Genesis 50:16 (GNV)

Passage

Therefore they sent vnto Ioseph, saying, Thy father commanded before his death, saying,

Nearby Context

Genesis 50:14 Then Ioseph returned into Egypt, he and his brethren, and al that went vp with him to bury his father, after that he had buried his father.

Genesis 50:15 And when Iosephs brethren saw that their father was dead, they sayde, It may be that Ioseph will hate vs, and will pay vs againe all the euill, which we did vnto him.

Genesis 50:16 Therefore they sent vnto Ioseph, saying, Thy father commanded before his death, saying,

Genesis 50:17 Thus shall ye say vnto Ioseph, Forgiue now, I pray thee, the trespasse of thy brethren, and their sinne: for they rewarded thee euil. And nowe, we pray thee, forgiue the trespasse of the seruants of thy fathers God. And Ioseph wept, when they spake vnto him.

Genesis 50:18 Also his brethren came vnto him, and fell downe before his face, and sayde, Beholde, we be thy seruants.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "therefore", "sent", "vnto", "ioseph", "saying", "father", "commanded", and "before". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "therefore" and "sent", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "And when Iosephs brethren saw that their..." into verse 17's "Thus shall ye say vnto Ioseph Forgiue...", so "therefore" and "sent" 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 "therefore" and "sent" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.