GENESIS 48
Joseph, hearing that his father Jacob was sick, paid him a visit, Ge 49:1; at which time Jacob gave him an account of the Lord’s appearing to him at Luz, and of the promise he made unto him, Ge 49:3; then he adopted his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, and blessed them, and Joseph also, Ge 49:5; and whereas he crossed his hands when he blessed the sons of Joseph, putting his right hand on the youngest, and his left hand on the eldest, which was displeasing to Joseph, he gave him a reason for so doing, Ge 49:17; and then assured him that God would bring him, and the rest of his posterity, into the land of Canaan, where he assigned him a particular portion above his brethren, Ge 49:21.
GENESIS 49
This chapter contains a prophecy of future things, relating to the 12 sons of Jacob, and to the 12 tribes, as descending from them, and which he delivered to his sons on his death bed, having called them together for that purpose, Ge 49:1, he begins with Reuben his firstborn, whose origin he takes notice of, on which account he should not excel, Ge 49:3, next Simeon and Levi have a curse denounced on them for their cruelty at Shechem, Ge 49:5, but Judah is praised, and good things prophesied of him; and particularly that Shiloh, or the Messiah, should spring from him, the time of whose coming is pointed at, Ge 49:7, the predictions concerning Zebulun, Issachar, and Dan, follow, at the close of which Jacob expresses his longing expectation of God’s salvation, Ge 49:13 and after foretelling what should befall Gad, Asher, and Naphtali, Ge 49:19, a large account is given of Joseph, his troubles, his trials, and his blessings, Ge 49:22, and Benjamin the youngest son is taken notice of last of all, all the tribes being blessed in their order according to the nature of their blessing, Ge 49:27, and the chapter is closed with a charge of Jacob’s to his sons to bury him in Canaan, which having delivered, he died, Ge 49:29.
GENESIS 50
This chapter contains a short account of what happened from the death of Jacob to the death of Joseph, and is chiefly concerned with the funeral of Jacob; it first gives an account how Joseph was affected with his father’s death, of his orders to the physicians to embalm him, and of the time of their embalming him, and of the Egyptians mourning for him, Ge 50:1, next of his request to Pharaoh to give him leave to go and bury his father in Canaan, and his grant of it, Ge 50:4 and then of the grand funeral procession thither, the mourning made for Jacob, and his interment according to his orders, Ge 50:7 upon the return of Joseph and his brethren to Egypt, they fearing his resentment of their former usage of him, entreat him to forgive them; which they said they did at the direction of their father, to which Joseph readily agreed, and comforted them, and spoke kindly to them, and bid them not fear any hurt from him, for whatever were their intention, God meant it, and had overruled it for good, Ge 50:14 and the chapter is concluded with an account of Joseph’s age and death, and of his posterity he saw before his death, and of the charge he gave to his brethren to carry his bones with them, when they should depart from Egypt, Ge 50:22.
Taken from John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible, published roughly around 1748-1760.
Chronological Bible Readings 