Bible Strands
Exodus 13:19
Moses 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.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Moses departs Egypt with the Israelites as they enter the wilderness route toward the Red Sea. He carries Joseph’s remains during this initial phase of the Exodus journey.
The words — The Hebrew verb וַיִּקַּח (va-yi-kach) means "he took," and הַשְּׁבִיעַ (ha-shevia) denotes "to exact an oath." These terms anchor the physical action to a prior binding command.
The thread — This account echoes Joseph’s earlier directive in Genesis 50:24 regarding God’s future visitation and references the eventual burial at Shechem noted in Joshua 24:32 and Acts 7:16.
Why it lands — The text demands recognition that Moses obeys a centuries-old directive without hesitation. Readers must acknowledge the weight of honoring a covenant promise amid urgent movement.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
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.
Cross-references
- 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, and Jacob.”
- 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, for a hundred pieces of silver. So it became an inheritance for Joseph’s descendants.
- Acts 7:16 Their 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.
- Genesis 48:21 Then 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.
- Exodus 4:31 and they believed. And when they heard that the LORD had attended to the Israelites and had seen their affliction, they bowed down and worshiped.
- Luke 1:58 Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they rejoiced with her.
- Luke 7:16 A 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!”