Genesis 50:3
"And they fulfilled forty days for him, for so are the days of embalming numbered; and Egypt mourned for him seventy days."
Why do Joseph and his family turn Jacob into a mummy?
> Genesis 50:1-3 describes Joseph and his family turning Jacob into a mummy. Critics cite this mockingly to critique Biblical 'family values'. However, one must consider what people living in Egypt would be expected to do to their honored dead. This method of disposition of the dead in this time was culturally appropriate and is similar to the Jewish method of using ossuaries. It reflects the customs of the era rather than a contradiction of family values.