Genesis 50:3 (DBY)

Passage

And forty days were fulfilled for him; for so are fulfilled the days of those who are embalmed. And the Egyptians mourned for him seventy days.

Nearby Context

Genesis 50:1 And Joseph fell upon his father's face, and wept upon him, and kissed him.

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

Genesis 50:3 And forty days were fulfilled for him; for so are fulfilled the days of those who are embalmed. And the Egyptians mourned for him seventy days.

Genesis 50:4 And when the days of his mourning were past, Joseph spoke to the house of Pharaoh, saying, If now I have found favour in your eyes, speak, I pray you, in the ears of Pharaoh, saying,

Genesis 50:5 My father made me swear, saying, Behold, I die; in my grave which I have dug myself in the land of Canaan, there shalt thou bury me. And now, let me go up, I pray thee, that I may bury my father; and I will come again.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "forty", "days", "fulfilled", "embalmed", "egyptians", and "mourned". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "forty" and "days", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians..." into verse 4's "And when the days of his mourning...", so "forty" and "days" belong inside that flow. In Genesis context, the local focus is creation, human rebellion, covenant promise, and God's providence.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "forty" and "days" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.