And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen: and it was a very great company.

GENESIS 50:9KJV
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Genesis 50:9 (KJV)

What does Genesis 50:9 mean?

Genesis 50:9 describes how a large group of chariots and horsemen accompanied Joseph as he traveled, forming a very impressive and sizable procession. This verse highlights the scale and importance of the journey, showing that Joseph was not traveling alone but with a significant company.

Joseph, one of Jacob’s sons and a high official in Egypt, is leading a group to bury his father Jacob in Canaan. The verse emphasizes the presence of Egyptian chariots and horsemen, which would have been a display of honor and respect. The “very great company” suggests that this was not just a family affair but a state event, reflecting Joseph’s status and the importance of the occasion.

The Hebrew behind Genesis 50:9

  • חָרוּץ (rekhev / chariots): This word refers to war chariots, which were symbols of power and military strength in ancient Egypt. Their presence shows the official and high-status nature of the procession.
  • פָּרָשִׁים (parashim / horsemen): This term means mounted soldiers or cavalry. Including horsemen alongside chariots further underlines the impressive and formal escort.
  • מְאֹד (me’od / very) and כָּבֵד (kaved / great): These words together intensify the description, stressing just how large and significant the company was. The phrase is meant to leave no doubt about the grandeur of the event.
  • מַחֲנֶה (machaneh / company): This word often refers to a camp or group, sometimes with military overtones. Here, it points to the organized and possibly protective nature of the group traveling with Joseph.

Why Genesis 50:9 matters

  • Genesis 50:9 helps readers see that Joseph’s journey to bury his father was not done in secret or with just his immediate family, but was a major event recognized by the Egyptian state.
  • The verse clarifies that Joseph held a position of great honor in Egypt, as shown by the military escort and the scale of the procession.
  • This detail connects to the wider story by showing the respect given to Jacob, and it sets the stage for the interactions that follow when Joseph and his brothers return to Canaan.

Where else these words appear

“great” Hebrew H3515 · used in 37 verses

  • Genesis 12:10 And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land.
  • Exodus 9:24 So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, very grievous, such as there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.
  • 2 Kings 6:14 Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about.

“horsemen” Hebrew H6571 · used in 54 verses

  • Exodus 14:9 But the Egyptians pursued after them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army, and overtook them encamping by the sea, beside Pihahiroth, before Baalzephon.
  • 1 Kings 10:26 And Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen: and he had a thousand and four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he bestowed in the cities for chariots, and with the king at Jerusalem.
  • Isaiah 22:6 And Elam bare the quiver with chariots of men and horsemen, and Kir uncovered the shield.

“chariots” Hebrew H7393 · used in 104 verses

  • Exodus 14:6 And he made ready his chariot, and took his people with him:
  • 1 Kings 16:9 And his servant Zimri, captain of half his chariots, conspired against him, as he was in Tirzah, drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza steward of his house in Tirzah.
  • 2 Chronicles 12:3 With twelve hundred chariots, and threescore thousand horsemen: and the people were without number that came with him out of Egypt; the Lubims, the Sukkiims, and the Ethiopians.