Genesis 50:4-5 "When the days of mourning had passed, Joseph said to Pharaoh's court, 'If I have found favor in your eyes, speak to Pharaoh for me. Tell him, "My father made me swear an oath and said, 'I am about to die; bury me in the tomb I dug for myself in the land of Canaan.' Now let me go up and bury my father; then I will return."'"


Without question, the reason that Joseph, who was second-in-command in Egypt, did not speak directly to Pharaoh was because of the Hebrew custom of allowing their hair and beards to grow during the period of mourning.

Joseph had not yet taken his father's body into the land of Canaan to bury it, and so his time of mourning was not finished:

"When they reached the threashing floor of Atad, near the Jordan, they lamented loudly and bitterly; and there Joseph observed a seven-day period of mourning for his father" (Gen.50:10)

Thus, an unshaved Joseph, who was probably also wearing sackcloth, would have been a great offense to Pharaoh if he had appeared before him.

When Joseph returned to Egypt, he would have shaved his head and beard and put back on his normal Egyptian clothing. At this point he could again appear before the Pharaoh.