Exodus 13:19
in Exodus 13Moses took the bones of Joseph with him because Joseph had made the sons of Israel swear a solemn oath when he said, “God will surely attend to you, and then you must carry my bones with you from this place.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him: for he had straitly sworn the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you; and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you.
KJV
And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him: for he had straitly sworn the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you; and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you.
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This verse in Exodus 13
Commentary
6 notes on this verseA commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
The remains of the other patriarchs (not noticed from their obscurity) were also carried out of Egypt (Ac 7:15, 16); and there would be no difficulty as to the means of conveyance--a few camels bearing these precious relics would give a true picture of Oriental customs, such as is still to be seen in the immense pilgrimages to Mecca.
This site's exposition
Moses took the bones of Joseph with him
Genesis 50:25 recorded the oath and Genesis 50:26 left Joseph in a coffin in Egypt, and the book of Genesis ends on that sentence. Four hundred years later the oath is discharged in this verse, and Joshua 24:32 buries the bones at Shechem in ground Jacob had bought. Hebrews 11:22 names the request itself as the act of faith, that Joseph gave commandment concerning his bones because he counted the departure certain.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
The Sanctification of the Firstborn. 1 And the L ORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Sanctify unto me all the firstborn, whatsoever openeth the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and of beast: it is mine.
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — scripture-overlap:89%@v1-3
And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him,.... And his remains might well be called bones, since at such a distance from his death the flesh must be gone, and nothing but bones left; of the place where Joseph's coffin was laid; see Gill on Gen 50:26. The Jews pretend, that Moses was informed where Joseph was buried by Sarah, the daughter of Asher, who they say was living at this time (q); and many other fables they relate concerning the manner of finding him, which are not worthy of any notice.
They might think, "Joseph's bones must rest at last, and then we shall." Moses is said to take these bones with him. Moses was now a very great man; so had Joseph been in his day, yet he was now but a box full of dry bones; this was all that remained of him in this world, which might serve for a monitor to Moses to remember his mortality.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
Moses took the bones of Joseph - See Clarke’s note on Gen 50:25. It is supposed that the Israelites carried with them the bones or remains of all the twelve sons of Jacob, each tribe taking care of the bones of its own patriarch, while Moses took care of the bones of Joseph.
The words behind it
22 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיִּקַּ֥ח | vaiyikach | and he took | H3947 → | 966 times |
| מֹשֶׁ֛ה | mosheh | Moses | H4872 → | 765 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| עַצְמ֥וֹת | atzmot | [the] bones of | H6106 → | 126 times |
| יוֹסֵ֖ף | yosef | Joseph | H3130 → | 213 times |
| עִמּ֑וֹ | imo | with him | H5973 → | 1050 times |
| כִּי֩ | ki | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| הַשְׁבֵּ֨עַ | hashbea' | certainly <to make swear> | H7650 → | 186 times |
| הִשְׁבִּ֜יעַ | hishbia' | he had made swear | H7650 → | 186 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| בְּנֵ֤י | benei | [the] people of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| לֵאמֹ֔ר | lemor | <to> saying | H559 → | 5305 times |
| פָּקֹ֨ד | pakod | certainly <to visit> | H6485 → | 303 times |
| יִפְקֹ֤ד | yifkod | he will visit | H6485 → | 303 times |
| אֱלֹהִים֙ | ʾelohim | God | H430 → | 2601 times |
| אֶתְכֶ֔ם | ʾetkhem | <obj.> you | H853 → | 10935 times |
| וְהַעֲלִיתֶ֧ם | vehaalitem | and you will take up | H5927 → | 890 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| עַצְמֹתַ֛י | ʾatzmotai | bones my | H6106 → | 126 times |
| מִזֶּ֖ה | mizeh | from here | H2088 → | 1180 times |
| אִתְּכֶֽם׃ | ʾitekhem | with you | H854 → | 929 times |
וַיִּקַּ֥חand he took
vaiyikachH3947 →966 times
מֹשֶׁ֛הMoses
moshehH4872 →765 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
עַצְמ֥וֹת[the] bones of
atzmotH6106 →126 times
יוֹסֵ֖ףJoseph
yosefH3130 →213 times
עִמּ֑וֹwith him
imoH5973 →1050 times
כִּי֩for
kiH3588 →4482 times
הַשְׁבֵּ֨עַcertainly <to make swear>
hashbea'H7650 →186 times
הִשְׁבִּ֜יעַhe had made swear
hishbia'H7650 →186 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
בְּנֵ֤י[the] people of
beneiH1121 →4930 times
יִשְׂרָאֵל֙Israel
yisraelH3478 →2507 times
לֵאמֹ֔ר<to> saying
lemorH559 →5305 times
פָּקֹ֨דcertainly <to visit>
pakodH6485 →303 times
יִפְקֹ֤דhe will visit
yifkodH6485 →303 times
אֱלֹהִים֙God
ʾelohimH430 →2601 times
אֶתְכֶ֔ם<obj.> you
ʾetkhemH853 →10935 times
וְהַעֲלִיתֶ֧םand you will take up
vehaalitemH5927 →890 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
עַצְמֹתַ֛יbones my
ʾatzmotaiH6106 →126 times
מִזֶּ֖הfrom here
mizehH2088 →1180 times
אִתְּכֶֽם׃with you
ʾitekhemH854 →929 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Acts 7:16Their bones were carried back to Shechem and placed in the tomb that Abraham had bought from the sons of Hamor at Shechem for a price he paid in silver.
it leads to
- Joshua 24:32
And the bones of Joseph, which the Israelites had brought up out of Egypt, were buried at Shechem in the plot of land that Jacob had purchased from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father,…
- Genesis 23:16
Abraham agreed to Ephron’s terms and weighed out for him the price he had named in the hearing of the Hittites: four hundred shekels of silver, according to the standard of the merchants.
- Joshua 24:32
Through
Genesis 48:21Then Israel said to Joseph, “Look, I am about to die, but God will be with you and bring you back to the land of your fathers.
it leads to
- Genesis 46:4
I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will surely bring you back. And Joseph’s own hands will close your eyes.”
- Genesis 50:24
Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die, but God will surely visit you and bring you up from this land to the land He promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac,…
- Genesis 46:4
Through
Joshua 24:32And the bones of Joseph, which the Israelites had brought up out of Egypt, were buried at Shechem in the plot of land that Jacob had purchased from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father,…
it leads to
- Genesis 50:25
And Joseph made the sons of Israel take an oath and said, “God will surely attend to you, and then you must carry my bones up from this place.”
- Genesis 33:19
And the plot of ground where he pitched his tent, he purchased from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for a hundred pieces of silver.
- Genesis 50:25
Through
Luke 7:16A sense of awe swept over all of them, and they glorified God. “A great prophet has appeared among us!” they said. “God has visited His people!”
it leads to
- Matthew 9:8
When the crowds saw this, they were filled with awe and glorified God, who had given such authority to men.
- Luke 7:39
When the Pharisee who had invited Jesus saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, He would know who this is and what kind of woman is touching Him—for she…
- Matthew 9:8
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Exodus
Who and where
2 names in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.