And he said, Swear unto me. And he sware unto him. And Israel bowed himself upon the bed’s head.
Parallel translations
- WEB He said, “Swear to me,” and he swore to him. Israel bowed himself on the bed’s head.
- BSB “Swear to me,” Jacob said. So Joseph swore to him, and Israel bowed in worship at the head of his bed.
- NKJV Then he said, “Swear to me.” And he swore to him. So Israel bowed himself on the head of the bed.
- NASB And he said, “Swear to me.” So he swore to him. Then Israel bowed in worship at the head of the bed.
- NLT “Swear that you will do it,” Jacob insisted. So Joseph gave his oath, and Jacob bowed humbly at the head of his bed.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Joseph swears the oath, and Israel bows in worship at the head of his bed. The patriarch responds to God's faithfulness with reverence.
Overview
With Joseph's oath secured, Jacob worships, leaning on the head of his bed (or staff, as Hebrews 11 reads, following the ancient Greek). His act of worship expresses gratitude and faith as he nears death. Hebrews holds up this very moment as an example of dying faith, trusting God's promises to the end.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- 1 Kgs 1:47And moreover the king’s servants came to bless our lord king David, saying, God make the name of Solomon better than thy name, and make his throne greater than thy throne. And the king bowed himself upon the bed.
- Gen 24:3And I will make thee swear by the LORD, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell:
- Heb 11:21By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff.
- Gen 47:29And the time drew nigh that Israel must die: and he called his son Joseph, and said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me; bury me not, I pray thee, in Egypt:
- Gen 24:26And the man bowed down his head, and worshipped the LORD.
- Gen 48:1–2And it came to pass after these things, that one told Joseph, Behold, thy father is sick: and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.
- Gen 21:23Now therefore swear unto me here by God that thou wilt not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my son’s son: but according to the kindness that I have done unto thee, thou shalt do unto me, and to the land wherein thou hast sojourned.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
From the first promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent (3:15), through Abraham's blessing to all nations and Judah's coming ruler, Genesis sows every seed that flowers in Christ — the true offspring, the better Adam, the ram caught for Isaac.
How Genesis 47:31 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.