist, and his Ruin: and of the Slaying the Witnesses.
... shall down with Antichrist, he will slay seven thousand names ... for at this day, 'the
remnant of Jacob shall be ... Also in these days men shall come flocking into ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/of antichrist and his ruin .htm

The Prophecies
... score and two weeks," (which have followed the first seven. ... and I will turn your
feasts into mourning, and all ... Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I ...
//christianbookshelf.org/pascal/pensees/section xi the prophecies.htm

The Teaching of Add??us the Apostle.
... the church, such as had been the mourning when Add??us ... succeeded his father at Edessa,
and reigned seven years ... passed, whereas a delay of ten days was required ...
/.../unknown/the decretals/ancient syriac documents the teaching.htm

The Hebrews and the Philistines --Damascus
... ear-rings alone amounted to one thousand seven hundred shekels ... to leave their usual
haunts, a few days or often a ... in Genesis 35:4, under which Jacob buried the ...
/.../chapter iiithe hebrews and the.htm

A Clearing-Up Storm in the Realm
... Then seven thunders roar out. ... These two men are clothed in mourning as a part of
their witness. ... Their witness continues through twelve hundred and sixty days. ...
/.../vi a clearing-up storm in the.htm

From the Close of the General Conference of 1792 to the Close of ...
... took place in Virginia in the early days of Methodism ... there were about thirty-six,
six or seven of whom ... friends, and in his addresses to mourning penitents, he ...
/.../chapter 1 from the close.htm

Traditionalism, Its Origin, Character, and Literature - the ...
... Sabbaths, New Moons, and Feast Days, and even ... and Haggadah about funeral and mourning
observances; Kallah ... Frankfort, 1851) the so-called seven smaller tractates ...
/.../chapter viii traditionalism its origin.htm

The Iranian Conquest
... duration: the Chaldaean empire of Nebuchadrezzar lasted for a ... In later days he was
portrayed under the form of ... bringing their number up to seven; sometimes his ...
/.../chapter ithe iranian conquest.htm