Kommentar zu Bereschit 50:14

הוא ואחיו וכל העלים אתו HE AND HIS BRETHREN AND ALL THAT WENT UP WITH HIM — here, speaking of their return to Egypt, it mentions his brothers before the Egyptians who went with him whereas when speaking of their journey to Canaan to bury their father it mentions the Egyptians before his brothers, as it is said, (Genesis 50:7) “and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh …” and afterwards it states (Genesis 50:8) “and all the house of Joseph and his brothers”. But the explanation is: because they (the Egyptians) saw how much respect the kings of Canaan paid to Jacob by hanging their crowns on his coffin they now treated them (the sons) with much respect and gave them precedence on the return journey (Sotah 13a).

וכל העולים אתו, and all those who had gone up with him, etc. The Torah tells us that not a single person who had been part of the funeral cortege failed to return to Egypt. The reason was that they had all gone only in order to perform the מצוה of burying Joseph's father. None of them returned before he had completed participating in that deed. The Torah also wants to inform us that because they were all שלוחי מצוה, charged with the performance of a good deed, none of them encountered any mishap either while going or while returning (compare Pessachim 8).

וכל העולים אתו, “and all those who had been going up with him.” This verse contains an allusion to the fierce fighting which preceded Yaakov’s burial in the cave of Machpelah. This is why it was necessary for the Torah to report that all of Joseph’s family returned to Egypt in peace. Not a single person who had engaged in honoring Yaakov by traveling to Canaan to bury him came to any harm. When the brothers had fought against Shechem and had subsequently been engaged in a battle with the Emorites they also did not sustain any casualties. To make this point, the Torah had written (Genesis 35,6) “Yaakov came to Luz which is in the land of Canaan,...he and all those with him.” The addition of these words at the end of the verse were also meant to hint that the family had not sustained any casualties.

Yoseif … and all those. On the way to the burial the mourners are mentioned last (v. 8), whereas on the way back they are mentioned first. This is still the custom — on the way to the cemetery the mourners follow the others and on the way back they precede them.

הוא ואחיו וכל העולים אתו, “he and his brothers and all those accompanying him. When the procession left Egypt the Egyptians were at the head of the procession (verses 7 and 8) It appears that after the Egyptians had witnessed the honour bestowed on the bier carrying Yaakov, many crowned heads participating in paying him tribute, the Egyptians were impressed by this so that on the return journey Joseph and his brothers were given the honour of leading the procession.

Alternatively, the Torah may be telling us something entirely different. When the Torah speaks separately of Joseph and all those who buried his father as returning to Egypt, and then repeats the words: "after he had buried his father," it may differentiate between those who waited with their return until after the burial and between those who used the opportunity to conduct whatever business they had in Canaan by joining the funeral cortege. The former all returned safe and sound without mishap because they were engaged in a מצוה. The people who were motivated by their personal concerns were not included in the statement that everybody returned without fail.