Portion 12 of 54 · Genesis
וַיְחִי
Vayechi
Jacob blesses his sons one by one, tells them the truth about themselves, and Genesis closes with a coffin in Egypt.
Start by reading it
Genesis 47:28–50:26
4 chapters. About 16 minutes at an unhurried pace.
Paired reading from the prophets: 1 Kings 2:1–12
What happens
- 01
Jacob blesses Joseph's two sons, crossing his hands to put the younger first — again.
- 02
He gathers his twelve sons and speaks over each of them, praise and rebuke both.
- 03
He dies, and is carried up to be buried in the cave Abraham bought.
- 04
The brothers fear revenge. Joseph answers them, and dies, and is put in a coffin in Egypt.
The thing most people walk past
Genesis ends unfinished
The book of beginnings ends with the family outside the land, and its last word is a coffin. Everything promised is still promised. The Bible is comfortable ending a volume in the middle of the sentence.
One verse to carry
as for you, ye meant evil against me; but God meant it for good.
The most demanding sentence in Genesis. It does not say the evil was good. It says it did not get the last word.
A question to sit with
'Ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good.' Is that a statement about God, or a decision Joseph made about how to live with his brothers?
There is no answer key. This is the part you take with you.