Breadcrumb: The family plot

Gen. 49:29-33: On his deathbed, Jacob insisted on being buried with his family, in the cave at the field of Machpelah, which Abraham had bought from Ephron the Hittite. (Gen. 23) And, indeed, Joseph ensured it was done, bringing a huge procession of important Egyptians to accompany him to Canaan. (Gen. 50:1-14) As for Joseph himself, we see that he was too assimilated into Egyptian culture to care much about the family cave, and was instead buried in Egypt. (Gen. 50:26) This mark of assimilation began four hundred years of servitude for the Israelites, of which we hear almost nothing at all in the text.