Joseph was the second most powerful man in Egypt. He could have ordered the funeral procession with a wave of his hand. Instead, Targum Pseudo-Jonathan preserves a curious diplomatic scene. "Joseph spake with the lords of the house of Pharoh, saying, If I may find favour in your eyes, speak now in the hearing of Pharoh" (Genesis 50:4).
Joseph does not approach Pharaoh directly. He uses intermediaries. The Aramaic preserves a detail many commentators have noted: while mourning, Joseph could not wear court attire or appear unshaven before the king. Egyptian protocol required a clean-shaven, groomed presence in Pharaoh's throne room. So Joseph sends the request through the "lords of the house" — Pharaoh's advisors — asking them to carry his words for him.
There is a quiet humility in it. The viceroy who once stood before Pharaoh to interpret dreams now speaks from behind the veil of mourning, through messengers. The Targum shows us a Joseph who knows that power does not exempt a son from the customs of grief. He observes Egyptian court protocol even when it makes his task harder. His father's burial matters more than his own efficiency. A great man, the Targum is teaching, is one who will wait in the hallway until he is allowed to ask.