Genesis 50:17 kjv

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.

Genesis 50:17 nkjv

'Thus you shall say to Joseph: "I beg you, please forgive the trespass of your brothers and their sin; for they did evil to you." ' Now, please, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of your father." And Joseph wept when they spoke to him.

Genesis 50:17 niv

'This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly.' Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father." When their message came to him, Joseph wept.

Genesis 50:17 esv

'Say to Joseph, "Please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to you."' And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father." Joseph wept when they spoke to him.

Genesis 50:17 nlt

to say to you: 'Please forgive your brothers for the great wrong they did to you ? for their sin in treating you so cruelly.' So we, the servants of the God of your father, beg you to forgive our sin." When Joseph received the message, he broke down and wept.

Genesis 50 verses

Genesis 50 17 Meaning

This verse details the brothers' deep-seated fear that Joseph would retaliate against them now that their father, Jacob, had passed away. They send a message, ostensibly from Jacob, imploring Joseph to forgive their severe past offenses of selling him into slavery and inflicting harm. Their plea is rooted in their identity as "servants of the God of your father," appealing to a shared spiritual heritage. Joseph's immediate emotional response, weeping, indicates his profound compassion, yet also the pain caused by their lingering distrust despite his many years of demonstrated grace and provision.

Genesis 50 17 Context

Genesis chapter 50 opens with Joseph mourning Jacob, his father, and conducting an elaborate embalming process and burial in Canaan. Following Jacob's death, the lingering fear of retribution, which the brothers had harbored since their youth, resurfaces intensely. They assume Joseph, no longer restrained by respect for his father, might now seek revenge for their heinous act of selling him into slavery. This verse, Gen 50:17, encapsulates their profound anxiety. It serves as the climax of their long-held guilt, as they employ Jacob's supposed final wishes, coupled with their shared identity as "servants of the God of your father," as a potent plea for mercy. Historically, revenge was a common societal expectation in the ancient Near East, especially for grievous offenses, making their fear culturally understandable. Their desperate message reflects this reality, appealing not just to brotherly kindness but also to sacred obligation to "the God of your father." Joseph's compassionate weeping underscores his enduring grace and divine wisdom, which transcends cultural norms of retribution.

Genesis 50 17 Word analysis

• וַיֹּאמְרוּ (va-yom'ru): "And they said" or "And they instructed (someone) to say." This is a plural verb. It indicates that the brothers acted together in sending this message to Joseph. The narrative does not explicitly state who delivered the message, suggesting a formal communication, perhaps through a messenger.
• אֶל-יוֹסֵף (el Yosef): "To Joseph." Joseph is the direct recipient of their appeal, underscoring their immediate reliance on his character.
• לֵאמֹר (le'mor): "saying." Introduces the quoted speech, reinforcing the directness of the message conveyed to Joseph.
• סְלַח נָא (s'lach na'): "Please forgive." S'lach (סְלַח) means to pardon, forgive, or make atonement for. Na' (נָא) is a particle of entreaty or politeness, similar to "please" or "now." It indicates a humble, earnest request.
• פֶּשַׁע (pesha'): "transgression" or "rebellion." This term implies a willful breaking of trust or a rebellion against an authority or relationship. It denotes a grave and intentional offense, far more serious than a mere mistake. Their act was a deliberate choice to harm.
• אַחֶיךָ (ach-eh-kha): "your brothers." This specific identification makes the plea deeply personal. They acknowledge their relationship.
• וְחַטָּאתָם (ve-khaṭṭā'tām): "and their sin." Chaṭṭāʾah (חַטָּאָה) means to miss the mark, err, or do wrong; it can also refer to a sin-offering. Coupled with pesha', it covers both the willful rebellion and the moral failing, emphasizing the comprehensive nature of their wrongdoing. The doubling highlights the gravity of their guilt.
• כִּי־רָעָה (ki-ra'ah): "because (they) dealt wrongly" or "because evil." Ra'ah (רָעָה) signifies evil, harm, or ill-treatment. They acknowledge the specific harm they inflicted on him.
• גְמָלוּךָ (gema-lucha): "they dealt with you" or "they inflicted upon you." This verb emphasizes their past actions that caused suffering.
• וְעַתָּה (ve-'attah): "And now." A temporal conjunction, introducing a renewed plea, indicating their present state of mind after Jacob's death. It adds urgency to their request.
• סְלַח־נָא (s'lach-na'): "Please forgive" (repeated for emphasis). This repetition underscores the brothers' desperation and intense desire for complete assurance.
• לְפֶשַׁע (le-fesha'): "for the transgression of." Another use of pesha', showing they understand the deep spiritual offense.
• עַבְדֵי (avdey): "servants of." They identify themselves collectively as servants. This term carries religious and social connotations.
• אֱלֹהֵי אָבִיךָ (Elohey avikha): "the God of your father." This is a powerful, covenantal appeal. By identifying with Jacob's God, they link their plea to Joseph's devotion to their shared father and to God's covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They appeal to a higher, shared spiritual authority.
• וַיֵּבְךְּ (vay-yevehk): "And he wept." Bakah (בָּכָה) means to cry or weep. This strong emotional reaction of Joseph indicates deep feeling. It is a sign of compassion and perhaps profound sorrow over their continued fear and distrust, as well as the resurfacing pain of past events.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "Say to Joseph, ‘Please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin...": This opening indicates a direct, intentional appeal. The use of "transgression" (rebellion) and "sin" (missing the mark) emphasizes the brothers' full awareness of the grievous nature of their actions. It's a comprehensive admission of guilt.
• "...because they dealt wrongly with you.": This clause offers a specific reason for their request, explicitly linking their sin to the harm inflicted upon Joseph. It demonstrates a form of penitence, acknowledging the consequence of their actions.
• "And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.": This is a powerful, two-part plea. The "And now" creates urgency post-Jacob's death. The repeated "please forgive" heightens their desperation. Most significantly, appealing as "servants of the God of your father" attempts to invoke a shared spiritual identity and a covenantal obligation for Joseph to extend mercy. It's an appeal beyond just brotherly bond, implying a sacred connection and a plea for divine favor mediated through Joseph.
• "And Joseph wept when they spoke to him.": This emotional climax reveals Joseph's tender heart. His tears are not of anger or resentment, but of deep empathy, perhaps sorrow at their unfounded fear after so many years of kindness, and possibly the enduring pain of the initial betrayal being revisited. It confirms his enduring grace and mercy.

Genesis 50 17 Bonus section

The brothers' assumption that Joseph would seek revenge after Jacob's death indicates that despite Joseph's consistent kindness and provision for over seventeen years, they had not fully grasped the depth of his forgiveness or his understanding of God's sovereignty (as stated in Gen 45:5-8 and reiterated in 50:20). Their fear reveals their own conscience weighing heavily on them. They were projecting their own potential response onto Joseph. The detail that "Joseph wept when they spoke to him" not only emphasizes his compassion but also highlights the weariness and sorrow of constantly confronting the distrust born from past hurts, despite his many efforts to reassure them. It shows the lasting effects of deep relational wounds and the effort required to rebuild trust, even after genuine forgiveness has been extended.

Genesis 50 17 Commentary

Genesis 50:17 provides a poignant glimpse into the persistent burden of guilt and the power of undeserved grace. After Jacob's passing, the brothers' long-suppressed fear of Joseph's retaliation resurfaced. Their collective past actions of selling Joseph into slavery were too heinous to simply forget, and they feared that with their father's protection removed, Joseph might now extract revenge, a common practice in their culture.

Their plea is a mixture of profound fear, an appeal to the dead father's authority, and a calculated spiritual invocation. The double appeal to "transgression" and "sin," alongside the acknowledgement that they "dealt wrongly," shows they understood the depth of their offense. However, their reliance on a message "from your father" (which may have been a fabrication on their part to lend weight to the plea) suggests a continuing lack of full trust in Joseph's heart. Their ultimate plea as "servants of the God of your father" is strategically brilliant: it attempts to bind Joseph's actions to a higher covenantal obligation, appealing to their shared faith and Jacob's divine connection. They positioned themselves not just as his siblings, but as fellow servants of the same God.

Joseph's response is the spiritual focal point. He weeps, not from anger, but from deep compassion and possibly renewed pain at their lingering mistrust. His tears signify a heart fully aligned with divine mercy, affirming his character forged through years of suffering and God's providence. This emotional moment paves the way for his crucial statement in verse 20, where he reiterates that God orchestrated their evil for ultimate good. This narrative profoundly demonstrates that true forgiveness transcends conditional pardon; it is a spiritual grace that resolves past wrongs and reestablishes relationships based on love, trust, and faith in God's overarching plan, even when human intentions were wicked. It teaches the enduring impact of sin and the freeing power of genuine, God-centered forgiveness.