At 147 years old, Jacob knows that his time to leave this earth is drawing near. As such, he does what most people do in that situation: Outline their wishes for themselves and their possessions after they die.
I’ve sat at the bedside of lots of different people as they pass from this life, and most of them do something similar. They help the survivors plan their funeral, give good wishes and last requests to loved ones, or relate memories. It’s as much to help the families during this process as it is for themselves.
Jacob’s request is simple, yet curious. When I die, Jacob tells Joseph, I want you to take my bones from here and bury them in Canaan (Genesis 47:30). Specifically, he requests two things: To not be buried in Egypt, and to be buried in their burial place.
The “their” in that sentence has to refer to the burial place that Abraham bought back in Genesis 23:17. That’s where Sarah was buried (Genesis 23:19), as well as Abraham himself (Genesis 25:9).
The Text isn’t immediately clear where Isaac was buried until you get to Genesis 49:28-32, where Jacob repeats this request and says it’s also where Isaac and Rebekah are buried also. Leah, one of Jacob’s wives is also buried there (Rachel was buried outside Bethlehem).
Eventually, Joseph will have the same request. In Genesis 50:24-25, he asks his family to carry his bones with them when God removes Israel from Egypt. Moses fulfills this request in Exodus 13:19, and he is eventually buried after the conquest in Joshua 24:32.
Why the fixation on Canaan? The answer has to do with the promise made from God to Abraham so long before. All of the patriarchs had a deep understanding that Canaan was their gift from God, so that’s where they wanted to be. It wasn’t the land per se as much as it was the people that would inhabit it with them.
At the same time, they understood that their sojourn in Egypt would be temporary. They knew that, eventually, Egypt would persecute the people of God and they would leave by God’s hand. Who wants to be left behind when that happens?
In the end, the most noteworthy fact is that both Joseph and Jacob still identified as Israelites, not as Egyptians, no matter how much time they spent there. Sure, they prospered in Egypt, but that’s not who they were.
Is that true of us? I may identify as a Texan (and proudly so), but that’s not my real home. When I die, I want to be with God. That’s who I really belong to, and that’s where I want to be. No matter where my bones are.
