This post is part of our series, Famous Last Words. In our main post, Famous Last Words: What Believers Said Before They Died, we gathered the dying words of Christians across 20 centuries. In this series we look closely at believers in the Bible whose final words still speak today.
In our last post, Jacob died in Egypt, worshipping God and asking to be buried in the Promised Land. Now we turn to his favourite son, Joseph. Joseph had been betrayed, enslaved and imprisoned, then raised to rule all Egypt. He lived to see his great-grandchildren. And when he died, his last words were not about his power, his palace or his achievements. They were about God’s promise—and his bones.
It may seem a strange thing to talk about on your deathbed. But the New Testament thought it was the most important thing Joseph ever said.
IN SHORT
Who: Joseph, 11th son of Jacob, sold as a slave by his brothers, later governor of Egypt.
When: At 110 years of age, about 70 years after his family came to Egypt (Genesis 50:22).
His last words: “I am about to die, but God will visit you… and you shall carry up my bones from here” (Genesis 50:24–25).
Why they matter: Joseph died believing God would keep His promise. His bones became a 400-year sermon of hope—and his life points clearly to Jesus.
Joseph’s Life in Brief
Joseph’s story fills 14 chapters of Genesis (37–50). It’s one of the best-told stories in all of literature, full of family conflict, injustice, temptation and amazing reversals.
Timeline of Joseph’s Life
- Age 17—The favourite son (Genesis 37). Jacob gives Joseph a special robe. Joseph dreams that his family will bow to him. His brothers hate him.
- Age 17—Sold into slavery (Genesis 37). The brothers sell him to traders for twenty pieces of silver and tell Jacob he is dead.
- Slave and prisoner (Genesis 39–40). Joseph serves Potiphar faithfully, refuses his wife’s advances and is thrown into prison on a false charge.
- Age 30—Raised to power (Genesis 41). Joseph explains Pharaoh’s dreams and becomes ruler over all Egypt, second only to Pharaoh.
- Age 39—Reunion (Genesis 42–45). Famine drives his brothers to Egypt. After testing them, Joseph reveals himself and forgives them.
- Age 56—Jacob dies (Genesis 47–50). After seventeen years together in Egypt, Joseph buries his father in Canaan.
- Age 110—Joseph dies (Genesis 50:22–26). He makes his family swear to carry his bones to the Promised Land.
“You Meant Evil Against Me, but God Meant It for Good”
Before Joseph’s own death, Genesis 50 records a tense moment. Once Jacob had died, Joseph’s brothers panicked. They thought, “It may be that Joseph will hate us and pay us back for all the evil that we did to him” (50:15). Perhaps he’d only been kind to them for their father’s sake.
So they sent Joseph a message, claiming Jacob had asked him to forgive them. We never read of Jacob saying this anywhere else. It may have been true, or even perhaps a nervous invention. Either way, “Joseph wept when they spoke to him” (50:17). It hurt him that, after seventeen years, they still did not trust his forgiveness.
Then Joseph spoke some of the most famous words in the Bible:
“Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them (Genesis 50:19–21).
These aren’t Joseph’s final words, but they’re key to understanding them. In 3 short sentences, Joseph gives us a whole theology of suffering.
- “Am I in the place of God?” Revenge belongs to God, not to us. Joseph had the power to punish his brothers, but he refused to take God’s place as judge (Romans 12:19).
- “You meant evil… God meant it for good.” 2 intentions were at work in the same event. The brothers truly sinned and were truly guilty. Yet God was truly in control, using their sin to carry out His good plan.
- “Many people should be kept alive.” God’s purpose was bigger than Joseph. Through his suffering, a whole region was saved from famine—and so was the family through which the Messiah would come.
- “I will provide for you.” Forgiveness isn’t just words. Joseph promised to care for the very people who had hurt him.
GENESIS 50:20 AND THE CROSS
The same pattern appears at the centre of the Bible. Peter said Jesus was “delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God,” and yet “you crucified and killed” Him “by the hands of lawless men” (Acts 2:23).
Wicked men meant the cross for evil. God meant it for good—to keep alive not a few families in a famine, but a great multitude for eternity. This is why believers can trust God even in the darkest parts of their story (Romans 8:28).
Joseph’s Final Words
Joseph lived for many more years. He “saw Ephraim’s children of the third generation,” and his great-grandchildren through Manasseh sat on his knees (50:23). Then, as his life came to an end, he gathered his brothers:
“And Joseph said to his brothers, ‘I am about to die, but God will visit you and bring you up out of this land to the land that he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.’ Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, ‘God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here’”
Genesis 50:24–25
Notice the contrast in the first sentence: “I am about to die, but God…” Joseph’s life was ending. But God’s promise was not. Joseph had been the great provider for his family. Now he pointed them away from himself to the true Provider.
And notice the repeated phrase: “God will visit you… God will surely visit you.” In Hebrew it is especially strong—a doubled verb that means something like “God will certainly come to you and act for you.” This word visit does not mean a short social call. It means God coming in person to look after His people and rescue them.
Why His Bones?
Joseph could have had any burial he wanted. He was one of the most powerful men in Egypt, the land of pyramids and grand royal tombs. Egyptians spent fortunes preparing for the afterlife. Yet Joseph asked for something very different. He asked that his body be kept ready to leave.
The final verse of Genesis is quiet and striking: “So Joseph died, being 110 years old. They embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt” (50:26). Genesis begins with life in a garden. It ends with a coffin in a foreign land. But it is a coffin waiting to move.
Why did this matter so much to Joseph? Hebrews 11 gives the answer. When the writer lists the great acts of faith in the Old Testament, he passes over Joseph’s dreams, his purity, his rise to power and even his forgiveness. Instead he writes: “By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones” (Hebrews 11:22).
- He believed God’s promise. God had sworn to give Canaan to Abraham’s descendants. Joseph was so sure of it that he arranged his own funeral around it.
- He refused to make Egypt his home. Joseph lived in Egypt for more than ninety years, but his heart belonged elsewhere. Like his fathers, he was looking for “a better country” (Hebrews 11:16).
- He chose to belong with God’s people. Joseph had an Egyptian name, an Egyptian wife and an Egyptian title. But in death he identified with the family of promise, not with the empire.
- He cared about his body. Joseph wanted his body, not just his memory, to share in God’s promise. That is a small seed of the hope the Bible later makes clear: God will raise the bodies of His people (1 Corinthians 15:42–44).
A 400-Year Sermon
Joseph’s family kept his coffin through some very dark years. After Joseph died, a new Pharaoh arose “who did not know Joseph” (Exodus 1:8). The Israelites became slaves. Generation after generation, they suffered under cruel taskmasters.
But all that time, Joseph’s coffin was there. Every Israelite child who asked, “Whose coffin is that?” would hear the answer: “Joseph’s. He said God would surely visit us and bring us out. And when He does, we are taking Joseph with us.” The coffin was a silent preacher of hope.
Timeline of Joseph’s Bones
- Joseph’s death (Genesis 50:26). His embalmed body is placed in a coffin in Egypt.
- About 360 years of waiting (Exodus 1–12). Israel grows into a nation and falls into slavery. The coffin waits.
- The exodus (Exodus 13:19). “Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for Joseph had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear…”
- Forty years in the wilderness. Joseph’s coffin travels with Israel through the desert, alongside the ark and the tabernacle.
- Burial at Shechem (Joshua 24:32). At last “the bones of Joseph, which the people of Israel brought up from Egypt,” are buried in the land Jacob had bought at Shechem.
God kept His word. And He kept it with the very word Joseph had used. When God appeared to Moses at the burning bush, the message He gave for Israel’s elders used the very same doubled Hebrew verb that Joseph had used (Exodus 3:16). When the people heard “that the LORD had visited the people of Israel,” they bowed and worshipped (Exodus 4:31). The promise in Joseph’s last words had come true.
“God Has Visited His People”
The story does not stop there. The Greek translation of the Old Testament used a particular word for this kind of divine “visit.” Centuries later, that same word appears at the beginning of Luke’s Gospel.
When John the Baptist was born, his father Zechariah sang: “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people” (Luke 1:68). Later, when Jesus raised a widow’s son from the dead, the crowd cried out, “God has visited his people!” (Luke 7:16).
Joseph’s last words looked forward to a visit from God that would bring His people out of slavery into the land of promise. The exodus was the first fulfilment. But the greatest visit of all came when God Himself came in the person of Jesus Christ, to rescue His people from a far worse slavery—slavery to sin and death—and bring them home.
Joseph: A Picture of Jesus
Christians have long seen Joseph as one of the clearest pictures of Christ in the Old Testament. The parallels are remarkable.
| JOSEPH | JESUS |
|---|---|
| The beloved son of his father (Genesis 37:3) | “This is my beloved Son” (Matthew 3:17) |
| Hated and rejected by his brothers (37:4) | “His own people did not receive him” (John 1:11) |
| Sold for twenty pieces of silver (37:28) | Betrayed for thirty pieces of silver (Matthew 26:15) |
| Falsely accused and condemned though innocent (39:13–20) | Falsely accused and condemned though sinless (Mark 14:55–59) |
| Raised from the pit to the right hand of the throne (41:41–43) | Raised from the grave to the right hand of God (Acts 2:32–33) |
| People were told to “bow the knee” before him (41:43) | “At the name of Jesus every knee should bow” (Philippians 2:10) |
| Saved many lives and fed the world (41:57; 50:20) | The Saviour of the world and the bread of life (John 4:42; 6:35) |
| Forgave the brothers who betrayed him (45:4–15) | “Father, forgive them” (Luke 23:34) |
Joseph wasn’t perfect, and the Bible doesn’t say he was a deliberate prophecy at every point. But the pattern is clear: God’s chosen one suffers rejection and injustice, and through that suffering God brings salvation to many. Joseph’s story is a preview of the gospel.
What Joseph’s Last Words Teach Us Today
- Point people to God, not to yourself. Joseph’s last words were “I am about to die, but God…” The best legacy is to leave people trusting the Lord rather than depending on us.
- Trust God’s purposes in suffering. What others mean for evil, God can mean for good. We may not see it for years—Joseph waited thirteen years from the pit to the palace.
- Forgive fully and keep forgiving. Joseph had to reassure his brothers again seventeen years later. True forgiveness keeps providing and keeps comforting.
- Do not get too settled here. Joseph had every comfort Egypt could offer, but he lived and died as a pilgrim. Our citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20).
- Let your death preach. Joseph’s coffin spoke hope for four hundred years. The way a Christian faces death can strengthen the faith of generations to come.
Conclusion: A Coffin Waiting to Move
Joseph’s life began with dreams of glory and passed through a pit, a prison and a palace. It ended with a simple request: “you shall carry up my bones from here.” Joseph knew that Egypt was not home. God had promised something better, and Joseph trusted that promise even in death.
Every Christian grave is, in a sense, like Joseph’s coffin—a body laid down in hope, waiting to be carried home. The God who visited Israel in the exodus, and who visited the world in Jesus Christ, will visit again. On that day, the Lord will raise His people’s bodies and bring them into the true Promised Land. Like Joseph, we can face death saying, “I am about to die, but God will surely visit.”
FAMOUS LAST WORDS SERIES
Start here: Famous Last Words: What Believers Said Before They Died
Earlier posts: Stephen; Paul; David; Jacob
Coming next: Simeon (Luke 2).
Tough Questions, Honest Answers
Where is Joseph’s tomb today?
Joshua 24:32 says Joseph was buried at Shechem, the ancient city near modern Nablus. A small domed building there, known as Joseph’s Tomb, has been honoured for centuries, though the present structure is much later than biblical times. The site has seen conflict in recent decades. As with many ancient graves, no one can prove this exact spot holds Joseph’s remains, but the location matches the biblical record.
Is there evidence for Joseph in ancient Egypt?
No Egyptian inscription names Joseph, which is not surprising, since Egyptian records rarely mention foreigners by name. But many details fit the period. Semitic people did live and work in Egypt, and an Egyptian papyrus now in the Brooklyn Museum lists Asiatic household servants. The scholar Kenneth Kitchen also noted that twenty shekels was the usual price of a slave in roughly Joseph’s era, while later prices were higher.
Why did Joseph’s brothers hate him so much?
Several reasons came together. Jacob openly loved Joseph more than his other sons and gave him a special robe (Genesis 37:3–4). Joseph brought back a bad report about some of his brothers (37:2). And he told them his dreams, in which they bowed down to him (37:5–11). Favouritism, jealousy and pride poisoned the whole family.
What was Joseph’s “coat of many colours”?
The ESV calls it “a robe of many colours” (Genesis 37:3), and its footnote suggests “a robe with long sleeves.” The exact meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain. The same phrase describes a robe worn by King David’s daughters (2 Samuel 13:18). Either way, it was not a work garment. It marked Joseph as specially honoured—and that was what made his brothers so angry.
Who was Joseph’s wife?
Pharaoh gave Joseph “Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On” (Genesis 41:45). On was a major centre of sun-worship, later called Heliopolis. Asenath bore Joseph two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, whom Jacob later adopted as his own (Genesis 48:5). Their names tell Joseph’s story: Manasseh means God made him forget his hardship, and Ephraim means God made him fruitful in the land of his affliction (41:51–52).
Why did Joseph test his brothers before revealing himself?
Joseph needed to know whether they had changed. He accused them of spying, kept Simeon in prison and finally framed Benjamin for theft (Genesis 42–44). Would they abandon another favourite son, as they had abandoned him? Instead, Judah offered to become a slave in Benjamin’s place (44:33). That act of self-sacrifice showed real repentance, and Joseph could no longer hold back his tears.
Why did it take so long for Joseph’s dreams to come true?
Joseph was 17 when he had his dreams and 30 when he rose to power—and about 39 when his brothers finally bowed before him. The Psalms explain that those years were not wasted: “until what he had said came to pass, the word of the LORD tested him” (Psalm 105:19). God was shaping Joseph’s character for the work ahead. Delays in God’s plan are often part of the plan.
Related Reads
- Famous Last Words: What Believers Said Before They Died
- Stephen’s Last Words: “Lord Jesus, Receive My Spirit”
- Paul’s Last Words: “I Have Fought the Good Fight”
- David’s Last Words: The King Who Looked for a Better King
- Jacob’s Last Words: “I Wait for Your Salvation, O LORD”
- Simeon’s Last Words: “Now You Are Letting Your Servant Depart in Peace”
- Old Testament Resurrection Hope: Did the Saints Expect to Rise?
- Jesus in Genesis: The Promised Seed Who Crushes the Serpent
- Did Joseph Sin in Marrying an Egyptian?
- The Doctrine of Providence: Does God Really Govern All Things?
- Purpose in Pain: Why Trust Providence When His Plan Is Hidden?
- Jesus in Exodus: Did Moses Write About Christ?
