And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt, buried they in Shechem, in a parcel of ground which Jacob bought of the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for an hundred pieces of silver: and it became the inheritance of the children of Joseph.
The Israelites buried Joseph's bones, which they had carried with them from Egypt, in Shechem. They buried them in a piece of land that Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor (Shechem's father) for a hundred pieces of silver. This land became the inheritance of Joseph's descendants.
The writer is describing how the Israelites finally fulfilled their promise to Joseph by burying his remains in the Promised Land, on property their ancestor Jacob had purchased centuries earlier.
📚 Historical Context
Before Joseph died in Egypt, he made his family promise to carry his bones back to the Promised Land when God delivered them (Genesis 50:25). The Israelites kept this promise for over 400 years, carrying Joseph's mummified remains through their slavery, the Exodus, and 40 years of wilderness wandering. The burial site in Shechem was significant because it was land Jacob had legitimately purchased, establishing the family's legal claim to the territory.
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