11:22

By faith Joseph . . . spoke of the exodus: Joseph was taken from the land of Canaan to Egypt when he was 17 years old, and he lived the rest of his life there. (Ge 37:2, 28) But he never forgot Jehovah’s promise to his forefathers, including his own father, Jacob. (Ge 48:21, 22) At the end of his life, Joseph was convinced that Jehovah would lead Israel out of Egypt and into the land of Canaan because He had promised to give that land to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. (Ge 50:24, 25) As an expression of his faith, Joseph prophetically confirmed that the Israelites would have an “exodus” from Egypt, and “he gave instructions” that they take his bones to Canaan. His expression of faith was not forgotten; when Israel finally left Egypt about 150 years after Joseph’s death, Moses “took Joseph’s bones with him” and eventually they were buried in Shechem.​—Ex 13:19; Jos 24:32.

concerning his bones: The Greek word for “bones” is used here as a figure of speech to refer to Joseph’s burial. (The same Greek word appears in the Septuagint at Ge 50:25; Ex 13:19; and Jos 24:32.) As a leader second in authority only to Pharaoh, it seems probable that Joseph could have left instructions that he be buried in a grand Egyptian tomb. (Ge 41:40-43; 50:26) But as a man of faith, he simply requested that “his bones” be taken out of Egypt and buried in the Promised Land, as had been done for his father, Jacob.