Genesis 47:29-31

47:29 The time ¹  for Israel to die approached, so he called for his son Joseph and said to him, “If now I have found favor in your sight, put your hand under my thigh ²  and show me kindness and faithfulness. ³  Do not bury me in Egypt, 47:30 but when I rest ⁴  with my fathers, carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial place.” Joseph ⁵  said, “I will do as you say.”

47:31 Jacob ⁶  said, “Swear to me that you will do so.” ⁷  So Joseph ⁸  gave him his word. ⁹  Then Israel bowed down ¹⁰  at the head of his bed. ¹¹ 

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¹ tn Heb “days.”

² sn On the expression put your hand under my thigh see Gen 24:2.

³ tn Or “deal with me in faithful love.”

⁴ tn Heb “lie down.” Here the expression “lie down” refers to death.

⁵ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁶ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁷ tn Heb “swear on oath to me.” The words “that you will do so” have been supplied in the translation for clarity.

⁸ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁹ tn Heb “swore on oath to him.”

¹⁰ sn The Hebrew verb normally means “bow down,” especially in worship or prayer. Here it might simply mean “bend low,” perhaps from weakness or approaching death. The narrative is ambiguous at this point and remains open to all these interpretations.

¹¹ tc The MT reads מִטָּה (mittah, “bed, couch”). The LXX reads the word as מַטֶּה (matteh, “staff, rod”) and interprets this to mean that Jacob bowed down in worship while leaning on the top of his staff. The LXX reading was used in turn by the writer of the Letter to the Hebrews (Heb 11:21).