The document primarily discusses Jacob's prophetic blessings to his twelve sons in Genesis 49, emphasizing the significance of their actions and faithfulness in determining their future with God. It highlights that these blessings are poetic and prophetic, meant to provide insights not only for Jacob's sons but also for future generations. The analysis also addresses critiques regarding the authenticity of Jacob's words and the nature of prophecy itself, affirming their relevance and divinely inspired significance.

1. GE ESIS 49 COMME TARY
Edited by Glenn Pease
PREFACE
I quote many authors both old and new, and if any I quote do not want their wisdom shared in
this way they can let me know and I will remove it. My e-mail is glenn_p86@yahoo.com
I TRODUCTIO
1. Keith Krell, “Genesis 49 provides a sobering wakeup call to contemplate both our present and
future life. In the first 28 verses of this chapter, we will be able to look on as Jacob gives his last
words to his 12 sons.5 All 12 of Jacob’s sons6 regardless of their faithfulness have a future with
God and are blessed by God. But only the faithful sons will have an inheritance in the land. The
lesson is clear: The actions of believers determine their future blessings in God’s program. Also,
the choices believers make today will affect their descendants for generations to come.7
1. Introduction (49:1-2). Moses begins his account with these words: “Then Jacob summoned his
sons and said, ‘Assemble yourselves that I may tell you what will befall you in the days to come.
Gather together and hear, O sons of Jacob; and listen to Israel your father.’”8 The expression “in
the days to come” refers to the distant future, including the end of the age and millennium.9 The
double exhortation to give attention to Jacob’s words lays stress upon the importance of what he
is about to say. His words are doubly important.10 In many respects, this can be seen as a picture
of that Day when the believer stands before Jesus Christ. So let me ask you, “Are you living for
that Day to come?” Are you living for your Lord and for those descendants that will come after
you? A believer’s works during this life significantly determine the extent of divine blessing he
and his descendants will receive in the future.
The words that we are about to read are not the spontaneous thoughts of a dying man, but the
carefully prepared words of a prophetic poet. The purposes of Jacob’s prophetic words are: (1) to
reveal the future; (2) to serve as a warning against sin; (3) to motivate us to godly living; and (4)
to foreshadow the life and ministry of Jesus the Messiah.
2. Bob Deffinbaugh, “As a student in my senior year of seminary, I was required to write a thesis.
I chose to write on the themes of the Exodus as they were employed in Isaiah 40-55. During my
Christmas break I was trying to put all the pieces together and complete the thesis. At one point I
became totally lost in the project and, in the midst of all the particulars, lost sight of the purpose
of my paper. Only after consulting with Dr. Waltke, the department chairman, did I regain my
perspective and complete the thesis.
I find biblical prophecy to be much the same for many Christians. There is a plethora of
particulars, a mountain of minutia, which can overwhelm us and cause us to lose sight of the
purpose of prophecy. Some Christians immerse themselves in the details of those “things to
come” which comprise prophecy. They carefully chart out the future in even the most obscure
and sketchy matters (so far as biblical revelation is concerned). And yet, while prophecy is a
worthy matter for serious study and investigation, the details become an obsession while the
weightier matters of godly living are brushed aside. In effect some Christians strain out

2. eschatological gnats, while swallowing biblical camels.
Few would suppose that Genesis chapter 49 has much to say to the Christian of the 20th century.
The prophecies contained in this text are related to the destiny of the descendants of Jacob. There
are, of course, messianic prophecies here, and that we find of interest. But in addition to these we
are given insight into the purpose of all prophecy as we consider the purpose which these
prophecies had for the sons of Jacob and their descendants.
Jacob’s sons, who were the recipients of these prophecies, would die in Egypt. Like their
forefathers, they would not live to see the fulfillment of God’s promises in their lifetime. Why,
then, did God predict events which were beyond their lifetime? We may be able to grant that
these prophecies had meaning to those who first read them from the pen of Moses. After all, these
were the descendants of Jacob, who would begin to realize the prophecies of their forefather. But
of what value were the words of Jacob to Rueben, Simeon, Levi, and the rest? I would like to
suggest that they were of profit to them in precisely the same way that prophecy (yet unfulfilled)
is important to us. Let us first learn from the sons of Jacob, and then consider the implications
for ourselves.
Questions Which Provide the Key to this Passage
You may not agree with the answers which I find in this text, but I am convinced that none of us
will understand the passage without answering a few key questions.
(1) Did every detail of Jacob’s prophecy come to pass? If not, why not?
(2) What purpose does this prophecy serve for the sons of Jacob, since none of them will live to
see the fulfillment of them in Canaan?
(3) What reasons did Moses have for recording this conversation between Jacob and his sons?
(4) Why did Reuben, Simeon, and Levi receive a rebuke from their father for their sinful actions,
when Judah, just as great a sinner (chapter 38), received the greatest blessing of all the sons, as he
would be the forefather of the Messiah?
(5) What can we learn from these prophecies?
Observations Concerning the
Prophecy of Jacob Regarding His Offspring
Before we give our attention to some of the details of the prophecies of this passage, it would
benefit us to look at the passage as a whole. Several characteristics can be identified.
First of all, these are the last words of Jacob. The prophecy is literally the final word of Jacob,
spoken with his dying breath.
When Jacob finished charging his sons, he drew his feet into the bed and breathed his last, and
was gathered to his people (Genesis 49:33).
The dying words of any man should not be taken lightly, much less those spoken by a patriarch
and recorded under the superintendence of the Spirit of God.
Second, this is poetry. We might tend to think that a man’s last words, spoken with great effort,
should be disorganized and difficult to follow. A look at this passage in the ASV reveals that we
are dealing with Hebrew poetry, for the form is noticeably different from the preceding pages.
There are numerous indications that these final words of Jacob were thought out carefully in

3. advance. Jacob’s words are ones that have been carefully planned and probably rehearsed.
Third, this is more than poetry, it is prophecy. While the form is poetry, the substance is
prophecy. Jacob’s words reveal “things to come” for his descendants. As a rule,104 the prophecy
is general. It is not intended to spell out the future for Jacob’s sons as individuals, but as tribal
leaders. The future which is foretold is the future of the nation as manifested in the twelve tribes
(cf. verse 28). ormally the prophecy will not speak of a particular place,105 nor of a certain
person,106 nor of a specific point in time,107 but of the character and disposition of the various
tribes throughout their history. This forewarns us that we must be careful to look for fulfillment
which is too specific.
Fourth, the words spoken by Jacob are a blessing:
All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them when he blessed
them. He blessed them, every one with the blessing appropriate to him (Genesis 49:28).
All the sons of Jacob were blessed in that they were to be a part of the nation Israel. All would
enter into the land of Canaan and have an inheritance there.
Some would certainly receive a greater blessing than others. Even those who were rebuked by
Jacob and whose future was portrayed as dismal were blessed, as we shall point out later.
Fifth, the future which is foretold is not independent of the past, but an extension of it. Moses told
us that every one of the sons was given “the blessing appropriate to him” (verse 28). As we think
our way through these blessings of Jacob we find that each of them was related to the past. The
blessings of Reuben, Simeon, and Levi, were based upon the sins which they had committed in
the past. Joseph, on the other hand, had been bitterly attacked, but had remained faithful (verses
23-24). Others found their blessings related to the name they had been given at their birth.
Judah, derived from the Hebrew root, ‘to praise’ (cf. 29:35), is now prophesied to be praised by
his brothers (49:8). Dan whose name seems to be the participle meaning ‘to judge’ (cf. 30:6), is
foretold that he will “judge his People” (49:16). Prophecy, then, is not detached from history, but
an extension of it into the future.
3. H. C. Leupold, “Jacob concludes his life in a manner worthy of the patriarchs, among whom
he stands as one fully deserving this honour. Other saints of God are presented in the Scriptures
as having spoken a blessing before their end. In this class are Isaac (Ge 27), Moses (De 33),
Joshua (Jos 24), Samuel (1Sa 12). What is more natural than that a saint of God departing this
life should desire to lay a blessing upon the head of those whom he leaves behind!
Upon closer study this blessing of Jacob stands revealed as a piece of rare beauty. Lange has
summarized the elements of poetic excellence as "rhythmical movement, a beautiful parallelism
of members, a profusion of figures, a play upon the names of the sons, other instances of
paronomasia, unusual modes of expression, a truly exalted spirit, as well as a heartfelt warmth."
It seems but natural to us that a man of Jacob’s energy of mind and character should have cast
his thoughts into a mold of fine poetic beauty in order to make his utterances the more clear-cut
and also the more easily remembered. They who have a mean conception of the patriarchs as
being prosy and trivial characters, standing on a low level of faith and godliness, are inclined to
take offense at so noble a production and to pronounce apodictically that Jacob could not have
been its author. But before we reckon with the weaknesses of the critical position, we shall set
forth a few other features of this blessing that contribute to a correct understanding of it.
The sequence of the names is readily understood. The six children of Leah are mentioned first,
though it is not clear why Zebulon, the sixth, should be mentioned before Issachar, the fifth. Then

4. come the four sons of the handmaids, though the two sons of Zilpah, Asher and Gad, are inserted
between the two sons of Bilhah, Dan and aphtali. Lastly come Rachel’s children, Joseph and
Benjamin. Another observation is in order on this matter of grouping. Among the first six Judah
definitely stands out by receiving a much more substantial blessing than the rest. His is the pre-
eminence in point of leadership. Among the last six Joseph excels by virtue of his blessing,
although his is the pre-eminence in the matter of possession. Joseph is blessed by including
Ephraim and Manasseh in one. The distinction between these two sons of his was taken care of in
the preceding chapter.
Some question whether this poem should be designated as a blessing; they emphasize v. 1, "that I
may tell you that which shall befall you in the latter days." They would prefer to label it
prediction or perhaps prophecy. Yet v. Ge 49:28, rightly construed, labels the words spoken by
the patriarch a "blessing." So if the Scriptural estimate is at all normative—and for us it is
absolute—we have here both blessing and prediction, or a prophetic blessing. This claim is by no
means impaired by the fact that four of the sons must hear words spoken that involve a censure,
in fact, in the case of the first three sons a severe word of censure. Issachar (v. Ge 49:15) gets a
milder rebuke. The entire problem, however, is viewed in the wrong light if it is claimed that
certain sons were cursed. Reuben is censured (v. Ge 49:4). Simeon’s and Levi’s anger is cursed (v.
Ge 49:7) not they themselves. And rightly considered, these criticism are blessings in disguise, for
they point out to the tribes involved the sin that the tribe as a whole is most exposed to and
against which it should be particularly on its guard: Reuben against moral instability and
licentiousness; Simeon and Levi against hot-headed violence; Issachar against indolence. Yet, for
all that, not one of the tribes is removed from the concord of blessings laid upon the rest, for the
blessings laid upon some redound to the welfare of all the rest. The blessed land is denied to none.
The benefits of the covenant of the Lord in which all stood are cancelled for none. The dying
father recognized that what some needed was not further gifts but restraint in the use of what
they already possessed.
From the human point of view another matter must be stressed. The father had long observed his
sons and knew them perhaps better than they knew themselves. In a pithy final word he gives to
each man the counsel that he needed most. Upon this natural foundation the Spirit of God builds
up and helps Jacob to foretell in a number of instances how the tribal development tends in the
future. So with a fine mixture of council and encouragement the father speaks a word that the
sons from the very outset value as a divinely inspired oracle. A godly man’s oracles are very
potent prayers made according to God’s heart and answered by Him.
We can, therefore, hardly agree with those who stress the improbability of a decrepit old man’s
being able to utter thoughts so clear-cut and virile. We know of two possibilities: first, man’s
intellect may grow feeble and decay before his end; secondly, men have been known to retain full
possession of their faculties, in fact, to have their powers of mind and heart at the keenest point of
development just prior to their end. Jacob happens to belong to the second class.
Some have found fault with the fact that no judgment is pronounced on religious conditions in
the course of these last words of Jacob—kein Urteil ueber die religioesen Verhaeltnisse —
Dillmann. Such a criticism is rather wide of the mark. That is not what Jacob set out to offer. He
says (v. 1) that he proposes to tell his sons what would befall them in the latter days. From
another point of view this is also a blessing (v. Ge 49:28). A man can hardly be criticized for not
having said what he did not aim to say.
The critical position in regard to these words of Jacob is well known. With almost united mind
and voice the critics hold that these are not words of Jacob, at least not in their present form.
Instead, the words are relegated to the time of the Judges, perhaps the latter portion of that age.

5. It is claimed that the whole chapter indubitably reflects this later age, and that it received its
present shape and form perhaps no later than the days of David and Solomon. A few notable
exceptions are still to be found: Hengstenberg, Keil, Delitzsch, Whitelaw, Koenig (with
reservations), Strack still have the courage to hold that the words are Jacob’s.
However, it must be remembered that certain presuppositions condition the critical attitude. In
the first place, actual prophecy or prediction as such is regarded as virtually impossible. In the
second place, the patriarchs are without good grounds regarded incapable of so significant an
utterance. Thirdly, some men are obsessed with the idea of denying outstanding productions like
this poem to outstanding characters and of ascribing them to insignificant, obscure and usually
unknown authors—a strange course of procedure. Then we should yet note a fatal weakness of
the critical contention: Levi is spoken of in terms of an inferior position, which actually was his in
the earlier days and which constituted a disadvantage and in a sense a reproof of the tribe. But
this situation underwent a radical change in Moses’ day, when Levi rallied to the cause of the
Lord (Ex 32:25-28), redeemed itself from disgrace, and advanced to a position of honourable and
blessed dispersion among the tribes of Israel. Jacob’s words (v. Ge 49:5-7) reflect the earlier
situation and would not be the statement of the case for the Age of the Judges. When, then, some
critics (Land mentioned by Skinner) "distinguish six stages in the growth of the song," that must
be regarded as the type of proof that covers up deficiency of sound logic by bold assertions, none
of which are susceptible of proof.
Keil has very properly reminded us that the thing that actually appears in the song of blessings is
"not the prediction of particular historical events" but rather a "purely ideal portraiture of the
peculiarities of the different tribes." This is a point that must be borne in mind continually.
Critics make of these generalized statements specific allusions to particular events or situations
and so gain ground for their type of interpretation, which sees the Age of the Judges reflected
again and again.
One last point of view is not to be lost sight of this blessing was one of the things Israel needed to
guide its course through the dark days to be encountered during the stay in Egypt. A blessing like
this was a spiritual necessity. By the use of it men of Israel could look forward to the blessed time
when the tribes would be safely established in the Promised Land, every tribe in its own
inheritance. Without words like this and Ge 15:12-14 Israel would have been a nation sailing
upon an uncharted sea. This chapter was a necessity for Israel’s faith during the days of the
bondage in Egypt.
We mention perhaps the strangest of exegetical curiosities, the interpretation of Jeremias (Das
Alte Testament im Lichte des alten Orients) which makes of the twelve sons of Jacob in this
blessing the twelve signs of the Zodiac. To arrive at this result he reconstrues a number of these
signs, deliberately changes portions of the Hebrew text, and discovers allusions so subtle and
remote that only a very few— ork and Zimmern Lepsius, e. g. —have ventured to follow him.
But even if his construction should be correct, to what purpose would the chapter have been
written? Men such as Jeremias would say: these are Israel’s astral myths. We cannot substitute
such vague reconstructions for the sound purposeful meaning that a sober exegesis knows to be
the true sense of the Scriptures.
Several types of figures are found in this chapter, especially comparisons or metaphors. Judah is
a lion; Issachar, an ass; Dan, a serpent; aphtali, a hind; Benjamin, a wolf. Yet not one of these
comparisons of itself involves anything derogatory. Least of all have they any reference to a
totemistic state of religion through which the tribes are said to have passed earlier in their
history.

6. There are many more minor problems relative to this blessing, but we have touched upon all that
are essential to a correct understanding of it and have shown the fallacy of at least the major
misconstructions that are put upon it.
4. Here are a few observations on Jacob's blessings in Gen 49. I don't know what the implications
are; these are simply observations on the imagery and rhetoric of the different blessings.
1) The contrast between the rhetoric of curse and the rhetoric of blessing is striking. Reuben,
Simeon, and Levi all receive curses because of their sins, and the curses are phrased in sharp,
straightforward, non-imagistic and unpoetic language. There are a few metaphors (Reuben is
"unstable as water"), but mainly it is simply a literal description of what they did and of what
will happen to them. By contrast, the blessings drip with rich imagery.
2) In particular, the blessings often describe the sons of Israel by metaphorical comparisons to
animals. "Judah is a lion's whelp" (v 9); "Issachar is a strong donkey" (v 13); "Dan shall be a
serpent in the way" (v 17); " aphtali is a doe let loose" (v 21); "Benjamin is a ravenous wolf"
(v 27).
3) The blessing of Joseph is unusual in a couple of respects. First, instead of animal imagery,
Joseph is described in terms of vegetable imagery: "Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful
bough by a spring; its branches run over a wall" (v 22) - clearly a garden-paradise image.
Second, though, much of the blessing is fairly literal; especially in vv 25-26 the description of
blessings is straightforward. In other words, the rhetoric of the blessing of Joseph is in some
ways closer to the rhetoric of the curses at the beginning of the chapter. (Some of the other
blessings are more literal too EZebulun [v 13], Gad [v 19], and Asher [v 20].)
posted by Peter J. Leithart on Tuesday, July 06, 2004 at 08:58 AM
5. Micah Gimple, “When Jacob blesses all of his children before his death, he personalizes each
statement according to the character of each individual son. According to the Abarbanel, a
leading philosopher and scholar of Spanish Jewry at the time of the expulsion, Jacob was trying
to determine the greatest potential for each son and, in particular, which of them should lead the
family and nation in the future. Based on the narrative throughout G enesis, the most obvious
choice and the most qualified for the job would be Joseph. It is therefore surprising to find that
Judah is selected to be the leader of the nation and the progenitor of royalty. Does Judah have
greater potential to lead the nation than Joseph?
ot only has Jacob watched Joseph successfully rule over Egypt for the past seventeen years,
Jacob also remembers Joseph's dreams which described almost prophetically Joseph's future role
as leader over his entire family. Of course, Joseph exhibited certain characteristics which would
hamper his ability to lead by incorrigibly inciting his brothers to jealousy. But other attributes
far outshine that blemish on his résumé. Joseph's completely forgiving his brothers for having
sold him into slavery should have neutralized the brothers' jealousy. Moreover, Joseph had lived
in a foreign country, without any Jewish family at all, for over twenty years, yet his sterling
character was not tarnished and his passion to return to the land of Israel had motivated his
every decision. It seems Joseph had proved his ability to lead the family, so why did Jacob

7. overlook Joseph when determining who should be the future leader of the Jewish people?
Furthermore, what attribute did Jacob see in Judah that demonstrated Judah's potential in
leading his brothers? After all, it was Reuben who initially suggested sparing Joseph's life at the
time of the sale. Moreover, it was Judah who exercised poor judgment in his episode with Tamar
several Torah portions ago. evertheless, Jacob blesses Judah and testifies, "The scepter shall not
depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet; so that tribute shall come to him
and the homage of his peoples be his" (Genesis 49:10). The question is, therefore, two-fold: Why
was Joseph not chosen to lead the nation after having proven his abilities so magnificently, and
what did Jacob see in Judah that showed Judah's potential to successfully lead the nation?
Although Joseph ruled Egypt perfectly, his perfection in ruling Egypt was his weakness. Joseph
was too good. Having never made a mistake, he never needed nor had the opportunity to admit a
fault. Every successful leader must recognize the capacity to err. To his credit, Joseph rose in
stature until he was second only to Pharaoh. Joseph is even described as "a father to Pharaoh,
master of his entire household, and ruler over the entire land of Egypt" (ibid. 45:8). However, an
ideal ruler is someone who, upon making a mistake, admits his error and tries to correct the
problem. Joseph never demonstrated this ability to err and admit his mistake. But Judah did. In
the episode with Tamar, the moment Judah understood all the events of the story, he immediately
confessed: "She is more righteous than I am" (ibid. 38:26). To accept responsibility for a mistake
defines the capacity to lead.
In fact, many years later this character trait determined who the king of Israel should be. Based
on this attribute, the kingship fell from one and was retained by another. Saul, the first king of
Israel, failed to obey Hashem's command to obliterate the entire nation of Amalek by sparing the
life, albeit temporarily, of their king. When the prophet Samuel confronted Saul with this blatant
disregard of a divine command, Saul initially challenged: "But I did obey Hashem" (I Samuel
15:20). Only subsequently, after Samuel's rebuke, did Saul accept responsibility for his error.
Because Saul showed an inability to admit his guilt, Hashem retracted the kingship form Saul.
However, when David, a descendant of Judah, was confronted by the prophet athan about his
mistake with Uriah and Bathsheba, without hesitation David lamented, "I stand before Hashem
guilty" (II Samuel 12:13).
Greatness lies not in being perfect, but in the capacity to recognize not being perfect. Judah and
David share this admirable trait and are, therefore, fitting to be king. Only from a person with
such sensitivity and humility does Jacob hope, "The scepter shall not depart from Judah."
Jacob Blesses His Sons
1. Then Jacob called for his sons and said: “Gather

8. around so I can tell you what will happen to you in days to
come.
1. Barnes, “And Jacob called his sons - This is done by messengers going to their various
dwellings and pasture-grounds, and summoning them to his presence. And he said. These words
introduce his dying address. “Gather yourselves together.” Though there is to be a special
address to each, yet it is to be in the audience of all the rest, for the instruction of the whole
family. “That which shall befall you in the after days.” The after days are the times intervening
between the speaker and the end of the human race. The beginning of man was at the sixth day of
the last creation. The end of his race will be at the dissolution of the heavens and the earth then
called into being, and the new creation which we are taught will be consequent thereupon. To this
interval prophecy has reference in general, though it occasionally penetrates beyond the veil that
separates the present from the future creation.
The prophet has his mind filled with the objects and events of the present and the past, and
from these he must draw his images for the future, and express them in the current language of
his day. To interpret his words, therefore, we must ascend to his day, examine his usage of speech,
distinguish the transient forms in which truth may appear, and hold fast by the constant essence
which belongs to all ages. “Hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken to Israel your father.” This is a
specimen of the synthetic or synonymous parallel. It affords a good example of the equivalence,
and at the same time the distinction, of Jacob and Israel. They both apply to the same person,
and to the race of which he is the head. The one refers to the natural, the other to the spiritual.
The distinction is similar to that between Elohim and Yahweh: the former of which designates the
eternal God, antecedent to all creation, and therefore, equally related to the whole universe; the
latter, the self-existent God, subsequent to the creation of intelligent beings, and especially related
to them, as the moral Governor, the Keeper of covenant, and the Performer of promise.
2. Clarke, “That which shall befall you in the last days - It is evident from this, and indeed from
the whole complexion of these important prophecies, that the twelve sons of Jacob had very little
concern in them, personally considered, as they were to be fulfilled in the last days, i. e., in times
remote from that period, and consequently to their posterity, and not to themselves, or to their
immediate families. The whole of these prophetic declarations, from Genesis 49:2-27 inclusive, is
delivered in strongly figurative language, and in the poetic form, which, in every translation,
should be preserved as nearly as possible, rendering the version line for line with the original.
This order I shall pursue in the succeeding notes, always proposing the verse first, in as literal a
translation as possible, line for line with the Hebrew after the hemistich form, from which the
sense will more readily appear; but to the Hebrew text and the common version the reader is
ultimately referred.
2. Come together and hear, O sons of Jacob!
And hearken unto Israel your father.
Bishop ewton has justly observed that Jacob had received a double blessing, spiritual and
temporal; the promise of being progenitor of the Messiah, and the promise of the land of Canaan.
The promised land he might divide among his children as he pleased, but the other must be
confined to one of his sons; he therefore assigns to each son a portion in the land of Canaan, but
limits the descent of the blessed seed to the tribe of Judah. Some have put themselves to a great
deal of trouble and learned labor to show that it was a general opinion of the ancients that the

9. soul, a short time previous to its departure from the body, becomes endued with a certain
measure of the prophetic gift or foresight; and that this was probably the case with Jacob. But it
would be derogatory to the dignity of the prophecies delivered in this chapter, to suppose that
they came by any other means than direct inspiration, as to their main matter, though certain
circumstances appear to be left to the patriarch himself, in which he might express his own
feelings both as a father and as a judge. This is strikingly evident, 1. In the case of Reuben, from
whom he had received the grossest insult, however the passage relative to him may be
understood; and, 2. In the case of Joseph, the tenderly beloved son of his most beloved wife
Rachel, in the prophecy concerning whom he gives full vent to all those tender and affectionate
emotions which, as a father and a husband, do him endless credit.
3. Reuben, my first-born art thou!
My might, and the prime of my strength,
Excelling in eminence, and excelling in power:
4. Pouring out like the waters: - thou shalt not excel,
For thou wentest up to the bed of thy father, -
Then thou didst defile: to my couch he went up!
3. Gill, “And Jacob called upon his sons,.... Who either were near at hand, and within call at the
time Joseph came to visit him, or if at a distance, and at another time, he sent a messenger or
messengers to them to come unto him:
and said, gather yourselves together; his will was, that they should attend him all together at the
same time, that he might deliver what he had to say to them in the hearing of them all; for what
he after declares was not said to them singly and alone, but when they were all before him:
that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days; not their persons merely, but their
posterity chiefly, from that time forward to the coming of the Messiah, who is spoken of in this
prophecy, and the time of his coming; some things are said relating to temporals, others to
spirituals; some are blessings or prophecies of good things to them, others curses, or foretell evil,
but all are predictions delivered out by Jacob under a spirit of prophecy; some things had their
accomplishment when the tribes of Israel were placed in the land of Canaan, others in the times
of the judges, and in later times; and some in the times of the Messiah, to which this prophecy
reaches, whose coming was in the last days, Heb_1:1 and achmanides says, according to the
sense of all their writers, the last days here are the days of the Messiah; and in an ancient writing
of the Jews it is said (x), that Jacob called his sons, because he had a mind to reveal the end of the
Messiah, i.e. the time of his coming; and Abraham Seba (y) observes, that this section is the seal
and key of the whole law, and of all the prophets prophesied of, unto the days of the Messiah.
4. Henry, “A general idea is given of the intended discourse (Gen_49:1): That I may tell you that
which shall befal you (not your persons, but your posterity) in the latter days; this prediction
would be of use to those that came after them, for the confirming of their faith and the guiding of
their way, on their return to Canaan, and their settlement there. We cannot tell our children what
shall befal them or their families in this world; but we can tell them, from the word of God, what
will befal them in the last day of all, according as they conduct themselves in this world. 3.
Attention is demanded (Gen_49:2): “Hearken to Israel your father; let Israel, that has prevailed

10. with God, prevail with you.” ote, Children must diligently hearken to what their godly parents
say, particularly when they are dying. Hear, you children, the instruction of a father, which carries
with it both authority and affection, Pro_4:1.
5. K&D, “The Blessing. - Gen_49:1, Gen_49:2. When Jacob had adopted and blessed the two sons
of Joseph, he called his twelve sons, to make known to them his spiritual bequest. In an elevated
and solemn tone he said, “Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you
(‫א‬ ָ‫ְר‬‫ק‬ִ‫י‬ for ‫ה‬ ֶ‫ְר‬‫ק‬ִ‫י‬, as in Gen_42:4, Gen_42:38) at the end of the days! Gather yourselves together and
hear, ye sons of Jacob, and hearken unto Israel your father!” The last address of Jacob-Israel to
his twelve sons, which these words introduce, is designated by the historian (Gen_49:28) “the
blessing,” with which “their father blessed them, every one according to his blessing.” This
blessing is at the same time a prophecy. “Every superior and significant life becomes prophetic at
its close” (Ziegler). But this was especially the case with the lives of the patriarchs, which were
filled and sustained by the promises and revelations of God. As Isaac in his blessing (Gen 27)
pointed out prophetically to his two sons, by virtue of divine illumination, the future history of
their families; “so Jacob, while blessing the twelve, pictured in grand outlines the lineamenta of
the future history of the future nation” (Ziegler). The groundwork of his prophecy was supplied
partly by the natural character of his twelve sons, and partly by the divine promise which had
been given by the Lord to him and to his fathers Abraham and Isaac, and that not merely in these
two points, the numerous increase of their seed and the possession of Canaan, but in its entire
scope, by which Israel had been appointed to be the recipient and medium of salvation for all
nations. On this foundation the Spirit of God revealed to the dying patriarch Israel the future
history of his seed, so that he discerned in the characters of his sons the future development of the
tribes proceeding from them, and with prophetic clearness assigned to each of them its position
and importance in the nation into which they were to expand in the promised inheritance. Thus
he predicted to the sons what would happen to them “in the last days,” lit., “at the end of the
days” (ἐπ ̓ ἐσχάτων τῶν ἡµερῶν, lxx), and not merely at some future time. ‫ית‬ ִ‫ֲר‬‫ח‬‫,אַ‬ the opposite of
‫ית‬ ִ‫אשׁ‬ ֵ‫,ר‬ signifies the end in contrast with the beginning (Deu_11:12; Isa_46:10); hence ‫הימים‬‫אחרית‬
in prophetic language denoted, not the future generally, but the last future (see Hengstenberg's
History of Balaam, pp. 465-467, transl.), the Messianic age of consummation (Isa_2:2; Eze_38:8,
Eze_38:16; Jer_30:24; Jer_48:47; Jer_49:39, etc.: so also um_24:14; Deu_4:30), like ἐπ ̓
ἐσχάτων τῶν ἡµερῶν (2Pe_3:3; Heb_1:2), or ἐν ταῖς ἐσχάταις ἡµέραις (Act_2:17; 2Ti_3:1). But
we must not restrict “the end of the days” to the extreme point of the time of completion of the
Messianic kingdom; it embraces “the whole history of the completion which underlies the present
period of growth,” or “the future as bringing the work of God to its ultimate completion, though
modified according to the particular stage to which the work of God had advanced in any
particular age, the range of vision opened to that age, and the consequent horizon of the prophet,
which, though not absolutely dependent upon it, was to a certain extent regulated by it”
(Delitzsch).
For the patriarch, who, with his pilgrim-life, had been obliged in the very evening of his days to
leave the soil of the promised land and seek a refuge for himself and his house in Egypt, the final
future, with its realization of the promises of God, commenced as soon as the promised land was
in the possession of the twelve tribes descended from his sons. He had already before his eyes, in
his twelve sons with their children and children's children, the first beginnings of the
multiplication of his seed into a great nation. Moreover, on his departure from Canaan he had
received the promise, that the God of his fathers would make him into a great nation, and lead
him up again to Canaan (Gen_46:3-4). The fulfilment of this promise his thoughts and hopes, his
longings and wishes, were all directed. This constituted the firm foundation, though by no means

11. the sole and exclusive purport, of his words of blessing. The fact was not, as Baumgarten and
Kurtz suppose, that Jacob regarded the time of Joshua as that of the completion; that for him the
end was nothing more than the possession of the promised land by his seed as the promised
nation, so that all the promises pointed to this, and nothing beyond it was either affirmed or
hinted at. ot a single utterance announces the capture of the promised land; not a single one
points specially to the time of Joshua. On the contrary, Jacob presupposes not only the increase
of his sons into powerful tribes, but also the conquest of Canaan, as already fulfilled; foretells to
his sons, whom he sees in spirit as populous tribes, growth and prosperity on the soil in their
possession; and dilates upon their relation to one another in Canaan and to the nations round
about, even to the time of their final subjection to the peaceful sway of Him, from whom the
sceptre of Judah shall never depart. The ultimate future of the patriarchal blessing, therefore,
extends to the ultimate fulfilment of the divine promises-that is to say, to the completion of the
kingdom of God. The enlightened seer's-eye of the patriarch surveyed, “as though upon a canvas
painted without perspective,” the entire development of Israel from its first foundation as the
nation and kingdom of God till its completion under the rule of the Prince of Peace, whom the
nations would serve in willing obedience; and beheld the twelve tribes spreading themselves out,
each in his inheritance, successfully resisting their enemies, and finding rest and full satisfaction
in the enjoyment of the blessings of Canaan.
It is in this vision of the future condition of his sons as grown into tribes that the prophetic
character of the blessing consists; not in the prediction of particular historical events, all of
which, on the contrary, with the exception of the prophecy of Shiloh, fall into the background
behind the purely ideal portraiture of the peculiarities of the different tribes. The blessing gives,
in short sayings full of bold and thoroughly original pictures, only general outlines of a prophetic
character, which are to receive their definite concrete form from the historical development of the
tribes in the future; and throughout it possesses both in form and substance a certain antique
stamp, in which its genuineness is unmistakeably apparent. Every attack upon its genuineness
has really proceeded from an a priori denial of all supernatural prophecies, and has been
sustained by such misinterpretations as the introduction of special historical allusions, for the
purpose of stamping it as a vaticinia ex eventu, and by other untenable assertions and
assumptions; such, for example, as that people do not make poetry at so advanced an age or in
the immediate prospect of death, or that the transmission of such an oration word for word down
to the time of Moses is utterly inconceivable-objections the emptiness of which has been
demonstrated in Hengstenberg's Christology i. p. 76 (transl.) by copious citations from the history
of the early Arabic poetry.
6. Calvin, “And Jacob called. In the former chapter, the blessing on Ephraim and Manasseh was
related Genesis 48:1, because, before Jacob should treat of the state of the whole nation about to
spring from him, it was right that these two grandsons should be inserted into the body of his
sons. ow, as if carried above the heavens, he announces, not in the character of a man, but as
from the mouth of God, what shall be the condition of them all, for a long time to come. And it
will be proper first to remark, that as he had then thirteen sons, he sets before his view, in each of
their persons, the same number of nations or tribes: in which act the admirable lustre of his faith
is conspicuous. For since he had often heard from the Lord, that his seed should be increased to a
multitude of people, this oracle is to him like a sublime mirror, in which he may perceive things
deeply hidden from human sense. Moreover, this is not a simple confession of faith, by which
Jacob testifies that he hopes for whatever had been promised him by the Lord; but he rises
superior to men, at the interpreter and ambassador of God, to regulate the future state of the

12. Church. ow, since some interpreters perceived this prophecy to be noble and magnificent, they
have thought that it would not be adorned with its proper dignity, unless they should extract
from it certain new mysteries. Thus it has happened, that in striving earnestly to elicit profound
allegories, they have departed from the genuine sense of the words, and have corrupted, by their
own inventions, what is here delivered for the solid edification of the pious. But lest we should
depreciate the literal sense, as if it did not contain speculations sufficiently profound, let us mark
the design of the holy Spirit. In the first place, the sons of Jacob are informed beforehand, of
their future fortune, that they may know themselves to be objects of the special care of God; and
that, although the whole world is governed by his providence, they, notwithstanding, are
preferred to other nations, as members of his own household. It seems apparently a mean and
contemptible thing, that a region productive of vines, which should yield abundance of choice
wine, and one rich in pasturers, which should supply milk, is promised to the tribe of Judah. But
if any one will consider that the Lord is hereby giving an illustrious proof of his own election, in
descending, like the father of a family, to the care of food, and also showing, in minute things,
that he is united by the sacred bond of a covenant to the children of Abraham, he will look for no
deeper mystery. In the second place; the hope of the promised inheritance is again renewed unto
them. And, therefore, Jacob, as if he would put them in possession of the land by his own hand,
expounds familiarly, and as in an affair actually present, what kind of habitation should belong
to each of them. Can the confirmation of a matter so serious, appear contemptible to sane and
prudent readers? It is, however, the principal design of Jacob more correctly to point out from
whence a king should arise among them, who should bring them complete felicity. And in this
manner he explains what had been promised obscurely, concerning the blessed seed. In these
things there is so great weight, that the simple treating of them, if only we were skillful
interpreters, ought justly to transport us with admiration. But (omitting all things else) an
advantage of no common kind consists in this single point, that the mouth of impure and profane
men, who freely detract from the credibility of Moses, is shut, so that they no longer dare to
contend that he did not speak by a celestial impulse. Let us imagine that Moses does not relate
what Jacob had before prophesied, but speaks in his own person; whence, then, could he divine
what did not happen till many ages afterwards? Such, for instance, is the prophecy concerning
the kingdom of David. And there is no doubt that God commanded the land to be divided by lot,
lest any suspicion should arise that Joshua had divided it among the tribes, by compact, and as he
had been instructed by his master. After the Israelites had obtained possession of the land, the
division of it was not made by the will of men. Whence was it that a dwelling near the sea-shore
was given to the tribe of Zebulun; a fruitful plain to the tribe of Asher; and to the others, by lot,
what is here recorded; except that the Lord would ratify his oracles by the result, and would
show openly, that nothing then occurred which he had not, a long time before, declared should
take place? I now return to the words of Moses, in which holy Jacob is introduced, relating what
he had been taught by the Holy Spirit concerning events still very remote. But some, with canine
rage, demand,194194 Sed oblatrant quidam protervi canes. Whence did Moses derive his
knowledge of a conversation, held in an obscure hut, two hundred years before his time? I ask in
return, before I give an answer, Whence had he his knowledge of the places in the land of
Canaan, which he assigns, like a skillful surveyor, to each tribe? If this was a knowledge derived
from heaven, (which must be granted,) why will these impious babblers deny that the things
which Jacob has predicted, were divinely revealed to Moses? Besides, among many other things
which the holy fathers had handed down by tradition, this prediction might then be generally
known. Whence was it that the people, when tyrannically oppressed, implored the assistance of
God as their deliverer? Whence was it, that at the simple hearing of a promise formerly given,
they raised their minds to a good hope, unless that some remembrance of the divine adoption still
flourished among them? If there was a general acquaintance with the covenant of the Lord

13. among the people; what impudence will it be to deny that the heavenly servants of God more
accurately investigated whatever was important to be known respecting the promised
inheritance? For the Lord did not utter oracles by the mouth of Jacob which, after his death, a
sudden oblivion should destroy; as if he had breathed, I know not what sounds, into the air. But
rather he delivered instructions common to many ages; that his posterity might know from what
source their redemption, as well as the hereditary title of the land, flowed down to them. We
know how tardily, and even timidly, Moses undertook the province assigned him, when he was
called to deliver his own people: because he was aware that he should have to deal with an
intractable and perverse nation. It was, therefore, necessary, that he should come prepared with
certain credentials which might give proof of his vocation. And, hence, he put forth these
predictions, as public documents from the sacred archives of God, that no one might suppose him
to have intruded rashly into his office.
Gather yourselves together195195 The reader will observe, that the entire structure of these
predictions is poetical. The prophecies of the Old Testament are generally delivered in this form;
and God has thus chosen the most natural method of conveying prophetic intelligence, through
the medium of that elevated strain of diction, which suggests itself to imaginative minds, which is
peculiarly fitted to deal with sublime and invisible realities, and which best serves to stir up
animated feelings, and to fix important truths in the memory of the reader. They who wish to
examine more minutely the poetical character of the chapter, are referred to Dr. Adam Clarke’s
Commentary, and to Caunter’s Poetry of the Pentateuch. A few observations, in passing, will be
made in the notes to such passages as derive elucidation from their poetical structure. — Ed.
Jacob begins with inviting their attention. For he gravely enters on his subject, and claims for
himself the authority of a prophet, in order to teach his sons that he is by no means making a
private testamentary disposition of his domestic affairs; but that he is expressing in words, those
oracles which are deposited with him, until the event shall follow in due time. For he does not
command them simply to listen to his wishes, but gathers them into an assembly by a solemn rite,
that they may hear what shall occur to them in the succession of time. Moreover, I do not doubt,
that he places this future period of which he speaks, in opposition to their exile in Egypt, that,
when their minds were in suspense, they might look forward to that promised state. ow, from
the above remarks, it may be easily inferred, that, in this prophecy is comprised the whole period
from the departure out of Egypt to the reign of Christ: not that Jacob enumerates every event,
but that, in the summary of things on which he briefly touches, he arranges a settled order and
course, until Christ should appear.
7. Leupold, “For "summoned" the Hebrew says, "he called unto" them. This is meant in the
sense of dispatching messengers to gather them together. There is a definite consciousness on the
old father’s part that he like other old men of God is being granted special insight in reference to
his sons’ lives, the knowledge of which can be a substantial blessing to them. Jacob never saw
more clearly and never spoke more truly. We have here more than pia desideria, "pious wishes."
The solemn formal announcement on the father’s part also indicates that he is clearly aware of
the fact that he is about to pronounce substantial blessings. Besides, these words are to be
common property heard and known by all. Each brother is to profit by what the other hears and
receives. "Befall" yikra’ for yikrah —a common exchange of the verbs of these two classes (G. K.
75 rr).
Much depends on the right evaluation of the expression "in the end of the days." So we have
translated quite literally be’acharîth hayyamîm. Koenig says very generally in der Folgezeit, "in
coming days." Luther was content with the general phrase in kuenftigen Zeiten, "in future days."
A. V. uses too strong an expression, "in the last days," laying itself open to the criticism that

14. much of what Jacob foretells does not lie at the end of time. Literally, of course, ’acharîth is "the
latter part" (B D B). Some make the expression refer merely to the future, but that is made
impossible by the literal meaning, "the latter part." Others construe in a fanciful way,
contending that it runs up to the end in so far as an individual may see in the direction of that
end, some seeing much farther than others. Most interpreters are ready to concede that the
Messianic age is involved in some passages where this expression occurs and that it, therefore, in
those passages bears a Messianic connotation. K. W. will allow this to be the case from Isa 2:2
onward. That is the attitude of the majority of expositors. But, as we hope to demonstrate, the
Messianic future is very definitely in this chapter. Consequently, from the very first instance of its
use as well as in all others the phrase points to the future, including the Messianic future. But it
points not to this only but to any preceding part of the future as well, as long as this future is
covered by God’s promises and is a part of the divine developments culminating in the days of
the Messianic age. This meaning holds good also for u 24:14; De 4:30; 31:29, as well as for the
later prophetic passages. Consequently Keil says correctly, on the one hand: This phrase "in
prophetic language denotes not the future generally but the last future, the Messianic age of
consummation"; and adds, on the other hand: "It embraces ‘the whole history of completion
which underlies the present period of growth.’ " ow as far as Jacob himself was concerned, the
first instance of fulfilment naturally was the occupation of Canaan by the tribes descended from
his sons. As far as Israel as a nation was concerned, that was the first thing to be realized. We
need not wonder greatly that his blessing speaks very largely in terms dealing with this first
fulfilment. To see this first word realized would serve as a pledge for the realization of all things
that God might yet be pleased to reveal and to do. Perspective, as far as time is concerned, was
not in evidence in prophetic words. Revelation presents all the elements of the future in its
prediction without troubling to reveal the time intervals that may come between the events
foretold. This explains how Jacob can see in one picture the occupation of Canaan and the
Messiah’s kingdom but hardly anything that lies in between. Dillmann makes an unwarranted
statement in reference to this phrase: he claims that it was customary in the age of the prophets;
therefore it must have been added by some narrator living in that age. Proof for such a claim is
not adduced and cannot be.
We must also take issue with the question whether it is Jacob who pronounces this blessing or
not. For us the question is permanently settled by the statement, perfectly clear in itself— "Jacob
—said." The statements of v. Ge 49:6,7 b and Ge 49:10 are supposed to demonstrate that it was
not Jacob who spoke, for these verses seem to move in terms of the later tribes. Quite so. But it is
Jacob thinking in terms of the tribes descended from him—not at all an unnatural thing, seeing
he knew he was to develop into a number of tribes. But the critics claim that some writer of the
Age of the Judges sought to recall the tribes that were fast disintegrating and losing their
spiritual heritage, and to make his appeal more effective the writer assumed the name of the
venerable Jacob—this literary assumption does not strike us as particularly effective. It is far
from convincing. We fail to see how a message cast into such a form could exert any particularly
salutary influence.
2. “Assemble and listen, sons of Jacob;
listen to your father Israel.

15. 1. Gill, “Gather yourselves together,.... This is repeated to hasten them, and to suggest that he had
something of importance to make known unto them, which he chose to do, when they were together:
and hear, ye sons of Jacob, and hearken to Israel your father: these words are used and doubled to excite
their attention to what he was about to say, and which is urged from the near relation there was between
them
2. Henry, “The preface to the prophecy, in which, 1. The congregation is called together (Gen_49:2):
Gather yourselves together; let them all be sent for from their several employments, to see their father die,
and to hear his dying words. It was a comfort to Jacob, now that he was dying, to see all his children about
him, and none missing, though he had sometimes thought himself bereaved. It was of use to them to attend
him in his last moments, that they might learn of him how to die, as well as how to live: what he said to
each he said in the hearing of all the rest; for we may profit by the reproofs, counsels, and comforts, that
are principally intended for others. His calling upon them once and again to gather together intimated
both a precept to them to unite in love, (to keep together, not to mingle with the Egyptians, not to forsake
the assembling of themselves together,) and a prediction that they should not be separated from each
other, as Abraham's sons and Isaac's were, but should be incorporated, and all make one people
3. Leupold, “At this point the poem proper begins, as is indicated by the parallelism of structure. In
substance v. 1 is repeated, in so far as the sons are bidden to gather round their father. The added feature
of the verse is the double summons to "hearken." Good sons would in any case be ready to do that. The
father’s double exhortation grows out of the knowledge that his words will be doubly precious, since they
voice his own best counsel as well as wisdom imparted by God’s Holy Spirit. For no man ever yet by the
cleverness of his own ingenuity foretold future developments in the kingdom of God. That Jacob is thus
speaking in a double capacity is further indicated by the two names he uses, "Jacob," the name of the man
naturally clever and ambitious, and Israel, the name of the new man who had submitted to God’s
leadings, had prevailed in prayer, and had been content to go as God led when native human ingenuity
had failed.
3. “Reuben, you are my firstborn,
my might, the first sign of my strength,
excelling in honor, excelling in power.
1. Barnes, “Reuben, as the first-born by nature, has the first place in the benedictory address. My
might. In times and places in which a man’s right depends on his might, a large family of sons is
the source of strength and safety. “The excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power” - the
rank and authority which belong to the first-born. “Boiling over as water.” That which boils over
perishes at the same time that it is pernicious. This is here transferred in a figure to the
passionate nature of Reuben. “Thou shalt not excel.” There is here an allusion to the excellency of
dignity and power. By the boiling over of his unhallowed passions Reuben lost all the excellence
that primogeniture confers. By the dispensation of Providence the double portion went to Joseph,
the first-born of Rachel; the chieftainship to Judah; and the priesthood to Levi. The cause of this
forfeiture is then assigned. In the last sentence the patriarch in a spirit of indignant sorrow passes

16. from the direct address to the indirect narrative. “To my couch he went up.” The doom here
pronounced upon Reuben is still a blessing, as he is not excluded from a tribe’s share in the
promised land. But, as in the case of the others, this blessing is abated and modified by his past
conduct. His tribe has its seat on the east of the Jordan, and never comes to any eminence in the
commonwealth of Israel.
2. Clarke, “Reuben as the first-born had a right to a double portion of all that the father had; see
Deu_21:17
The eminence or dignity mentioned here may refer to the priesthood; the power, to the regal
government or kingdom - In this sense it has been understood by all the ancient Targumists. The
Targum of Onkelos paraphrases it thus: “Thou shouldst have received three portions, the
birthright, the priesthood, and the kingdom:” and to this the Targums of Jonathan ben Uzziel
and Jerusalem add: “But because thou hast sinned, the birthright is given to Joseph, the kingdom
to Judah, and the priesthood to Levi.” That the birthright was given to the sons of Joseph we
have the fullest proof from 1Ch_5:1.
3. Gill, “Reuben, thou art my firstborn,.... Jacob addressed himself to Reuben first, in the
presence of his brethren, owned him as his firstborn, as he was, Gen_29:31 did not cashier him
from his family, nor disinherit him, though he had greatly disobliged him, for which the
birthright, and the privileges of it, were taken from him, 1Ch_5:1.
my might, and the beginning of my strength; begotten by him when in his full strength (z), as well
as the first of his family, in which his strength and glory lay; so the Septuagint, "the beginning of
my children"; and because he was so, of right the double portion belonged to him, had he not
forfeited it, Deu_21:17. Some versions render the words, "the beginning of my grief", or
"sorrow" (a), the word "Oni" sometimes so signifying, as Rachel called her youngest son
"Benoni", the son of my sorrow; but this is not true of Reuben, he was not the beginning of
Jacob's sorrow, for the ravishing of Dinah, and the slaughter and spoil of the Shechemites, by his
sons, which gave him great sorrow and grief, were before the affair of Reuben's lying with
Bilhah:
the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power; that is, to him of right belonged excellent
dignity, power, and authority in the family, a preeminence over his brethren, a double portion of
goods, succession in government, and, as is commonly understood, the exercise of the priesthood;
and so the Targums interpret it, that he should, had he not sinned, took three parts or portions
above his brethren, the birthright, priesthood, and kingdom. Jacob observes this to him, that he
might know what he had lost by sinning, and from what excellency and dignity, grandeur and
power, he was fallen.
4. Henry, “The prophecy concerning Reuben. He begins with him (Gen_49:3, Gen_49:4), for he
was the firstborn; but by committing uncleanness with his father's wife, to the great reproach of
the family to which he ought to have been an ornament, he forfeited the prerogatives of the
birthright; and his dying father here solemnly degrades him, though he does not disown nor
disinherit him: he shall have all the privileges of a son, but not of a firstborn. We have reason to
think Reuben had repented of his sin, and it was pardoned; yet it was a necessary piece of justice,
in detestation of the villany, and for warning to others, to put this mark of disgrace upon him.
ow according to the method of degrading, 1. Jacob here puts upon him the ornaments of the

17. birthright (Gen_49:3), that he and all his brethren might see what he had forfeited, and, in that,
might see the evil of the sin: as the firstborn, he was his father's joy, almost his pride, being the
beginning of his strength. How welcome he was to his parents his name bespeaks, Reuben, See a
son. To him belonged the excellency of dignity above his brethren, and some power over them.
Christ Jesus is the firstborn among many brethren, and to him, of right, belong the most
excellent power and dignity: his church also, through him, is a church of firstborn.
5. K&D 3-4, “Reuben, my first-born thou, my might and first-fruit of my strength; pre-eminence in
dignity and pre-eminence in power. - As the first-born, the first sprout of the full virile power of
Jacob, Reuben, according to natural right, was entitled to the first rank among his brethren, the
leadership of the tribes, and a double share of the inheritance (Gen_27:29; Deu_21:17). (‫ת‬ֵ‫א‬ ְ‫:שׂ‬
elevation, the dignity of the chieftainship; ‫ָז‬‫ע‬, the earlier mode of pronouncing ‫ֹז‬ ‫,ע‬ the authority of
the first-born.) But Reuben had forfeited this prerogative. “Effervescence like water - thou shalt
have no preference; for thou didst ascend thy father's marriage-bed: then hast thou desecrated; my
couch has he ascended.” ‫ַז‬‫ח‬ַ‫פּ‬: lit., the boiling over of water, figuratively, the excitement of lust;
hence the verb is used in Jdg_9:4; Zep_3:4, for frivolity and insolent pride. With this predicate
Jacob describes the moral character of Reuben; and the noun is stronger than the verb ‫פחזת‬ of
the Samaritan, and ‫אתרעת‬ or ‫ארתעת‬ efferbuisti, aestuasti of the Sam. Vers., ἐξύβρισας of the lxx,
and ὑπερζέσας of Symm. ‫ר‬ַ‫ֹות‬ ‫תּ‬ is to be explained by ‫ר‬ֶ‫ֶת‬‫י‬: have no pre-eminence. His crime was,
lying with Bilhah, his father's concubine (Gen_35:22). ָ‫ְתּ‬‫ל‬ַ‫לּ‬ִ‫ח‬ is used absolutely: desecrated hast
thou, sc., what should have been sacred to thee (cf. Lev_18:8). From this wickedness the injured
father turns away with indignation, and passes to the third person as he repeats the words, “my
couch he has ascended.” By the withdrawal of the rank belonging to the first-born, Reuben lost
the leadership in Israel; so that his tribe attained to no position of influence in the nation
(compare the blessing of Moses in Deu_33:6). The leadership was transferred to Judah, the
double portion to Joseph (1Ch_5:1-2), by which, so far as the inheritance was concerned, the
first-born of the beloved Rachel took the place of the first-born of the slighted Leah; not,
however, according to the subjective will of the father, which is condemned in Deu_21:15., but
according to the leading of God, by which Joseph had been raised above his brethren, but
without the chieftainship being accorded to him.
6. Keith Krell, “Jacob’s three oldest sons are disinherited for their unfaithfulness (49:3-7).11 In
this section we learn that uncontrolled passions lead to personal and family ruin. Jacob begins
with his oldest, in 49:3-4: “Reuben, you are my firstborn; my might and the beginning of my
strength, preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power. Uncontrolled as water, you shall not
have preeminence, because you went up to your father’s bed; then you defiled it—he went up to
my couch.” Jacob affirms that Reuben holds a special place in his heart by virtue of the fact that
he was the firstborn. The firstborn son normally had two rights. First, he became the leader of
the family, the new patriarch. Second, he was entitled to a double share of the inheritance. But
Reuben was not to receive this blessing because he is “uncontrolled as water.”
The Hebrew word translated “uncontrolled” means “reckless or destructive.”12 The picture is of
water that floods its banks and goes wildly out of control. The metaphor, which literally means
something like boiling over like water, suggests a certain seething of lust, an unbridled license.
The result is an evaluation of Reuben that pointed to wildness and weakness, an undisciplined
life.13
The sins of the past have disqualified him from blessing in the future. If you recall, after Rachel
died Reuben slept with Rachel’s servant—the mother of his brothers Dan and aphtali (35:22).

18. All the text tells us is that Jacob heard about it. We don’t know for certain why Reuben did
this.14 This incident happened 40 years ago. Reuben, the firstborn, should have received a double
portion of the inheritance. He should have been the leader among his brothers. He, above all his
brothers, should have been the one to defend his father’s honor, not defile it. But his one act of
indulgence robbed him of his privileges as the firstborn. Like King David after him, he paid a
terrible price for a night of pleasure.
All the potential in the world won’t benefit you if you don’t develop self-control, especially in the
area of sexual temptation. Satan has plenty of time to wait for you to fall. He just sets his traps
and bides his time. Eventually, he knows that he’s going to trip you up. You may be preeminent in
dignity and power. But if you’re as uncontrolled as water, it’s only a matter of time until your
potential is swept away by the flood of lust. You may have tremendous potential in the Lord. But
you’ve got a habit of flowing downstream with lustful thoughts. It’s all in your head at this point.
o one else knows and no one has gotten hurt—yet. But, great gifts are worthless without godly
character. I know many gifted pastors who are out of the ministry because they did not judge
their lust. If you aren’t learning to take every thought captive to the obedience of Jesus Christ,
it’s only a matter of time before your great potential is ruined by reckless lust.15 Reuben provides
a gripping illustration that the passion of uncontrolled lust leads to ruin.
True to Jacob’s prophecy, the Reubenites never produced a leader of any kind for Israel. They
never entered the Promised Land ( um 23). They built unauthorized places of worship (Josh
22:10-34). About no other tribe do we know so little as about Reuben. The tribe produced no
significant man, no judge, no king, and no prophet. From this first oracle, the teaching is clear
that the behavior of one individual affects the destiny of his descendants.16 Jacob now moves on
to his next two sons
7. Calvin, “Reuben, thou art my first-born He begins with the first-born, not for the sake of honor,
to confirm him in his rank; but that he may the more completely cover him with shame, and
humble him by just reproaches. For Reuben is here cast down from his primogeniture; because
he had polluted his father’s bed by incestuous intercourse with his mother-in-law. The meaning
of his words is this: Thou, indeed, by nature the first-born, oughtest to have excelled, seeing thou
art my strength, and the beginning of my manly vigor; but since thou best flowed away like
water, there is no more any ground for arrogating anything to thyself. For, from the day of thy
incest, that dignity which thou receivedst on thy birth-day, from thy mother’s womb, is gone and
vanished away. The noun (‫),און‬ some translate seed, others grief; and turn the passage thus:
“Thou my strength, and the beginning of my grief or seed.” They who prefer the word grief,
assign as a reason, that children bring care and anxiety to their parents. But if this were the true
meaning, there would rather have been an antithesis between strength and sorrow. Since,
however, Jacob is reciting, in continuity, the declaration of the dignity which belongs to the first-
born, I doubt not that he here mentions the beginning of his manhood. For as men, in a certain
sense, live again in their children, the first-born is properly called the “beginning of strength.” To
the same point belongs what immediately follows, that he had been the excellency of dignity and
of strength, until he had deservedly deprived himself of both. For Jacob places before the eyes of
his son Reuben his former honor, because it was for his profit to be made thoroughly conscious
whence he had fallen. So Paul says, that he set before the Corinthians the sins by which they were
defiled, in order to make them ashamed. (1 Corinthians 6:5.) For whereas we are disposed to
flatter ourselves in our vices, scarcely any one of us is brought back to a sane mind, after he has
fallen, unless he is touched with a sense of his vileness. Moreover, nothing is better adapted to
wound us, than when a comparison is made between those favors which God bestows upon us,

19. and the punishments we bring upon ourselves by our own fault. After Adam had been stripped of
all good things, God reproaches him sharply, and not without ridicule, “Behold Adam is as one of
us.” What end is this designed to answer, except that Adam, reflecting with himself how far he is
changed from that man, who had lately been created according to the image of God, and had
been endowed with so many excellent gifts, might be confounded and fall prostrate, deploring his
present misery? We see, then, that reproofs are necessary for us, in order that we may be touched
to the quick by the anger of the Lord. For so it happens, not only that we become displeased with
the sins of which we are now bearing the punishment, but also, that we take greater care
diligently to guard those gifts of God which dwell within us, lest they perish through our
negligence. They who refer the “excellency of dignity” to the priesthood, and the “excellency of
power” to the kingly office, are, in my judgment, too subtle interpreters. I take the more simple
meaning of the passage to be; that if Reuben had stood firmly in his own rank, the chief place of
all excellency would have belonged to him.
8. Leupold, “The father cannot forget that Reuben is his "firstborn," nor all the fine hopes that
attached themselves to him. The father multiplies himself and grows strong through his children.
Therefore the first-born may well be regarded as a pledge of what the others yet to come may
achieve together with him. He may, therefore, well be designated "my strength (kochî) and the
beginning of my might" (’ôni). This latter expression, "beginning of might," is on several other
occasions used in the Scriptures in reference to the first-born: De 21:17; Ps 78:51; 105:36. For,
surely, with all purity we may make the assertion that manly strength best displays itself in
procreation. More dignity still may be ascribed to the first-born, for truly in a sense it was divine
providence that ordained that a certain one be the first-born among the children of a man.
Universal customs and the law itself to an extent at least recognize this distinction. Among the
chosen people such a dignity is not lost. If anything, it is like all good things enhanced in value by
being found in the kingdom, Jacob expresses this thought by designating Reuben as "the pre-
eminence of dignity and the pre-eminence of power." Yéther, here rendered "pre-eminence"
could have been rendered equally well as "superiority, excellency" (B D B). Se’eth is the
construct infinitive from nasa’, which means "to lift up," "to bear." From the great variety of
meanings possible from this root "dignity" seems best suited to the context. Luther, following the
Vulgate, arrived at a similar meaning, using the idea of nasa’ in so far as it is also used for
offering up sacrifices; so Luther renders der Oberste im Opfer, "the leader in sacrifice." Yet the A.
V.’s rendering has more to commend it. In any case, Reuben’s dignity and honour due to his
being the first-born are strongly set forth in this verse. The rendering "excessively proud and
excessively fierce" is grammatically possible but conflicts with whatever else we know about
Reuben. The criticism and the reproof are confined to the next verse.
4. Turbulent as the waters, you will no longer excel,
for you went up onto your father’s bed,
onto my couch and defiled it.

20. 1. We read of his folly in Gen. 35:22. It was a brief incident, yet it had long range consequences
for himself and his family. He robbed them of a special place in God's plan for the future, and all
for a quick roll in the hay. Sex is a powerful force for good or evil, and he used it for evil for a
momentary pleasure with forbidden fruit. He gets the first blast rather than the first blessing.
2. Clarke, “Pouring out like the waters - This is an obscure sentence because unfinished. It
evidently relates to the defilement of his father’s couch; and the word ‫פחז‬ pachaz, here translated
pouring out, and in our Version unstable, has a bad meaning in other places of the Scripture,
being applied to dissolute, debauched, and licentious conduct. See Jdg_9:4; Zep_3:4; Jer_23:14,
Jer_23:32; Jer_29:23.
Thou shalt not excel - This tribe never rose to any eminence in Israel; was not so numerous by
one third as either Judah, Joseph, or Dan, when Moses took the sum of them in the wilderness,
um_1:21; and was among the first that were carried into captivity, 1Ch_5:26.
Then thou didst defile - Another unfinished sentence, similar to the former, and upon the same
subject, passing over a transaction covertly, which delicacy forbade Jacob to enlarge on. For the
crime of Reuben, see Clarke on Gen_35:22 (note).
5. Simeon and Levi, brethren:
They have accomplished their fraudulent purposes.
6. Into their secret council my soul did not come;
In their confederacy my honor was not united:
For in their anger they slew a man, (‫איש‬ ish, a noble),
And in their pleasure they murdered a prince.
7. Cursed was their anger, for it was fierce!
And their excessive wrath, for it was inflexible!
I will divide them out in Jacob,
And I will disperse them in Israel.
3. Gill, “Unstable as water,.... Which is not to be understood of the levity of his mind, and his
disposition to hurt, and the impetuous force of that breaking forth like water, and carrying him
into the commission of it; but rather of his fall from his excellency and dignity, like the fall of
water from an high place; and of his being vile, mean, and contemptible, useless and
unprofitable, like water spilled on the ground; and of his weak and strengthless condition and
circumstances, being deprived of the prerogatives and privileges of his birthright, and having lost
all his honour and grandeur, power and authority. The word in the Arabic language signifies (b)
to be proud and haughty, to lift up one's self, to swell and rise like the turgent and swelling
waters: but though he did thus lift himself, yet it follows:
thou shall not excel; not have the excellency of dignity and power which belonged to him as the
firstborn; the birthright and the double portion were given to Joseph, who had two tribes
descending from him, when Reuben had but one; the kingdom was given to Judah, and the
priesthood to Levi, as both the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem observe: as he did not excel
his brethren in honour and dignity, so neither in wealth and riches, nor in numbers; see Deu_33:6
where the word "not" is wrongly supplied; nor in his share in the land of Canaan, his posterity
being seated on the other side of Jordan, at their request; nor did any persons of note and

21. eminence spring from his tribe: because thou wentest up to thy father's bed, then defiledst thou
it; referring to his incest with Bilhah, his father's concubine wife, Gen_35:22 which, though done
forty years ago, was now remembered, and left an indelible spot on Reuben's character, and his
posterity:
he went up to my couch: turning himself to his other sons, to take notice of the crime, as very
abominable and detestable; affirming the truth of it, and speaking of it with some vehemency, his
affections being moved; and it may be could not bear to look at Reuben, but turned himself to his
brethren; though he had forgiven the sin, and very probably Reuben had repented of it, and had
forgiveness of God, which he might have, though in some sense vengeance was taken on this
sinful invention of his, Psa_99:8. There are various senses given of this phrase; some, as Aben
Ezra, "my bed departed from me"; that is, he departed from his bed; or, as Kimchi (c), "it ceased
to be my bed"; he left it, he abstained from the bed of Bilhah upon its being defiled by Reuben:
and others separate these words, and read ‫,עלה‬ singly, "it went up" (d); either the excellency of
Reuben went up, vanished and disappeared like smoke; or, as Ben Melech connects it with the
beginning of the verse, "unstable as water", giving the sense, "it", the inundation of water,
"ascended" and prevailed over thee; as waters ascend, meaning his lust ascended, and got the
prevalence over him; but the accents will not admit of such a separation of the words; it is best to
understand them in the first sense. As to the manner of the expression, of going up to a bed, it
may be observed, that not only their beds in those times might be raised higher than ours, but
that they were placed in an higher part of the room, and so there was an ascent to them: and Dr.
Shaw (e) says this is the custom of the eastern people to this day,"at one end of each chamber
there is a little gallery, raised three, four, or five feet above the floor, with a balustrade in the
front of it, with a few steps likewise leading up to it, here they place their beds.''
4. Henry, “He then strips him of these ornaments (Gen_49:4), lifts him up, that he may cast him
down, by that one word, “Thou shalt not excel; a being thou shalt have as a tribe, but not an
excellency.” o judge, prophet, nor prince, is found of that tribe, nor any person of renown
except Dathan and Abiram, who were noted for their impious rebellion against Moses. That tribe,
as not aiming to excel, meanly chose a settlement on the other side Jordan. Reuben himself seems
to have lost all that influence upon his brethren to which his birthright entitled him; for when he
spoke unto them they would not hear, Gen_42:22. Those that have not understanding and spirit to
support the honours and privileges of their birth will soon lose them, and retain only the name of
them. The character fastened upon Reuben, for which he is laid under this mark of infamy, is
that he was unstable as water. (1.) His virtue was unstable; he had not the government of himself
and his own appetites: sometimes he would be very regular and orderly, but at other times he
deviated into the wildest courses. ote, Instability is the ruin of men's excellency. Men do not
thrive because they do not fix. (2.) His honour consequently was unstable; it departed from him,
vanished into smoke, and became as water spilt upon the ground. ote, Those that throw away
their virtue must not expect to save their reputation. Jacob charges him particularly with the sin
for which he was thus disgraced: Thou went est up to thy father's bed. It was forty years ago that
he had been guilty of this sin, yet now it is remembered against him. ote, As time will not of
itself wear off the guilt of any sin from the conscience, so there are some sins whose stains it will
not wipe off from the good name, especially seventh-commandment sins. Reuben's sin left an
indelible mark of infamy upon his family, a dishonour that was a wound not to be healed without
a scar, Pro_6:32, Pro_6:33. Let us never do evil, and then we need not fear being told of it.
5. Calvin, “Unstable as water. He shows that the honor which had not a good conscience for its

22. keeper, was not firm but evanescent; and thus he rejects Reuben from the primogeniture. He
declares the cause, lest Reuben should complain that he was punished when innocent: for it was
also of great consequence, in this affair, that he should be convinced of his fault, lest his
punishment should not be attended with profit. We now see Jacob, having laid carnal affection
aside, executing the office of a prophet with vigor and magnanimity. For this judgment is not to
be ascribed to anger, as if the father desired to take private vengeance of his son: but it proceeded
from the Spirit of God; because Jacob kept fully in mind the burden imposed upon him. The
word ‫עלח‬ (alach) the close of the sentence signifies to depart, or to be blown away like the
ascending smoke, which is dispersed.The literal translation of Calvin’s version is, “Thy velocity
was like that of water, thou shalt not excel: because thou wentest up into thy father’s couch, then
thou pollutedst my bed, he has vanished.” This gives the patriarch’s expression a different turn
from that supposed by our translators; who understand the last word in the sentence to be a
repetition of what had been said before, only putting it in the third person, as expressive of
indignation; as if he had turned round from Reuben to his other children and said — “Yes, I
declare he went up into my bed!” Another view is given in the margin of our Bible, “My couch is
gone;” which means that, by this defilement, the marriage bond was broken. To this version
Calvin objects at the close of the paragraph. But both these constructions seem forced. Calvin’s
appears the most natural. He represents Reuben as having lost all, by his criminal conduct.
Honour, excellence, priority, virtue, and consequently character and influence, had all gone up as
the dew from the face of the earth, and had vanished away. — Ed. Therefore the sense is, that the
excellency of Reuben, from the time that he had defiled his father’s bed, had flowed away and
become extinct. For to expound the expression concerning the bed, to mean that it ceased to be
Jacob’s conjugal bed, because Bilhah had been divorced, is too frigid.
6. CRISWELL, “Then he tells him why, and reminds him of a dark, unthinkable compromise in
the life of Reuben, when he went to bed with one of the concubines of his father, an impossible
breach of a son, of a wonderful and godly man. So when he says to him, “Thou shalt not excel,”
this first child of Jacob and Leah, there's not anything ever that ever comes out of Reuben,
nothing at all.
“Thou shalt not excel.” There's no judge, there's no prophet, there's no prince, there's no person
of renown, nothing ever develops out of the tribe of Reuben. He chose for his settlement on the
other side of the Jordan and vanished altogether. This is the firstborn. This is the one who
should have inherited the blessing. This is the one who should have possessed the birthright. He
possesses nothing at all. What a tragedy, Reuben.
7. PI K, “We shall now refer to several passages in the Old Testament which treat of Reuben,
showing how the fortunes of this tribe verified the words of the dying patriarch.
Let us turn first to 1 Chronicles 5:1, 2: " ow the sons of Reuben, the first-born of Israel (for he
was the firstborn); but, for as much as he defiled his father’s bed his birthright was given unto
the sons of Joseph, the son of Israel; and the genealogy is not to be reckoned after the birthright.
For Judah prevailed above his brethren, and of him (viz., of Judah, instead of Reuben as it ought
to-have been) came the Chief Ruler (i.e., Christ); but the birthright was Joseph’s." In this
striking passage the "birthright" refers, of course, to the position of excellency, and this, as Jacob
declared it should be, was taken away from Reuben and given to the sons of Joseph (they
receiving the double or "first-born’s" portion); and Judah, not Reuben, becoming the royal tribe

23. from which Messiah sprang, and thus "prevailing" above his brethren. Verily, then, Reuben did
not "excel."
Second, as we trace the fortunes of this tribe through the Old Testament it will be found that in
nothing did they "excel." From this tribe came no judge, no king, and no prophet. This tribe
(together with Gad) settled down on the wilderness side of the Jordan, saying, "Bring us not over
Jordan" ( um. 32:5). From this same scripture it appears that the tribe of Reuben was, even
then, but a cattle loving one—"now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very
great multitude of cattle; and when they saw the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead, that,
behold, the place was a place for cattle . . . came and spoke unto Moses and Eleazar the priest
saying . . . the country which the Lord smote before the congregation of Israel, is a land for cattle,
and thy servants have cattle. Wherefore, said they, if we have found grace in thy sight, let this
land be given unto thy servants for a possession, and bring us not over Jordan" ( um. 32:1-5).
With this agrees Judges 5:15, 16: "For the divisions of Reuben there were great thoughts of
heart. Why abodest thou among the sheepfolds, to hear the bleatings of the flocks. For the
divisions of Reuben there were great searchings of heart." When the land was divided among the
tribes in the days of Joshua, the portion allotted to Reuben served, again, to fulfill the prophecy
of Jacob—it was the southernmost and smallest on the east of Jordan.
Third, this tribe was to be "unstable as water," it was to dry up like a stream in summer; it was,
in other words, to enjoy no numerical superiority. In harmony with this was the prophecy of
Moses concerning Reuben—"Let Reuben live, and not die; and (or "but") let his men be few."
ote, that at the first numbering of the tribes, Reuben had 46,500 men able to go forth to war
( um. 1:21), but when next they were numbered they showed a slight decrease—43,730. ( um.
26:7). This is the more noteworthy because most of the other tribes registered an increase.
Remark, too, that Reuben was among those who stood on Matthew Ebal to "curse," not among
those who stood on Matthew Gerizim to "bless" (See Deut. 27:12, 13). In 1 Chronicles 26:31, 32,
we read: "In the fortieth year of the reign of David they were sought for, and there were found
among them mighty men of valor at Jazer of Gilead. And his brethren, men of valor, were two
thousand and seven hundred chief fathers, whom king David made rulers over the Reubenites,
the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh, for every matter pertaining to God, and affairs of the
king." It is also deeply significant to discover that when Jehovah commenced to inflict His
judgments upon Israel we are told, "In those days the Lord began to cut Israel short; and Hazael
smote them in all the coasts of Israel; from Jordan eastward, all the land of Gilead, the Gadites,
and the Reubenites, and the Manassites, from Arser, which is by the River Arnon, even Gilead
and Bashan" (2 Kings 10:32, 33). Thus it will be found throughout; at no point did Reuben
"excel"—his dignity and glory completely dried up! "Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments
of cruelty are in their habitations. O my Soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their
assembly, mine honor, be not thou united; for in their anger they slew a man, and in their self-will
they digged down a wall. Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was
cruel; I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel" (Gen. 49:5-7). What a proof are
these verses of the Divine Inspiration of the scriptures! Had Moses been left to himself he surely
would have left out this portion of Jacob’s prophecy, seeing that he was himself a descendant of
the tribe of Levi!
8. Leupold, “There was within Reuben’s character a certain unbridled element, a boiling-up, a
"seething," which was in itself "wantonness" (B D B). For pßchaz involves both these ideas, being

24. derived from a root which implies "to be reckless" but used in the Scriptures in the sense of
"being lascivious." Seething lust, "unbridled license," was within the man. This root fault
incapacitated him for the position of leadership which would normally have been his. So the
father pronounces the sentence, "thou shalt not enjoy pre-eminence" (tôthar —Hifil imperfect
from yathar). For, apparently, all of the family knew what Reuben’s unbridled license had led
him to do. If any did not, here the father makes specific mention of the crime of incest reported
Ge 35:22. At that time Jacob did not score Reuben’s sin, if we are justified to argue thus from the
silence of the Bible. There can be no doubt as to what his attitude was toward this foul piece of
licentiousness. Here he leaves a public condemnation on record and condemns the deed in no
uncertain terms at a time which serves to make his condemnation all the more impressive. This
was a rebuke that none who heard it could ever forget. Jacob speaks very plainly, "for thou hast
gone up upon thy father’s bed." He says nothing by way of accusing Bilhah. Of the two she may
have been the less guilty party of the crime. "Then," speaking in more general terms, Jacob adds,
"thou didst defile" (chillßta). othing is gained by refering to sexual irregularities by terms that
specifically describe them. It is enough to note "he defiled," that is, himself, the partner to his
misdeed, his father’s name, the family’s reputation. Then Jacob turns away from his son as from
a stranger in sad reflection and speaks in the third person about him (K. S. 344 m), "my couch
did he mount" —a statement accompanied, as it were, by a sad shaking of the head as over an
unbelievable thing. Mishkebhey, "bed," seems to be a dual (K. S. 260 h).
This solemn rebuke was the best thing that could have befallen Reuben, and it will, no doubt,
have produced a salutary reaction. One more outbreak of his licentious lack of restraint appears
in his descendants when Korah’s rebellion flares up in the wilderness ( u 16). Aside from that,
Reuben never furnished a prominent leader for Israel. According to Jos 22:10 ff. the Reubenites
at least acted inadvisedly if not wickedly. In the days of the Judges Reuben failed in an
emergency when put to the test (Jud 5:15). The tribe settled east of the Jordan, demanding its
share of the inheritance of Israel a bit prematurely ( u 32). In the course of Israel’s further
development Reuben grows more and more unimportant. So the father’s word became a reality
—"thou shalt not enjoy pre-eminence." With deep insight the father detected the major flaw of
this son’s makeup and read his character aright.
5. “Simeon and Levi are brothers—
their swords[a] are weapons of violence.
1. Brothers in unity are wonderful except when they are united to do what is stupid and violent,
and this is what they united to do. The Latin for brother is frater from which we get fraternal. It
is a positive word, but when even loving people get together to do what is folly and destructive,
there is no value that they love one another, when they are hateful toward others.
1B. Barnes 5-7, ““Simon and Levi are brethren,” by temper as well as by birth. Their weapons.
This word is rendered plans, devices, by some. But the present rendering agrees best with the
context. Weapons may be properly called instruments of violence; but not so plots. “Habitations”
requires the preposition in before it, which is not in the original, and is not to be supplied without
necessity. “Into their counsel.” This refers to the plot they formed for the destruction of the
inhabitants of Shekem. “They houghed an ox.” The singular of the original is to be understood as

25. a plural denoting the kind of acts to which they were prompted in their passion for revenge.
Jacob pronounces a curse upon their anger, not because indignation against sin is unwarrantable
in itself, but because their wrath was marked by deeds of fierceness and cruelty. “I will divide
them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.” He does not cut them off from any part in the
promised inheritance; but he divides and scatters them.
Accordingly they are divided from one another in their after history, the tribe of Simon being
settled in the southwest corner of the territory of Judah, and Levi having no connected territory,
but occupying certain cities and their suburbs which were assigned to his descendants in the
various provinces of the land. They were also scattered in Israel. For Simon is the weakest of all
the tribes at the close of their sojourn in the wilderness um_26:14; he is altogether omitted in
the blessing of Moses Deut. 33, and hence, obtains no distinct territory, but only a part of that of
Judah Jos_19:1-9; and he subsequently sends out two colonies, which are separated from the
parent stock, and from one another 1 Chr. 4:24-43. And Levi received forty-eight towns in the
various districts of the land, in which his descendants dwelt, far separated from one another. This
prediction was therefore, fulfilled to the letter in the history of these brothers. Their classification
under one head is a hint that they will yet count but as one tribe.
2. Clarke, “Simeon and Levi are brethren - ot only springing from the same parents, but they
have the same kind or disposition, head-strong, deceitful, vindictive, and cruel.
They have accomplished, etc. - Our margin has it, Their swords are weapons of violence, i. e.,
Their swords, which they should have used in defense of their persons or the honorable
protection of their families, they have employed in the base and dastardly murder of an innocent
people.
The Septuagint gives a different turn to this line from our translation, and confirms the
translation given above: Συνετελεσαν αδικια εξαιρεσεως αυτων· They have accomplished the
iniquity of their purpose; with which the Samaritan Version agrees. In the Samaritan text we
read calu, they have accomplished, instead of the Hebrew ‫כלי‬ keley, weapons or instruments,
which reading most critics prefer: and as to ‫מכרתיהם‬ mecherotheyhem, translated above their
fraudulent purposes, and which our translation on almost no authority renders their habitations,
it must either come from the Ethiopic ‫מכר‬ macar, he counselled, devised stratagems, etc., (see
Castel), or from the Arabic macara, he deceived, practiced deceit, plotted, etc., which is nearly of
the same import. This gives not only a consistent but evidently the true sense.
3. Gill, “Simeon and Levi are brothers,.... ot because they were so in a natural sense, being
brethren both by father and mother's side, for there were others so besides them; but because
they were of like tempers, dispositions, and manners (f), bold, wrathful, cruel, revengeful, and
deceitful, and joined together in their evil counsels and evil actions, and so are joined together in
the evils predicted of them:
instruments of cruelty are in their habitations: or vessels, utensils, household goods gotten by
violence and rapine, and through the cruel usage of the Shechemites; these were in their
dwellings, their houses were full of such mammon of unrighteousness, or spoil; or, as others,
"instruments of cruelty" are "their swords" (g); what they should only have used in their own
defence, with these they shed the blood of the Shechemites very barbarously, Gen_34:25. Some
think the word here used is the Greek word for a sword; and the Jews say (h) that Jacob cursed
the swords of Simeon and Levi in the Greek tongue; and others say it is Persic, being used by
Xenophon for Persian swords; but neither of them seems probable: rather this word was

26. originally Hebrew, and so passed from thence into other languages; but perhaps the sense of it,
which Aben Ezra gives, may be most agreeable, if the first sense is not admitted, that it signifies
covenants, compacts, agreements (i), such as these men made with the Shechemites, even nuptial
contracts; for the root of the word, in the Chaldee language, signifies to espouse (k); and these
they abused to cruelty, bloodshed, and slaughter, in a most deceitful manner: in the Ethiopic
language, the word signifies counsels; so De Dieu takes it here.
4. Henry 5-7, “These were next in age to Reuben, and they also had been a grief and shame to
Jacob, when they treacherously and barbarously destroyed the Shechemites, which he here
remembers against them. Children should be afraid of incurring their parents' just displeasure,
lest they fare the worse for it long afterwards, and, when they would inherit the blessing, be
rejected. Observe, 1. The character of Simeon and Levi: they were brethren in disposition; but,
unlike their father, they were passionate and revengeful, fierce and uncontrollable; their swords,
which should have been only weapons of defence, were (as the margin reads it, Gen_49:5)
weapons of violence, to do wrong to others, not to save themselves from wrong. ote, It is no new
thing for the temper of children to differ very much from that of their parents. We need not think
this strange: it was so in Jacob's family. It is not in the power of parents, no, not by education, to
form the dispositions of their children; Jacob bred his sons to every thing that was mild and
quiet, and yet they proved to be thus furious. 2. A proof of this is the murder of the Shechemites,
which Jacob deeply resented at the time (Gen_34:30) and still continued to resent. They slew a
man, Shechem himself, and many others; and, to effect that, they digged down a wall, broke the
houses, to plunder them, and murder the inhabitants. ote, The best governors cannot always
restrain those under their charge from committing the worst villanies. And when two in a family
are mischievous they commonly make one another so much the worse, and it were wisdom to part
them. Simeon and Levi, it is probable, were most active in the wrong done to Joseph, to which
some think Jacob has here some reference; for in their anger they would have slain that man.
Observe what a mischievous thing self-will is in young people: Simeon and Levi would not be
advised by their aged and experienced father; no, they would be governed by their own passion
rather than by his prudence. Young people would better consult their own interests if they would
less indulge their own will. 3. Jacob's protestation against this barbarous act of theirs: O my soul,
come not thou into their secret. Hereby he professes not only his abhorrence of such practices in
general, but his innocence particularly in that matter. Perhaps he had been suspected as, under-
hand, aiding and abetting; he therefore thus solemnly expresses his detestation of the fact, that he
might not die under that suspicion. ote, Our soul is our honour; by its powers and faculties we
are distinguished from, and dignified above, the beasts that perish. ote, further, We ought, from
our hearts, to detest and abhor all society and confederacy with bloody and mischievous men. We
must not be ambitious of coming into their secret, or knowing the depths of Satan. 4. His
abhorrence of those brutish lusts that led them to this wickedness: Cursed be their anger. He does
not curse their persons, but their lusts. ote, (1.) Anger is the cause and original of a great deal of
sin, and exposes us to the curse of God, and his judgment, Mat_5:22. (2.) We ought always, in the
expressions of our zeal, carefully to distinguish between the sinner and the sin, so as not to love
nor bless the sin for the sake of the person, nor to hate nor curse the person for the sake of the
sin. 5. A token of displeasure which he foretels their posterity should lie under for this: I will
divide them. The Levites were scattered throughout all the tribes, and Simeon's lot lay not
together, and was so strait that many of the tribe were forced to disperse themselves in quest of
settlements and subsistence. This curse was afterwards turned into a blessing to the Levites; but
the Simeonites, for Zimri's sin ( um_25:14), had it bound on. ote, Shameful dispersions are the
just punishment of sinful unions and confederacies.

27. 5. Jamison 5-7, “Simeon and Levi were associate in wickedness, and the same prediction would
be equally applicable to both their tribes. Levi had cities allotted to them (Jos_21:1-45) in every
tribe. On account of their zeal against idolatry, they were honorably “divided in Jacob”; whereas
the tribe of Simeon, which was guilty of the grossest idolatry and the vices inseparable from it,
were ignominiously “scattered.”
6. K&D 5-7, ““Simeon and Levi are brethren:” emphatically brethren in the full sense of the
word; not merely as having the same parents, but in their modes of thought and action.
“Weapons of wickedness are their swords.” The ἅπαξ lec. ‫ֹת‬ ‫ֵר‬‫כ‬ְ‫מ‬ is rendered by Luther, etc., weapons
or swords, from ‫כּוּר‬=‫ה‬ ָ‫ָר‬‫כּ‬ , to dig, dig through, pierce: not connected with µάχαιρα. L. de Dieu and
others follow the Arabic and Aethiopic versions: “plans;” but ‫ס‬ָ‫מ‬ָ‫ח‬‫ֵי‬‫ל‬ְ‫כּ‬ , utensils, or instruments, of
wickedness, does not accord with this. Such wickedness had the two brothers committed upon the
inhabitants of Shechem (Gen_34:25.), that Jacob would have no fellowship with it. “Into their
counsel come not, my soul; with their assembly let not my honour unite.” ‫ֹוד‬ ‫,ס‬ a council, or
deliberative consensus. ‫ַד‬‫ח‬ֵ‫,תּ‬ imperf. of ‫ַד‬‫ח‬ָ‫י‬;‫י‬ִ‫ֹוד‬ ‫ְב‬‫כּ‬ , like Psa_7:6; Psa_16:9, etc., of the soul as the
noblest part of man, the centre of his personality as the image of God. “For in their wrath have
they slain men, and in their wantonness houghed oxen.” The singular nouns ‫אישׁ‬ and ‫ֹור‬ ‫,שׁ‬ in the
sense of indefinite generality, are to be regarded as general rather than singular, especially as the
plural form of both is rarely met with; of ‫,אישׁ‬ only in Psa_141:4; Pro_8:4, and Isa_53:3; of ‫־‬ ִ‫ָר‬‫ו‬ ְ‫שׁ‬
‫ֹור‬ ‫,שׁ‬ only in Hos_12:12. ‫ֹון‬ ‫צ‬ ָ‫:ר‬ inclination, here in a bad sense, wantonness. ‫ֵר‬‫קּ‬ִ‫ע‬: νευροκοπεῖν, to
sever the houghs (tendons of the hind feet), - a process by which animals were not merely lamed,
but rendered useless, since the tendon once severed could never be healed again, whilst as a rule
the arteries were not cut so as to cause the animal to bleed to death (cf. Jos_11:6, Jos_11:9;
2Sa_8:4). In Gen_34:28 it is merely stated that the cattle of the Shechemites were carried off, not
that they were lamed. But the one is so far from excluding the other, that it rather includes it in
such a case as this, where the sons of Jacob were more concerned about revenge than booty.
Jacob mentions the latter only, because it was this which most strikingly displayed their criminal
wantonness. On this reckless revenge Jacob pronounces the curse, “Cursed be their anger, for it
was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I shall divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in
Israel.” They had joined together to commit this crime, and as a punishment they should be
divided or scattered in the nation of Israel, should form no independent or compact tribes. This
sentence of the patriarch was so fulfilled when Canaan was conquered, that on the second
numbering under Moses, Simeon had become the weakest of all the tribes ( um_26:14); in
Moses' blessing (Deut 33) it was entirely passed over; and it received no separate assignment of
territory as an inheritance, but merely a number of cities within the limits of Judah (Jos_19:1-9).
Its possessions, therefore, became an insignificant appendage to those of Judah, into which they
were eventually absorbed, as most of the families of Simeon increased but little (1Ch_4:27); and
those which increased the most emigrated in two detachments, and sought out settlements for
themselves and pasture for their cattle outside the limits of the promised land (1Ch_4:38-43).
Levi also received no separate inheritance in the land, but merely a number of cities to dwell in,
scattered throughout the possessions of his brethren (Josh 21:1-40). But the scattering of Levi in
Israel was changed into a blessing for the other tribes through its election to the priesthood. Of
this transformation of the curse into a blessing, there is not the slightest intimation in Jacob's
address; and in this we have a strong proof of its genuineness. After this honourable change had
taken place under Moses, it would never have occurred to any one to cast such a reproach upon
the forefather of the Levites. How different is the blessing pronounced by Moses upon Levi
(Deu_33:8.)! But though Jacob withdrew the rights of primogeniture from Reuben, and

28. pronounced a curse upon the crime of Simeon and Levi, he deprived none of them of their share
in the promised inheritance. They were merely put into the background because of their sins, but
they were not excluded from the fellowship and call of Israel, and did not lose the blessing of
Abraham, so that their father's utterances with regard to them might still be regarded as the
bestowal of a blessing (Gen_49:28).
7. Keith Krell, “In 49:5-7, Jacob declares, “Simeon and Levi are brothers; their swords are
implements of violence. Let my soul not enter into their council; let not my glory be united with
their assembly; because in their anger they slew men, and in their self-will they lamed oxen.
Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce; and their wrath, for it is cruel. I will disperse them in
Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.” When Jacob says that these men are brothers, he doesn’t
mean just biological brothers. He means that they are two of a kind. Brothers and sisters can
either encourage one another to righteous living or to sin. These brothers plotted how they would
get even with the Shechemites because the prince of Shechem had raped their sister. They used
God’s covenant of circumcision, which should have been a channel of blessing, as the means of
deceiving and slaughtering all the men in the town. Here Jacob distances himself from their
treachery and pronounces a curse upon their anger. These two sons teach us that the passion of
uncontrolled anger leads to ruin.
Interestingly, over 40 years later, Jacob still characterizes his sons as angry men. He doesn’t say,
“Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce, and their wrath, for it was cruel.” He says it “is” fierce
and cruel. They were still angry men. Uncontrolled anger results in senseless destruction of
people and property. Think of the families these men ruined by murdering all the fathers. They
hamstrung some of the oxen, an act of senseless waste. The word “self-will” (49:6) has the nuance
of doing as they pleased. They weren’t concerned about anybody’s feelings except their own.
Most anger stems from selfishness. “I didn’t get my way! I demand my rights!” But that kind of
anger hurts everyone, including the angry person.
8. Calvin, “Simeon and Levi are brethren. He condemns the massacre of the city of Shechem by
his two sons Simon and Levi, and denounces the punishment of so great a crime. Whence we
learn how hateful cruelty is to God, seeing that the blood of man is precious in his sight. For it is
as if he would cite to his own tribunal those two men, and would demand vengeance on them,
when they thought they had already escaped. It may, however, be asked, whether pardon had not
been granted to them long ago; and if God had already forgiven them, why does he recall them
again to punishment? I answer, it was both privately useful to themselves, and was also necessary
as an example, that this slaughter should not remain unpunished, although they might have
obtained previous forgiveness. For we have seen before, when they were admonished by their
father, how far they were from that sorrow which is the commencement of true repentance; and
it may be believed that afterwards they became stupefied more and more, with a kind of brutish
torpor, in their wickedness; or at least, that they had not been seriously affected with bitter grief
for their sin. It was also to be feared lest their posterity might become addicted to the same
brutality, unless divinely impressed with horror at the deed. Therefore the Lord, partly for the
purpose of humbling them, partly for that of making them an example to all ages, inflicted on
them the punishment of perpetual ignominy. Moreover, by thus acting, he did not retain the
punishment while remitting the guilt, as the Papists foolishly dream: but though truly and
perfectly appeased, he administered a correction suitable for future times. The Papists imagine
that sins are only half remitted by God; because he is not willing to absolve sinners gratuitously.
But Scripture speaks far otherwise. It teaches us that God does not exact punishments which
shall compensate for offenses; but such as shall purge hearts from hypocrisy, and shall invite the

29. elect — the allurements of the world being gradually shaken off — to repentance, shall stir them
up to vigilant solicitude, and shall keep them under restraint by the bridle of fear and reverence.
Whence it follows that nothing is more preposterous, than that the punishments which we have
deserved, should be redeemed by satisfactions, as if God, after the manner of men, would have
what was owing paid to him; nay, rather there is the best possible agreement between the
gratuitous remission of punishments and those chastening of the rod, which rather prevent future
evils, than follow such as have been already committed.
To return to Simeon and Levi. How is it that God, by inflicting a punishment which had been long
deferred, should drag them back as guilty fugitives to judgment; unless because impunity would
have been hurtful to them? And yet he fulfills the office of a physician rather than of a judge, who
refuses to spare, because he intends to heal; and who not only heals two who are sick, but, by an
antidote, anticipates the diseases of others, in order that they may beware of cruelty. This also is
highly worthy to be remembered, that Moses, in publishing the infamy of his own people, acts as
the herald of God: and not only does he proclaim a disgrace common to the whole nation, but
brands with infamy, the special tribe from which he sprung. Whence it plainly appears, that he
paid no respect to his own flesh and blood; nor was he to be induced, by favor or hatred, to give a
false color to anything, or to decline from historical fidelity: but, as a chosen minister and witness
of the Lord, he was mindful of his calling, which was that he should declare the truth of God
sincerely and confidently. A comparison is here made not only between the sons of Jacob
personally; but also between the tribes which descended from them. This certainly was a specially
opportune occasion for Moses to defend the nobility of his own people. But so far is he from
heaping encomiums upon them, that he frankly stamps the progenitor of his own tribe with an
everlasting dishonor, which should redound to his whole family. Those Lucianist dogs, who carp
at the doctrine of Moses, pretend that he was a vain man who wished to acquire for himself the
command over the rude common people. But had this been his project, why did he not also make
provision for his own family? Those sons whom ambition would have persuaded him to endeavor
to place in the highest rank, he puts aside from the honor of the priesthood, and consigns them to
a lowly and common service. Who does not see that these impious calumnies have been
anticipated by a divine counsel rather than by merely human prudence, and that the heirs of this
great and extraordinary man were deprived of honor, for this reason, that no sinister suspicion
might adhere to him? But to say nothing of his children and grandchildren, we may perceive that,
by censuring his whole tribe in the person of Levi, he acted not as a man, but as an angel
speaking under the impulse of the Holy Spirit, and free from all carnal affection. Moreover, in the
former clause, he announces the crime: afterwards, he subjoins the punishment. The crime is,
that the arms of violence are in their tabernacles; and therefore he declares, both by his tongue
and in his heart, that he holds their counsel in abhorrence,197197 If this interpretation were
admitted, the passage would read thus: “Simeon and Levi are brethren, instruments of cruelty
are their swords.” because, in their desire of revenge, they cut off a city with its inhabitants.
Respecting the meaning of the words commentators differ. For some take the word‫מכרות‬)
makroth) to mean swords; as if Jacob had said, that their swords had been wickedly polluted with
innocent blood. But they think more correctly, who translate the word habitations; as if he had
said, that unjust violence dwelt among them, because they had been so sanguinary. I do not doubt
that the word‫כבד‬)chabod) is put for the tongue, as in other places;198198 In coetu eorum non
uniaris lingua mea This is Calvin’s version; and it may perhaps be vindicated by the use made of
the word‫כבד‬in other passages, where the tongue is metaphorically called the glory of man. Yet
the passage plainly admits of another and perhaps a more simple signification. — Ed and thus
the sense is clear, that Jacob, from his heart, so detests the crime perpetrated by his sons, that his
tongue shall not give any assent to it whatever. Which he does, for this end, that they may begin

30. to be dissatisfied with themselves, and that all others may learn to abhor perfidy combined with
cruelty. Fury, beyond doubt, signifies a perverse and blind impulse of anger:199199 Quia in
furore sua, etc. Because in their fury they killed a man. — Ed. and lust is opposed to rational
moderation;200200 Libido is not the word used in Calvin’s version, though his commentary
proceeds on that supposition. His words are “voluntate sua eradicaverunt murum.” In their will,
or pleasure, they uprooted a wall. — Ed. because they are governed by no law. Interpreters also
differ respecting the meaning of the word‫שור‬)shor.)201201 The marginal reading of our Bible
for “they digged down a wall,” is “they houghed oxen.” Some translators who think that the word
ought to be rendered “ox,” and not “wall,” regard the word ox as a metaphorical term for a
brave and powerful man. Thus Herder, in Caunter’s Poetry of the Pentateuch, gives the following
version:
“My heart was not joined in their company,
When in anger they slew a hero,
And in revenge destroyed a noble ox”.
Dr. A. Clarke suggests an alteration in the word, which gives the passage another sense:
“In their anger they slew a man,
And in their pleasure they murdered a prince”.
—Ed. Some translate it “bullock,” and think that the Shechemites are allegorically denoted by
it, seeing they were sufficiently robust and powerful to defend their lives, had not Simon and Levi
enervated them by fraud and perfidy. But a different exposition is far preferable, namely, that
they “overturned a wall.” For Jacob magnifies the atrociousness of their crime, from the fact,
that they did not even spare buildings in their rage.
9. Leupold, “It is rather obvious that Simeon and Levi are brothers after the flesh, for Leah was
their mother. Here "brothers" implies that they are besides of one mind and disposition. The
unfortunate episode in which they figured found them in complete agreement: one was as much
to blame as the other. The rebuke administered has reference to the vengeance these two brothers
took on the Shechemites because a prince of that city had violated the honour of their sister
Dinah. At that time already (Ge 34:30) Jacob had condemned their deed strongly. Apparently, the
native perversity of the two was yet unbroken. While the minds of the twelve sons were still
shocked over the plain speech used in reference to Reuben, all of them, but especially the two
addressed, hear a salutary reproof that is equally strong. Perhaps nothing more helpful could
have been spoken for these two; and so again we have a blessing, though in disguise. The word
mekherôth, used only here, presents difficulties. From days of old grammarians have sensed the
root khûr in this noun and have been struck by the similarity of the Greek macaira, "short
sword." Very likely this resemblance is purely accidental. Khûr means "to dig"; a mekherah
would be a digging tool, i. e., a "mattock" (K. W., Karste). On that memorable occasion Simeon
and Levi, perhaps lacking swords and also to avoid suspicion, may have come down upon
Shechem with heavy mattocks in their hands and used them as "implements of violence." Jacob
first expresses his disapproval of the deed and the method employed to achieve the deed when he
says: "may my soul not enter into their council." His inmost being, his "soul" (néphesh), abhors
such crafty schemes. ot only would he not be partner to their deeds; he would not even have it
said that he in any wise shared in such nefarious gatherings where the plot was hatched out. For
emphasis’ sake he repeats the thought in a parallel statement: "May my glory (i. e. again: my soul
—see Ps 7:6; 16:9; 30:12; for the soul is the most glorious part of man) not join in their
assembly." Some render the imperfect of the verbs involved as potentials and gain a still more
acceptable form of statement: My soul would not enter (tabho’) into their council and my glory
would not join (techadh —from yachadh) in their assembly. "My soul" and "my glory" are, of

31. course, Hebrew substitutes for "I" (K. S. 7 and 325 o), being reserved for more elevated strains of
diction. Thus far the deed stands condemned as high handed "violence," the planning of it as
done in an iniquitous assembly, which all righteous men should abhor. ow the source of the deed
or its deeper motive is scrutinized. The brothers had flattered and, no doubt, at first prided
themselves upon what they had done, as though it had been a deed born out of righteous
indignation. But good motives do not produce murder. So Jacob, reading their hearts better than
they themselves did, instructs them that they did it "in their anger" (’aph) and "self-will"
(ratsôn). For "men" the Hebrew has the singular ’îsh, "man," as the language often does in the
case of nouns whose plural form would be the normal thing (K. S. 256b); so also "cattle" singular
(shôr). "Hocked" means "hamstringed" (Meek), i. e., cut the leg tendons. "Digged down a wall"
(A. V.) is not correct. It is true that Ge 34:27-29 told of the capture of the cattle. In v. 6, however,
we have supplementary information: what these two men did not lead away as plunder they
destroyed in the fierceness of their anger. In our day we should say that these two brothers were
actuated by a nationalistic, carnal pride. They particularly resented that their sister, born of the
superior stock of Jacob as they felt, had been treated, disrespectfully. They did not regret so
much that a daughter of the race of promise had been dealt with dishonourably.
6. Let me not enter their council,
let me not join their assembly,
for they have killed men in their anger
and hamstrung oxen as they pleased.
1. Jacob is making it clear that he is not to blame at all for his sons wicked behavior. It is not
always the case that you can blame the parents for the behavior of the children. He refused to be
associated with their evil deeds. He never voted for their action, and would have stopped it had he
known their plot. Parents so often will defend their children when they do wrong, but not Jacob.
He makes it clear that they were evil, and he washes his hands of it all. Family loyalty is
wonderful, but not always. There is a point where parents need to call their children bad boys,
and recognize they deserve to pay the penalty for their conduct. A parent who tries to always
justify his children's behavior is a part of the problem.
1B. Clarke, “Into their secret council, etc. - Jacob here exculpates himself from all participation
in the guilt of Simeon and Levi in the murder of the Shechemites. He most solemnly declares that
he knew nothing of the confederacy by which it was executed, nor of the secret council in which it
was plotted.
If it should be said that the words ‫תבא‬ tabo and ‫תחד‬ techad should be translated in the future
tense or in the imperative, as in our translation, I shall not contend; though it is well known that
the preterite is often used for the future in Hebrew, and vice versa. Taken thus, the words mark
the strong detestation which this holy man’s soul felt for the villany of his sons: “My soul shall
not come into their secret council. My honor shall not be united to their confederacy.
For in their anger they slew a man - ‫איש‬ ish, a noble, an honorable man, viz., Shechem.
And in their pleasure - This marks the highest degree of wickedness and settled malice, they

32. were delighted with their deed. A similar spirit Saul of Tarsus possessed previously to his
conversion; speaking of the martyrdom of St. Stephen, St. Luke says, Act_8:1 : Σαυλος δε ην
συνευδοκων τῃ αναιρεσει αυτου· And Saul was gladly consenting to his death. He was with the
others highly delighted with it; and thus the prediction of our Lord was fulfilled, Joh_16:2 : Yea,
the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. And it is
represented as the highest pitch of profligacy and wickedness, not only to sin, but to delight in it;
see Rom_1:32. As the original word ‫רצון‬ ratson signifies, in general, pleasure, benevolence,
delight, etc., it should neither be translated self-will nor willfulness, as some have done, but
simply as above; and the reasons appear sufficiently obvious. They murdered a prince - Hamor,
the father of Shechem. Instead of ‫שור‬ shor, which we have translated a wall, and others an ox, I
read ‫שר‬ sar, a prince, which makes a consistent sense; (see Kennicott’s first Dissertation, p. 56,
etc.); as there is no evidence whatever that Simeon and Levi either dug down a wall or houghed
the oxen, as some have translated the passage; Or houghed oxen; on the contrary, the text,
Gen_34:28, Gen_34:29, proves that they had taken for their own use the sheep, oxen, asses, all
their wealth, their wives, and their little ones.
2. Gill, “O my soul, come not thou into their secret,.... Their cabinet counsels, combinations and
conspiracies; this Jacob said, as abhorring the wicked counsel they had took of slaying the
Shechemites; and lest any should think he was concerned in it, or connived at it, he expressed a
detestation of the fact on his dying bed: the future tense may be put for the past; and so Onkelos
renders it, "my soul was not in their secret"; and so the other two Targums paraphrase it, that
when they got and consulted together, his soul was not pleased and delighted with their counsel,
but abhorred it; or "my soul shall not come", which Jarchi thinks prophetical refers to the case
of Zimri, the son of Salu, of the tribe of Simeon, as the following clause to the affair of Korah, of
the tribe of Levi, as foreseeing and disapproving them, and desiring they might not be called by
his name, or his name called upon them, um_25:14.
unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united; the same thing expressed in different
words; by his "honour or glory" he means his soul, the more honourable part of man, or his
tongue, with which man glorifies God; and hereby Jacob intimates, that he did not in thought,
and much less in express words, give any consent unto, and approbation of the deed of those two
sons of his, and that he never was, nor never desired to be with them in their meetings and
consultations:
for in their anger they slew a man; Hamor or Shechem, together with all the males of the city;
and so "man" may be put for "men", the singular for the plural, as is frequent. The Targum of
Jonathan is, a king and his governor; and the Targum of Jerusalem, kings with governors:
and in their selfwill they digged down a wall; not the wall of the city of Shechem, which does not
appear to be walled, by their easy access into it; and if it was, they do not seem to have had
proper instruments for such an undertaking, nor a sufficient number for such work, and which
would have required longer time than they used, unless it was a poor wall indeed: rather the wall
of Shechem's house, or the court before it, which they dug down, or broke through to get in and
slay Hamor and Shechem, and take away their sister; though the word, as here pointed, always
signifies an ox; and so the Samaritan and Septuagint versions render it, they hamstringed a bull,
or houghed an ox, just in like manner as horses are said to be houghed, Jos_11:6 and which some
understand (l) figuratively of a prince or ruler; so great personages are called bulls of Bashan,

33. Psa_22:12 and interpret it either of Hamor or of Shechem, who was a prince among his people,
and furious in his lust towards Dinah, and so this clause is much the same with the former: and
besides, him they enervated by circumcision, and took the advantage of this his condition at the
worst, and slew him, which seems to be the true sense of the text, agreeably to Gen_34:25 but the
Jerusalem Targum paraphrases it of Joseph, whom his brethren sold, who was like unto an ox;
and so Jarchi interprets it of him, whom they designed to slay, see Deu_33:17 but it is better to
take the words in a literal sense, either of the oxen that Simeon and Levi took from the
Shechemites, which they plucked or drove away from their mangers, as some render the words
(m); and some of them they might hough or hamstring, that they might not get away from them,
see Gen_34:28 or rather of Shechem himself, who was ‫,שר‬ "a prince", a word which has some
likeness and affinity to this in the text.
3. Keith Krell, “Jacob distances himself from these two angry sons (49:6) and prophesies that
they will be dispersed and scattered in Israel. That was fulfilled as the tribe of Simeon later
inherited land scattered throughout Judah’s territory (Josh 19:1-9; see also 1 Chron 4:28-33, 39,
42). The tribe of Levi became priests who had no inheritance, but were scattered throughout the
rest of the tribal lands.17
Even though these first three tribes suffered loss for their sins, Jacob’s prophecies about them
were still a blessing. They retained a place in the chosen family and enjoyed the benefits of God’s
promises as Jacob’s heirs. Yet, they were disqualified from the reward that could have been theirs
because of their failure to repent of their sin ( um 32:23-24; Ezek 18:30). By demoting Reuben
for his turbulence and uncontrolled sex drive, Jacob saves Israel from reckless leadership.
Likewise, by cursing the cruelty of Simeon and Levi, he restricts their cruel rashness from
dominating.18
Perversion and anger are the two sins that men struggle with the most. Unfortunately, both sins
can be handed down from generation to generation. Take anger, for example. It’s interesting that
Moses was a descendant of Levi. What problem kept Moses from beginning his work at first and
then from entering the Promised Land? Anger! He got angry and murdered the Egyptian who
was mistreating the Hebrews and had to flee to the desert for 40 years. Then he got angry with
the people and struck the rock to bring forth water, when God had told him to speak to the rock.
For that sin, God prevented Moses from entering Canaan. Moses was the son of Levi.
The lesson is clear: Our actions determine our future blessings in God’s program and the choices
we make today will affect our descendants for generations to come. We must learn from Reuben,
Simeon, and Levi that we cannot live recklessly. God, the righteous judge sees everything. We
may feel that we have “gotten away” with something, but we haven’t. We just haven’t “faced the
music” yet…but we will. Even though we are secure in Christ, there are still consequences to our
actions.19 We must continually recognize that one day we will have to give an account (2 Cor
5:10).20
I appreciate Jacob’s willingness to step up and drill his sons between the eyes. Previously, he was
a passive, sissified male, but in his final days he steps up. As parents, one of the things we must do
is tell our children the truth. Our society has been caught up in self-esteem. We don’t want to say
or do anything that will jeopardize anyone’s sense of worth. Yet, healthy people are disciplined.
Who is the most rebellious and prideful being that has ever lived? Satan. He has always sought to
have his own way. Apart from the boundaries God has placed upon him, he does whatever he
wants. He hasn’t turned out very well. Parents, discipline your children. Exercise tough love. You
may feel like your children are little devils right now. Well, just wait. If you choose not to
discipline them and speak hard words, you will find that they will become menaces to society.

34. 7. Cursed be their anger, so fierce,
and their fury, so cruel!
I will scatter them in Jacob
and disperse them in Israel.
1. Clarke, “Cursed was their anger - The first motions of their violence were savage; and their
excessive or overflowing wrath, ‫עברה‬ ebrah, for it was inflexible - neither the supplications of the
males, nor the entreaties, tears, cries, and shrieks of the helpless females, could deter them from
their murderous purpose; for this, Gen_49:5, they are said to have accomplished.
I will divide them out, ‫אחלקם‬ achallekem, I will make them into lots, giving a portion of them to
one tribe, and a portion to another; but they shall never attain to any political consequence. This
appears to have been literally fulfilled. Levi had no inheritance except forty-eight cities, scattered
through different parts of the land of Canaan: and as to the tribe of Simeon, it is generally
believed among the Jews that they became schoolmasters to the other tribes; and when they
entered Canaan they had only a small portion, a few towns and villages in the worst part of
Judah’s lot, Jos_19:1, which afterwards finding too little, they formed different colonies in
districts which they conquered from the Idumeans and Amalekites, 1Ch_4:39, etc. Thus these two
tribes were not only separated from each other, but even divided from themselves, according to
this prediction of Jacob.
8. Judah! thou! Thy brethren shall praise thee.
Thy hand, in the neck of thine enemies:
The sons of thy father shall bow themselves to thee.
9. A lion’s whelp is Judah:
From the prey, my son, thou hast ascended,
He couched, lying down like a strong lion
And like a lioness; who shall arouse him?
10. From Judah the scepter shall not depart,
or a teacher from his offspring,
Until that Shiloh shall come,
And to him shall be assembled the peoples.
11. Binding his colt to the vine,
And to the choice vine the foals of his ass,
He washed his garments in wine,
His clothes in the blood of the grape.
12. With wine shall his eyes be red,
And his teeth shall be white with milk.

35. 2. Gill, “Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce,.... It was sinful anger in the nature of it, and so
criminal and detestable; it was strong, fierce, and furious in its operation and effects, and so
justly cursed; not their persons, but their passions:
and their wrath, for it was cruel; it issued in the cruel and barbarous slaughter of the inhabitants
of Shechem; the same thing as before in other words repeated, to express his great abhorrence of
their wrath and rage. Aben Ezra thinks that the words may be considered either as a prophecy or
a prayer, that their anger might cease: what follows is certainly a prophecy:
I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel; which he is said to do, because he foretold
it would be done; as Jeremiah is said to root out and pull down kingdoms, because he prophesied
thereof, Jer_1:10 and this was fulfilled in the tribes of Simeon and Levi; as for the tribe of
Simeon, that had not a distinct part by itself in the land of Canaan, but had their inheritance out
of the portion, and within the inheritance of the tribe of Judah, Jos_19:1 and their cities did not
join to one another, as Aben Ezra observes, but lay scattered up and down in the tribe of Judah;
and when they were increased and straitened for room, many of them went without the land, to
the entrance of Gedor, where they of Ham, or the Egyptians, had dwelt, and others to Mount Seir
in Edom, 1Ch_4:39 and it is a notion which prevails with the Jews, and which Jarchi takes notice
of, that a great many of this tribe were scribes and teachers of the law, and even teachers of
children, and by which they lived among the several tribes; and so the Jerusalem Targum,"I will
divide the tribe of Simeon, that they may be scribes and teachers of the law in the congregation of
Jacob.''And as for the tribe of Levi, it is well known that they had no inheritance in the land of
Canaan, but had forty eight cities assigned them in the several tribes here and there; and thus
Jacob's prophecy had an exact accomplishment.
3. Calvin, “Cursed be their anger. What I have said must be kept in mind; namely, that we are
divinely admonished by the mouth of the holy prophet, to keep at a distance from all wicked
counsels. Jacob pronounces a woe upon their fury. Why is this, unless that others may learn to
put a restraint upon themselves, and to be on their guard against such cruelty? However, (as I
have already observed,) it will not suffice to preserve our hands pure, unless we are far removed
from all association with crime. For though it may not always be in our power to repress unjust
violence; yet that concealment of it is culpable, which approaches to the appearance of consent.
Here even the ties of kindred, and whatever else would bias a sound judgment, must be dismissed
from the mind: since we see a holy father, at the command of God, so severely thundering against
his own sons. He pronounces the anger of Simon and Levi to be so much the more hateful,
because, in its commencement, it was violent, and even to the end, it was implacable.
I will divide them in Jacob. It may seem a strange method of proceeding, that Jacob, while
designating his sons patriarchs of the Church, and calling them heirs of the divine covenant,
should pronounce a malediction upon them instead of a blessing. evertheless it was necessary
for him to begin with the chastisement, which should prepare the way for the manifestation of
God’s grace, as will be made to appear at the close of the chapter: but God mitigates the
punishment, by giving them an honorable name in the Church, and leaving them their right
unimpaired: yea, his incredible goodness unexpectedly shone forth, when that which was the
punishment of Levi, became changed into the reward of the priesthood. The dispersion of the
Levitical tribe had its origin in the crime of their father, lest he should congratulate himself on
account of his perverse and lawless spirit of revenge. But God, who in the beginning had
produced light out of darkness, found another reason why the Levites should be dispersed abroad
among the people, — a reason not only free from disgrace, but highly honorable, — namely, that

36. no corner of the land might be destitute of competent instructors. Lastly, he constituted them
overseers and governors, in his name, over every part of the land, as if he would scatter
everywhere the seed of eternal salvation, or would send forth ministers of his grace. Whence we
conclude, how much better it was for Levi to be chastised at the time, for his own good, than to be
left to perish, in consequence of present impunity in sin. And it is not to be deemed strange, that,
when the land was distributed, and cities were given to the Levites, far apart from each other, this
reason was suppressed,202202 As being no longer applicable to the case, because it was purely
personal and belonged to Levi, only as an individual, and not to his descendents. — Ed. and one
entirely different was adduced; namely, that the Lord was their inheritance. For this, as I have
lately said, is one of the miracles of God, to brine light out of darkness. Had Levi been sentenced
to distant exile, he would have been most worthy of the punishment: but now, God in a measure
spares him, by assigning him a wandering life in his paternal inheritance. Afterwards, the mark
of infamy being removed, God sends his posterity into different parts, under the title of a
distinguished embassy. In Simon there remained a certain, though obscure trace of the curse:
because a distinct territory did not fall to his sons by lot; but they were mixed with the tribe of
Judah, as is stated in Joshua 19:1. Afterwards they went to Mount Seir, having expelled the
Amalekites and taken possession of their land, as it is written, (1 Chronicles 4:40-43.) Here, also,
we perceive the manly fortitude of holy Jacob’s breast, who, though a decrepit old man and an
exile, lying on his private and lowly couch, nevertheless assigns provinces to his sons, as from the
lofty throne of a great king. He also does this in his own right, knowing that the covenant of God
was deposited with him, by which he had been called the heir and lord of the land: and at the
same time he claims for himself authority as sustaining the character of a prophet of God. For it
greatly concerns us, when the word of God sounds in our ears, to apprehend by faith the thing
proclaimed, as if his ministers had been commanded to carry into effect what they pronounce.
Therefore it was said to Jeremiah,
“See I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull
down, and to destroy, and to throw down, and to build, and to plant.” (Jeremiah 1:10.)
And the prophets are generally commanded to set their faces against the countries which they
threaten, as if they were furnished with a large army to make the attack
4. Leupold, “Jacob wishes to remove all questions as to the estimate that was to be put upon a
deed growing out of such carnal pride in the Israelite race. He pronounces a curse upon such
"anger," for it was not holy but "fierce." It was "wrath," ’ebhrah, that is "overflow,"
"arrogance," or "outburst," something that had gotten beyond control and was also "cruel."
Apparently, Jacob spared no man’s feelings. It seems as though Simeon and Levi needed a bit of
disillusioning, and their father did not lack the courage necessary to administer it. Lastly, a
restraint is laid upon both: they are to be "parcelled out" and "scattered" in Israel. Jacob
ascribes this act to himself, for in his authority as head of the race he determines that this shall
happen. Apparently, this was also a word of prophecy: Jacob spoke what was God’s will.
Consequently this result was providentially brought to pass. There was a wisdom and a propriety
about this punishment. They who had banded together to their own hurt were to be dispersed for
their own good. Apparently, after they were scattered, their native bent for hatching out evil plots
died out.
The fulfilment of this word is instructive. Simeon increased rapidly at first. The first census not
long after the Exodus ( u 1) revealed the count of 59,300. The second census shortly before the
Occupation of Canaan ( u 26) showed that the tribe had shrunk to the number of 22,200. The
tribe received its portion of the Promised Land "in the midst of the inheritance of the children of

37. Judah" (Jos 19:1). Its fortunes are identified with those of Judah (Jud 1:3). Already in his
blessing (De 33) Moses had passed it by. Its extinction apparently involved being absorbed by
other tribes, especially by Judah. Such as did survive to a later date (1Ch 4:38-43) sought out for
themselves regions outside of Canaan and dwelt there. All this, especially the absorption by the
other tribes, may have been for the good of this tribe. Had it stood alone as a strong tribe, it
might have perpetuated the father’s sinful ways.
In the case of Levi the situation is different. The Levites were, indeed, dispersed throughout the
whole land in the cities mentioned Jos 21:1-40. But in their dispersion these ministers of the
sanctuary served as teachers of Israel and so really became a wholesome leaven, whose influence
was felt for good by all. Of course, the turn for the better in the case of the Levites came with Ex
32:26 ff., as noted above. Here it is most evident how an apparent setback may yet be a blessing
(v. Ge 49:28) if those upon whom it is laid accept it as a wholesome bit of discipline. o writer of
the days of the Judges could have written these words.
Thus far the father’s last words have not been of a kind to cause joy or to raise hope. Rebuke and
correction have been their theme. But, surely, there must be something in the future of these sons
of his to give rise to words of a more hopeful and more cheerful character. The next son comes
under this second classification.
5. Pink, "Concerning Levi it is interesting to note that when Moses came down from the mount
and saw Israel worshipping the calf, that when he said, "Who is on the Lord’s side?" we read,
"All the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him, and he said unto them, Thus saith
the Lord God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate
throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every
man his neighbor. And the Children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of
the people that day about three thousand men" (Ex. 32:27, 28). Beautiful is it, also, to learn how
similar devotion to the Lord and boldness in acting for Him cancelled Jacob’s "curse" and
secured Jehovah’s blessing. In umbers 25:6-13 we are told: "And, behold, one of the Children
of Israel came and brought unto his brethren a Midianitish woman in the sight of Moses, and in
the sight of all the congregation of the Children of Israel, who were weeping before the door of
the tabernacle of the congregation. And when Phineas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the
priest, saw it, he rose up from among the congregation, and took a javelin in his hand; and went
after the man of Israel into the tent, and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the
woman through her belly. So the plague was stayed from the Children of Israel. And those that
died in the plague were twenty and four thousand. And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying,
Phineas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned My wrath away from the
Children of Israel, while he was zealous for My sake among them, that I consumed not the
Children of Israel in My jealousy. Wherefore say, behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace;
and he shall have it, and his seed after him, even the covenant of an everlasting priesthood,
because he was zealous for his God, and made an atonement for the Children of Israel." Thus the
"curse" on Levi was revoked. Levi was first joined to Simeon in cruelty, but after, he was joined
to the Lord in grace!”
"That which is most prominent, however, in Jacob’s prophecy concerning the tribes of Simeon
and Levi is that they were to be "divided" and "scattered" in Israel. (See Gen. 49:7). And most
literally and remarkably was this fulfilled. When the land was divided in the days of Joshua, we
learn that Simeon received not a separate territory in Canaan, but obtained his portion within

38. the allotment of Judah (see Josh. 19:1-8): thus the Simeonites were necessarily "scattered," being
dispersed among the cities of Judah. So it was with the Levites also; their portion was the forty-
eight cities which were scattered throughout the inheritance of the other tribes. (See um. 35:8;
Josh. 14:4; Josh. 21). Thus, while each of the other tribes had a separate portion which enabled
them to be congregated together, the descendants of Simeon and Levi were "divided" and
"scattered." Exactly as Jacob had, centuries before, declared they should be!
6. Steven Cole, “PROBLEM PASSIO S
Genesis 49:1-7
"Camelot" is the classic story of King Arthur and his "Knights
of the Roundtable." Theirs was a happy kingdom until his leading
knight, Sir Lancelot, fell passionately in love with Arthur's queen,
Guinevere. Lancelot and Guinevere's unbridled passion, which
seemed to promise fulfillment to the lovers, resulted in the ruin of
that happy kingdom.
That plot has been played over and over in millions of homes,
many of them Christian homes. The initial happiness and potential
for lifelong joy is shipwrecked on the rocks of uncontrolled
passion. Often it is the passion of lust. Just as often it is the
passion of anger. Both of these powerful passions can ruin
families. Some of you may be struggling with those problem
passions.
In Genesis 49:1-7, we encounter three men whose personal
and family lives suffered because of uncontrolled lust and anger:
Reuben, Simeon, and Levi. The dying patriarch Jacob calls his
twelve sons to his bedside to give them a final blessing (49:28),
which is also a prophecy of things to come (49:1). I believe that
Jacob was speaking under the direct inspiration of the Holy Spirit
as he predicted what would happen, not only to his sons, but to the
tribes which issued from them. By devoting so much space to
these prophecies, it is clear that Moses saw these dying words of
Jacob as significant in explaining the history of God's covenant
nation.
At first glance you might think that these first three blessings
sound more like a curse. Jacob strongly rebukes his sons for past
sins and predicts that those sins will have far reaching
consequences in the future of the tribes. And yet, properly
understood, corrections and warnings are blessings. While these
are prophecies, they are based upon Jacob's long, careful
observation of his sons' character and personalities. Jacob's words
served to warn his sons and their descendants of the areas of
weakness where they especially needed to be on guard. And,
as we'll see, the tribe of Levi, while fulfilling the prophecy concerning
them, actually turned what sounds like a curse into a blessing as
they turned to the Lord.
The warning, which can become a blessing if we'll heed it, is:
Uncontrolled passions lead to personal and family ruin.
Reuben (49:3-4) shows us the lesson of uncontrolled lust;

39. Simeon and Levi (49:5-7) show us the lesson of uncontrolled anger;
and, the history of the tribe of Levi teaches us how a seeming curse
can be turned into a blessing.
8. “Judah,[b] your brothers will praise you;
your hand will be on the neck of your enemies;
your father’s sons will bow down to you.
1. Barnes 8-12, “Judah, the fourth son of Jacob, comes in for the supremacy after the three
former have been set aside. His personal prowess, the perpetuity of his dominion, and the
luxuriance of his soil are then described. “Thee shall thy brethren praise.” This is an allusion to
his name, which signifies praise Gen_29:35. As his mother praised the Lord for her fourth son, so
shall his brethren praise him for his personal excellence. Ardor of temperament, decision of
character, and frankness of acknowledgment are conspicuous even in the blemishes of his early
life. Tenderness of conscience, promptitude in resolve, capacity for business, and force of
eloquence come out in his riper years. These are qualities that win popular esteem. “Thy hand
shall be in the neck of thine enemies.” They shall flee before him, but shall not escape his
powerful grasp. They shall be compelled to yield to his overwhelming power. “Thy father’s sons
shall bow down to thee.” ot only his enemies, but his friends, shall acknowledge his sway. The
similar prediction concerning Joseph Gen_37:6-8 was of a personal nature, and referred to a
special occasion, not to a permanent state of affairs. It had already received its main fulfillment,
and would altogether terminate with the lifetime of Joseph. The present announcement refers to
Judah not as an individual, but as the head of a tribe in Israel, and will therefore, correspond in
duration with that commonwealth.
2. Clarke, “Thy brethren shall praise thee - As the name Judah signifies praise, Jacob takes
occasion from its meaning to show that this tribe should be so eminent and glorious, that the rest
of the tribes should praise it; that is, they should acknowledge its superior dignity, as in its
privileges it should be distinguished beyond all the others. On the prophecy relative to Judah, Dr.
Hales has several judicious remarks, and has left very little to be farther desired on the subject.
Every reader will be glad to meet with them here.
“The prophecy begins with his name Judah, signifying the praise of the Lord, which was given
to him at his birth by his mother Leah, Gen_29:35. It then describes the warlike character of this
tribe, to which, by the Divine appointment, was assigned the first lot of the promised land, which
was conquered accordingly by the pious and heroic Caleb; the first who laid hands on the necks
of his enemies, and routed and subdued them, Jos_14:11; 15;1; Jdg_1:1, Jdg_1:2; and led the way
for their total subjugation under David; who, in allusion to this prediction, praises God, and says:
Thou hast given me the necks of mine enemies, that I might destroy them that hate me,
Psa_18:40. In the different stages of its strength, this tribe is compared to a lion’s whelp, to a full
grown lion, and to a nursing lioness, the fiercest of all. Hence a lion was the standard of Judah;
compare um_2:3, Eze_1:10. The city of David, where he reposed himself after his conquests,
secure in the terror of his name, 1Ch_14:17, was called Ariel, the lion of God, Isa_29:1; and our
Lord himself, his most illustrious descendant, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, Rev_5:5.

40. “The duration of the power of this famous tribe is next determined: ‘the scepter of dominion,’
as it is understood Est_8:4; Isa_14:5, etc., or its civil government, was not to cease or depart from
Judah until the birth or coming of Shiloh, signifying the Apostle, as Christ is styled, Heb_3:1; nor
was the native lawgiver, or expounder of the law, teacher, or scribe, intimating their ecclesiastical
polity, to cease, until Shiloh should have a congregation of peoples, or religious followers,
attached to him. And how accurately was this fulfilled in both these respects!
“1. Shortly before the birth of Christ a decree was issued by Augustus Caesar that all the land
of Judea and Galilee should be enrolled, or a registry of persons taken, in which Christ was
included, Luk_2:1-7; whence Julian the apostate unwittingly objected to his title of Christ
or King, that he was born a subject of Caesar!’About eleven years after Judea was made a
Roman province, attached to Syria on the deposal and banishment of Archelaus, the son of
Herod the Great, for maladministration; and an assessment of properties or taxing was
carried into effect by Cyrenius, then governor of Syria, the same who before, as the
emperor’s procurator, had made the enrolment, Luk_2:2; Act_5:37; and thenceforth Judea
was governed by a Roman deputy, and the judicial power of life and death taken away from
the Jews, Joh_18:31.
“2. Their ecclesiastical polity ceased with the destruction of their city and temple by the
Romans, a. d. 70; at which time the Gospel had been preached through the known world by
the apostles, ‘his witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the
uttermost parts of the earth;’Act_2:8; Rom_10:18.
“Our Lord’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem, before his crucifixion, ‘riding on an ass, even a
colt the foal of an ass,’ which by his direction his disciples brought to him for this purpose, ‘Go
into the village over against you, and presently ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her; loose
them, and bring them to me,’ Mat_21:2-5, remarkably fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah,
(Zec_9:9) is no less a fulfillment of this prophecy of Shiloh, ‘binding or tying his foal to the vine,
even his ass’s colt to the choice vine.’ In ancient times to ride upon white asses or ass-colts was the
privilege of persons of high rank, princes, judges, and prophets, Jdg_5:10; Jdg_10:4; um_22:22.
And as the children of Israel were symbolized by the vine, Psa_80:8; Hos_10:1, and the men of
Judah by ‘a (choice) vine of Sorek,’ in the original, both here and in the beautiful allegory of
Isaiah, Isa_5:1-7, adopted by Jeremiah, Jer_2:21, and by our Lord, Mat_21:33, who styled
himself the true vine, Joh_15:1; so the union of both these images signified our Lord’s
assumption, as the promised Shiloh, of the dignity of the king of the Jews, not in a temporal but
in a spiritual sense, as he declared to Pilate, Joh_18:36, as a prelude to his second coming in glory
‘to restore again the kingdom to Israel.’
“The vengeance to be then inflicted on all the enemies of his Church, or congregation of faithful
Christians, is expressed by the symbolical imagery of ‘washing his garments in wine, and his
clothes in the blood of grapes;’ which to understand literally, would be incongruous and unusual
any where, while it aptly represents his garments crimsoned in the blood of his foes, and their
immense slaughter; and imagery frequently adopted in the prophetic scriptures.
“The strength and wholesomeness of Shiloh’s doctrine are next represented by having ‘his eyes
red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.’And thus the evangelical prophet, in similar strains,
invites the world to embrace the Gospel: -
Ho, every one that thirsteth, come to the waters, And he that hath no money; come, buy and
eat: Yea, come, buy wine and milk, Without money and without price. Isa_55:1.
“On the last day of the feast of tabernacles it was customary among the Jews for the people to
bring water from the fountain of Siloah or Siloam, which they poured on the altar, singing the

41. words of Isaiah, Isa_12:3 : With joy shall ye draw water from the fountain of salvation; which the
Targum interprets, ‘With joy shall ye receive a new doctrine from the Elect of the Just One;’ and
the feast itself was also called Hosannah, Save, we beseech thee. And Isaiah has also described the
apostasy of the Jews from their tutelar God Immanuel, under the corresponding imagery of their
‘rejecting the gently-flowing waters of Siloah,’ Isa_8:6-8.
“Hence our Lord, on the last day of the feast, significantly invited the Jews to come unto him as
the true and living Fountain of waters, Jer_2:13. ‘If any man thirst, let him come to Me and
drink;’ Joh_7:37. He also compared his doctrine to new wine, which required to be put into new
bottles, made of skins strong enough to contain it, Mat_9:17; while the Gospel is repeatedly
represented as affording milk for babes, or the first principles of the oracles of God for novices in
the faith, as well as strong meat [and strong wine] for masters in Christ or adepts, Mat_13:11;
Heb_5:12-14.
“And our Lord’s most significant miracle was wrought at this fountain, when he gave sight to a
man forty years old, who had been blind from his birth, by sending him, after he had anointed
his eyes with moistened clay, to wash in the pool of Siloam, which is the Greek pronunciation of
the Hebrew ‫שלה‬ Siloah or Siloh, Isa_8:6, where the Septuagint version reads Σιλωαµ, signifying,
according to the evangelist, απεσταλµενος, sent forth, and consequently derived from ‫שלח‬
shalach, to send, Joh_9:7. Our Lord thus assuming to himself his two leading titles of Messiah,
signifying anointed, and Shiloh, sent forth or delegated from God; as he had done before at the
opening of his mission: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to
preach the Gospel to the poor; he hath sent me forth (απεσταλκε) to heal the broken-hearted,’
etc.; Luk_4:18.
“And in the course of it he declared, I was not sent forth (απεσταλην) but unto the lost sheep of
the house of Israel, Mat_15:24, by a two-fold reference to his character in Jacob’s prophecy of
Shiloh and Shepherd Of Israel, Gen_49:10-24. ‘This is life eternal, to know thee the only true
God, and Jesus Christ whom thou sentest forth,’ (απεστειλας), to instruct and save mankind,
Joh_17:3; and he thus distinguishes his own superior mission from his commission to his
apostles: ‘As The Father hath sent Me, (απεσταλκε µε), so I send you,’ πεµπω ὑµας, Joh_20:21.
Whence St. Paul expressly styles Jesus Christ ‘the Apostle (Ὁ Αποστολος) and High Priest of our
profession,’ Heb_3:1; and by an elaborate argument shows the superiority of his mission above
that of Moses, and of his priesthood above that of Aaron, in the sequel of the epistle. His
priesthood was foretold by David to be a royal priesthood, after the order of Melchizedek,
Psa_110:4. But where shall we find his mission or apostleship foretold, except in Jacob’s
prophecy of Shiloh? which was evidently so understood by Moses when God offered to send him
as his ambassador to Pharaoh, and he declined at first the arduous mission: ‘O my Lord, send I
pray thee by the hand of Him whom thou wilt send,’ or by the promised Shiloh, Exo_3:10;
Exo_4:13; by whom in his last blessing to the Israelites, parallel to that of Jacob, he prayed that
‘God would bring back Judah to his people,’ from captivity, Deu_33:7. “Here then we find the
true meaning and derivation of the much disputed term Shiloh in this prophecy of Jacob, which
is fortunately preserved by the Vulgate, rendering qui mittendus est, he that is to be sent, and also
by a rabbinical comment on Deu_22:7 : ‘If you keep this precept, you hasten the coming of the
Messiah, who is called Sent.’ “This important prophecy concerning Judah intimates, 1. The
warlike character and conquests of this tribe; 2. The cessation of their civil and religious polity at
the first coming of Shiloh; 3. His meek and lowly inauguration at that time, as spiritual King of
the Jews, riding on an ass like the ancient judges and prophets; 4. His second coming as a warrior
to trample on all his foes; and, 5. To save and instruct his faithful people.” - Hales’Anal., vol. ii.,
p. 167, etc.

42. 3. Gill, “Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise,.... His name signifies praise, and was
given him by his mother, her heart being filled with praises to God for him, Gen_29:35 and is
here confirmed by his father on another account, because his brethren should praise him for
many excellent virtues in him; and it appears, by instances already observed, that he had great
authority, and was highly esteemed among his brethren, as his posterity would be in future times
for their courage, warlike expeditions and success, and being famous for heroes, such as David,
and others; and especially his famous seed the Messiah, and of whom he was a type, should be
praised by his brethren, who are so through his incarnation, and by divine adoption, and who
praise him for the glories and excellencies of his person, and the blessings of his grace:
thine hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; pressing them down by his superior power,
subduing them, and causing them to submit to him, and which was verified in David, who was of
this tribe, Psa_18:40 and especially in the Messiah, in a spiritual sense, who has conquered and
subdued all his and his people's enemies, sin, Satan, the world and death:
thy father's children shall bow down before thee; before the kings that should spring from this
tribe, and should rule over all the rest, as David and Solomon, to whom civil adoration and
respect were given by them; and before the King Messiah, his son and antitype, in a way of
religious worship, which is given him by the angels, the sons of God, and by all the saints and
people of God, who are his father's children by adoption; these bow before him, and give him
religious adoration as a divine Person, and submit to his righteousness as Mediator, and bow to
the sceptre of his kingdom, and cast their crowns at his feet, and give him the glory of their whole
salvation. This in some Jewish writings (n) is applied to the time of the Messiah's coming.
4. Henry, “Gen 49:8-9
Glorious things are here said of Judah. The mention of the crimes of the three elder of his sons
had not so put the dying patriarch out of humour but that he had a blessing ready for Judah, to
whom blessings belonged. Judah's name signifies praise, in allusion to which he says, Thou art he
whom thy brethren shall praise, Gen_49:8. God was praised for him (Gen_29:35), praised by him,
and praised in him; and therefore his brethren shall praise him. ote, Those that are to God for a
praise shall be the praise of their brethren. It is prophesied that, 1. The tribe of Judah should be
victorious and successful in war: Thy hand shall be in the neck of thy enemies. This was fulfilled in
David, Psa_18:40. 2. It should be superior to the rest of the tribes; not only in itself more
numerous and illustrious, but having a dominion over them: Thy father's children shall bow down
before thee. Judah was the lawgiver, Psa_60:7. That tribe led the van through the wilderness, and
in the conquest of Canaan, Jdg_1:2. The prerogatives of the birthright which Reuben had
forfeited, the excellence of dignity and power, were thus conferred upon Judah. Observe, “Thy
brethren shall bow down before thee, and yet shall praise thee, reckoning themselves happy in
having so wise and bold a commander.” ote, Honour and power are then a blessing to those that
have them when they are not grudged and envied, but praised and applauded, and cheerfully
submitted to. 3. It should be a strong and courageous tribe, and so qualified for command and
conquest: Judah is a lion's whelp, Gen_49:9. The lion is the king of beasts, the terror of the forest
when he roars; when he seizes his prey, none can resist him; when he goes up from the prey, none
dare pursue him to revenge it. By this it is foretold that the tribe of Judah should become very
formidable, and should not only obtain great victories, but should peaceably and quietly enjoy
what was obtained by those victories - that they should make war, not for the sake of war, but for
the sake of peace. Judah is compared, not to a lion rampant, always tearing, always raging,

43. always ranging; but to a lion couchant, enjoying the satisfaction of his power and success, without
creating vexation to others: this is to be truly great.
5. For a scholarly study of the messianic nature of verses 8-12 see Appendix A.
6. Keith Krell, “Since the first three brothers were disqualified from their position, the mantle
falls to the fourth child, Judah. Remember, Judah wasn’t exactly a spiritual giant: He lobbied to
sell Joseph for a profit (37:26). He separated himself from God’s covenant people (38:1). He hung
around ungodly men (38:12). He was sexually immoral (38:18). He failed to keep his word to his
daughter-in-law Tamar (38:26). So why did Jacob pronounce such a rich blessing on Judah? He
confessed and repented of his sins (38:26). He took full responsibility for the safety of Benjamin
(43:8-10). He offered himself as a substitute for Joseph (44:18ff). The blessing of Judah is a
beautiful picture of God’s grace to those who confess and repent of their sins (Jer 15:19).
Today, if you have a long resume of sin, God wants to give you a new job description. He wants
you to experience His forgiveness. He longs for you to begin again.
Jacob’s words to Judah are powerful, perhaps even staggering. Jacob declares, “Judah, your
brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons
shall bow down to you” (49:8). Judah will be preeminent among his brothers and they will praise
him. This is a play-on-words since the name Judah means “praise.” His hand would be on the
neck of his enemies. His brothers would bow down to him. But his leadership will not be fully
realized until the days of King David, some 640 years later.
7. Calvin, “Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise. In the word praise there is an
allusion to the name of Judah; for so he had been called by his mother, because his birth had
given occasion for praising God. The father adduces a new etymology, because his name shall be
so celebrated and illustrious among his brethren, that he should be honored by them all equally
with the first-born.203203 The original privilege of the birthright, taken from Reuben, was
divided between Joseph and Judah; Joseph receiving the double portion belonging to the eldest
son; Judah the regal distinction. — Ed. The double portion, indeed, which he recently assigned to
his son Joseph, depended on the right of primogeniture: but because the kingdom was transferred
to the tribe of Judah, Jacob properly pronounces that his name should be held worthy of praise.
For the honor of Joseph was temporary; but here a stable and durable kingdom is treated of,
which should be under the authority of the sons of Judah. Hence we gather, that when God would
institute a perfect state of government among his people, the monarchical form was chosen by
him. And whereas the appointment of a king under the law, was partly to be attributed to the will
of man, and partly to the divine decree; this combination of human with divine agency must be
referred to the commencement of the monarchy, which was inauspicious, because the people had
tumultuously desired a king to be given them, before the proper time had arrived. Hence their
unseemly haste was the cause why the kingdom was not immediately set up in the tribe of Judah,
but was brought forth, as an abortive offspring, in the person of Saul. Yet at length, by the favor
and in the legitimate order of God, the preeminence of the tribe of Judah was established in the
person of David.
Thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies. In these words he shows that Judah should not be
free from enemies; but although many would give him trouble, and would endeavor to deprive

44. him of his right, Jacob promises him victory; not that the sons of David should always prevail
against their enemies, (for their ingratitude interfered with the constant and equable course of
the grace of God,) but in this respect, at least, Judah had the superiority, that in his tribe stood
the royal throne which God approved, and which was founded on his word. For though the
kingdom of Israel was more flourishing in wealth and in number of inhabitants, yet because it
was spurious, it was not the object of God’s favor: nor indeed was it right, that, by its tinselled
splendor, it should eclipse the glory of the Divine election which was engraven upon the tribe of
Judah. In David, therefore, the force and effect of this prophecy plainly appeared; then again in
Solomon; afterwards, although the kingdom was mutilated, yet was it wonderfully preserved by
the hand of God; otherwise, in a short space, it would have perished a hundred times. Thus it
came to pass, that the children of Judah imposed their yoke upon their enemies. Whereas
defection carried away ten tribes, which would not bow their knees to the sons of David; the
legitimate government was in this way disturbed, and lawless confusion introduced; yet nothing
could violate the decree of God, by which the right to govern remained with the tribe of Judah.
8. Leupold, “One at once feels the glad animation that takes possession of the father as he comes
to his fourth son. It is as though he had sought one upon whom to bestow the blessing of the first-
born and now had found him. For Judah and Joseph share in this honour, as 1Ch 5:1,2 show,
Joseph having received the double portion, Judah carrying on the line from which came "the
prince." The emphatic pronoun (G. K. 135e) ’attah follows the name "Judah," emphasizing
particularly the object of the verb "praise." As in Ge 29:32 we have a play upon the name Judah,
Hebrew yehûdha, for yôdhûkha involves the same root—Hifil of yadhah. As Hengstenberg has
shown, this verb especially figures in cases where Yahweh is praised for His faithful goodness. So
here: thy brethren shall praise the Lord for what He shall bring to pass through thee. However,
the reason for the brothers’ praise is immediately stated: in the history of this tribe it shall be
particularly evident that God achieves victories through him. His hand is on the ’o’reph, i. e.,
"the nape of the neck," for the enemies are represented as in flight before him. He leaps upon
them and throws them to the ground. When his capacity for overthrowing foes will have become
apparent, then "the sons of his father shall bow down" before him, yishtachawû, i. e. "do
reverence" as before one who deserves reverence. The most significant instance appears in 2Sa
5:1-3, where all the tribes of Israel are compelled to admit Judah’s superiority in David. "Sons of
thy father" includes more than "sons of thy mother" —namely half-brothers as well as brothers,
here all the tribes of Israel.
9. K&D, “ Judah, the fourth son, was the first to receive a rich and unmixed blessing, the blessing
of inalienable supremacy and power. “Judah thou, thee will thy brethren praise! thy hand in the
neck of thy foes! to thee will thy father's sons bow down!” ‫,אתּה‬ thou, is placed first as an absolute
noun, like ‫ִי‬‫נ‬ֲ‫א‬ in Gen_17:4; Gen_24:27; ‫ֹודוָּך‬ ‫י‬ is a play upon ‫ה‬ָ‫ְהוּד‬‫י‬ like ‫ה‬ֶ‫ֹוד‬ ‫א‬ in Gen_29:35. Judah,
according to Gen_29:35, signifies: he for whom Jehovah is praised, not merely the praised one.
“This nomen, the patriarch seized as an omen, and expounded it as a presage of the future history
of Judah.” Judah should be in truth all that his name implied (cf. Gen_27:36). Judah had already
shown to a certain extent a strong and noble character, when he proposed to sell Joseph rather
than shed his blood (Gen_37:26.); but still more in the manner in which he offered himself to his
father as a pledge for Benjamin, and pleaded with Joseph on his behalf (Gen_43:9-10;
Gen_44:16.); and it was apparent even in his conduct towards Thamar. In this manliness and
strength there slumbered the germs of the future development of strength in his tribe. Judah

45. would put his enemies to flight, grasp them by the neck, and subdue them (Job_16:12, cf.
Exo_23:27; Psa_18:41). Therefore his brethren would do homage to him: not merely the sons of
his mother, who are mentioned in other places (Gen_27:29; Jdg_8:19), i.e., the tribes descended
from Leah, but the sons of his father-all the tribes of Israel therefore; and this was really the case
under David (2Sa_5:1-2, cf. 1Sa_18:6-7, and 1Sa_18:16). This princely power Judah acquired
through his lion-like nature.
10. Pink, “PI K, ""Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise; thy hand shall be in the
neck of thine enemies; thy father’s children shall bow down before thee. Judah is a lion’s whelp:
from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old
lion; who shall rouse him up? The scepter shall not depart from Judah nor a law-giver from
between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto Him shall the gathering of the people be. Binding
his foal unto the vine, and his ass’s colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and
his clothes in the blood of grapes: His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk"
(Gen. 49:8-12).
This part of Jacob’s prophecy concerning Judah finds its ultimate fulfillment in Christ. With
it should be coupled <1 Chronicles 5:2: "Judah prevailed above his brethren, and of him is
the Chief Ruler," a "Prince"; the Hebrew word here is " agid" and is the same term which is
translated "Messiah the Prince" in Daniel 9:24. It was from this tribe our Lord came.
Returning now to the words of Jacob.
First, we are told of Judah: "Through art he whom thy brethren shall praise." The word here
for "praise" is always used of praise or worship which is offered to God! Christ is the One
who shall yet receive the praise and worship of His "brethren" according to the flesh, namely,
Israel. Second, of Judah, Jacob said. "Thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy
father’s children shall bow down before thee" (Gen. 49:8). So, again, Christ is the One who
shall yet have dominion over Israel and subdue their enemies. This dominion of the tribe of
Judah commenced in the days of David, who was the first king from that tribe; and it was
during his reign that Judah’s hand was "in the neck of" their "enemies." Third, the destinies
of the tribe of Judah is here contemplated under the figure of a "lion," which at once reminds
us of Revelation 5:5, where the Lord Jesus is expressly denominated "The Lion of the Tribe of
Judah."
In dealing with the destinies of the tribe of Judah under the figure of a "lion," it is to be
observed that this tribe’s history is contemplated under three distinct stages, according to the
growth or age of the lion. First, we have "a lion’s whelp," then "a lion," lastly "an old lion"—
the gradual growth in power of this tribe being here set forth. We would suggest that this
looks at the tribe of Judah first from the days of Joshua up to the time of Saul; then we have
the full grown lion in the days of the fierce warrior David; lastly, from Solomon’s reign and
onwards we have the "old lion."
"The scepter shall not depart from Judah; nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh
come; and unto Him shall the gathering of the people be" (Gen. 49:10). This calls for a
separate word. The Hebrew term for "scepter" here is translated "tribe" in verses 16 and 28
of this same chapter—according to its usage in scripture it signifies the tribal-rod or staff of

46. office which belonged to any tribe and was the ensign of authority. This part of Jacob’s
prophecy, then, intimated that the tribal-rod should not depart from Judah until a certain
eminent Personage had come; in other words, that Judah should retain both its tribal
distinctness and separate authority until Shiloh, the Messiah, had appeared. And most
remarkably was this prophecy fulfilled. The separate Kingdom of Israel (the Ten Tribes) was
destroyed at an early date, but Judah was still in the land when Messiah came.
It is further to be noted that Jacob declared of Judah that there should not depart from this
tribe "a lawgiver until Shiloh." It is a striking fact that after Shiloh had come the legal
authority vested in this tribe disappeared, as is evident from John 18:31: "Then said Pilate
unto them, Take ye Him, and judge Him according to your law. The Jews therefore said unto
him: It is not lawful for us to put any man to death." What a remarkable confession this was!
It was an admission that they were no longer their own governors, but instead, under the
dominion of a foreign power. He that has the power to condemn an offender to death is the
governor or "lawgiver" of a country. It is "not lawful for us" said Caiaphas and his
associates-you, the Roman governor, alone, can pass sentence of death on Jesus of azareth.
By their own admission Genesis 49:10 had received its fulfillment. o longer had they a
"lawgiver" of their own stock! By their "words" they were "condemned" (Matthew 12:37).
The "scepter" had departed, the "lawgiver" had disappeared, therefore—Shiloh must have
come.
"Unto Him shall the gathering of the people be" looks forward to Christ’s second coming, as also
do the words that follow: "Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass’s colt unto the choice vine;
he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes. His eyes shall be red with
wine, and his teeth white with milk" (Gen. 49:11, 12). The reference here seems to be a double
one: first to the tribe of Judah, second to Christ Himself. Judah’s portion in the land was the
vine-growing district in the South. (See 2 Chron. 26:9, 10). ote, too, in Song of Solomon 1:14
that we read of "the vineyards of Engedi" and in Joshua 25:62 we learn that "Engedi" was one of
the cities of Judah; note further Joshua 15:55 that Carmel was also included in Judah’s portion.
The application of Genesis 49:11, 12, to our Lord may be seen by comparing Isaiah 63:1-3: "Who
is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? This that is glorious in His
apparel, traveling in the greatness of His strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save.
Wherefore art Thou red in Thine apparel, and Thy garments like Him that treadeth in the
winefat?—compare above ‘he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of
grapes’—I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with Me: for I
will tread them in Mine anger, and trample them in My fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled
upon my garments."
11. Guzik 8-12, “
a. Judah wasn't a completely exemplary character. He suggested a profit motive in getting rid of
Joseph (Genesis 37:26), he did not deal faithfully with his daughter-in-law Tamar (Genesis 38:26),
and he had sex with her as a prostitute (Genesis 38:18). But he did shine when he interceded and
offered himself as a substitute for Joseph (Genesis 44:18-34). Overall, this blessing is an example
of the riches of God's grace.
i. Jewish tradition says after Judah heard what Jacob had to say to Reuben, Simeon, and Levi, he
was afraid because of the evil he had done.

47. b. You are he whom your brothers shall praise . . . as a lion . . . the scepter shall not depart from
Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet . . . to Him shall be the obedience of the people: each
of these refer to the ruling position Judah would have among his brethren. He inherits the
leadership aspect of the firstborn's inheritance.
i. In Revelation 5:5, Jesus is called the Lion of the tribe of Judah.
ii. "The firstborn normally had two rights. First, he became the leader of the family, the new
patriarch. Second, he was entitled to a double share of the inheritance, receiving twice as much as
any of the other brothers." (Boice)
c. However, this takes some 640 years to fulfill in part (with the reign of David, first of Judah's
dynasty of kings), and some 1600 years to fulfill in Jesus. Jesus is referred to as Shiloh, the name
meaning, "He whose right it is" and a title anciently understood to speak of the Messiah.
i. From David until the Herods, a prince of Judah was head over Israel (even Daniel in captivity).
The promise was that Israel would keep this scepter until Shiloh comes. Even under their foreign
masters during this period, Israel had a limited right to self-rule, until in 7 A.D. Under Herod
and the Romans, their right to capital punishment was taken away.
ii. At the time, the rabbis considered it a disaster of unfulfilled Scripture. Seemingly, the last
vestige of the scepter had passed from Judah, and they did not see the Messiah. Rabbis walked
the streets of Jerusalem and said, "Woe unto us, for the scepter has been taken away from Judah,
and Shiloh has not come." But had God's word been broken? o way!
iii. Certainly, Jesus was alive then. Perhaps this was the very year He was 12 years old and
discussing God's Word in the temple with the scholars of His day. Perhaps He was impressing
them with His understanding of this very issue!
c. This blessing also contains a description of Judah's material abundance (the vine . . . the choice
vine). Judah's land would be in great wine-growing country.
9. You are a lion’s cub, Judah;
you return from the prey, my son.
Like a lion he crouches and lies down,
like a lioness—who dares to rouse him?
1. Barnes, “A lion’s whelp is Judah. - In physical strength Judah is compared to the lion, the king
of beasts. At first he is the lion’s whelp, the young lion, giving promise of future vigor; then the
full-grown lion, exulting in his irresistible force, seizing and overmastering the prey, and after
reaping the fruits of his victory, ascending to his mountain lair and reposing in undisturbed
security. The lioness is brought into the comparison with propriety, as in defense of her cubs she
is even more dangerous than the male to the unwary assailant. After being satiated with prey, the

48. lion, reposing in his majesty, will not disturb the passer-by; but who shall rouse him up and
escape?
2. Gill, “Judah is a lion's whelp,.... Or as one; the note of similitude being wanting, as Aben Ezra
and Ben Melech observe; he was comparable to a young lion for his strength, courage, and
generosity; and it may refer to the infant state of this tribe in the times of the judges, who first
went up against the Canaanites and overcame them, Jdg_1:1.
from the prey, my son, thou art gone up; alluding to the lion going up to the mountains, where it
chiefly resides, after it has found its prey and satiated itself with it:
he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; one that is grown up, and has arrived
to its full strength, such an one is a proper emblem of David king of Israel, of his royalty, courage,
valour and conquests; and who having subdued the nations round about him, couched like a lion,
and had rest from all his enemies; and especially this was verified in the times of Solomon his son,
when he had peace on all sides, and Judah and Israel dwelt safely under their vines and fig trees,
1Ki_4:24.
who shall rouse him up? a lion grown up and in its full strength, or a lioness, as some choose to
interpret it, and which is the fiercest, and therefore the most dangerous to rouse up when laid
down, either in its den, or with its prey in its paws: so dangerous it was to provoke the tribe of
Judah, as its enemies after found, especially in the times of David: all this may be applied to
Christ, the lion of the tribe of Judah; the lion being the king of beasts, and the strongest among
them, may denote the kingly power and authority of Christ, his great strength as the mighty God
and mighty Saviour, his courage in engaging with all the powers of darkness, and valour in
vanquishing all enemies; his generosity and lenity to those that stoop to him, and his fierceness to
his adversaries, who took the prey from the mighty, and then ascended on high, leading captivity
captive; where he sat down at the right hand of God at rest and ease, and who will dare to rouse
him up, or be able to stand before him when once he is angry? This verse in some ancient (o)
writings of the Jews is interpreted of Messiah the son of David.
3. Calvin, “Judah is a lion’s whelp. This similitude confirms the preceding sentence, that Judah
would be formidable to his enemies. Yet Jacob seems to allude to that diminution which took
place, when the greater part of the people revolted to Jeroboam. For then the king of Judah
began to be like a sleeping lion, for he did not shake his mane to diffuse his terror far and wide,
but, as it were, laid him down in his den. Yet a certain secret power of God lay hidden under that
torpor, and they who most desired his destruction, and who were most able to do him injury, did
not dare to disturb him. Therefore, after Jacob has transferred the supreme authority over his
brethren to Judah alone; he now adds, by way of correction, that, though his power should
happen to be diminished, he would nevertheless remain terrible to his enemies, like a lion who
lies down in his lair
4. Leupold, “A fuller description of this outstanding trait of heroic courage in Judah now follows
by the use of the figure of the lion. First he is labelled a gûr’ aryeh, i. e. "whelp of a lion," which
here certainly does not mean a young cub but a young lion in the freshness of his just matured
strength. He is pictured at the point where he has captured and eaten his prey; literally "from the
prey thou art gone up," mittéreph, the min being temporal like "after eating the prey" (K. S.
401e). Thereafter he "mounted," i. e. went up to the mountain fastnesses (So 4:8). When he comes
to his den, "he crouches" with that peculiar grace characteristic of the strong beast; then he "lies

49. down" in that bold security equally characteristic of the bold lion (’aryeh) or, for that matter, of
the still bolder and fiercer "lioness" who has cubs to guard. After such a bold beast has thus lain
down, "who would dare to rouse him?" All this furnishes a bold, clear picture of Judah’s lionlike
courage and strength. By these words a foundation is laid for great achievements yet to follow.
Verses 8 and 9 create a sense of expectation, for they ascribe to Judah acknowledged pre-
eminence, courage and strength.
5. Wil Pounds, “The emblem of the lion symbolizes the strength of this tribe's leaders. "Judah is
a lion's whelp" (v. 9). Revelation 5:5 sees the resurrected and ascended Lord Jesus Christ as the
"lion of the tribe of Judah." One of the elders in John's vision of heaven said, "Stop weeping;
behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open
the book and its seven seals." The sovereign messianic king will rule with the roar of a strong
powerful lion.
"The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet" (v. 10). The
"scepter" is the symbol of royal authority, rule and dominion. It symbolizes his capacity for rule.
Originally it was a long staff, then it became a short rod. The idea is that no one will be able to
remove Judah's sovereignty, or dominion.
In fact, the dominion of the earthly rulers of Judah will be protected until a certain climax is
achieved. It is established by the expressions, "until Shiloh comes," and by the obedience of the
"peoples." These "peoples" are the non-Jews who submit to His rule.
Later in history, the tribes of Israel went to David and expressed their recognition of him as the
person God had chosen as king. They said, "Previously, when Saul was king over us, you were the
one who led Israel out and in. And the Lord said to you, ‘You will shepherd My people Israel, and
you will be a ruler over Israel.’ So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King
David made a covenant with them before the Lord at Hebron; then they anointed David king
over Israel" (II Samuel 5:1-3).
In the person of king David, Judah grew strong and became a conquering lion. He received the
promise that the "lion of the tribe of Judah" would fulfil the greatest aspirations of the prophecy.
(II Samuel 5:10-12ff; Revelation 5:5). The people made the wrong choice when they chose Saul
from the tribe of Benjamin. God's will was for them to wait until David, from the tribe of Judah,
was crowned king. The royal family tribe of Israel was Judah (Hebrews 7:14; Luke 3:33; I
Chronicles 28:4).
The important emphasis is the reign of the tribe of Judah would be extended out into eternity
through the rule of the Messiah. In II Samuel 7:13 Yahweh explains to David that He will set up
one of David's descendents as king. "He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the
throne of his kingdom forever." It would attain eternal duration and sovereignty over all nations
only by reaching beyond earthly rulers in the tribe of Judah to Shiloh-Messiah. The dominion of
Judah was to be perfectly fulfilled in the appearance of Shiloh.
The fulfillment of the promise to Judah is when Shiloh comes (Genesis 49:10c-12). Shiloh is the
man of rest, the giver of rest or "rest-bringer." The word Shiloh comes from shalah, "to have
rest."
The earliest interpretation of this passage was messianic. The ancient Jewish Targum of Onkelos
reads: "Until Messiah comes, whose is the kingdom." There are "very strongly messianic
implications" from the time of the Septuagint onward.

50. Judah will continue to hold rule over Israel "until rest comes." It is best to regard Shiloh as a
proper name of a person. Judah's capacity to rule will come to a climax in a ruler so competent
that He shall be able to achieve perfect rest and He shall be called, "rest," or "rest-giver. The
Messiah is the bearer of rest. He is the giver of peace and rest. Therefore, the sovereignty of
Judah's rule reaches its highest point in the Messiah.
Who is this giver of rest? The Scriptures are consistent in their emphasis on the Prince of Peace
who gives His people rest. He is the "Prince of Peace" in Isaiah 9:6. Joshua couldn't lead the
people into the Sabbath rest, the perfect peace. "So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of
God. For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did
from His. Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following
the same example of disobedience" (Hebrews 4:9-11). Salvation through Jesus Christ is God's
perfect rest. He can give us His perfect peace. Because we have "been justified by faith, we have
peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1).
A multitude of angels greeted His birth singing, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace
among men with whom He is pleased" (Luke 2:14).
The Giver of rest stands before every hurting person today and says, "Come to Me, all who are
weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I
am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My
burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30). He gives his perfect peace, "Peace I leave with you; My
peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor
let it be fearful" (John 14:27). Cf. John 16:33; 20:19, 21, 26).
Remember the promise to Abraham? "And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed"
(Genesis 12:3). Jacob says, "and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples" (Genesis 49:10d).
Again, it is the plural form referring to the non-Jews. The nations of the world shall willingly
submit to His rule (Isaiah 2:2-5). " ow it will come about that in the last days the mountain of
the house of the Lord will be established as the chief of the mountains, and will be raised above
the hills; and all the nations will stream to it. And many peoples will come and say, "Come, let us
go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that He may teach us
concerning His ways and that we may walk in His paths." For the law will go forth from Zion
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And He will judge between the nations, And will
render decisions for many peoples; And they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their
spears into pruning hooks. ation will not lift up sword against nation, And never again will they
learn war. Come, house of Jacob, and let us walk in the light of the Lord."
The emphasis is on Shiloh, the giver of rest. He shall be such an effective leader that men will
readily yield Him obedience. A day is coming when men from all over the world are going to bow
with cheerful, tender willing inner submission to the Messiah. Many have made a personal
decision to do just that by giving their lives to Jesus Christ in simple child like faith.
Moreover, there is another side to this great prophetic blessing. Genesis 49:11-12 refers to the
judgment and salvation at the Second Coming of Christ. The Prince of Peace will reign as King of
Kings for ever and ever (Revelation 11:15; 5:5-14; Ezekiel 21:27).
"He ties his foal to the vine, and his donkey’s colt to the choice vine; He washes his garments in
wine, and his robes in the blood of grapes. "His eyes are dull from wine, and his teeth white from
milk" (Gen. 49:11-12).

51. We have the choice of humbling ourselves and bowing to His reign today. There is coming a day,
however, when everyone regardless of their desires will bow and worship Him. "God highly
exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of
Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that
every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Philippians
2:9-11).
The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world is also the lion of tribe of Judah who
reigns as King of Kings.
6. Robert Brow, “Could this be the origin of the expression “the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the
root of David, has conquered” (Revelation 5:5)? We have already seen how the patriarchs
viewed the LORD as God (15:2; 24:12, 27, 48; 28:13), the Almighty (17:1), the Judge (18:25), the
Provider (22:14), the God of Love (24:12, 27; 32:10; 39:21), the Healer (25:21), the Almighty
(28:3), the God of Bethel (31:13), the God of Wrath (38:7, 10), their Shepherd (48:15). Each of
these images enriches our concept of the character and work of the Son of God among the
nations. In Isaiah some feminine imagery of the Lord as a nursing mother is given to us (Isaiah
49:15, 66:13). He is the Teacher (Isaiah 30:20-21), the Servant (42:1; 49:6; 53:11), the Redeemer
(43:14; 44:6; 50:2), the Foreteller (48:3, 5, 14); the sacrificial Lamb (53:7); the Light (60:1); the
One who keeps coming (64:1, 3; 66:15, 18).
The Psalms and the Prophets also give us the image of the LORD as the sovereign monarch
(Psalms 2:6; 5:2; 8:9; 9:7; Isaiah 1:24; 3:1; 6:1; 10:33; 19:4; 51:22) reigning among the nations
with the angelic hosts of heaven at his command (Isaiah 1:9; 2:12; 5:9, 16; 6:1; 8:18; 10:23;
14:22, 24, 27, etc.). All these images will come into focus and be made visible in the life on earth
of the Messiah Son of God and his continuing reign.
7. K&D, “Gen_49:9-10
“A young lion is Judah; from the prey, my son, art thou gone up: he has lain down; like a lion
there he lieth, and like a lioness, who can rouse him up!” Jacob compares Judah to a young, i.e.,
growing lion, ripening into its full strength, as being the “ancestor of the lion-tribe.” But he
quickly rises “to a vision of the tribe in the glory of its perfect strength,” and describes it as a lion
which, after seizing prey, ascends to the mountain forests (cf. Son_4:8), and there lies in majestic
quiet, no one daring to disturb it. To intensify the thought, the figure of a lion is followed by that
of the lioness, which is peculiarly fierce in defending its young. The perfects are prophetic; and
‫ָה‬‫ל‬ָ‫ע‬ relates not to the growth or gradual rise of the tribe, but to the ascent of the lion to its lair
upon the mountains. “The passage evidently indicates something more than Judah's taking the
lead in the desert, and in the wars of the time of the Judges; and points to the position which
Judah attained through the warlike successes of David” (Knobel). The correctness of this remark
is put beyond question by Gen_49:10, where the figure is carried out still further, but in literal
terms. “The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, till
Shiloh come and the willing obedience of the nations be to him.” The sceptre is the symbol of regal
command, and in its earliest form it was a long staff, which the king held in his hand when
speaking in public assemblies (e.g., Agamemnon, Il. 2, 46, 101); and when he sat upon his throne
he rested in between his feet, inclining towards himself (see the representation of a Persian king
in the ruins of Persepolis, iebuhr Reisebeschr. ii. 145). ‫ֵק‬‫ק‬ֹ ‫ְח‬‫מ‬ the determining person or thing,
hence a commander, legislator, and a commander's or ruler's staff ( um_21:18); here in the

52. latter sense, as the parallels, “sceptre” and “from between his feet,” require. Judah - this is the
idea - was to rule, to have the chieftainship, till Shiloh came, i.e., for ever. It is evident that the
coming of Shiloh is not to be regarded as terminating the rule of Judah, from the last clause of
the verse, according to which it was only then that it would attain to dominion over the nations. ‫ִי‬‫כּ‬
‫ַד‬‫ע‬ has not an exclusive signification here, but merely abstracts what precedes from what follows
the given terminus ad quem, as in Gen_26:13, or like ‫ר‬ֶ‫שׁ‬ֲ‫א‬‫ַד‬‫ע‬ Gen_28:15; Psa_112:8, or ‫ַד‬‫ע‬
Psa_110:1, and ἕως Mat_5:18.
But the more precise determination of the thought contained in Gen_49:10 is dependent upon
our explanation of the word Shiloh. It cannot be traced, as the Jerusalem Targum and the
Rabbins affirm, to the word ‫יל‬ ִ‫שׁ‬ filius with the suffix ‫ה‬=‫וֹ‬ “his son,” since such a noun as ‫יל‬ ִ‫שׁ‬ is
never met with in Hebrew, and neither its existence nor the meaning attributed to it can be
inferred from ‫ָה‬‫י‬ְ‫ל‬ ִ‫,שׁ‬ afterbirth, in Deu_28:57. or can the paraphrases of Onkelos (donec veniat
Messias cujus est regnum), of the Greek versions (ἕως ἐὰν ἔλθη τὰ ἀποκείµενα αὐτῷ; or ᾧ
ἀπόκειται, as Aquila and Symmachus appear to have rendered it), or of the Syriac, etc., afford any
real proof, that the defective form ‫ֹלה‬ ִ‫,שׁ‬ which occurs in 20 MSS, was the original form of the
word, and is to be pointed ‫ֹּלה‬ ֶ‫שׁ‬ for ‫ֹּלו‬ ֶ‫שׁ‬=‫ֹלו‬‫ר‬ֶ‫שׁ‬ֲ‫א‬ . For apart from the fact, that ‫שׁ‬ for ‫ר‬ֶ‫שׁ‬ֲ‫א‬ would be
unmeaning here, and that no such abbreviation can be found in the Pentateuch, it ought in any
case to read ‫הוּא‬‫ֹּלו‬ ֶ‫שׁ‬ “to whom it (the sceptre) is due,” since ‫ֹּלו‬ ֶ‫שׁ‬ alone could not express this, and
an ellipsis of ‫הוּא‬ in such a case would be unparalleled. It only remains therefore to follow Luther,
and trace ‫יֹלה‬ ִ‫שׁ‬ to ‫ָה‬‫ל‬ ָ‫,שׁ‬ to be quiet, to enjoy rest, security. But from this root Shiloh cannot be
explained according to the analogy of such forms ‫ֹור‬ ‫ִיד‬‫כּ‬‫ִימשׁ‬‫ק‬ For these forms constitute no
peculiar species, but are merely derived from the reduplicated forms, as ‫ִמּשׁ‬‫ק‬, which occurs as
well as ‫ִימשׁ‬‫ק‬, clearly shows; moreover they are none of them formed from roots of ‫ה‬.‫ל‬‫יֹלה‬ ִ‫שׁ‬ points
to ‫יֹלון‬ ִ‫,שׁ‬ to the formation of nouns with the termination ôn, in which the liquids are eliminated,
and the remaining vowel ‫וֹ‬ is expressed by ‫ה‬ (Ew. §84); as for example in the names of places, ‫ֹלה‬ ִ‫שׁ‬
or ‫ֹלו‬ ִ‫,שׁ‬ also ‫יֹלו‬ ִ‫שׁ‬ (Jdg_21:21; Jer_7:12) and ‫ִֹלה‬‫גּ‬ (Jos_15:51), with their derivatives ‫ִי‬‫נ‬‫ֹל‬ ִ‫שׁ‬)
1Ki_11:29; 1Ki_12:15) and ‫ִי‬‫נ‬‫ִֹל‬‫גּ‬)2 Sa_15:12), also ‫ֹה‬ ‫ַדּ‬‫ב‬ֲ‫א‬ (Pro_27:20) for ‫ֹון‬ ‫ַדּ‬‫ב‬ֲ‫א‬ (Pro_15:11, etc.),
clearly prove. Hence ‫יֹלון‬ ִ‫שׁ‬ either arose from ‫ֹון‬ ‫ְי‬‫ל‬ ִ‫שׁ‬)‫ָה‬‫ל‬ ָ‫שׁ‬ ), or was formed directly from ‫שׁוּל‬=‫ָה‬‫ל‬ ָ‫שׁ‬ ,
like ‫ִֹלון‬‫גּ‬ from ‫ִיל‬‫גּ‬. But if ‫יֹלון‬ ִ‫שׁ‬ is the original form of the word, ‫יֹלה‬ ִ‫שׁ‬ cannot be an appellative noun
in the sense of rest, or a place of rest, but must be a proper name. For the strong termination ôn
loses its n after o only in proper names, like ‫ֹה‬ ‫ֹלמ‬ ְ‫שׁ‬,‫ֹו‬ ‫ִדּ‬‫ג‬ְ‫מ‬ by the side of ‫ֹון‬ ‫ִדּ‬‫ג‬ְ‫מ‬ (Zec_12:11) and ‫ֹו‬ ‫ֹוד‬ ‫דּ‬
(Jdg_10:1). ‫ֹה‬ ‫ַדּ‬‫ב‬ֲ‫א‬ forms no exception to this; for when used in Pro_27:20 as a personification of
hell, it is really a proper name. An appellative noun like ‫יֹלה‬ ִ‫,שׁ‬ in the sense of rest, or place of rest,
“would be unparalleled in the Hebrew thesaurus; the nouns used in this sense are ‫ֶו‬‫ל‬ ֶ‫שׁ‬,‫ָה‬‫ו‬ְ‫ל‬ ַ‫שׁ‬,‫ֹלום‬ ָ‫שׁ‬,
‫ָה‬‫ח‬‫נוּ‬ְ‫מ‬” For these reasons even Delitzsch pronounces the appellative rendering, “till rest comes,” or
till “he comes to a place of rest,” grammatically impossible. Shiloh or Shilo is a proper name in
every other instance in which it is used in the Old Testament, and was in fact the name of a city
belonging to the tribe of Ephraim, which stood in the midst of the land of Canaan, upon an
eminence above the village of Turmus Aya, in an elevated valley surrounded by hills, where ruins
belonging both to ancient and modern times still bear the name of Seilûn. In this city the
tabernacle was pitched on the conquest of Canaan by the Israelites under Joshua, and there it
remained till the time of Eli (Jdg_18:31; 1Sa_1:3; 1Sa_2:12.), possibly till the early part of Saul's
reign.
Some of the Rabbins supposed our Shiloh to refer to the city. This opinion has met with the
approval of most of the expositors, from Teller and Eichhorn to Tuch, who regard the blessing as
a vaticinium ex eventu, and deny not only its prophetic character, but for the most part its
genuineness. Delitzsch has also decided in its favour, because Shiloh or Shilo is the name of a town
in every other passage of the Old Testament; and in 1Sa_4:12, where the name is written as an

53. accusative of direction, the words are written exactly as they are here. But even if we do not go so
far as Hoffmann, and pronounce the rendering “till he (Judah) come to Shiloh” the most
impossible of all renderings, we must pronounce it utterly irreconcilable with the prophetic
character of the blessing. Even if Shilo existed in Jacob's time (which can neither be affirmed nor
denied), it had acquired no importance in relation to the lives of the patriarchs, and is not once
referred to in their history; so that Jacob could only have pointed to it as the goal and turning
point of Judah's supremacy in consequence of a special revelation from God. But in that case the
special prediction would really have been fulfilled: not only would Judah have come to Shiloh,
but there he would have found permanent rest, and there would the willing subjection of the
nations to his sceptre have actually taken place. ow none of these anticipations and confirmed
by history. It is true we read in Jos_18:1, that after the promised land had been conquered by the
defeat of the Canaanites in the south and north, and its distribution among the tribes of Israel
had commenced, and was so far accomplished, that Judah and the double tribe of Joseph had
received their inheritance by lot, the congregation assembled at Shilo, and there erected the
tabernacle, and it was not till after this had been done, that the partition of the land was
proceeded with and brought to completion. But although this meeting of the whole congregation
at Shilo, and the erection of the tabernacle there, was generally of significance as the turning
point of the history, it was of equal importance to all the tribes, and not to Judah alone. If it were
to this event that Jacob's words pointed, they should be rendered, “till they come to Shiloh,”
which would be grammatically allowable indeed, but very improbable with the existing context.
And even then nothing would be gained. For, in the first place, up to the time of the arrival of the
congregation at Shilo, Judah did not possess the promised rule over the tribes. The tribe of Judah
took the first place in the camp and on the march ( um_2:3-9; um_10:14), - formed in fact the
van of the army; but it had no rule, did not hold the chief command. The sceptre or command
was held by the Levite Moses during the journey through the desert, and by the Ephraimite
Joshua at the conquest and division of Canaan. Moreover, Shilo itself was not the point at which
the leadership of Judah among the tribes was changed into the command of nations. Even if the
assembling of the congregation of Israel at Shiloh (Jos_18:1) formed so far a turning point
between two periods in the history of Israel, that the erection of the tabernacle for a permanent
continuance at Shilo was a tangible pledge, that Israel had now gained a firm footing in the
promised land, had come to rest and peace after a long period of wandering and war, had entered
into quiet and peaceful possession of the land and its blessings, so that Shilo, as its name
indicates, became the resting-place of Israel; Judah did not acquire the command over the twelve
tribes at that time, nor so long as the house of God remained at Shilo, to say nothing of the
submission of the nations. It was not till after the rejection of “the abode of Shiloh,” at and after
the removal of the ark of the covenant by the Philistines (1 Sam 4), with which the “tabernacle of
Joseph” as also rejected, that God selected the tribe of Judah and chose David (Psa_78:60-72).
Hence it was not till after Shiloh had ceased to be the spiritual centre for the tribes of Israel, over
whom Ephraim had exercised a kind of rule so long as the central sanctuary of the nation
continued in its inheritance, that by David's election as prince (‫ִיד‬‫ג‬ָ‫נ‬) over Israel the sceptre and
the government over the tribes of Israel passed over to the tribe of Judah. Had Jacob, therefore,
promised to his son Judah the sceptre or ruler's staff over the tribes until he came to Shiloh, he
would have uttered no prophecy, but simply a pious wish, which would have remained entirely
unfulfilled.
With this result we ought not to rest contented; unless, indeed, it could be maintained that
because Shiloh was ordinarily the name of a city, it could have no other signification. But just as
many other names of cities are also names of persons, e.g., Enoch (Gen_4:17), and Shechem
(Gen_34:2); so Shiloh might also be a personal name, and denote not merely the place of rest, but

54. the man, or bearer, of rest. We regard Shiloh, therefore, as a title of the Messiah, in common with
the entire Jewish synagogue and the whole Christian Church, in which, although there may be
uncertainty as to the grammatical interpretation of the word, there is perfect agreement as to the
fact that the patriarch is here proclaiming the coming of the Messiah. “For no objection can
really be sustained against thus regarding it as a personal name, in closest analogy to ‫ִה‬‫מ‬‫ֹל‬ ְ‫”שׁ‬
(Hoffmann). The assertion that Shiloh cannot be the subject, but must be the object in this
sentence, is as unfounded as the historiological axiom, “that the expectation of a personal
Messiah was perfectly foreign to the patriarchal age, and must have been foreign from the very
nature of that age,” with which Kurtz sets aside the only explanation of the word which is
grammatically admissible as relating to the personal Messiah, thus deciding, by means of a priori
assumptions which completely overthrow the supernaturally unfettered character of prophecy,
and from a one-sided view of the patriarchal age and history, how much the patriarch Jacob
ought to have been able to prophesy. The expectation of a personal Saviour did not arise for the
first time with Moses, Joshua, and David, or first obtain its definite form after one man had risen
up as the deliverer and redeemer, the leader and ruler of the whole nation, but was contained in
the germ in the promise of the seed of the woman, and in the blessing of oah upon Shem. It was
then still further expanded in the promises of God to the patriarchs. - “I will bless thee; be a
blessing, and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed,” - by which Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob (not merely the nation to descend from them) were chosen as the personal bearers of
that salvation, which was to be conveyed by them through their seed to all nations. When the
patriarchal monad was expanded into a dodekad, and Jacob had before him in his twelve sons
the founders of the twelve-tribed nation, the question naturally arose, from which of the twelve
tribes would the promised Saviour proceed? Reuben had forfeited the right of primogeniture by
his incest, and it could not pass over to either Simeon or Levi on account of their crime against
the Shechemites. Consequently the dying patriarch transferred, both by his blessing and
prophecy, the chieftainship which belonged to the first-born and the blessing of the promise to his
fourth son Judah, having already, by the adoption of Joseph's sons, transferred to Joseph the
double inheritance associated with the birthright. Judah was to bear the sceptre with victorious
lion-courage, until in the future Shiloh the obedience of the nations came to him, and his rule
over the tribes was widened into the peaceful government of the world. It is true that it is not
expressly stated that Shiloh was to descend from Judah; but this follows as a matter of course
from the context, i.e., from the fact, that after the description of Judah as an invincible lion, the
cessation of his rule, or the transference of it to another tribe, could not be imagined as possible,
and the thought lies upon the surface, that the dominion of Judah was to be perfected in the
appearance of Shiloh.
Thus the personal interpretation of Shiloh stands in the most beautiful harmony with the
constant progress of the same revelation. To Shiloh will the nations belong. ‫ְֹלו‬‫ו‬ refers back to ‫יֹלה‬ ִ‫שׁ‬
.‫ַת‬‫ה‬ְ‫קּ‬ִ‫י‬ , which only occurs again in Pro_30:17, from ‫ָה‬‫ה‬ָ‫ק‬ְ‫י‬ with dagesh forte euphon., denotes the
obedience of a son, willing obedience; and ‫ים‬ִ‫מּ‬ַ‫ע‬ in this connection cannot refer to the associated
tribes, for Judah bears the sceptre over the tribes of Israel before the coming of Shiloh, but to the
nations universally. These will render willing obedience to Shiloh, because as a man of rest He
brings them rest and peace.
As previous promises prepared the way for our prophecy, so was it still further unfolded by the
Messianic prophecies which followed; and this, together with the gradual advance towards
fulfilment, places the personal meaning of Shiloh beyond all possible doubt. - In the order of
time, the prophecy of Balaam stands next, where not only Jacob's proclamation of the lion-nature
of Judah is transferred to Israel as a nation ( um_23:24; um_24:9), but the figure of the
sceptre from Israel, i.e., the ruler or king proceeding from Israel, who will smite all his foes

55. (Gen_24:17), is taken verbatim from Gen_49:9, Gen_49:10 of this address. In the sayings of
Balaam, the tribe of Judah recedes behind the unity of the nation. For although, both in the camp
and on the march, Judah took the first place among the tribes ( um_2:2-3; um_7:12;
um_10:14), this rank was no real fulfilment of Jacob's blessing, but a symbol and pledge of its
destination to be the champion and ruler over the tribes. As champion, even after the death of
Joshua, Judah opened the attack by divine direction upon the Canaanites who were still left in
the land (Jdg_1:1.), and also the war against Benjamin (Jdg_20:18). It was also a sign of the
future supremacy of Judah, that the first judge and deliverer from the power of their oppressors
was raised up to Israel from the tribe of Judah in the person of the Kenizzite Othniel (Jdg_3:9.).
From that time forward Judah took no lead among the tribes for several centuries, but rather fell
back behind Ephraim, until by the election of David as king over all Israel, Judah was raised to
the rank of ruling tribe, and received the sceptre over all the rest (1Ch_28:4). In David, Judah
grew strong (1Ch_5:2), and became a conquering lion, whom no one dared to excite. With the
courage and strength of a lion, David brought under his sceptre all the enemies of Israel round
about. But when God had given him rest, and he desired to build a house to the Lord, he received
a promise through the prophet athan that Jehovah would raise up his seed after him, and
establish the throne of his kingdom for ever (2Sa_7:13.). “Behold, a son shall be born to thee, who
shall be a man of rest; and I (Jehovah) will give him rest from all his enemies round about; for
Solomon (i.e., Friederich, Frederick, the peaceful one) shall be his name, and I will give peace and
rest unto Israel in his days...and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel for ever.”
Just as Jacob's prophecy was so far fulfilled in David, that Judah had received the sceptre over
the tribes of Israel, and had led them to victory over all their foes; and David upon the basis of
this first fulfilment received through athan the divine promise, that the sceptre should not
depart from his house, and therefore not from Judah;so the commencement of the coming of
Shiloh received its first fulfilment in the peaceful sway of Solomon, even if David did not give his
son the name Solomon with an allusion to the predicted Shiloh, which one might infer from the
sameness in the meaning of ‫ֹה‬ ‫ֹלמ‬ ְ‫שׁ‬ and ‫יֹלה‬ ִ‫שׁ‬ when compared with the explanation given of the
name Solomon in 1Ch_28:9-10. But Solomon was not the true Shiloh. His peaceful sway was
transitory, like the repose which Israel enjoyed under Joshua at the erection of the tabernacle at
Shiloh (Jos_11:23; Jos_14:15; Jos_21:44); moreover it extended over Israel alone. The willing
obedience of the nations he did not secure; Jehovah only gave rest from his enemies round about
in his days, i.e., during his life.
But this first imperfect fulfilment furnished a pledge of the complete fulfilment in the future, so
that Solomon himself, discerning in spirit the typical character of his peaceful reign, sang of the
King's Son who should have dominion from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the
earth, before whom all kings should bow, and whom all nations should serve (Ps 72); and the
prophets after Solomon prophesied of the Prince of Peace, who should increase government and
peace without end upon the throne of David, and of the sprout out of the rod of Jesse, whom the
nations should seek (Isa_9:5-6; Isa_11:1-10); and lastly, Ezekiel, when predicting the downfall of
the Davidic kingdom, prophesied that this overthrow would last until He should come to whom
the right belonged, and to whom Jehovah would give it (Eze_21:27). Since Ezekiel in his words,
“till He come to whom the right belongs,” takes up, and is generally admitted, our prophecy “till
Shiloh come,” and expands it still further in harmony with the purpose of his announcement,
more especially from Psa_72:1-5, where righteousness and judgment are mentioned as the
foundation of the peace which the King's Son would bring; he not only confirms the correctness
of the personal and Messianic explanation of the word Shiloh, but shows that Jacob's prophecy of
the sceptre not passing from Judah till Shiloh came, did not preclude a temporary loss of power.
Thus all prophecies, and all the promises of God, in fact, are so fulfilled, as not to preclude the

56. punishment of the shins of the elect, and yet, notwithstanding that punishment, assuredly and
completely attain to their ultimate fulfilment. And thus did the kingdom of Judah arise from its
temporary overthrow to a new and imperishable glory in Jesus Christ (Heb_7:14), who conquers
all foes as the Lion of the tribe of Judah (Rev_5:5), and reigns as the true Prince of Peace, as “our
peace” (Eph_1:14), for ever and ever.
10. The scepter will not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,[c]
until he to whom it belongs[d] shall come
and the obedience of the nations shall be his.
1. Barnes, “From his physical force we now pass to his moral supremacy. “The sceptre,” the staff
of authority. “Shall not depart from Judah.” The tribe scepter did not leave Judah so long as
there was a remnant of the commonwealth of Israel. Long after the other tribes had lost their
individuality, Judah lingered in existence and in some measure of independence; and from the
return his name supplanted that of Israel or Jacob, as the common designation of the people.
“ or the lawgiven from between his feet.” This is otherwise rendered, “nor the judicial staff from
between his feet;” and it is argued that this rendering corresponds best with the phrase “between
his feet” and with the parallel clause which precedes. It is not worth while contending for one
against the other, as the meaning of both is precisely the same. But we have retained the English
version, as the term ‫מחקק‬ me
choqēq has only one clear meaning; “between the feet” may mean
among his descendants or in his tribe; and the synthetic parallelism of the clauses is satisfied by
the identity of meaning.
Lawgiver is to be understood as judge, dispenser or administrator of law. Judah had the
forerank among the tribes in the wilderness, and never altogether lost it. ahshon the son of
Amminadab, the prince of his tribe, was the ancestor of David, who was anointed as the rightful
sovereign of all Israel, and in whom the throne became hereditary. The revolt of the ten tribes
curtailed, but did not abolish the actual sovereignty of Rehoboam and his successors, who
continued the acknowledged sovereigns until some time after the return from the captivity. From
that date the whole nation was virtually absorbed in Judah, and whatever trace of self-
government remained belonged to him until the birth of Jesus, who was the lineal descendant of
the royal line of David and of Judah, and was the Messiah, the anointed of heaven to be king of
Zion and of Israel in a far higher sense than before. “Until Shiloh come.”
This is otherwise translated, “until he come to Shiloh,” the place so called. This is explained of
the time when “the whole assembly of the children of Israel was convened at Shiloh, and set up
the tent of meeting there” Jos_18:1. We hold by the former translation:
1. Because Shiloh has not yet been named as a known locality in the land of promise.
2. Judah did not come to Shiloh in any exclusive sense.
3. His coming thither with his fellows had no bearing whatever on his supremacy.
4. He did not come to Shiloh as the seat of his government or any part of his territory; and
5. The real sovereignty of Judah took place after this convention at Shiloh, and not before it.

57. After the rejection of the second translation on these grounds, the former is accepted as the
only tenable alternative.
6. Besides, it is the natural rendering of the words.
7. Before the coming of Shiloh, the Prince of Peace, the highest pitch of Judah’s supremacy in
its primary form has to be attained.
8. On the coming of Shiloh the last remnant of that supremacy was removed, only to be
replaced by the higher form of pre-eminence which the Prince of Peace inaugurates.
And unto him be the obedience of the peoples. - “Unto him” means naturally unto Shiloh. “The
obedience” describes the willing submission to the new form of sovereignty which is ushered in by
Shiloh. The word is otherwise rendered “gathering;” but this does not suit the usage in
Pro_30:17. “The obedience” intimates that the supremacy of Judah does not cease at the coming
of Shiloh, but only assumes a grander form.
Of the peoples. - ot only the sons of Israel, but all the descendants of Adam will ultimately
bow down to the Prince of Peace. This is the seed of the woman, who shall bruise the serpent’s
head, the seed of Abraham, in whom all the families of the earth shall be blessed, presented now
under the new aspect of the peacemaker, whom all the nations of the earth shall eventually obey
as the Prince of Peace. He is therefore, now revealed as the Destroyer of the works of evil, the
Dispenser of the blessings of grace, and the King of peace. The coming of Shiloh and the
obedience of the nations to him will cover a long period of time, the close of which will coincide
with the limit here set to Judah’s earthly supremacy in its wider and loftier stage. This prediction
therefore, truly penetrates to the latter days.
2. Clarke, “From Judah the scepter shall not depart - The Jews have a quibble on the word ‫שבט‬
shebet, which we translate scepter; they say it signifies a staff or rod, and that the meaning of it
is, that “afflictions shall not depart from the Jews till the Messiah comes;” that they are still
under affliction and therefore the Messiah is not come. This is a miserable shift to save a lost
cause. Their chief Targumist, Onkelos, understood and translated the word nearly as we do; and
the same meaning is adopted by the Jerusalem Targum, and by all the ancient versions, the
Arabic excepted, which has kazeeb, a rod; but in a very ancient MS. of the Pentateuch in my own
possession the word sebet is used, which signifies a tribe. Judah shall continue a distinct tribe till
the Messiah shall come; and it did so; and after his coming it was confounded with the others, so
that all distinction has been ever since lost.
or a teacher from his offspring - I am sufficiently aware that the literal meaning of the
original ‫רגליו‬ ‫מבין‬ mibbeyn raglaiv is from between his feet, and I am as fully satisfied that it
should never be so translated; from between the feet and out of the thigh simply mean progeny,
natural offspring, for reasons which surely need not be mentioned. The Targum of Jonathan ben
Uzziel, and the Jerusalem Targum, apply the whole of this prophecy, in a variety of very minute
particulars, to the Messiah, and give no kind of countenance to the fictions of the modern Jews.
13. At the haven of the seas shall Zebulun dwell,
And he shall be a haven for ships.
And his border shall extend unto Sidon.
3. Gill, “The sceptre shall not depart from Judah,.... Which some understand of the tribe, that

58. Judah should not cease from being a tribe, or that it should continue a distinct tribe until the
coming of the Messiah, who was to be of it, and was, and that it might appear he sprung from it;
but this was not peculiar to this tribe, for the tribe of Benjamin continued, and so did the tribe of
Levi unto the coming of Christ: besides, by Judah is meant the tribe, and to say a tribe shall not
depart from the tribe, is not only a tautology, but scarcely sense; it rather signifies dominion,
power, and authority, as the sceptre always does, it being an emblem of it, see um_24:17 and
this intends either the government, which was in the heads and princes of the tribe, which
commenced as soon as it became a tribe, and lasted as long as it remained one, even unto the
times of the Messiah; or kingly power and government, which the sceptre is generally thought to
be an emblem of, and which first commenced in David, who was of the tribe of Judah, and
continued unto the Babylonish captivity, when another sort of governors and government took
place, designed in the next clause:
nor a lawgiver from between his feet; which may be rendered disjunctively, "or a lawgiver"; any
ruler or governor, that has jurisdiction over others, though under another, as the word is used,
Jdg_5:14 and the sense is, that till the Messiah came there should be in the tribe of Judah, either
a king, a sceptre bearer, as there was unto the captivity; or a governor, though under others, as
there were unto the times of Christ under the Babylonians, Persians, Grecians, and Romans;
such as Gedaliah, Zorobabel, &c. and particularly the sanhedrim, a court of judicature, the
members of which chiefly consisted of the tribe of Judah, and the ‫,נשיא‬ or prince of it, was always
of that tribe, and which retained its power to the latter end of Herod's reign, when Christ was
come; and though it was greatly diminished, it had some power remaining, even at the death of
Christ, but quickly after had none at all: and if by the "lawgiver" is meant a scribe or a teacher
of the law, as all the Targums, Aben Ezra, Ben Melech, and others interpret it, who used to sit at
the feet of a ruler, judge, or prince of the sanhedrim; it is notorious there were of these unto, and
in the times of the Messiah: in short, it matters not for the fulfilment of this prophecy what sort
of governors those were after the captivity, nor of what tribe they were; they were in Judah, and
their government was exercised therein, and that was in the hands of Judah, and they and that
did not depart from thence till Shiloh came; since those that were of the other tribes, after the
return from the captivity all went by the name of Judah:
until Shiloh come; which all the three Targums interpret of the Messiah, as do many of the
Jewish writers, ancient and modern (p); and is the name of the Messiah in their Talmud (q), and
in other writings (r); and well agrees with him, coming from a root which signifies to be "quiet",
"peaceable", and "prosperous"; as he was of a quiet and peaceable disposition, came to make
peace between God and men, and made it by the blood of his cross, and gives spiritual peace to
all his followers, and brings them at length to everlasting peace and happiness; having prospered
and succeeded in the great work of their redemption and salvation he undertook:
and unto him shall the gathering of the people be; not of the Jews, though there were great
gatherings of them to hear him preach, and see his miracles; as there were of all his people to him
at his death, and in him as their head and representative, Eph_1:10 but of the Gentiles; upon his
death, the Gospel being preached to all nations, multitudes among them were converted to
Christ, embraced his doctrines, professed his religion, and abode by him, see Isa_11:10 some
render it, the obedience of the people (s), from the use of the word in Pro_30:17, which sense
agrees with the former; for those who are truly gathered by the ministry of the word yield an
obedience to his doctrines and ordinances; and others read, "the expectation of the people" (t);
the Messiah being the desire of all nations, Hag_2:6 this, with what goes before, clearly shows
that the Messiah must be come, since government in every sense has departed from Judah for

59. 1900 years or thereabout, and the Gentiles have embraced the Messiah and his Gospel the Jews
rejected: the various contradictory senses they put upon this prophecy show the puzzle and
confusion they are in about it, and serve to confirm the true sense of it: some apply it to the city
Shiloh, others to Moses, others to Saul, others to David; nay, some will have Shiloh to be
Jeroboam, or Ahijah the Shilonite, and even ebuchadnezzar: there are two senses they put upon
it which deserve the most notice, the one is, that "Shebet", we render "sceptre", signifies a
"rod"; and so it does, but such a rod as is an ensign of government, as it must here, by what
follows, see Eze_19:11, but they would have it to signify either a rod of correction (u), or a staff of
support; but what correction or affliction has befallen the tribe of Judah peculiar to it? was it not
in a flourishing condition for five hundred years, under the reign of David's family? and when
the rest of the tribes were carried captive and never returned, Judah remained in its own land,
and, when carried captive, after seventy years returned again to it; add to which, that this is a
prediction, not of affliction and distress, that should abide in the tribe of Judah, but of honour
and glory to it: and besides, Judah has had a far greater share of correction since the coming of
the true Messiah than ever it had before: and what support have the Jews now, or have had for
many hundred years, being out of their land (v), destitute of their privileges, living among other
nations in disgrace, and for the most part in poverty and distress? the other sense is this, "the
sceptre and lawgiver shall not depart from Judah for ever, when Shiloh comes (w)"; but this is
contrary to the accents which separate and divide the phrase, "between his feet", from that, "for
ever", as this version renders the word; though ‫עד‬ never signifies "for ever", absolutely put,
without some antecedent noun or particle; nor does ‫כי‬ signify "when", but always "until", when
it is joined with the particle ‫,עד‬ as it is here; besides, this sense makes the prophecy to pass over
some thousands of years before any notice is taken of Judah's sceptre, which, according to the
Jews, it had thousands of years ago, as well as contradicts a received notion of their own, that the
Messiah, when he comes, shall not reign for ever, but for a certain time, and even a small time;
some say forty years, some seventy, and others four hundred (x).
4. Henry, “It should be the royal tribe, and the tribe from which Messiah the Prince should come:
The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, till Shiloh come, Gen_49:10. Jacob here foresees and
foretels, (1.) That the sceptre should come into the tribe of Judah, which was fulfilled in David, on
whose family the crown was entailed. (2.) That Shiloh should be of this tribe - his seed, that
promised seed, in whom the earth should be blessed: that peaceable and prosperous one, or the
Saviour, so others translate it, he shall come of Judah. Thus dying Jacob, at a great distance, saw
Christ's day, and it was his comfort and support on his death-bed. (3.) That after the coming of
the sceptre into the tribe of Judah it should continue in that tribe, at least a government of their
own, till the coming of the Messiah, in whom, as the king of the church, and the great high priest,
it was fit that both the priesthood and the royalty should determine. Till the captivity, all along
from David's time, the sceptre was in Judah, and subsequently the governors of Judea were of
that tribe, or of the Levites that adhered to it (which was equivalent), till Judea became a
province of the Roman empire, just at the time of our Saviour's birth, and was at that time taxed
as one of the provinces, Luk_2:1. And at the time of his death the Jews expressly owned, We have
no king but Caesar. Hence it is undeniably inferred against the Jews that our Lord Jesus is he that
should come, and that we are to look for no other; for he came exactly at the time appointed.
Many excellent pens have been admirable well employed in explaining and illustrating this
famous prophecy of Christ.
5. Calvin, “The scepter shall not depart. Though this passage is obscure, it would not have been
very difficult to elicit its genuine sense, if the Jews, with their accustomed malignity, had not
endeavored to envelop it in clouds. It is certain that the Messiah, who was to spring from the

60. tribe of Judah, is here promised. But whereas they ought willingly to run to embrace him, they
purposely catch at every possible subterfuge, by which they may lead themselves and others far
astray in tortuous by-paths. It is no wonder, then, if the spirit of bitterness and obstinacy, and the
lust of contention have so blinded them, that, in the clearest light, they should have perpetually
stumbled. Christians, also, with a pious diligence to set forth the glory of Christ, have,
nevertheless, betrayed some excess of fervor. For while they lay too much stress on certain words,
they produce no other effect than that of giving an occasion of ridicule to the Jews, whom it is
necessary to surround with firm and powerful barriers, from which they shall be unable to
escape. Admonished, therefore, by such examples, let us seek, without contention, the true
meaning of the passage. In the first place, we must keep in mind the true design of the Holy
Spirit, which, hitherto, has not been sufficiently considered or expounded with sufficient
distinctness. After he has invested the tribe of Judah with supreme authority, he immediately
declares that God would show his care for the people, by preserving the state of the kingdom, till
the promised felicity should attain its highest point. For the dignity of Judah is so maintained as
to show that its proposed end was the common salvation of the whole people. The blessing
promised to the seed of Abraham (as we have before seen) could not be firm, unless it flowed
from one head. Jacob now testifies the same thing, namely, that a King should come, under whom
that promised happiness should be complete in all its parts. Even the Jews will not deny, that
while a lower blessing rested on the tribe of Judah, the hope of a better and more excellent
condition was herein held forth. They also freely grant another point, that the Messiah is the sole
Author of full and solid happiness and glory. We now add a third point, which we may also do,
without any opposition from them; namely, that the kingdom which began from David, was a
kind of prelude, and shadowy representation of that greater grace which was delayed, and held in
suspense, until the advent of the Messiah. They have indeed no relish for a spiritual kingdom;
and therefore they rather imagine for themselves wealth and power, and propose to themselves
sweet repose and earthly pleasures, than righteousness, and newness of life, with free forgiveness
of sins. They acknowledge, nevertheless, that the felicity which was to be expected under the
Messiah, was adumbrated by their ancient kingdom. I now return to the words of Jacob.
Until Shiloh come, he says, the scepter, or the dominion, shall remain in Judah. We must first see
what the word‫שילוה‬)shiloh) signifies. Because Jerome interprets it, “He who is to be sent,” some
think that the place has been fraudulently corrupted, by the letter‫ה‬)he) substituted for the letter
‫ח‬)cheth;) which objection, though not firm, is plausible. That which some of the Jews suppose,
namely, that it denotes the place (Shiloh) where the ark of the covenant had been long deposited,
because, a little before the commencement of David’s reign, it had been laid waste, is entirely
destitute of reason. For Jacob does not here predict the time when David was to be appointed
king; but declares that the kingdom should be established in his family, until God should fulfill
what he had promised concerning the special benediction of the seed of Abraham. Besides the
form of speech, “until Shiloh come,” for “until Shiloh come to an end,” would be harsh and
constrained. Far more correctly and consistently do other interpreters take this expression to
mean “his son,” for among the Hebrews a son is called‫שיל‬)shil.) They say also that‫ה‬)he) is put
in the place of the relative‫ו‬)waw;) and the greater part assent to this signification.205205
Calvin seems to assent to this interpretation, which is by no means generally accepted. Gesenius
renders‫שילה‬,tranquillity — “until tranquillity shall come;” but the more approved rendering is
“the Peaceable One,” or “the Pacifier.” He who made peace for us, by the sacrifice of Himself. —
Ed But again, the Jews dissent entirely from the meaning of the patriarch, by referring this to
David. For (as I have just hinted) the origin of the kingdom in David is not here promised, but its
absolute perfection in the Messiah. And truly an absurdity so gross, does not require a lengthened
refutation. For what can this mean, that the kingdom should not come to an end in the tribe of
Judah, till it should have been erected? Certainly the word depart means nothing else than to

61. cease. Further, Jacob points to a continued series, when he says the scribe206206 Scribam
recessurum negat ex pedibus. But in the text, Calvin uses the word Legislator; the French version
translates ir Legislateur; and the English translation is lawgiver. It is evident that Calvin had a
reason for using the term Scribe; for the orignal‫מחקק‬) ,mechokaik,) rather means a scribe or
lawyer, than a lawgiver; and rather describes one who aids in the administration of laws, than
one who frames them. In this sense, he supposes, and probably with truth, that the term is here
applied. The expression “from between his feet,” has been the subject of much criticism; but
perhaps no view of it is so satisfactory as that maintained by Calvin. — Ed shall not depart from
between his feet. For it behaves a king so to be placed upon his throne that a lawgiver may sit
between his feet. A kingdom is therefore described to us, which after it has been constituted, will
not cease to exist till a more perfect state shall succeed; or, which comes to the same point; Jacob
honors the future kingdom of David with this title, because it was to be the token and pledge of
that happy glory which had been before ordained for the race of Abraham. In short, the kingdom
which he transfers to the tribe of Judah, he declares shall be no common kingdom, because from
it, at length, shall proceed the fullness of the promised benediction. But here the Jews haughtily
object, that the event convicts us of error. For it appears that the kingdom by no means endured
until the coming of Christ; but rather that the scepter was broken, from the time that the people
were carried into captivity. But if they give credit to the prophecies, I wish, before I solve their
objection, that they would tell me in what manner Jacob here assigns the kingdom to his son
Judah. For we know, that when it had scarcely become his fixed possession, it was suddenly rent
asunder, and nearly its whole power was possessed by the tribe of Ephraim. Has God, according
to these men, here promised, by the mouth of Jacob, some evanescent kingdom? If they reply, the
scepter was not then broken, though Rehoboam was deprived of a great part of his people; they
can by no means escape by this cavil; because the authority of Judah is expressly extended over
all the tribes, by these words, “Thy mother’s sons shall bow their knee before thee.” They bring,
therefore, nothing against us, which we cannot immediately, in turn, retort upon themselves
Yet I confess the question is not yet solved; but I wished to premise this, in order that the Jews,
laying aside their disposition to calumniate, may learn calmly to examine the matter itself, with
us. Christians are commonly wont to connect perpetual government with the tribe of Judah, in
the following manner. When the people returned from banishment, they say, that, in the place of
the royal scepter, was the government which lasted to the time of the Maccabees. That
afterwards, a third mode of government succeeded, because the chief power of judging rested
with the Seventy, who, it appears by history, were chosen out of the regal race. ow, so far was
this authority of the royal race from having fallen into decay, that Herod, having been cited
before it, with difficulty escaped capital punishment, because he contumaciously withdrew from
it. Our commentators, therefore, conclude that, although the royal majesty did not shine brightly
from David until Christ, yet some preeminence remained in the tribe of Judah, and thus the
oracle was fulfilled. Although these things are true, still more skill must be used in rightly
discussing this passage. And, in the first place, it must be kept in mind, that the tribe of Judah
was already constituted chief among the rest, as preeminent in dignity, though it had not yet
obtained the dominion. And, truly, Moses elsewhere testifies, that supremacy was voluntarily
conceded to it by the remaining tribes, from the time that the people were redeemed out of Egypt.
In the second place, we must remember, that a more illustrious example of this dignity was set
forth in that kingdom which God had commenced in David. And although defection followed
soon after, so that but a small portion of authority remained in the tribe of Judah; yet the right
divinely conferred upon it, could by no means be taken away. Therefore, at the time when the
kingdom of Israel was replenished with abundant opulence, and was swelling with lofty pride, it
was said, that the lamp of the Lord was lighted in Jerusalem. Let us proceed further: when

62. Ezekiel predicts the destruction of the kingdom, (Ezekiel 21:26,) he clearly shows how the scepter
was to be preserved by the Lord, until it should come into the hands of Christ: “Remove the
diadem, and take off the crown; this shall not be the same: I will overturn, overturn, overturn it,
until he come whose right it is.” It may seem at first sight that the prophecy of Jacob had failed
when the tribe of Judah was stripped of its royal ornament. But we conclude hence, that God was
not bound always to exhibit the visible glory of the kingdom on high. Otherwise, those other
promises which predict the restoration of the throne, which was cast down and broken, were
false. Behold the days come in which I will
“raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof, and I will raise
up his ruins.” (Amos 9:11.)
It would be absurd, however, to cite more passages, seeing this doctrine occurs frequently in the
prophets. Whence we infer, that the kingdom was not so confirmed as always to shine with equal
brightness; but that, though, for a time, it might lie fallen and defaced, it should afterwards
recover its lost splendor. The prophets, indeed, seem to make the return from the Babylonian
exile the termination of that ruin; but since they predict the restoration of the kingdom no
otherwise than they do that of the temple and the priesthood, it is necessary that the whole
period, from that liberation to the advent of Christ, should be comprehended. The crown,
therefore, was cast down, not for one day only, or from one single head, but for a long time, and
in various methods, until God placed it on Christ, his own lawful king. And truly Isaiah describes
the origin of Christ, as being very remote from all regal splendor:
“There shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.”
(Isaiah 11:1.)
Why does he mention Jesse rather than David, except because Messiah was about to proceed
from the rustic hut of a private man, rather than from a splendid palace? Why from a tree cut
down, having nothing left but the root and the trunk, except because the majesty of the kingdom
was to be almost trodden under foot till the manifestation of Christ? If any one object, that the
words of Jacob seem to have a different signification; I answer, that whatever God has promised
at any time concerning the external condition of the Church, was so to be restricted, that, in the
mean time, he might execute his judgments in punishing men, and might try the faith of his own
people. It was, indeed, no light trial, that the tribe of Judah, in its third successor to the throne,
should be deprived of the greater portion of the kingdom. Even a still more severe trial followed,
when the sons of the king were put to death in the sight of their father, when he, with his eyes
thrust out, was dragged to Babylon, and the whole royal family was at length given over to
slavery and captivity. But this was the most grievous trial of all; that when the people returned to
their own land, they could in no way perceive the accomplishment of their hope, but were
compelled to lie in sorrowful dejection. evertheless, even then, the saints, contemplating, with
the eyes of faith, the scepter hidden under the earth, did not fail, or become broken in spirit, so as
to desist from their course. I shall, perhaps, seem to grant too much to the Jews, because I do not
assign what they call a real dominion, in uninterrupted succession, to the tribe of Judah. For our
interpreters, to prove that the Jews are still kept bound by a foolish expectation of the Messiah,
insist on this point, that the dominion of which Jacob had prophesied, ceased from the time of
Herod; as if, indeed, they had not been tributaries five hundred years previously; as if, also, the
dignity of the royal race had not been extinct as long as the tyranny of Antiochus prevailed; as if,
lastly, the Asmonean race had not usurped to itself both the rank and power of princes, until the
Jews became subject to the Romans. And that is not a sufficient solution which is proposed;
namely, that either the regal dominion, or some lower kind of government, are disjunctively
promised; and that from the time when the kingdom was destroyed, the scribes remained in

63. authority. For I, in order to mark the distinction between a lawful government and tyranny,
acknowledge that counselors were joined with the king, who should administer public affairs
rightly and in order. Whereas some of the Jews explain, that the right of government was given to
the tribe of Judah, because it was unlawful for it to be transferred elsewhere, but that it was not
necessary that the glory of the crown once given should be perpetuated, I deem it right to
subscribe in part to this opinion. I say, in part, because the Jews gain nothing by this cavil, who,
in order to support their fiction of a Messiah yet to come, postpone that subversion of the regal
dignity which, in fact, long ago occurred.207207 Quia nihil hoc cavilla proficiunt Judaei, ad
figmentum venturi sui Messiae trahentes vetustum regni excidium. Literally translated, the sense
of the passage would not be obvious to the English reader. It is hoped that the true meaning of the
passage is given above. The original, however, is given, that the learned reader may form his own
judgment. It is well known that modern Jews regard their present depression as a proof that the
Messiah has not yet come, and therefore they draw out (trahentes) or postpone the execution of
God’s threatened judgments, which we regard as having taken place under Titus and the
Romans, to a period still future. This seems to be Calvin’s meaning. — Ed. For we must keep in
memory what I have said before, that while Jacob wished to sustain the minds of his descendants
until the coming of the Messiah; lest they should faint through the weariness of long delay, he set
before them an example in their temporal kingdom: as if he had said, that there was no reason
why the Israelites, when the kingdom of David fell, should allow their hope to waver; seeing that
no other change should follow, which could answer to the blessing promised by God, until the
Redeemer should appear. That the nation was grievously harassed, and was under servile
oppression some years before the coming of Christ happened, through the wonderful counsel of
God, in order that they might be urged by continual chastisements to wish for redemption.
Meanwhile, it was necessary that some collective body of the nation should remain, in which the
promise might receive its fulfillment. But now, when, through nearly fifteen centuries, they have
been scattered and banished from their country, having no polity, by what pretext can they fancy,
from the prophecy of Jacob, that a Redeemer will come to them? Truly, as I would not willingly
glory over their calamity; so, unless they, being subdued by it, open their eyes, I freely pronounce
that they are worthy to perish a thousand times without remedy. It was also a most suitable
method for retaining them in the faith, that the Lord would have the sons of Jacob turn their eyes
upon one particular tribe, that they might not seek salvation elsewhere; and that no vague
imagination might mislead them. For which end, also, the election of this family is celebrated,
when it is frequently compared with, and preferred to Ephraim and the rest, in the Psalms. To us,
also, it is not less useful, for the confirmation of our faith, to know that Christ had been not only
promised, but that his origin had been pointed out, as with a finger, two thousand years before he
appeared.208208 On this passage, which has given so much trouble to commentators, and
which Calvin has considered as such length, it may be observed, that the term rendered scepter
means also rod, and sometimes is translated tribe; perhaps because each of the twelve tribes had
its rod laid up in the tabernacle and temple. Hence it may be inferred that the expression, “The
scepter shall not depart from Judah,” means that Judah alone should continue in its integrity, as
a tribe, till the coming of the Messiah. This renders it unnecessary to attempt any proof of the
retention of regal power and authority in the tribe. See Ainsworth and Bush in loc. The reader
may also refer to an elaborate investigation of the subject in Rivetus, Exercitations 178 and 179.
— Ed.
And unto him shall the gathering of the people be. Here truly he declares that Christ should be a
king, not over one people only, but that under his authority various nations shall be gathered,
that they might coalesce together. I know, indeed, that the word rendered “gathering” is
differently expounded by different commentators; but they who derive it from the root)‫קהה‬(,to

64. make it signify the weakening of the people, rashly and absurdly misapply what is said of the
saving dominion of Christ, to the sanguinary pride with which they puffed up. If the word
obedience is preferred, (as it is by others,) the sense will remain the same with that which I have
followed. For this is the mode in which the gathering together will be effected; namely, that they
who before were carried away to different objects of pursuit, will consent together in obedience to
one common Head. ow, although Jacob had previously called the tribes about to spring from
him by the name of peoples, for the sake of amplification, yet this gathering is of still wider extent.
For, whereas he had included the whole body of the nation by their families, when he spoke of the
ordinary dominion of Judah, he now extends the boundaries of a new king: as if he would say,
“There shall be kings of the tribe of Judah, who shall be preeminent among their brethren, and
to whom the sons of the same mother shall bow down: but at length He shall follow in succession,
who shall subject other peoples unto himself.” But this, we know, is fulfilled in Christ; to whom
was promised the inheritance of the world; under whose yoke the nations are brought; and at
whose will they, who before were scattered, are gathered together. Moreover, a memorable
testimony is here borne to the vocation of the Gentiles, because they were to be introduced into
the joint participation of the covenant, in order that they might become one people with the
natural descendants of Abraham, under one Head.
6. Leupold, “"The sceptre" (shébhet) symbolizes rule and dominion or capacity for rule. The
qualities mentioned in v. 8 and 9 result in this, that rule over the tribes of Israel will sooner or
later be conceded to Judah. The statement is to be set forth with emphasis, for a parallel clause
that follows presents the same idea, substituting "ruler’s staff" (mechoqeq) for "sceptre." This
term can mean "prescriber of laws" or "commander," as De 33:21; Jud 5:14; Isa 33:22 indicate.
Consequently, "law-giver" (A. V.) as such is not wrong. But the ensuing phrase causes difficulty,
for "from between his feet" can only with difficulty be understood of descent. However, the
meaning "ruler’s staff" is also appropriate in u 21:18; Ps 60:7 (A. V.); Ps 108:8. This translation
agrees so very well with the following phrase, because the long ruler’s staff would be placed
between the feet as the ruler sat on his throne and would then either rest against his shoulder or
be held in the hand. Commentators here usually refer to monumental carvings of old Persian
kings. A very good illustration, more readily accessible to the average reader, is that of King
Tutankhamen found in Barton’s, Archaeology and the Bible (1937), Figure 304. The verb
"depart" (yasûr) does not quite represent our point of view in the matter, for it is an active, where
we should have used a passive (K. S. 97). For the idea is that no one shall remove Judah’s sceptre,
or Judah’s dominion will not be taken away from him until a certain climax is achieved, which is
here stated in double form: first "until Shiloh come"; secondly, this climax will be overtopped by
a second—"and to him shall be the obedience of peoples."
First we must determine what "Shiloh" means. It is a noun form which, as K. W. concedes and
Keil and Hengstenberg have long contended, may well be derived from the root shalah, which
means "to rest." Shîloh, therefore, can mean "rest" (Ruhe, K. W.), or "man of rest" or "giver of
rest" by metonomy. Such a meaning could very readily have suggested itself to those familiar
with Hebrew. In this passage, then, the general meaning might be found: Judah shall continue to
hold rule until rest come. But then the concluding statement comes limping after rather lamely,
almost without thought connection, "and to him (i. e. Judah) shall be the obedience of peoples."
Into this rather pale picture one could implant the Messianic thought, letting the words be a
description of the Messianic age. However, this interpretation proceeds on the assumption that
nothing in Messianic prophecy even intimated that a personal Messiah would ultimately come, a
thought involved, by the way, already in Ge 3:15, though not yet clearly expressed. However,
another approach is possible—that which, regards Shîloh as a proper name of a person and

65. construes the sense of the whole verse thus: Judah’s capacity for rule and sovereignty shall not be
lost; in fact, it shall come to a climax in a ruler so competent that he shall be able to achieve
perfect rest, and who shall because of his achievement in this field of endeavour be called "Rest"
or "Restgiver" —Shîloh; and when the "peoples" become aware of these superior achievements
of his, they shall willingly tender "to him obedience."
Against this interpretation it may, of course, be urged that it does not appear in the church in this
form prior to the last century. But we may well press the counterclaim that from the earliest
interpretation onward the passage was always understood as Messianic, an interpretation which
has the fullest support in the ew Testament, where, most apparently, St. John is alluding to our
passage when he speaks of Christ as "the lion that is of the tribe of Judah" (Re 5:5); and this
interpretation appears already in the Targum in the very plain form—"until Messiah come." o
version prior to the A. V. offered the word "Shiloh," for they all sought to give the interpretation
of the name, and, it must be confessed, they had not approached the problem from the right
etymological angle, but yet all from the days of the Septuagint onward felt very strongly the
Messianic implications.
ow, before we subject the other interpretations that have been suggested to a closer analysis, let
us examine more closely the second half of the climax to which the statement rises, that is to say,
the words, "and to Him shall be obedience of peoples." The "and to Him" (welô) definitely points
back to Shiloh who was just named, and it stands first in the sentence by way of emphasis, as if to
say: He shall be so great that men will readily yield him obedience. In fact, not only men but
"peoples" (’ammîm). Very likely here the article is merely omitted because the statement is poetic
—a common thing in Hebrew—and the familiar versions are correct when they say "the people"
(A. V.) or "the peoples" (Luther and A. R. V.). In other words, the nations of the world shall
willingly submit, for yiqqehath refers to inner submission cheerfully tendered. This, then, is an
attractive description of the conquests of the Gospel, and so the critical objection falls to the
ground which charges that the term Shîloh, if construed as above, is "at most a negative word,
denoting mere tranquillity." For in the first place, we are justified in construing the word
personally as "Rest-bringer," and secondly, that this one is not merely passive appears from the
conquests that he makes among "the peoples" the world over.
From all that has been said it would appear clearly that we are not following the interpretation
which makes "until" the limit to which Judah’s dominion endures; in other words, we are not
construing ’adh kî in the exclusive but in the inclusive sense, even as it is found in Ge 26:13;
28:15; Ps 112:8; Ps 110:1. For if this dominion were to endure only up to a certain point, the word
as such would constitute a threat rather than a blessing. A rather common interpretation was the
one that said that this verse means Judah must first lose her position of eminence and
sovereignty; then the Messiah would appear. Yet is not the sovereignty of Judah brought to its
highest point and in reality never lost when the Messiah appears?
Aside from this interpretation the one most commonly held by constructive expositors, who feel
they must hold fast to a Messianic element, is the one which makes Shîloh mean "rest," Ruhe or
Beruhigung, i. e. pacification. Aside from the objection we raised above, we also find the whole
statement of the climax which is supposedly involved rather pale and ineffective.
Then there is the rather specious claim which asserts that in every other instance where Shîloh
occurs it is a proper name, namely that of the city mentioned in Jos 18:1 and thereafter till the
time of Eli (1Sa 1:3), and referred to in the psalms and in prophetic writings, the modern Seilûn
lying about 9½ miles E of Bethel. That claim is very inaccurate, for the form spelled shîloh —
long "i" and final "h" —occurs only here. The name of the town has three different spellings, as
accurate dictionaries indicate—shilô, shîlô and shiloh. Langensheidt’s Pocket Dictionary is

66. inaccurate in listing our word and the name of the city under one head. Buhl, B D B, and K. W.
list both words separately. It will help the case of the opposition but little to point to a variant
reading shîlô which about forty manuscripts offer. The majority of good manuscripts have the
form with final "h." And then, if the sense of this interpretation is weighed—"until he (Judah)
come to Shiloh" —the difficulties grow still greater. Grammatically such an interpretation is
possible. But it is extremely difficult to make it appear as if Judah’s leadership continued till he
came to Shiloh (Jud 18:1) together with the other tribes. For though this coming to Shiloh
marked an epoch in the history of the tribes, it was in no sense epochal for Judah. In fact, Judah
had not yet come into its own at that time, in fact, it did not do so for three centuries to come. All
that had appeared thus far of Judah’s capacity for greater things was that the tribe was
appointed to lead the march through the wilderness ( u 10:14). Then in the Land of Promise
Judah’s inheritance was allotted first, Jos 15:1; and then shortly thereafter Judah began the
work of completing the conquest of Canaan (Jud 1:1 ff). Yet, to tell the truth, up to this point
actual rule over the other tribes ("sceptre" —rule) had not yet been conceded to Judah. Shiloh,
the town, never was of particular moment in Judah’s history. Procksch claims very correctly: "It
cannot be demonstrated that Shiloh, the Ephraimite capital, ever was of any importance for the
history of Judah. Besides, none of the versions ever thought of the city Shiloh."
The Septuagint translation is instructive; it runs thus: ewv an eluh ta apoceimena autw —"until
the things laid up in store come into his possession." Behind this lies a Hebrew shello, i. e. shel for
‘asher —"which" and lô —"to him." So apparently the Greek translators had a defective reading
—short "i" and final "h" missing. They seem to have thought of Eze 21:32 (English, v. 27) which
reads, "until he come whose right it is." In any case, they thought of one to whom particular
rights and prerogatives appertained.
The Vulgate translates at this point qui mittendus est — "who must be sent." Consequently, this
presupposes the altering of the final consonant he to cheth, namely shalúach. But the Hebrew text
nowhere suggests that vowel change. Other modern attempts at textual alterations are equally
unwarranted, like mosheloh — "his ruler."
Lastly, there is an old Jewish interpretation that has no firm ground on which to stand. It is
based on the root shiljah which is taken to mean "son" —therefore shîloh —"his son." Helpful as
that might be, it is in reality quite impossible, for shiljah does not mean "son" but "afterbirth."
Or shîl —shalil which in ew Hebrew means "embryo." Calvin and Luther favoured this. But
there is a world of difference between "son" and "afterbirth."
One last objection to the Messianic import of the last clause has not yet been met. K. W.
especially contends that ’ammîm, "peoples" here means "tribes." The facts are these: tribes may
sometimes in a looser sense be spoken of as peoples, but nothing here indicates that only the
submission of the other Israelitish tribes is under consideration. A word should be taken in its
primary basic sense unless the connection in which it appears definitely indicates another
legitimate meaning.
7. F. B. Meyer, “Genesis 49:10 (Our Daily Homily)
Until Shiloh come, and unto Him shall the obedience of the peoples be
Old experience is said to attain to something of prophetic strain; but there is more than old
experience here. From these aged lips the Holy Ghost is speaking.
The mission and work of Jesus are designated. - He is Shiloh - the Maker, Giver, and Bringer of

67. Peace. The troubled conscience, smitten with conviction, finds peace when He reveals His all
sufficient sacrifice and atonement. The discordant elements within us settle into a great calm
when He enters to reign, bringing every thought into captivity to His rule. or is His work for
individuals only; it is for man, for the world, the universe. Peace was made at His cross; it is
proclaimed by His Spirit; and it will be consummated when God is All in all.
The time of His advent predicted. - ot till the Romans came and annexed Palestine as one of the
provinces of the empire, did the semblance of the Hebrew monarchy expire. And it was then that
the Shiloh came. Surely these words must often have been quoted by the pious Jews, with whom
Simeon and Anna consorted, as pointing to the near advent of the Messiah. Let us be wise to
discern the symptoms of His second advent.
The inevitableness of His dominion. - Ah, Saviour, it is predicted that all peoples shall obey Thee;
and we know well that it is only through obedience that men can enter into Thy peace. Teach us
to obey, to do all Thy commands, to bear all Thy burdens, to wait before Thee, that thus we may
know the peace that passeth all understanding.
Ponder this well, O my soul; the Peace-giver must be obeyed. Only so can He give thee peace that
floweth as a river.
8. “In this widely accepted messianic passage, the Patriarch, Jacob, prophesies that the tribe of
Judah would not lose its tribal identity and capability to apply and enforce Mosaic law upon the
people (i.e., the right to adjudicate capital cases and administer capital punishment) until
Messiah came.
In Jewish teachings, "Shiloh" is a word for Messiah. The Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 98b,
says: "The world was created for the sake of the Messiah, what is this Messiah's name? The
school of Rabbi Shila said 'his name is Shiloh, for it is written; until Shiloh come.'" And Targum
Onkelos states: "The transmission of domain shall not cease from the house of Judah, nor the
scribe from his children's children, forever, until Messiah comes." So, this prophecy gives a
specific indicator regarding the time of the coming of the Messiah: namely, that Judah would be
stripped of authority at the time of the Messiah.
When was this fulfilled? Judah lost its ability to adjudicate capital cases and enforce the law
during the first quarter of the first century A.D. Around the year A.D. 6 -7, when Herod
Archelaus was dethroned and banished to Vienna (a city of Gaul), he was replaced not by a
Jewish king but by a Roman Procurator named Caponius. The legal power of the Sanhedrin was
then immediately restricted---they lost their ability to adjudicate capital cases. Josephus writes:
"Archelaus' part of Judea was reduced into a province, and Caponius, one of the equestrian
order of the Romans, was sent as a procurator, having the power of life and death put into his
hands by Caesar."
Did the Jews of that time view the removal of their authority on capital cases as the removal of
the scepter from Judah? The Talmud says: "A little more than forty years before the destruction
of the Temple, the power of pronouncing capital sentences was taken away from the Jews." The
scepter had departed from Judah. Its royal and legal powers were removed.
But where was Shiloh (Messiah)? Rabbi Rachmon's statement in the Talmud reads thus: "When
the members of the Sanhedrin found themselves deprived of their right over life and death, a
general consternation took possession of them: they covered their heads with ashes, and their

68. bodies with sackcloth, exclaiming: 'Woe unto us for the scepter has departed from Judah and the
Messiah has not come'" The scepter was smitten from the hands of the tribe of Judah. The
kingdom of Judea, the last remnant of the greatness of Israel, was debased into being merely a
part of the province of Syria.
While the Jews wept in the streets of Jerusalem, there was growing up in the city of azareth the
young son of a Jewish carpenter: Jesus of azareth. The Messiah had indeed come.” author
unknown
9. Resource
• Evidence That Demands A Verdict, p. 168.
Israel’s Blindness
“What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it,
and the rest were blinded: (Romans 11:7).
One of the saddest aspects of our world is the blindness of Israel. Even the Orthodox Jews, who
strongly affirm their belief in the Old Testament Scriptures, seem unable to see what the
Scriptures clearly show, that their Messiah has come and gone. In the first book of the Torah, we
read: “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between His feet until
Shiloh come, and unto Him shall the gathering of the people be” (Genesis 49:10). Ancient Jewish
commentators agreed that Shiloh was another name for Messiah, but this very fact should prove
to modern Jewish expositors that Messiah has already come, for the scepter (the symbol of
national leadership) did depart from Judah, very soon after Jesus was crucified.
King David was the first descendent of Judah to attain the scepter of leadership among the tribes
of Israel, and the divine promises were clear that Messiah would be in David’s lineage. That
Jesus’ legal father, Joseph, and human mother, Mary, were both in that lineage was shown in the
genealogies of Matthew 1:1-17 and Luke 3:23-38, respectively, both of which were written when
the genealogical records in the Temple were still intact. o one at that time ever questioned their
validity, in spite of intense opposition by the Jews to the claims of Jesus and His disciples.
In 70 A.D., the records and the Temple were destroyed, so that no later claimant to the title could
ever prove his right to the throne. Messiah had come, and was slain, so the scepter departed from
Judah until He comes again. It is certain that Jesus was, indeed, the Jews’ promised Messiah, and
we should pray that God will soon open their eyes to see and believe. HMM
Our Daily Bread, Saturday, August 1.
Messianic Prophecy
“The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh
come; and unto Him shall the gathering of the people be” (Gen 49:10).
This is a remarkable Messianic prophecy, given by Jacob 1700 years before the first coming of
Christ fulfilled it. Later prophecies would focus on His descent from David and then His
birthplace in Bethlehem, but first one of the twelve sons of Jacob must be designated as His
progenitor. Remarkably, Jacob did not select either his first born son, Reuben, or his favorite son
Joseph. or did he choose Benjamin, the son of his favorite wife. He chose instead his fourth son,
Judah, by divine direction. Yet it was over 600 years before the tribe of Judah gained ascendancy

69. over the others. The greatest leaders of Israel were from other tribes-Moses and Samuel from
Levi, Joshua from Ephraim, Gideon from Manasseh, Samson from Dan, Saul from Benjamin.
Finally, David became king, and “the sceptre” was then held by Judah for a thousand years, until
Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea. Jesus’ parents were both of Judah, both of the line of
David, with both the legal and spiritual right to David’s throne. But then, just 70 years after His
birth, “the sceptre” (that is leadership over the twelve tribes) departed from Judah, with the
worldwide dispersion of Israel, and no man since has ever held that right. It is still retained by
Jesus, and will be reclaimed and exercised when He returns. In the meantime, the prophecy
stands as an unchallengeable identification of Jesus as the promised Messiah. Ancient Jewish
commentators all recognized “Shiloh” as a name for Messiah. Since the sceptre has already
departed, Shiloh has already come. When He returns, His people will, indeed, finally be gathered
together “unto Him.”
HMM
Source unknown
10. CRISWELL, “Can you imagine such a thing? The fourth son, he inherits the blessing.
“Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise.” Judah means praise. And he is a type of
Christ. He is the one to whom his brethren shall give obeisance. The neck of his enemies he will
make regnant, bring to pass. There shall bow down before him the dream of Joseph, as fulfilled
in Judah, bowing down all of those sheaves, make obeisance to Judah. And he is the lion of the
tribe of Judah. Who shall rouse him up? Who shall stand in his presence? In this ultimate and
unbelievable prophecy, “the scepter shall not depart from Judah nor a lawgiver from between his
feet until Shiloh come. And unto him shall the gathering of the people be.”
The scepter is a sign of authority. It's an emblem of legislation and government. And
the father, Israel, prophesies that Judah will be regnant and established and be in existence
until Shiloh come. All of the rest of Israel was destroyed. The ten tribes went into captivity,
and you do not know what became of any of them. But the prophecy is that Judah will
continue until Shiloh comes.
And when Israel was carried into captivity into Babylon, Judah is the one that
returned. And that's where you gain the word “Jew.” The part of Israel and the part of
Jacob that continued through the centuries is Judah, the Jew. He came back. And he
continued as a people and as a nation with a capital at Jerusalem until Shiloh came. And
when Shiloh came, Judah was lost in rejection and unbelief, and now for these two thousand
years since, has been absorbed and unknown in the nations and families of the world.
The Jew, is he from Judah? The Jew, is he from Benjamin? The Jew, is he from one of
the ten lost tribes? We don't know, nor do they, but Judah will be a kingdom and a
government until Shiloh comes, a prophecy that came to pass for thousands of years. And
when Shiloh came, the government and the nation became one of oblivion.
ow, I want us in just this moment that remains, to look at that word “Shiloh.” “The
scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet until Shiloh come,
and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.”

70. That's the only place in the Bible where He is named “Shiloh.” And it is one of the
most mysterious of all of the names for our Lord to be found in God's holy Word--Shiloh.
From the root shalom, and the scholars for the centuries and the centuries have studied it and
sought its ultimate and final meaning.
And I have here four or five of the scholarly suggestions made as to what Shiloh, in its
root meaning, could refer to. First, there are some who see in the root the same background
as found as in the name “Siloam”--sent, the sent one. He's the One who is the messenger from
God to heaven, and He represents the court of the great King in Glory. Shiloh, the sent one.
Then there are some scholars who see in it the same root as in the Son, the Son of God.
Shiloh represents the Lord God in heaven. The revelation of the Almighty Omnipotent is
found in him. Then the Son also, as He's identified with us--bone of our bones, flesh of our
flesh, the glory of humanity centered in him. Shiloam, Shiloh, the Son of God and the Son of
Man.
Then there are those who see in Shiloh the root meaning of to whom it belongs, and
that is the meaning to be found in the Syriac and in the Septuagint--for whom it is reserved.
You find that word in Ezekiel 21:27: “Until he comes whose right it is, and I will give it unto
him.” He is the One to whom all adoration and love and worship belong. He's the great
Creator. The scepter belongs to Him, to Shiloh. He has a right to reign, and He only. “All
hail the power of Jesus name, let angels prostrate fall. Bring forth the royal diadem and
crown him Lord of all.”
Then one other, there are those who see in the root of Shiloh the word “peace,” shalom,
peace. He's the peace-bearer. He's the rest-giver. All the gold in the world and all the land in
the continents never bring peace to the heart. If we find rest, we find it in Him. He said,
“Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.” Shiloh, the one
who brings us rest.
And a last, “and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.” That comprehends all
people, not just the Jew. It also includes the Gentile, not just white folks, but black folks and
yellow folks and red folks. That doesn't mean just the favored nations of the world. It means
the third world nations, also. “Unto him shall the gathering of the people be,” and centered
around the cross is the great gathering of God's dear people.
That's one of the most impressive of all of the feelings, remembrances I have, of these
journeys I used to make for over 35 years around the world, preaching through the nations of
the world. It is a remarkable thing in the heart of Africa, standing there with those half-
naked people in a, in a, in a church house made mostly of mud with a thatched roof, waiting
for my introduction to preach to the people, jammed, standing in a church house that
wouldn't begin to hold the throngs that were present.

71. And right back of the pulpit, a picture of our Lord and the caption above the likeness
of our Savior, Jesus is the answer to every human need. And standing there with those half-
naked, darkened, benighted people, sickness, poverty, ignorance, Jesus is the answer.
Wherever the gospel has gone, there will you find healing and schooling and the
uplifting of the human family and the human life and the blessing of little children beside the
glorious promise of a world that is beautiful and yet to come.
Unto Him shall the gathering of the people be. Wherever in the earth the cross of
Christ is lifted up, there flow blessings incomparably dear and precious. Wouldn't it be
wonderful if we are included in that beautiful assembly of those who are gathered around the
cross of our Lord?
“O, Zion that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain, O, Jerusalem
that bringest good tidings. Lift up thy voice with strength. Be not afraid. Say unto the cities
of Judah, Behold your God. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd. He shall gather the lambs
with His arm and carry them in His bosom and shall gently lead those that are with young”
(Isaiah 40:9-10).
That's our Lord, gathering His people together. And one other observation. It must
refer to the final asides and the final gathering of the people of God. There shall come some
day a midnight cry, and the trumpets shall sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible
and the living shall be caught up to meet our Lord in the air.
And thus in the denouement time in the denouement of history, all mankind and all
humanity shall be gathered before the feet and the throne and the judgment seat of our
blessed Lord. Unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
The saved shall stand before Him to be given the rewards of their service in His blessed
name. And finally, the great white throne judgment when the lost are brought before that
same Lord Jesus and are consigned to everlasting perdition because they refused the
overtures of God's love and God's grace.
O Christ in heaven! What a heavy assignment God has given to us to make known the
saving love and grace of our Lord Jesus! Some day, every one of us, saved or lost, some day,
every one of us shall stand in the presence of that living Lord, we who are saved to rejoice in
His love and mercy, and these who are lost, with weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth,
to face an eternity in darkness and judgment. O God, save me, Lord! O God, save the lost,
and help us to bring to them the message of hope and assurance.
And in this moment, we're going to sing us a hymn of appeal, and I'll be standing here
before the pulpit, and if there is someone in God's presence tonight to whom the Holy Spirit
makes appeal to look to Jesus who died for your sins that you might be saved, and Lord open

72. my heart to receive the grace of our Lord Jesus, and openly, unashamedly, I'm accepting Him
before men and angels, you come and stand by me.
If there is a family to come into the fellowship of the church, if there's someone you, to
whom the Holy Spirit has made appeal, on the first note of the first stanza come, and God
bless you in the way while we stand and while we sing.
Here is a simple outline of Jacob's prophecy concerning Judah in Genesis 49:8-12:
1. Judah will be the dominant tribe in Israel. 8
2. Judah will be lion-like in courage and strength. 9
3. The Messiah will come from the tribe of Judah. 10
4. Messiah's coming brings peace, joy and prosperity. 11-12
Although Jacob predicts dominance for Judah, this prophecy was not fulfilled for many
centuries. Israel's earli-est leaders came from other tribes:
Moses from Levi
Joshua from Ephraim
Gideon from Manasseh
Samson from Dan
Samuel from Ephraim
Saul from Benjamin
But after Saul was rejected, God chose a man from the tribe of Judah to be king.
7. He will be a descendant of David.
In I Samuel 16 things begin to change. After rejecting Saul as king, God chooses the youngest
son of Jesse, a shepherd boy named David. He eventually becomes the king of Israel. In time
he will be considered as Israel's greatest king, her model warrior, her finest statesman, her
poet laureate and "the sweet singer of Israel." In this one man are bound up all the hopes and
dreams of a nation longing for the fulfillment of the ancient promises.
At the height of his career God made an amazing promise to David. ". . . the Lord himself will
estab-lish a house for you . . . I will raise up your offspring to succeed you . . . Your house and

73. your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever." (II
Samuel 7:11,12,16) This promise is the most specific yet. ot only will the Deliver come from
the line of David, he will also rule over David's kingdom and will reign upon David's throne.
More than that, David's "house" and "kingdom" and "throne" will last forever.
These sweeping promises go beyond merely the human rulers who followed David—Solomon,
Asa, Hezekiah, Josiah, to name only a few. Although these men were righteous before God,
because they were human, they could never reign from David's throne forever. Mortal men
could never exhaust this great promise. It demands a Ruler who will live forever. But what
person could fulfill that requirement? David could not have imagined the answer to that
question.
The promise has now become very specific indeed. We have moved from a member of the
human race to a descendant of Shem to Abraham to Isaac to Jacob to Judah to the tribe of
Judah to David to the descendants of David and ultimately to someone who can reign forever
on David's throne.
One other note. When the Apostle John tried to describe Jesus Christ in Revelation 5:5, he called
him "the Lion of the tribe of Judah." That picture of Christ goes all the way back to Genesis
49:10. When our Lord came the first time, he came as "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin
of the world." (John 1:29) When he returns to the earth, he will come as "the Lion of the tribe of
Judah." Thus the story of redemption stretches from the first pages of the Bible to the last pages
of the Bible. History is His Story!
11. He will tether his donkey to a vine,
his colt to the choicest branch;
he will wash his garments in wine,
his robes in the blood of grapes.
1. Barnes, “The exuberant fertility of Judah’s province is now depicted. We now behold him
peacefully settled in the land of promise, and the striking objects of rural plenty and prosperity
around him. The quiet ass on which he perambulates is tied to the vine, the juice of whose grapes
is as copious as the water in which his robes are washed. The last sentence is capable of being
rendered, “Red are his eyes above wine, and white his teeth above milk.” But a connection as well
as a comparison seems to be implied in the original. Judea is justly described as abounding in the
best of wine and milk. This fine picture of Judah’s earthly abode is a fitting emblem of the better
country where Shiloh reigns.
2. Gill, “Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass's colt unto the choice vine,.... Which may be
understood either of the tribe of Judah, and signify that vines should grow in such plenty, and so
large and strong, that a man might fasten his ass to one of them, and if it ate and destroyed it, it
would give no great concern, since the country abounded with them; or they would be so full of

74. clusters that a man might load an ass from one of them. Some parts of the tribe of Judah were
famous for vines, especially Engedi; hence we read of the vineyards of Engedi, Son_1:14 or else of
Shiloh the Messiah, which some interpret literally of him, when the prophecy in Zec_9:9 was
fulfilled, as is recorded in Mat_21:2 but others better, figuratively, of Christ's causing the
Gentiles, comparable to an ass's colt, for their impurity, ignorance of, and sluggishness in
spiritual things, to cleave to him the true vine, Joh_15:1 in the exercise of faith, hope, and love, or
to join themselves to his church and people, sometimes compared to a vine or vineyard, Isa_5:1.
and he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes: an hyperbolical
expression, setting forth the great abundance of wine in this tribe, of which there was such plenty,
that if they would, they might have used it instead of water to wash their clothes in, but not that
they did do so, only might if they would; and may denote the great quantity of spiritual blessings
flowing from the love of God, which come by Christ; and of his word and ordinances, which are
comparable to wine and milk, and are a feast of fat things, of wine on the lees, well refined,
Isa_26:6 and may be applied to Christ, to the garment of his human nature, which, through his
sufferings and death, was like a vesture dipped in blood, and he became red in his apparel,
Isa_63:1 or to his church and people, which cleave to him as a garment, and whose garments are
washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb, Rev_1:5 these words are interpreted of the
Messiah in the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem, and are applied to him and his times in the
Talmud (y), and in other Jewish writings (z): so wine is called the blood of the grape by the son of
Sirach in the Apocrypha:"The principal things for the whole use of man's life are water, fire,
iron, and salt, flour of wheat, honey, milk, and the blood of the grape, and oil, and clothing.''
(Sirach 39:26)"He stretched out his hand to the cup, and poured of the blood of the grape, he
poured out at the foot of the altar a sweetsmelling savour unto the most high King of all.'' (Sirach
50:15)
3. Keith Krell, “In 49:11-12, Jacob says, “He ties his foal to the vine, and his donkey’s colt to the
choice vine; he washes his garments in wine, and his robes in the blood of grapes. His eyes are
dull from wine, and his teeth white from milk.” The picture is clear: The tribe of Judah will be a
victorious tribe. Judah’s descendants will be victorious in battle and will reign over the others.
The descendants of Judah will be prosperous...so prosperous that the vines for wine will be so
plentiful that they will use them for common purposes like tethering their donkeys or washing
their clothes (Ps 16:11).
Later biblical writers drew heavily from the imagery of this short text in their portrayal of the
reign of the coming Messiah. Isaiah 63:1-6 envisions the coming of a conquering king whose
clothes are like those of one who has tread the winepresses. His crimson clothing is then likened
to the bloodstained garments of a victorious warrior. He is the One who has come to carry out the
vengeance of God’s wrath upon the ungodly nations (Isa 63:6). In the book of Rev, this same
image is applied to the victorious return of Christ. He is the rider on “the white horse” who is
“dressed in a robe dipped in blood…Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike
down the nations…He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty” (Rev 19:11,
13, 15).
3. Calvin, “Binding his fole unto the vine, and his ass’s colt, etc He now speaks of the situation of
the territory which fell by lot to the sons of Judah; and intimates, that so great would be the
abundance of vines there, that they would everywhere present themselves as readily as brambles,
or unfruitful shrubs, in other places. For since asses are wont to be bound to the hedges, he here

75. reduces vines to this contemptible use. The hyperbolical forms of speech which follow are to be
applied to the same purpose; namely, that Judah shall wash his garments in wine, and his eyes be
red there-with. He means that the abundance of wine shall be so great, that it may be poured out
to wash with, like water, at no great expense; but that, by constant copious drinking, the eyes
would contract redness. But it seems by no means proper, that a profuse intemperance or
extravagance should be accounted a blessing. I answer, although fertility and affluence are here
described, still the abuse of them is not sanctioned. If the Lord deals very bountifully with us, yet
he frequently prescribes the rule of using his gifts with purity and frugality, lest they should
stimulate the incontinence of the flesh. But in this place Jacob, omitting to state what is lawful,
extols that abundance which would suffice for luxury, and even for vicious and perverse excesses,
unless the sons of Judah should voluntarily use self-government. I abstain from those allegories
which to some appear plausible; because, as I said at the beginning of the chapter, I do not choose
to sport with such great mysteries of God. To these lofty speculators the partition of the land
which God prescribed, for the purpose of accrediting his servant Moses, seems a mean and abject
thing. But unless our ingratitude has attained a senseless stupor, we ought to be wholly
transported with admiration at the thought, that Moses, who had never seen the land of Canaan,
should treat of its separate parts as correctly as he could have done, of a few acres cultivated by
his own hand. ow, supposing he had heard a general report of the existence of vines in the land;
yet he could not have assigned to Judah abundant vineyards, nor could he have assigned to him
rich pastures, by saying that his teeth should be white with drinking milk, unless he had been
guided by the Spirit.
4. Leupold 11-12, “A difficulty will be encountered if one insists on referring these two verses to
the Messiah. But two possibilities must be conceded: either the author of these words, having
reached a high point in the reference to the Messiah, may continue on that thought level, or he
may drop down again to the level of Judah and conclude in describing what blessings Judah will
encounter. If these verses are to be explained in reference to Shiloh, a rather fantastic and
fanciful meaning is extracted from them. If they are referred to Judah, they do nothing more
than to describe the exuberant fertility that is to prevail in his land, the unexpressed condition
being that the uninterrupted enjoyment of these blessings would depend upon Judah’s fidelity to
his God. "He tethers (’oserî —participle with old genitive case ending—K. S. 272a; G. K. 901) his
ass to the vine." The participle used indicates that Judah habitually does this. His reason for so
doing is because vines grow in such profusion in the land—as they still do in the vicinity of
Hebron in Judah— that a man will have no hesitation about tethering the ass to them. What if
one vine be damaged? The loss is not felt because there is no end of vines. For that matter, a man
would not even show hesitation about binding the more restless "ass’s colt to the choice vine"
(sereqah). Even these abound. If, then, the noblest and finest plants thrive so profusely, the more
ordinary plants without a doubt shall also. Certainly, the verb "wash" in the next comparison is
not to be taken literally. It merely describes graphically a picturesque episode from the time of
treading out the grapes after the grape harvest. So full will the press be that they that tread out
the grapes will stain their garments so profusely that they will come out of the press looking like
men who have washed their garments in wine. Since these grapes were for the most part dark
and the resultant wine dark, in the parallel expression the wine is called "the blood of grapes."
The remaining two lines are entirely in the same spirit and involve absolutely no censure. In a
land where wine is drunk regularly there is practically no drinking to excess. Yet the abundance
of nourishing food and drink imparts a healthy colour to the inhabitants of the land: the eyes
have a ruddy darkness from the wine—"his eyes are dark from wine." There is no thought here
of the bloodshot eye of the drunkard. "His teeth, i. e., the teeth of the typical inhabitant of
Judah’s land, are white from milk" —a shrewd observation agreeing with the dentist’s

76. recommendation in our day. Lebushô, "his garments," and sûthô, "his robes," are collective
singulars (K. S. 254 c). Chakhlîlî, "dark," is a genitive: (He is) "dark of eyes from wine" —min
causal; on the genitive see K. S. 272 a.
5. K&D, “Gen_49:11-12
In Gen_49:11 and Gen_49:12 Jacob finishes his blessing on Judah by depicting the abundance
of his possessions in the promised land. “Binding his she-ass to the vine, and to the choice vine his
ass's colt; he washes his garment in wine, and his cloak in the blood of the grape: dull are the eyes
with wine, and white the teeth with milk.” The participle ‫י‬ ִ‫ְר‬‫ס‬ֹ ‫א‬ has the old connecting vowel, i,
before a word with a preposition (like Isa_22:16; Mic_7:14, etc.); and ‫ִי‬‫נ‬ְ‫בּ‬ in the construct state, as
in Gen_31:39. The subject is not Shiloh, but Judah, to whom the whole blessing applies. The
former would only be possible, if the fathers and Luther were right in regarding the whole as an
allegorical description of Christ, or if Hoffmann's opinion were correct, that it would be quite
unsuitable to describe Judah, the lion-like warrior and ruler, as binding his ass to a vine, coming
so peacefully upon his ass, and remaining in his vineyard. But are lion-like courage and strength
irreconcilable with a readiness for peace? Besides, the notion that riding upon an ass is an image
of a peaceful disposition seems quite unwarranted; and the supposition that the ass is introduced
as an animal of peace, in contrast with the war-horse, is founded upon Zec_9:9, and applied to
the words of the patriarch in a most unhistorical manner. This contrast did not exist till a much
later period, when the Israelites and Canaanites had introduced war-horses, and is not applicable
at all to the age and circumstances of the patriarchs, since at that time the only animals there
were to ride, beside camels, were asses and she-asses (Gen_22:3 cf. Exo_4:20; um_22:21); and
even in the time of the Judges, and down to David's time, riding upon asses was a distinction of
nobility or superior rank (Jdg_1:14; Jdg_10:4; Jdg_12:14; 2Sa_19:27). Lastly, even in Gen_49:9,
Gen_49:10 Judah is not depicted as a lion eager for prey, or as loving war and engaged in
constant strife, but, according to Hoffmann's own words, “as having attained, even before the
coming of Shiloh, to a rest acquired by victory over surrounding foes, and as seated in his place
with the insignia of his dominion.” ow, when Judah's conflicts are over, and he has come to rest,
he also may bind his ass to the vine and enjoy in peaceful repose the abundance of his
inheritance. Of wine and milk, the most valuable productions of his land, he will have such a
superabundance, that, as Jacob hyperbolically expresses it, he may wash his clothes in the blood
of the grape, and enjoy them so plentifully, that his eyes shall be inflamed with wine, and his teeth
become white with milk.
( ote: Jam de situ regionis loquitur, quae sorte filiis Judae obtigit. Significat autem tantam
illic fore vitium copiam, ut passim obviae prostent non secus atque alibi vepres vel infrugifera
arbusta. am quum ad sepes ligari soleant asini, vites ad hunc contemptibilem usum aeputat.
Eodem pertinet quae sequuntur hyperbolicae loquendi formae, quod Judas lavabit vestem suam
in vino, et oculis eritrubicundus. Tantam enim vini abundantiam fore intelligit, ut promiscue ad
lotiones, perinde ut aqua effundi queat sine magno dispendio; assiduo autem largioreque illius
potu rubedinem contracturi sint oculi. Calvin.)
The soil of Judah produced the best wine in Canaan, near Hebron and Engedi ( um_13:23-24;
Son_1:4; 2Ch_26:10 cf. Joe_1:7.), and had excellent pasture land in the desert by Tekoah and
Carmel, to the south of Hebron (1Sa_25:2; Amo_1:1; 2Ch_26:10). ‫ֹה‬ ‫:סוּת‬ contracted from ‫ֹה‬ ‫ְווּת‬‫ס‬,
from ‫ָה‬‫ו‬ָ‫ס‬ to envelope, synonymous with ‫ֶה‬‫ו‬ְ‫ס‬ַ‫מ‬ a veil (Exo_34:33).

77. 12. His eyes will be darker than wine,
his teeth whiter than milk.[e]
1. Gill, “His eyes shall be red with wine,.... Signifying, not the intemperance of this tribe, and
their immoderate use of wine, and the effect of it on them; but the goodness and generosity of
their wine, that if drank plentifully of, and especially to excess, would have such an effect, see
Pro_23:29 and, as applied to the Messiah, the antitype of Judah, and who was of this tribe, it may
denote not so much the beauty of his eyes, as the Targums paraphrase it; as the joy and pleasure
that sparkled in his eyes when he shed his blood on the cross, enduring that, and despising the
shame of it, for the joy of the salvation of his people; or the clearness of his sight in beholding the
actions of his enemies, and especially of the fierceness and fury of his wrath against them, whose
eyes are said to be an flames of fire, Rev_1:14.
and his teeth white with milk; denoting the fruitfulness of his land, producing fine pastures, on
which flocks and herds fed, and gave abundance of milk; and so Onkelos paraphrases the whole
verse,"his mountains shall be red with his vineyards, and his hills shall drop wine, and his valleys
shall be white with corn and flocks of sheep;''and much the same are the Targums of Jonathan
and Jerusalem: the mystical sense may respect Christ and his people, and be expressive of the
purity of his nature, life, and doctrine, and of the holiness of his members, their faith and
conversation; or the clauses may be rendered, redder than wine, whiter than milk; but though
whiteness recommends teeth, yet not redness the eyes; wherefore some (a) by transposing the first
letters of the word for "red", make it to signify black, as it does with the Arabs, and that colour
of the eye is reckoned beautiful.
2. Henry, “It should be a very fruitful tribe, especially that it should abound with milk for babes,
and wine to make glad the heart of strong men (Gen_49:11, Gen_49:12) - vines so common in the
hedge-rows and so strong that they should tie their asses to them, and so fruitful that they should
load their asses from them - wine as plentiful as water, so that the men of that tribe should be
very healthful and lively, their eyes brisk and sparkling, their teeth white. Much of what is here
said concerning Judah is to be applied to our Lord Jesus. (1.) He is the ruler of all his father's
children, and the conqueror of all his father's enemies; and he it is that is the praise of all the
saints. (2.) He is the lion of the tribe of Judah, as he is called with reference to this prophecy
(Rev_5:5), who, having spoiled principalities and powers, went up a conqueror, and couched so as
none can stir him up, when he sat down on the right hand of the Father. (3.) To him belongs the
sceptre; he is the lawgiver, and to him shall the gathering of the people be, as the desire of all
nations (Hag_2:7), who, being lifted up from the earth, should draw all men unto him
(Joh_12:32), and in whom the children of God that are scattered abroad should meet as the
centre of their unity, Joh_11:52. (4.) In him there is plenty of all that which is nourishing and
refreshing to the soul, and which maintains and cheers the divine life in it; in him we may have
wine and milk, the riches of Judah's tribe, without money and without price, Isa_55:1.

78. 13. “Zebulun will live by the seashore
and become a haven for ships;
his border will extend toward Sidon.
1. Barnes, “Zebulun means “dwelling,” to which there is an allusion in the first clause of the
verse. “At the haven of seas.” This tribe touched upon the coast of the sea of Kinnereth and of the
Mediterranean. It probably possessed some havens for shipping near the promontory of Karmel:
and its northwestern boundary touched upon Phoenicia, the territory of Zidon. He is placed
before Issakar, who was older, because the latter sank into a subordinate position.
2. Clarke, “Zebulun’s lot or portion in the division of the Promised Land extended from the
Mediterranean Sea on the west, to the lake of Gennesareth on the east; see his division,
Jos_19:10, etc. The Targum of Jonathan ben Uzziel paraphrases the passage thus: “Zebulun shall
be on the coasts of the sea, and he shall rule over the havens; he shall subdue the provinces of the
sea with his, ships, and his border shall extend unto Sidon.
14. Issachar is a strong ass
Couching between two burdens.
15. And he saw the resting place that it was good,
And the land that it was pleasant;
And he inclined his shoulder to the load,
And he became a servant unto tribute.
3. Gill, “Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea,.... Of the sea of Galilee, sometimes called the
sea of Tiberias and of Gennesaret; and of the Mediterranean sea; and accordingly we find that
the border of this tribe, when settled in the land of Canaan, was toward the sea, Jos_19:10 and
this was done, not at the discretion of Joshua, or at the choice of this tribe, but by lot; and which
shows that Jacob said this under a spirit of prophecy, and which had its fulfilment two hundred
years after; and is a full proof of the prescience and providence of God; and who, as he sets the
bounds of the people, or of the nations of the world, and of the tribes of Israel, so the bounds of
the habitations of particular persons, Act_17:26 and he shall be for an haven of ships; shall have
good ports commodious for ships to station in, and to cover them from storms and tempests; this
tribe being situated by the sea shore (b):
and his border shall be unto Zidon; not the city Zidon, for the tribe of Zebulun reached no
further than Carmel, as Josephus observes;"the Zebulunites (says he) obtained the land from
Carmel, and the sea to the lake of Gennesaret.'' ow Carmel was forty miles at least from Zidon;
but Phoenicia is meant, of which Zidon was the chief city; and so the Septuagint in Isa_23:2 put
Phoenicia instead of Zidon; and whereas Carmel was the border of this tribe that way, it is also
said by Jerom (d) to be the border of Phoenicia; so that Zebulun reaching to Carmel, its border
may be truly said to be to Zidon or Phoenicia.
4. Henry, “Here we have Jacob's prophecy concerning six of his sons.

79. I. Concerning Zebulun (Gen_49:13), that his posterity should have their lot upon the seacoast,
and should be merchants, and mariners, and traders at sea. This was fulfilled when, two or three
hundred years after, the land of Canaan was divided by lot, and the border of Zebulun went up
towards the sea, Jos_19:11. Had they chosen their lot themselves, or Joshua appointed it, we might
have supposed it done with design to make Jacob's words good; but, being done by lot, it appears
that it was divinely disposed, and Jacob divinely inspired. ote, The lot of God's providence
exactly agrees with the plan of God's counsel, like a true copy with the original. If prophecy says,
Zebulun shall be a haven of ships, Providence will so plant him. ote, 1. God appoints the bounds
of our habitation. 2. It is our wisdom and duty to accommodate ourselves to our lot and to
improve it. If Zebulun dwell at the haven of the sea, let him be for a haven of ships.
5. K&D, “Zebulun, to the shore of the ocean will he dwell, and indeed (‫ְהוּא‬‫ו‬ isque) towards the coast
of ships, and his side towards Zidon (directed up to Zidon).” This blessing on Leah's sixth son
interprets the name Zebulun (i.e., dwelling) as an omen, not so much to show the tribe its
dwelling-place in Canaan, as to point out the blessing which it would receive from the situation of
its inheritance (compare Deu_33:19). So far as the territory allotted to the tribe of Zebulun under
Joshua can be ascertained from the boundaries and towns mentioned in Jos_19:10-16, it neither
reached to the Mediterranean, nor touched directly upon Zidon (see my Comm. on Joshua). It
really lay between the Sea of Galilee and the Mediterranean, near to both, but separated from the
former by aphtali, from the latter by Asher. So far was this announcement, therefore, from
being a vaticinium ex eventu taken from the geographical position of the tribe, that it contains a
decided testimony to the fact that Jacob's blessing was not written after the time of Joshua. ‫ים‬ִ‫מּ‬ַ‫י‬
denotes, not the two seas mentioned above, but, as Jdg_5:17 proves, the Mediterranean, as a
great ocean (Gen_1:10). “The coast of ships:” i.e., where ships are unloaded, and land the
treasures of the distant parts of the world for the inhabitants of the maritime and inland
provinces (Deu_33:19). Zidon, as the old capital, stands for Phoenicia itself.
6. Keith Krell, “The seven acceptable sons are given responsibilities (49:13-21, 27). In these ten
verses, Jacob shares brief words with seven of his sons. True to the poetic qualities of the text, the
images of the destiny of the remaining sons are, in most cases, based on a wordplay of the son’s
name. The central theme uniting each image is that of prosperity.21 In 49:13, Jacob begins:
“Zebulun will dwell at the seashore; and he shall be a haven for ships, and his flank shall be
toward Sidon.” Zebulun later obtained territory between the Mediterranean Sea and the Sea of
Galilee. This was a thriving commercial area though Zebulun may never have had permanent
“waterfront property.” It is possible, however, that Zebulun and Issachar shared some territory
(cf. Deut 33:18-19), so Zebulun could have bordered the Sea of Galilee. Perhaps the men of
Zebulun worked for the Phoenicians in their maritime trade (cf. Deut 33:19). Zebulun will extend
to the sea in the millennium when his borders will extend as far as Sidon on the Mediterranean
(Ezek 48:1-8, 23-27). An important caravan route from Mesopotamia to Egypt passed through his
territory.
7. Calvin, “Zebulun shall dwell at the havens of the sea. Although this blessing contains nothing
rare or precious, (as neither do some of those which follow,) yet we ought to deem this fact as
sufficiently worthy of notice, that it was just as if God was stretching out his hand from heaven,
for the deliverance of the children of Israel, and for the purpose of distributing to each his own
dwelling-place. Before mention is made of the lost itself, a maritime region is given to the tribe of
Zebulun, which it obtained by lot two hundred years afterwards. And we know of how great
importance that hereditary gift was, which, like an earnest, rendered the adoption of the ancient

80. people secure. Therefore, by this prophecy, not only one tribe, but the whole people, ought to
have been encouraged to lay hold, with alacrity, of the offered blessing which was certainly in
store for them. But it is said that the portion of Zebulun should not only be on the sea-shore, but
should also have havens; for Jacob joins its boundary with the country of Zion; in which tract,
we know, there were commodious and noble havens. For God, by this prophecy, would not only
excite the sons of Zebulun more strenuously to prepare themselves to enter upon the land; but
would also assure them, when they obtained possession of the desired portion, that it was the
home which had been distinctly proposed and ordained for them by the will of God.
8. Leupold, “In the Spirit Jacob foresees that Zebulon’s heritage in Canaan shall lie up toward
the north where he can have contact with those that go down to the sea in ships. Yet it is not
definitely stated that he is to dwell at or on the seashore but "toward" it— lechôph yammîm. For
though Zebulon’s territory touched the Sea of Galilee on the east and swept westward over a big
portion of the Plain of Esdraelon, it yet went only two-thirds of the way to the Mediterranean
coastline, having Asher between it and the sea. Yet the people of Zebulon were to have contact
with those whose ships touched the shore, as the further statements indicate—"he shall be toward
the shore (lechôph again) where ships come," literally, "toward the shore of ships," and the
second statement: "and his flank shall be toward Sidon." Zebulon faces south; its flank is to be
toward the old commercial city Sidon, prominent long before Tyre. The products of this
commerce shall be transmitted through Zebulon to the rest of the tribes. The opening words
constitute a play upon Zebulon’s name, which means "dwelling." Consequently, Zebulon "shall
dwell" (yishkon) emphasizes his being definitely located in that area. o particular achievement
or blessing of Zebulon’s is mentioned but merely an attendant circumstance that shall be in
evidence after his settlement in the land. The prophetic vision of this fact, however, held up before
this tribe a definite prospect of what God held in store for it. This fact explains why the sentence
structure is cast as it is, the phrase "toward the seashore" standing first for emphasis. In fact, the
Hebrew reads "toward the shore of the seas" (plural), the article being omitted in a poetic piece
(K. S. 292 a). It is also very true that the Spirit of prophecy did not give Jacob the ability to
foresee the entire history of this tribe; but what Jacob saw that he proclaimed. This, of course, is
the case in reference practically to most of the tribes. The whole future does not need to be
unrolled before them.
9. Pink, “PI K, ""Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea; and he shall be for a haven of
ships; and his border shall be unto Zidon" (Gen. 49:13). In blessing his children Jacob here
passes from his fourth to his tenth son. Why should he do this? Everything in scripture is perfect.
ot only is its every word Divinely inspired, but the very arrangement of its words also evidences
the handiwork of the Holy Spirit. God is a God of order, and every diligent student discovers this
everywhere in His word. When blessing his fourth son we found that the words of our dying
patriarch manifestly looked forward to Christ Himself, who, according to the flesh, sprang from
this tribe of Judah. Hence, because of the close connection of our Lord with the land of Zebulun
during the days of His earthly sojourn, these two tribes are here placed in juxtaposition. Having
spoken of the tribe of which our Lord was born, we have next mentioned the tribe in whose
territory He lived for thirty years. This is, we believe, the main reason why the tenth son of Jacob
is placed immediately after the fourth.
The part played by the tribe of Zebulun in the history of the nation of Israel was not a
conspicuous one, but though referred to but rarely as a tribe, each time they do come before us it

81. is in a highly honorable connection. First, we read of them in Judges 5, where Deborah celebrates
in song Israel’s victory over Jabin and Sisera, and recounts the parts taken by the different
tribes. Of Zebulun and aphtali she says, "Zebulun and aphtali were a people that jeopardized
their lives unto the death in the high places of the field" (v. 18). Again, in 1 Chronicles 12, where
we have enumerated those who "Came to David to Hebron, to turn the kingdom of Saul to him"
(verse 33), concerning Zebulun we read, "Of Zebulun, such as went forth to battle, expert in war,
with all instruments of war, fifty thousand, which could keep rank, they were not of double
heart." And again, in this same chapter, "Moreover they that were nigh them, even unto Issachar
and Zebulun and aphtali, brought bread on asses, and on camels, and on mules, and on oxen,
and meat, meal, cakes of raisins, and wine, and oil, and oxen, and sheep abundantly: for there
was joy in Israel" (1 Chron. 12:40).
Jacob’s prophecy concerning the tribe, which was to spring from his tenth son, referred, mainly,
to the position they were to occupy in the land of Canaan, and also to the character of the people
themselves. Moses’ prophecy concerning the twelve tribes, recorded in Deuteronomy 33, is very
similar to that of Jacob’s with respect to Zebulun: "And of Zebulun he said, Rejoice, Zebulun, in
thy going out (i.e., to sea); and, Issachar, in thy tents. They shall call the people unto the
mountain (i.e. Zion); there they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness: for they shall suck of the
abundance of the seas, and of treasures hid in the sand" (vv. 18, 19).
The character of Zebulun as here outlined by Jacob is very different from that of Judah, who is
pictured as dwelling, more or less, apart from the other tribes—as a lion "gone up from the
prey;" very different, too, from Issachar, here referred to as an ass crouching down in lazy sloth.
(see vv. 14, 15). Zebulun was to be a commercial and seafaring tribe. When Jacob said of
Zebulun, "his border shall be unto Zidion," which was in Phoenica, he implied that it would take
part in Phoenican commerce.
The portion which fell to the tribe of Zebulun (Josh. 19:10, 11), together with that of the tribe of
aphtali which joined theirs, became known as "Galilee of the Gentiles.’’ (See Matthew 4:15).
These Galileans were to be an energetic, enterprising people, who were to mingle freely with the
nations. The prophecy of Moses concerning Zebulun, to which we have already referred, clearly
establishes this fact (see Deut. 33:18, 19), and, plainly looked forward to ew Testament times,
when the men of Galilee took such a prominent part as the first heralds of the Cross. ote that
Moses said, "Rejoice Zebulun, in thy going out." Is it not remarkable that no less than eleven out
of the twelve apostles of Christ were men of Galilee—Judas alone being an exception! How
beautiful are the next prophetic words of Moses in this connection: "They shall call the people
unto the mountain: there they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness!" (Deut. 33:19).
One other word concerning Jacob’s prophecy about Zebulun. Of this tribe he said, "He shall be
for a haven of ships." Galilee was to provide a refuge, a harbor, a place where the storm-tossed
ships might anchor at rest. And here it was that Joseph and Mary, with the Christ Child, found a
"haven" after their return from Egypt! Here it was the Lord Jesus dwelt until the beginning of
His public ministry. And note, too, John 12:1, "After these things Jesus walked in Galilee: for He

82. would not walk in Jewry, because the Jews sought to kill Him." Galilee was still a "haven" to
Him!
14. “Issachar is a rawboned[f] donkey
lying down among the sheep pens.[g]
1. Barnes, ““An ass of bone,” and therefore, of strength. “Couching between the hurdles” - the
pens or stalls in which the cattle were lodged. Rest in a pleasant land he felt to be good; and
hence, rather than undertake the struggle for liberty and independence, he became like the
strong ass a bearer of burdens, and a payer of tribute. He is thus a hireling by disposition as well
as by name Gen_30:18.
2. Clarke, “Issachar is a strong ass - ‫גרם‬ ‫חמר‬ chamor garem is properly a strong-limbed ass;
couching between two burdens - bearing patiently, as most understand it, the fatigues of
agriculture, and submitting to exorbitant taxes rather that exert themselves to drive out the old
inhabitants.
The two burdens literally mean the two sacks or panniers, one on each side of the animal’s
body; and couching down between these refers to the well-known propensity of the ass, whenever
wearied or overloaded, to lie down even with its burden on its back.
3. Gill, “Issachar is a strong ass,.... Or as one, the note of similitude being wanting, as Ben Melech
observes; "a bony" (e) one, as the word signifies; not one that is lean, and nothing but skin and
bones, as some interpret it, but that is strong and robust, able to carry burdens; and this tribe is
compared to an ass, not for stupidity and sluggishness, but for its strength, and its use in
husbandry, in which this tribe was chiefly occupied: the Targums of Jonathan and Jarchi
interpret this figuratively, of his being strong to bear the yoke of the law: and it is a notion of the
Jews, that this tribe were skilful in the doctrines of the law, and the intercalation of years, &c.
from 1Ch_12:32 couching down between two burdens: one hanging on one side, and another on
the other; which Kimchi and Ben Melech interpret of bales of goods; and may as well be
understood of sacks of corn, or anything else, carried by these creatures, which, when they come
into a good pasture, and for the sake of that and ease, will lie down with their burdens on them,
and rise up again with them: the Targums of Onkelos and Jerusalem paraphrase it, "between
two borders" (f), or the borders of his brethren, as Jonathan, Zebulun and Dan, between which
this tribe lay; and this is the reason Aben Ezra gives why Issachar, who was older than Zebulun,
is mentioned after him, and between him and Dan, because his land lay between them; and so it
may be observed, that in the division of the land in Joshua's time, Issachar's lot came up after
Zebulun's, Jos_19:10 but Doctor Lightfoot thinks (g) it refers to the two kingdoms, between
which it lay, that of Phoenicia on one side, and that of Samaria on the other.
4. Henry 14-15, “Concerning Issachar, Gen_49:14, Gen_49:15. 1. That the men of that tribe

83. should be strong and industrious, fit for labour and inclined to labour, particularly the toil of
husbandry, like the ass, that patiently carries his burden, and, by using himself to it, makes it the
easier. Issachar submitted to two burdens, tillage and tribute. It was a tribe that took pains, and,
thriving thereby, was called upon for rents and taxes. 2. That they should be encouraged in their
labour by the goodness of the land that should fall to their lot. (1.) He saw that rest at home was
good. ote, The labour of the husbandman is really rest, in comparison with that of soldiers and
seamen, whose hurries and perils are such that those who tarry at home in the most constant
service have no reason to envy them. (2.) He saw that the land was pleasant, yielding not only
pleasant prospects to charm the eye of the curious, but pleasant fruits to recompense his toils.
Many are the pleasures of a country life, abundantly sufficient to balance the inconveniences of it,
if we can but persuade ourselves to think so, Issachar, in prospect of advantage, bowed his
shoulders to bear: let us, with an eye of faith, see the heavenly rest to be good, and that land of
promise to be pleasant; and this will make our present services easy, and encourage us to bow our
shoulder to them.
5. Jamison, “a strong ass couching down between two burdens — that is, it was to be active,
patient, given to agricultural labors. It was established in lower Galilee - a “good land,” settling
down in the midst of the Canaanites, where, for the sake of quiet, they “bowed their shoulder to
bear, and became a servant unto tribute.”
6. K&D 14-15, ““Issachar is a bony ass, lying between the hurdles. He saw that rest was a good (‫ֹוב‬ ‫ט‬
subst.), and the land that it was pleasant; and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant
unto tribute.” The foundation of this award also lies in the name ‫ָר‬‫כ‬ ָ‫שׂ‬‫א‬ ָ‫ִשּׂ‬‫י‬ , which is probably
interpreted with reference to the character of Issachar, and with an allusion to the relation
between ‫ָר‬‫כ‬ ָ‫שׂ‬ and ‫ִיר‬‫כ‬ ָ‫,שׂ‬ a daily labourer, as an indication of the character and fate of his tribe.
“Ease at the cost of liberty will be the characteristic of the tribe of Issachar” (Delitzsch). The
simile of a bony, i.e., strongly-built ass, particularly adapted for carrying burdens, pointed to the
fact that this tribe would content itself with material good, devote itself to the labour and burden
of agriculture, and not strive after political power and rule. The figure also indicated “that
Issachar would become a robust, powerful race of men, and receive a pleasant inheritance which
would invite to comfortable repose.” (According to Jos. de bell. jud. iii. 3, 2, Lower Galilee, with
the fruitful table land of Jezreel, was attractive even to τὸν ἥκιστα γῆς φιλόπονον). Hence, even if
the simile of a bony ass contained nothing contemptible, it did not contribute to Issachar's glory.
Like an idle beast of burden, he would rather submit to the yoke and be forced to do the work of
a slave, than risk his possessions and his peace in the struggle for liberty. To bend the shoulder to
the yoke, to come down to carrying burdens and become a mere serf, was unworthy of Israel, the
nation of God that was called to rule, however it might befit its foes, especially the Canaanites
upon whom the curse of slavery rested (Deu_20:11; Jos_16:10; 1Ki_9:20-21; Isa_10:27). This was
probably also the reason why Issachar was noticed last among the sons of Leah. In the time of the
Judges, however, Issachar acquired renown for heroic bravery in connection with Zebulun
(Jdg_5:14-15, Jdg_5:18). The sons of Leah are followed by the four sons of the two maids,
arranged, not according to their mothers or their ages, but according to the blessing pronounced
upon them, so that the two warlike tribes stand first.
7. Keith Krell, “In 49:14-15, Jacob says, “Issachar is a strong donkey, lying down between the
sheepfolds. When he saw that a resting place was good and that the land was pleasant, he bowed
his shoulder to bear burdens, and became a slave at forced labor.” Issachar would prefer an

84. agricultural way of life and what it produced rather than political supremacy among the tribes.
Evidently Issachar was strong and capable, but also passive and lazy. In contrast to Judah, who
subdued his enemies like a lion, Issachar submitted themselves as slaves to the Canaanites.
8. Calvin, “Issachar. Here mention is partly made of the inheritance, and an indication is partly
given of the future condition of this tribe. Although he is called a bony ass on account of his
strength,209209 Asinus osseus. which would enable him to endure labors, especially such as
were rustic, yet at the same time his sloth is indicated: for it is added a little afterwards, that he
should be of servile disposition. Wherefore the meaning is, that the sons of Issachar, though
possessed of strength, were yet quiet rather than courageous, and were as ready to bear the
burden of servitude as mules are to submit their backs to the packsaddle and the load. The
reason given is, that, being content with their fertile and pleasant country, they do not refuse to
pay tribute to their neighbors, provided they may enjoy repose. And although this submissiveness
is not publicly mentioned either to their praise or their condemnation, it is yet probable that their
indolence is censured, because their want of energy hindered them from remaining in possession
of that liberty which had been divinely granted unto them.
9. Leupold, “Jacob speaks of the past; he describes a trait that he has observed in Issachar’s
character. But the father means these words in the sense that what Issachar the individual did is a
trait that the entire tribe will develop. So the word becomes a prophecy. Construing the whole
word as spoken in the past tense agrees best with the sequence "and he saw" (wayyar’). ow the
chief feature observable about Issachar is that he had a generous amount of sturdy physical
strength, expressed figuratively: he is "a strong-boned ass" — Hebrew "an ass of bones" —the
noun for the adjective. The participle "couching between the sheepfolds" describes the tribe as
such rather than the ass. Either sheepfolds abound in his territory, and the members of the tribe
are thought of as settled in a country where sheepfolds abound; or else the tribe is thought of as a
unit being situated between tribes where sheepfolds abound. Both thoughts, for that matter, may
even blend into one. Most dictionaries and most commentaries regard the word mishpethßyim as
of somewhat doubtful meaning. The meaning "sheepfolds" is reasonably sure however; see K. W.
10. Pink, “PI K, ""Issachar is a strong ass couching down between two burdens: And he saw
that rest was good, and the land that it was pleasant; and he bowed his shoulder to bear, and
became a servant unto tribute" (Gen. 49:14, 15). Upon these verses the writer has but little light.
It is difficult to determine the precise force and significance of the several statements that Jacob
made here concerning his fifth son; nor is it easy to trace the fulfillment of them in the record of
the tribe which sprang from him. One thing is clear, however: to compare a man (or a tribe) to an
"ass" is, today, a figure of reproach, but it was not so in Jacob’s time. In Israel, the ass was not
looked upon with contempt; instead, it was an honorable animal. ot only was it a useful beast of
burden, but people of rank rode on them. (See Judges 10:4; 12:14). Until the days of Solomon
Israel had no horses, being forbidden by Jehovah to rear them (see Deut. 17:16); but asses were
as common and as useful among them as horses are now among us. The "ass" was a reminder to
Israel that they were a peculiar (separated) people, whose trust was to be in the Lord and not in
horses and chariots, which were the confidence of the other nations of antiquity.
"Issachar is termed by Jacob a "strong ass," and the fulfillment of this portion of Jacob’s
prophecy is clearly discovered in the subsequent history of this tribe. In umbers 26, where we

85. have recorded the second numbering of those among the tribes which were able to go forth to
war, we find that only Judah and Dan out of the twelve tribes were numerically stronger than
Issachar, and Dan had but one hundred fighting men more than Issachar. Again, in the days of
the Kings, the tribe of Issachar had become stronger still, for while in umbers 26:25, we read
that the number of their men able to go forth to war were 64,300, in 1 Chronicles 7:5 we are told,
"And the brethren among all the families of Issachar were valiant men of might, reckoned in all
by the genealogies 87,000!"
15. When he sees how good is his resting place
and how pleasant is his land,
he will bend his shoulder to the burden
and submit to forced labor.
1. Clarke, “He saw that rest - The inland portion that was assigned to him between the other
tribes. He inclined his shoulder to the load; the Chaldee paraphrase gives this a widely different
turn to that given it by most commentators: “He saw his portion that it was good, and the land
that it was fruitful; and he shall subdue the provinces of the people, and drive out their
inhabitants, and those who are left shall be his servants, and his tributaries.” Grotius
understands it nearly in the same way. The pusillanimity which is generally attributed to this
tribe certainly does not agree with the view in which they are exhibited in Scripture. In the song
of Deborah this tribe is praised for the powerful assistance which it then afforded, Jdg_5:15. And
in 1Ch_7:1-5, they are expressly said to have been valiant men of might in all their families, and
in all their generations; i. e., through every period of their history. It appears they were a
laborious, hardy, valiant tribe, patient in labor and invincible in war; bearing both these burdens
with great constancy whenever it was necessary. When Tola of this tribe judged Israel, the land
had rest twenty-three years, Jdg_10:1.
16. Dan shall judge his people,
As one of the tribes of Israel.
17. Dan shall be a serpent on the way,
A cerastes upon the track,
Biting the heels of the horse,
And his rider shall fall backwards.
3. Gill, “And he saw that rest was good,.... ot the house of the sanctuary, and attendance there,
and the service of that, as the Targum of Jerusalem; nor the rest of the world to come, the
happiness of a future state, as that of Jonathan; but rather, as Onkelos, the part and portion of
the good land allotted him; he saw that a quiet industry exercised in a diligent cultivation and

86. manuring his land was preferable to the hurry of a court, or the fatigue of a camp, or the dangers
of the seas:
and the land that it was pleasant; a fine delightful country, which, if well looked after and
improved, would produce plenty of pleasant fruits; and within this tribe were the rich vale of
Esdraelon or Jezreel, and the fruitful mountains of Gilboa: of the former it is agreed by all
travellers the like has never been seen by them, being of vast extent and very fertile, and formerly
abounded with corn, wine, and oil; See Gill on Hos_1:5 and the latter were famous for their
fruitfulness, through the dews that descended on them, 2Sa_1:21.
and bowed his shoulders to bear; the fatigues of ploughing and sowing, and reaping, and
carrying in the fruits of the earth:
and became a servant unto tribute; which greatly arises from agriculture and the fruits of the
earth; and this tribe chose rather to pay more tribute than the rest, that they might abide at
home and attend the business of their fields, when others were called to go forth to war.
4. Leupold, “But though the tribe has the advantage of sturdy physical strength, it is spiritually
and perhaps mentally lethargic and utterly unambitious. Seeing the prospect of "rest" and a
good "land" and "pleasant," this tribe would rather surrender other advantages and become a
group who would "stoop over with the shoulder to take on a burden," working for others in work
that required only the contented exertion of brute strength, Yea, they were ready to become a
"toiling labour band" for others as long as a fair measure of ordinary creature comforts could be
enjoyed. Such an unprogressive, unambitious attitude has nothing noble about it. To make the
understanding of this word comparatively easier for all who first heard it there may have been a
specific instance available remembered by all, where Issachar had done just this. Jacob’s word to
this son is a rebuke mildly but clearly administered. Issachar is thereby warned against aiming
too low, against burying his talent in a napkin. Skinner’s translation is too strong for lemas
‘obhedh, "a toiling labour-gang." So also Meek’s: "a gang-slave." In this case, too, a play on
words is involved. The name Issachar is related to the root sakkîr, "a day labourer," and so Jacob
interprets the omen of the nomen.
16. “Dan[h] will provide justice for his people
as one of the tribes of Israel.
1. Barnes 16-18, “The sons of the handmaids follow those of Leah. “Dan shall judge his people as
one of the tribes of Israel.” He will maintain his position as a tribe in the state. When threatened
by overwhelming power he will put forth his native force for the discomfiture of the foe. The
adder is the cerastes or horned serpent, of the color of the sand, and therefore, not easily
recognized, that inflicts a fatal wound on him that unwarily treads on it. The few facts in the
history of Dan afterward given correspond well with the character here drawn. Some of its
features are conspicuous in Samson Judg. 13–16. “For thy salvation have I waited, O Lord.” The
patriarch, contemplating the power of the adversaries of his future people, breaks forth into the
expression of his longing desire and hope of that salvation of the Almighty by which alone they

87. can be delivered. That salvation is commensurate with the utmost extent and diversity of these
adversaries.
2. Clarke, “Dan shall judge - Dan, whose name signifies judgment, was the eldest of Jacob’s sons
by Bilhah, Rachel’s maid, and he is here promised an equal rule with those tribes that sprang
from either Leah or Rachel, the legal wives of Jacob. Some Jewish and some Christian writers
understand this prophecy of Samson, who sprang from this tribe, and judged, or as the word
might be translated avenged, the people of Israel twenty years. See Jdg_13:2; Jdg_15:20.
3. Gill, “Dan shall judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel. There is an elegant paronomasia,
or an allusion to the name of Dan in those words, which signifies to judge, and the sense of them
is, there should be heads, rulers, and judges of it, as the other tribes had; and this is the rather
mentioned of him, because he is the first of the children of concubine wives as yet taken notice of;
and what is here said of him is also to be understood of the rest of the sons of the concubines; for
the meaning is not, that a judge should arise out of him as out of the other tribes, that should
judge all Israel, restraining it to Samson, who was of this tribe, as the Targums and Jarchi; for no
such judge did arise out of all the tribes of Israel; nor was Samson such a judge of Israel as
David, who, according to Jarchi, is one of the tribes of Israel, namely, of Judah; for David did not
judge as Samson, nor Samson as David, their form of government being different.
4. Henry 16-17, “Concerning Dan, Gen_49:16, Gen_49:17. What is said concerning Dan has
reference either, 1. To that tribe in general, that though Dan was one of the sons of the concubines
yet he should be a tribe governed by judges of his own as well as other tribes, and should, by art,
and policy, and surprise, gain advantages against his enemies, like a serpent suddenly biting the
heel of the traveller. ote, In God's spiritual Israel there is no distinction made of bond or free,
Col_3:11. Dan shall be incorporated by as good a charter as any of the other tribes. ote, also,
Some, like Dan, may excel in the subtlety of the serpent, as others, like Judah, in the courage of
the lion; and both may do good service to the cause of God against the Canaanites. Or it may
refer, 2. To Samson, who was of that tribe, and judged Israel, that is, delivered them out of the
hands of the Philistines, not as the other judges, by fighting them in the field, but by the vexations
and annoyances he gave them underhand: when he pulled the house down under the Philistines
that were upon the roof of it, he made the horse throw his rider.
5. K&D 16-17, ““Dan will procure his people justice as one of the tribes of Israel. Let Dan become a
serpent by the way, a horned adder in the path, that biteth the horse's heels, so that its rider falls
back.” Although only the son of a maid-servant, Dan would not be behind the other tribes of
Israel, but act according to his name ( ‫ין‬ִ‫ָד‬‫י‬‫ן‬ָ‫דּ‬ ), and as much as any other of the tribes procure
justice to his people (i.e., to the people of Israel; not to his own tribe, as Diestel supposes). There is
no allusion in these words to the office of judge which was held by Samson; they merely describe
the character of the tribe, although this character came out in the expedition of a portion of the
Danites to Laish in the north of Canaan, a description of which is given in Judg 18, as well as in
the “romantic chivalry of the brave, gigantic Samson, when the cunning of the serpent he
overthrew the mightiest foes” (Del.). ‫ֹן‬ ‫ִיפ‬‫פ‬ ְ‫:שׁ‬ κεράστης, the very poisonous horned serpent, which
is of the colour of the sand, and as it lies upon the ground, merely stretching out its feelers, inflicts
a fatal wound upon any who may tread upon it unawares (Diod. Sic. 3, 49; Pliny. 8, 23).
6. Keith Krell, “Jacob continues in 49:16-18: “Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of

88. Israel. Dan shall be a serpent in the way, a horned snake in the path, that bites the horse’s heels,
so that his rider falls backward. For Your salvation I wait, O LORD.” Dan would be a judge in
Israel. This prophecy came to reality partially during Samson’s judgeship (Judg 13:2). Dan’s
victories benefited all Israel. Yet this tribe led Israel into idolatry (Judg 18:30-31; 1 Kgs 12:26-30)
and became known as the center of idolatry in Israel (Amos 8:14). Thus, Jacob likened Dan to a
serpent (49:17), pointing to God’s prophecy that the serpent would bite the heel of God’s
promised deliver, but the Messiah would finally crush his head and bring the long-awaited
salvation (3:15).22 It was natural, therefore, for Jacob to cry out, “For Your salvation I wait, O
LORD” (49:18). Ultimately, Jacob knows that the future of the nation of Israel does not depend
on his 12 sons, but rather on God who would one day send a deliverer (Matt 1:21).
7. Calvin, “Dan shall judge his people. In the word judge there is an allusion to his name: for
since, among the Hebrews, ‫דון‬ (din) signifies to judge, Rachel, when she returned thanks to God,
gave this name to the son born to her by her handmaid, as if God had been the vindicator of her
cause and right. Jacob now gives a new turn to the meaning of the name; namely, that the sons of
Dan shall have no mean part in the government of the people. For the Jews foolishly restrict it to
Samson, because he alone presided over the whole people, whereas the language rather applies to
the perpetual condition of the tribe. Jacob therefore means, that though Dan was born from a
concubine, he shall still be one of the judges of Israel: because not only shall his offspring possess
a share of the government and command, in the common polity, so that this tribe may constitute
one head; but it shall be appointed the bearer of a standard to lead the fourth division of the
camp of Israel.210210 See umbers 2, where the order of the tribes in their encampment is
given. Judah had the standard for the three tribes on the east, Reuben for the three tribes on the
south, Ephriam for the three tribes on the west, and Dan for the remaining three tribes on the
north of the tabernacle. — Ed. In the second place, his subtle disposition is described. For Jacob
compares this people to serpents, who rise out of their lurking-places, by stealth, against the
unwary whom they wish to injure. The sense then is, that he shall not be so courageous as
earnestly and boldly to engage in open conflict; but that he will fight with cunning, and will make
use of snares. Yet, in the meantime, he shows that he will be superior to his enemies, whom he
does not dare to approach with collected forces, just as serpents who, by their secret bite, cast
down the horse and his rider. In this place also no judgment is expressly passed, whether this
subtlety of Dan is to be deemed worthy of praise or of censure: but conjecture rather inclines us
to place it among his faults, or at least his disadvantages, that instead of opposing himself in open
conflict with his enemies, he will fight them only with secret frauds
8. Leupold, “Again a play upon words: Dan, the name, and dîn, the verb "to judge" or "to
administer justice." For the word usually translated "judge" signifies to hold an administrative
office or, practically, "to rule." We are at a loss to know why Jacob should emphasize this fact in
the case of Dan, that he will always be able to provide the needed rulers to "administer justice for
his people," that is, within his own tribe, as the following statement suggests. For "as any other of
the tribes of Israel" will hardly mean that they all in their turn supplied judges. For that was not
the case. Ke’a(ch)chadh, "as one," must be taken in the sense of "as any other"
9. PI K, "Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel Dan shall be a serpent by the
way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse’s heels, so that his rider shall fall backward. I
have waited for Thy salvation, O Lord" (Gen. 49:16-18). With this prophecy of Jacob concerning
the tribe of Dan should be compared that of Moses, recorded in Deuteronomy 33:22, "And of
Dan he said, Dan is a lion’s whelp: he shall leap from Bashan." It is to be seen that both predicted

89. evil of that tribe, around which there seems to be a cloud of mystery.
The first thing that Scripture records of Dan is his low birth. (See Gen. 30:1-6). ext, he is
brought before us in Genesis 37:2, though he is not there directly mentioned by name. It is highly
significant that of the four sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, Dan was the oldest, being at that time
twenty years of age, and so, most likely, the ringleader in the "evil" which Joseph reported to
their father. ext, in Genesis 46, reference is made to the children of Jacob’s sons: the
descendants of Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and the others, being specifically named in order. But
when Dan is reached, the names of his sons are not given; instead, they are simply called by the
tribal name—Hushim or Shuham. (See Gen. 46:23). This is the more striking, because in
umbers 26 we meet with the same thing again: the children born to each of Jacob’s twelve sons
are carefully enumerated until Dan is reached, and then, as in Genesis 46, his descendants are not
named, simply the tribal title being given. (See um. 26:42). This concealment of the names of
Dan’s children is the first indication of that silent "blotting out" of his name, which meets us in
the total omission of this tribe from the genealogies recorded in 1 Chronicles 2 to 10, as well as in
Revelation 7, where, again, no mention is made of any being "sealed" out of the tribe of Daniel
There seems to have been an unwillingness on the part of the Holy Spirit to even mention this
tribe by name. In cases where the names of all the tribes are given, Dan is generally far down,
often last of all, in the list. For example, we read in umbers 10:25, "And the standard of the
camp of the children of Dan set forward, which was the rearward of all the camps throughout
their hosts." Again, Dan was the last of the tribes to receive his inheritance when Joshua divided
up the land—"This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Dan according to their
families, these cities with their villages. When they had made an end of dividing the land for
inheritance by their coasts, the children of Israel gave an inheritance to Joshua" (Josh. 19:47-49).
ote again that in 1 Chronicles 27:16-22, where all the tribes are referred to, Dan is mentioned
last!
Putting together the several prophecies of Jacob and Moses we find two traits met in Dan—
treachery "a serpent by the way, an adder in the path"; and cruelty: "Dan is a lion’s whelp; he
shall leap from Bashan." In Judges 18 the Holy Spirit has recorded at length how these
predictions received their first fulfillment. The attack of this tribe on Laish was serpentile in its
cunning and lionlike in its cruel execution. Then it was that Dan leaped from Bashan, and from
the slopes of Mount Hermon (which was in the territory of this tribe) like a young lion and like
an adder springing on its prey. From Judges 18:30 we learn that Dan was the first of the tribes to
fall into Idolatry. Apparently they remained in this awful condition right until the days of
Jeroboam, for we find that when this apostate king set up his two golden calves, saying, "Behold
thy gods, O Israel," he set up one in Bethel and "the other put he in Dan" (1 Kings 12:28, 29).
And, as late as the time of Jehu these two golden calves were still standing, and it is a significant
and solemn fact that though there was a great reformation in his day, so that the prophets and
worshippers of Baal were slain and the images were burned and the house of Baal was broken
down, yet we are told, "Howbeit, from the sins of Jeroboam the son of ebat, who made Israel to
sin, Jehu departed not from after them, to wit, the golden calves that were in Bethel, and that
were in Dan" (2 Kings 10:29).

90. One other item in Jacob’s prophecy concerning this tribe remains to be noticed—"Dan shall
judge his people." This received a partial fulfillment in the days of Samson—though we doubt
not that its final fulfillment awaits the time of the great tribulation. Joshua 19:41 informs us that
among the towns allotted to this tribe were Zorah and Eshtaol. Compare with this Judges 13:2,
which tells us that the parents of Samson belonged to the tribe of Dan and had their home in
Zorah. How remarkably the prophecies of Jacob and Moses combined in the person of Samson
(one of Israel’s "judges") is apparent on the surface. Serpent-like methods and the lion’s strength
characterized each step in his strange career. How Samson "bit," as it were, "the horse’s heels"
in his death!
It is to be noted that after Jacob had completed his prophecy concerning Dan, and ere he took up
the next tribe, that he said, "I have waited for Thy salvation, O Lord" (Gen. 49:18). This is very
striking and significant, coming in just where it does. Having spoken of Dan as "a serpent by the
way," the Holy Spirit seems to have brought to his mind the words spoken by God to that old
Serpent the Devil, recorded in Genesis 3:15. The eye of the dying patriarch looks beyond the
"Serpent" to the one who shall yet "bruise his head," and therefore does he say, "I have waited
for Thy salvation, O Lord." o doubt these very words will yet be appropriated in a coming day
by the godly remnant among the Jews. If, as it has been generally held by prophetic students,
both ancient and modern, both among Jews and Gentiles, that the Anti-Christ will spring from
this tribe of Dan, the ancient prophecy of Jacob concerning the descendants of this son will then
receive its final fulfillment. Then, in a supreme manner, will Dan (in the person of the Anti-
Christ) "judge" and rule over "his people," i.e., Israel; then, will Dan be a "serpent in the way"
and "an adder in the path," then will he treacherously and cruelly "bite the horse’s heels." And
then, too, will that faithful company, who refuse to worship the Beast or receive his "mark," cry,
"I have waited for Thy salvation, O Lord?’
17. Dan will be a snake by the roadside,
a viper along the path,
that bites the horse’s heels
so that its rider tumbles backward.
1. Clarke, “Dan shall be a serpent - The original word is ‫נחש‬ nachash, and we have seen on
Genesis 3 that this has a great variety of significations. It is probable that a serpent is here
intended, but of what kind we know not; yet as the principal reference in the text is to guile,
cunning, etc., the same creature may be intended as in Genesis 3.
A cerastes upon the track - The word ‫שפיפון‬ shephiphon, which is nowhere else to be found in
the Bible, is thus translated by the Vulgate, and Bochart approves of the translation. The cerastes
has its name from two little horns upon its head, and is remarkable for the property here
ascribed to the shephiphon. The word ‫ארח‬ orach, which we translate path, signifies the track or
rut made in the ground by the wheel of a cart, wagon, etc. And the description that icander
gives of this serpent in his Theriaca perfectly agrees with what is here said of the shephiphon.

91. εν δ’ αµαθοισιν
Η και ἁµατροχιῃσι παρα στιβον ενδυκες ανει.
v. 262.
It lies under the sand, or in some cart rut by the way.
It is intimated that this tribe should gain the principal part of its conquests more by cunning
and stratagem, than by valor; and this is seen particularly in their conquest of Laish, Judges 18,
and even in some of the transactions of Samson, such as burning the corn of the Philistines, and
at last pulling down their temple, and destroying three thousand at one time, see Jdg_16:26-30
3. Gill, “Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path,.... Or be like that sort of
serpents called the adder; or rather, that which has the name of Cerastes, which lies among sand,
and being of the same colour is not easily discerned, and is often trampled upon unawares, and
bites at once, unexpected; as Bothart (h) from various writers has shown; particularly Diodorus
Siculus (i) says, of this kind of serpents, that their bites are deadly, and being of the same colour
with the sand, few discern them, so that many ignorantly treading on them fall into danger
unawares; and so Onkelos paraphrases it, that lies in wait by the way; and is by another writer
(k) interpreted, a very grievous and hurtful serpent as the adder is:
that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward; for this sort of serpents lying in
horse ways and cart ruts, snaps at and bites horses as they pass along, which bites affecting their
legs and thighs, cause them to fall and throw their riders: this, by the Jewish writers, who are
followed by many Christian interpreters, is applied to Samson, who by craft and policy managed
the Philistines, as in the affair of the foxes, and especially in his last enterprise, when he got
placed between the two pillars of the house, which answer, as some think, to the horse heels, as
the multitude on the roof of the house to the riders: but though this may be illustrated in a
particular person in this tribe, as a specimen of the genius and disposition of the whole tribe, yet
the prophecy respects the whole tribe, and points at the situation of it, which was "by the way",
at the extreme part of the country; so that they had need of craft and policy as well as power to
defend themselves against encroachers and invaders, and describes the general temper and
disposition of this tribe, of which an instance may be seen in Jdg_18:1 and it may have respect to
the stumblingblocks and offences laid in this tribe to the rest of the tribes, by the idol of Micah,
and more especially by the golden calf set up in Dan by Jeroboam.
4. Leupold, “Again a play upon words: Dan, the name, and dîn, the verb "to judge" or "to
administer justice." For the word usually translated "judge" signifies to hold an administrative
office or, practically, "to rule." We are at a loss to know why Jacob should emphasize this fact in
the case of Dan, that he will always be able to provide the needed rulers to "administer justice for
his people," that is, within his own tribe, as the following statement suggests. For "as any other of
the tribes of Israel" will hardly mean that they all in their turn supplied judges. For that was not
the case. Ke’a(ch)chadh, "as one," must be taken in the sense of "as any other"
ow the word takes on the form of a wish, yehî, "may he be." The wish expressed is Jacob’s own.
The godly patriarch in blessing his son would hardly desire an evil and ungodly thing.
Consequently the comparison involved is complimentary, a thing to be desired. aturally, then,
this thought can, not involve that all who have dealings with Dan may find him treacherous. But
rather that all who wickedly oppose him may find him as deadly an opponent as "a serpent,"

92. (nachash) or more specifically "a horned serpent," (shephîphon) might be. For of the latter it is
said that it is of a pale yellowish dust colour and so blends successfully with the dust of the road
in which it coils itself. Then wayfarer or horseman—here the mounted enemy is thought of, since
horses particularly shy at the deadly thing—treading near it find their "heel" bitten in a
lightninglike flash. In fright the horse rears and throws its rider. So may Dan successfully
overthrow all who wrongfully antagonize him. This may be considered as prophetically covering
also the case of the Danite Samson, for who would have supposed that such dangerous powers
lurked in that muscular young hero. Yet, though we claim this, we do not regard the word as a
specific prophecy concerning Samson. It describes a tribal trait, which was also displayed in the
case of the Danites who struck like a serpent in capturing the inhabitants of Dan-Laish (Jud 18).
It may be that Jacob put a veiled warning into the comparison of the serpent, implying that Dan
had a tendency towards treachery and should guard against it. That other fanciful notion that
some fathers held we may well regard as fantastic when they claimed that from the tribe of Dan
Anti-Christ would ultimately come forth, and based this largely upon the fact that in Re 7 the
tribe of Dan is passed by, and concluded also without warrant that some of the persons who
conspired to bring about Christ’s death were of this tribe. The singular sûs, "horse," represents
the plural—K. S. 256 b.
18. “I look for your deliverance, LORD.
1. Gill, “ I have waited for thy salvation, O Lord. Jacob finding his spirits faint and flag, stops
and breathes awhile before he proceeded any further in blessing the tribes; and as he found he
was a dying man, and knew not how soon he should expire, expresses what he had been
thoughtful of and concerned about in time past, and still was; that he had been waiting and
hoping for, and expecting a state of happiness and bliss in another world, where he should be
saved from sin and Satan, and the world, and from all his enemies, and out of all his troubles;
and this he firmly believed he should enjoy, and hoped it would not be long ere he did; and
especially he may have a regard to the Messiah, the promised Saviour, and salvation by him he
had knowledge of, faith in, and expectation of; who may be truly called the salvation of God,
because of his contriving, providing, and appointing, whom he had promised and spoken of by all
the prophets; and whom in the fulness of time he would send into the world to work out salvation
for his people; and to him all the Targums apply the words, which are to this purpose:"said our
father Jacob, not for the salvation of Gideon, the son of Joash, which is a temporal salvation, do I
wait; nor for the salvation of Samson the son of Manoah, which is a transitory salvation; but for
the salvation of Messiah the son of David, (which is an everlasting one,) who shall bring the
children of Israel to himself, and his salvation my soul desireth:''and though Jacob might be
affected with the evils he foresaw would rise up in the tribe of Dan, he had last mentioned, and
with the troubles that should come upon all the tribes; and had some pleasing sights of the
deliverances and salvations, that should be wrought for them, by judges and saviours that should
be raised up; yet his chief view was to the Messiah, and salvation by him.
2. Henry, “Thus was Jacob going on with his discourse; but now, being almost spent with
speaking, and ready to faint and die away, he relieves himself with those words which come in as
a parenthesis (Gen_49:18), I have waited for thy salvation, O Lord! as those that are fainting are

93. helped by taking a spoonful of a cordial, or smelling at a bottle of spirits; or, if he must break off
here, and his breath will not serve him to finish what he intended, with these words he pours out
his soul into the bosom of his God, and even breathes it out. ote, The pious ejaculations of a
warm and lively devotion, though sometimes they may be incoherent, are not therefore to be
censured as impertinent; that may be uttered affectionately which does not come in methodically.
It is no absurdity, when we are speaking to men, to lift up our hearts to God. The salvation he
waited for was Christ, the promised seed, whom he had spoken of, Gen_49:10. ow that he was
going to be gathered to his people, he breathes after him to whom the gathering of the people
shall be. The salvation he waited for was also heaven, the better country, which he declared
plainly that he sought (Heb_11:13, Heb_11:14), and continued seeking, now that he was in Egypt.
ow that he is going to enjoy the salvation he comforts himself with this, that he had waited for
the salvation. ote, It is the character of a living saint that he waits for the salvation of the Lord.
Christ, as our way to heaven, is to be waited on: and heaven, as our rest in Christ, is to be waited
for. Again, It is the comfort of a dying saint thus to have waited for the salvation of the Lord; for
then he shall have what he has been waiting for: long-looked-for will come.
3. K&D, “But this manifestation of strength, which Jacob expected from Dan and promised
prophetically, presupposed that severe conflicts awaited the Israelites. For these conflicts Jacob
furnished his sons with both shield and sword in the ejaculatory prayer, “I wait for Thy salvation,
O Jehovah!” which was not a prayer for his own soul and its speedy redemption from all evil, but
in which, as Calvin has strikingly shown, he expressed his confidence that his descendants would
receive the help of his God. Accordingly, the later Targums (Jerusalem and Jonathan) interpret
these words as Messianic, but with a special reference to Samson, and paraphrase Gen_49:18
thus: “ ot for the deliverance of Gideon, the son of Joash, does my soul wait, for that is
temporary; and not for the redemption of Samson, for that is transitory; and not for the
redemption of Samson, for that is transitory; but for the redemption of the Messiah, the Son of
David, which Thou through Thy word hast promised to bring to Thy people the children of
Israel: for this Thy redemption my soul waits.”
( ote: This is the reading according to the text of the Jerusalem Targum, in the London
Polyglot as corrected from the extracts of Fagius in the Critt. Sacr., to which the Targum
Jonathan also adds, “for Thy redemption, O Jehovah, is an everlasting redemption.” But
whilst the Targumists and several fathers connect the serpent in the way with Samson, by
many others the serpent in the way is supposed to be Antichrist. On this interpretation Luther
remarks: Puto Diabolum hujus fabulae auctorem fuisse et finxisse hanc glossam, ut nostras
cogitationes a vero et praesente Antichristo abduceret.)
4. Calvin, “I have waited for thy salvation, O Lord. It may be asked, in the first place, what
occasion induced the holy man to break the connection of his discourse, and suddenly to burst
forth in this expression; for whereas he had recently predicted the coming of the Messiah, the
mention of salvation would have been more appropriate in that place. I think, indeed, that when
he perceived, as from a lofty watchtower, the condition of his offspring continually exposed to
various changes, and even to be tossed by storms which would almost overwhelm them, he was
moved with solicitude and fear; for he had not so put off all paternal affection, as to be entirely
without care for those who were of his own blood. He, therefore, foreseeing many troubles, many
dangers, many assaults, and even many slaughters, which threatened his seed with as many
destructions, could not but condole with them, and, as a man, be troubled at the sight. But in
order that he might rise against every kind of temptation with victorious constancy of mind, he
commits himself unto the Lord, who had promised that he would be the guardian of his people.

94. Unless this circumstance be observed, I do not see why Jacob exclaims here, rather than at the
beginning or the end of his discourse, that he waited for the salvation of the Lord. But when this
sad confusion of things presented itself to him, which was not only sufficiently violent to shake his
faith, but was more than sufficiently burdensome entirely to overwhelm his mind, his best
remedy was to oppose to it this shield. I doubt not also, that he would advise his sons to rise with
him to the exercise of the same confidence. Moreover, because he could not be the author of his
own salvation, it was necessary for him to repose upon the promise of God. In the same manner,
also, must we, at this day, hope for the salvation of the Church: for although it seems to be tossed
on a turbulent sea, and almost sunk in the waves, and though still greater storms are to be feared
in future; yet amidst manifold destructions, salvation is to be hoped for, in that deliverance which
the Lord has promised. It is even possible that Jacob, foreseeing by the Spirit, how great would
be the ingratitude, perfidy, and wickedness of his posterity, by which the grace of God might be
smothered, was contending against these temptations. But although he expected salvation not for
himself alone, but for all his posterity, this, however, deserves to be specially noted, that he
exhibits the life-giving covenant of God to many generations, so as to prove his own confidence
that, after his death, God would be faithful to his promise. Whence also it follows, that, with his
last breath, and as if in the midst of death, he laid hold on eternal life. But if he, amidst obscure
shadows, relying on a redemption seen afar off, boldly went forth to meet death; what ought we
to do, on whom the clear day has shined; or what excuse remains for us, if our minds fail amidst
similar agitations?
5. Leupold, “This plainly interrupts the thought sequence, but with good reason. Repeatedly
Jacob has spoken of self-help on the part of the tribes: of Judah the lion, of Issachar the strong-
boned ass, of Dan the deadly serpent. Yet Jacob would not be misunderstood. ot from that
source does he expect true salvation. Even when men help themselves, only then are they truly
delivered if God helps them. On the latter help Jacob has grounded his personal salvation and
every deliverance, hard though it was for him to learn that submission and trust. On that help he
would have his sons ground their every hope. The perfect qiwwîthî expresses the thought: in many
instances of the past have I waited or trusted and I do trust still. Therefore it is best translated as
a present (K. S. 125). Meek renders very nicely: "For succour from thee, Lord, I wait." Is it not
trivial to regard such a significant word as merely a short prayer for strength on the part of the
fast weakening old man, that he might be enabled to finish blessing the other sons? More correct
is the claim that Jacob’s prayer also includes the Messianic hope: "salvation" full salvation.
6. Clarke, “18. For thy salvation have I waited, O Lord!
This is a remarkable ejaculation, and seems to stand perfectly unconnected with all that went
before and all that follows; though it is probable that certain prophetic views which Jacob now
had, and which he does not explain, gave rise to it; and by this he at once expressed both his faith
and hope in God. Both Jewish and Christian commentators have endeavored to find out the
connection in which these words existed in the mind of the patriarch. The Targum of Jonathan
expresses the whole thus: “When Jacob saw Gideon the son of Joash, and Samson the son of
Manoah, which were to be saviors in a future age, he said: I do not wait for the salvation of
Gideon, I do not expect the salvation of Samson, because their salvation is a temporal salvation;
but I wait for and expect thy salvation, O Lord, because thy salvation is eternal.” And the
Jerusalem Targum much to the same purpose: “Our father Jacob said: Wait not, my soul, for the
redemption of Gideon the son of Joash which is temporal, nor the redemption of Samson which is
a created salvation; but for the salvation which thou hast said by Thy Word should come to thy
people the children of Israel: my soul waits for this thy salvation.” Indeed these Targums

95. understand almost the whole of these prophecies of the Messiah, and especially what is said about
Judah, every word of which they refer to him. Thus the ancient Jews convict the moderns of both
false interpretations and vain expectations. As the tribe of Dan was the first that appears to have
been seduced from the true worship of God, (see Jdg_18:30), some have thought that Jacob refers
particularly to this, and sees the end of the general apostasy only in the redemption by Jesus
Christ, considering the nachash above as the seducer, and the Messiah the promised seed.
19. “Gad[i] will be attacked by a band of raiders,
but he will attack them at their heels.
1. Barnes, “Gad also shall be subject to the assaults of the enemy. But he shall resist the foe and
harass his rear. This brief character agrees with his after history. He is reckoned among the
valiant men in Scripture 1Ch_5:18.
2. Gill, “ Gad, a troop shall overcome him,.... There is a paronomasia, or an allusion to the name
of Gad almost in every word of the verse, which signifies a troop: the whole is a prediction that
this tribe would be a warlike one, and have the common fate of war, sometimes be conquered,
and at other times conquer, but however should be at last entirely victorious; all the three
Targums refer this to this tribe passing over Jordan at the head of the armies of Israel, into the
land of Canaan, in Joshua's time, which, when they had subdued, they returned to their own
inheritance on the other side Jordan, Jos_1:12 and so Jarchi; but it rather seems to refer to what
befell them in their own tribe, which being seated on the other side Jordan was exposed to the
incursions and spoils of the Moabites and Amonites; who came upon them like troops of robbers,
and seized upon their possessions and retained them for some years; as in the times of the judges,
see Jdg_10:7 and in after times we find the Ammonites in possession of their country, Jer_49:1
whereby this part of the prophecy had its accomplishment:
but he shall overcome at the last; as the Gadites with the Reubenites and half tribe of Manasseh
did overcome the Hagarites and Arabians, the war being of God, and succeeded, and they dwelt
in their stead until the captivity of the ten tribes, 1Ch_5:18 and thus it is with the people of God
in their present warfare state, who are often foiled with sin, Satan, and the world, their spiritual
enemies; but at last they are more than conquerors over them all through Christ that has loved
them.
2B. Clarke, “This is one of the most obscure prophecies in the whole chapter; and no two
interpreters agree in the translation of the original words, which exhibit a most singular
alliteration: - ‫יגודנו‬ ‫גדוד‬ ‫גד‬ gad gedud yegudennu; ‫עקב‬ ‫יגד‬ ‫והוא‬ vehu yagud akeb.
The prophecy seems to refer generally to the frequent disturbances to which this tribe should be
exposed, and their hostile, warlike disposition, that would always lead them to repel every
aggression. It is likely that the prophecy had an especial fulfillment when this tribe, in
conjunction with that of Reuben and the half tribe of Manasseh, got a great victory over the
Hagarites, taking captive one hundred thousand men, two thousand asses, fifty thousand camels,
and two hundred and fifty thousand sheep; see 1Ch_5:18-22. Dr. Durell and others translate the

96. last word ‫עקב‬ akeb, rear - “He shall invade their rear;” which contains almost no meaning, as it
only seems to state that though the army that invaded Gad should be successful, yet the Gadites
would harass their rear as they returned: but this could never be a subject sufficient consequence
for a prophecy. The word ‫עיב‬ d ekeb is frequently used as a particle, signifying in consequence,
because of, on account of. After the Gadites had obtained the victory above mentioned, they
continued to possess the land of their enemies till they were carried away captive. The Chaldee
paraphrasts apply this to the Gadites going armed over Jordan before their brethren,
discomfiting their enemies, and returning back with much spoil. See Jos_4:12, Jos_4:13, and
Jos_22:1-2, Jos_22:8.
3. Henry, “ Concerning Gad, Gen_49:19. He alludes to his name, which signifies a troop, foresees
the character of that tribe, that it should be a warlike tribe, and so we find (1Ch_12:8); the
Gadites were men of war fit for the battle. He foresees that the situation of that tribe on the other
side Jordan would expose it to the incursions of its neighbours, the Moabites and Ammonites;
and, that they might not be proud of their strength and valour, he foretels that the troops of their
enemies should, in many skirmishes, overcome them; yet, that they might not be discouraged by
their defeats, he assures them that they should overcome at the last, which was fulfilled when, in
Saul's time and David's, the Moabites and Ammonites were wholly subdued: see 1Ch_5:18, etc.
ote, The cause of God and his people, though it may seem for a time to be baffled and run
down, will yet be victorious at last. Vincimur in praelio, sed non in bello - We are foiled in a battle,
but not in a campaign. Grace in the soul is often foiled in its conflicts, troops of corruption
overcome it, but the cause is God's, and grace will in the issue come off conqueror, yea, more than
conqueror, Rom_8:37
4. Jamison, “This tribe should be often attacked and wasted by hostile powers on their borders
(Jdg_10:8; Jer_49:1). But they were generally victorious in the close of their wars.
5. K&D, ““Gad - a press presses him, but he presses the heel.” The name Gad reminds the
patriarch of ‫גּוּד‬ to press, and ‫ְדוּד‬‫גּ‬ the pressing host, warlike host, which invades the land. The
attacks of such hosts Gad will bravely withstand, and press their heel, i.e., put them to flight and
bravely pursue them, not smite their rear-guard; for ‫ֵב‬‫ק‬ָ‫ע‬ does not signify the rear-guard even in
Jos_8:13, but only the reserves (see my commentary on the passage). The blessing, which is
formed from a triple alliteration of the name Gad, contains no such special allusions to historical
events as to enable us to interpret it historically, although the account in 1Ch_5:18. proves that
the Gadites displayed, wherever it was needed, the bravery promised them by Jacob. Compare
with this 1Ch_12:8-15, where the Gadites who come to David are compared to lions, and their
swiftness to that of roes.
6. Calvin, “Gad, a troop. Jacob also makes allusion to the name of Gad. He had been so called,
because Jacob had obtained a numerous offspring by his mother Leah. His fattier now
admonishes him, that though his name implied a multitude, he should yet have to do with a great
number of enemies, by whom, for a time, he would be oppressed: and he predicts this event, not
that his posterity might confide in their own strength, and become proud; but that they might
prepare themselves to endure the suffering by which the Lord intended, and now decreed to
humble them. Yet, as he here exhorts them to patient endurance, so he presently raises and
animates them by the superadded consolation, that, at length, they should emerge from
oppression, and should triumph over those enemies by whom they had been vanquished and

97. routed; but this only at the last. Moreover, this prophecy may be applied to the whole Church,
which is assailed not for one day only, but is perpetually crushed by fresh attacks, until at length
God shall exalt it to honor.
7. Leupold, “The word concerning Gad amounts to this: though he be pressed hard, he in turn
presses hard upon those that assail him. The word play is intensified, because "Gad" and
"troop" and "press" build upon almost one and the same root. So the Hebrew has: Gadh
gedhudh yeghudhenû. We tried to catch at least a part of this by rendering, "a troop shall troop
against him," but we were obliged to alter the verb to "press" in the next line in order to make
sense. Jacob, therefore, foresees that Gad will be especially exposed to the raids of marauding
bands. Gad was exposed to the bands of roving marauders from the desert—Midianites and
Ammonites and Arabians. But though that was the case, Gad was not slow about defending
himself and striking back. Of the courage of those of Gad we read in David’s time 1Ch 12:8 and
before, 1Ch 5:18. The idea of pressing upon their heel involves that he comes in close pursuit,
following hot upon the enemy. We have taken the initial letter of v. 20 and attached it as the final
letter to v. 19 and read ’aqebham, "their heel," and so, besides making good sense, we are rid of
an uncomfortable and practically senseless "m" at the beginning of v. 20. The Greek translators,
the Samaritan Pentateuch and the Latin version did the same. The word on the whole is
encouragement for a son who in his day will need it, because he will be particularly exposed to
attack.
20. “Asher’s food will be rich;
he will provide delicacies fit for a king.
1. Barnes, “Asher shall have a soil abounding in wheat and oil. He occupies the low lands along
the coast north of Karmel. Hence, the products of his country are fit to furnish the table of kings.
Gad and Asher are placed before aphtali, the second son of Bilhah. We cannot tell whether they
were older, or for what other reason they occupy this place. It may be that aphtali was of a less
decisive or self-reliant character.
1B. Clarke, “This refers to the great fertility of the lot that fell to Asher, and which appears to
have corresponded with the name, which signifies happy or blessed. His great prosperity is
described by Moses in this figurative way: “Let Asher be blessed with children, let him be
acceptable to his brethren, and let him dip his foot in oil;” Deu_33:24.
2. Gill, “Out of Asher his bread shall be fat,.... Which signifies that this tribe would have a
sufficiency of food out of their own land, without being obliged to others, and that it would be of
the best sort; it occupied a tract of land, as Andrichomius (l) says, reaching from great Zidon to
Carmel of the sea, a space of twenty miles in length; and in breadth, from the great sea to Asor,
and even to aason, a space of nine miles; the land of this tribe is very fat, he says, and exceeding
fruitful in wine and oil, especially in the best wheat: and in this tribe, as the same writer (m)
observes, among other very fruitful places was the valley of Asher, called the fat valley, which
began five miles from Ptolemais, and reached to the sea of Galilee, and contained more than ten

98. miles in length; the soil of which was exceeding fat and fruitful, and produced the most delicate
wine and wheat, and might be truly called the fat valley, see Deu_33:24.
and he shall yield royal dainties; food fit for kings, of all sorts, flesh, fish, and fowl: here King
Solomon had one of his purveyors to provide food for him and his household, 1Ki_4:16. Asher's
country answered to his name, which signifies happy or blessed: in those parts Christ was much
in the days of his flesh on earth; in Cana of this tribe he turned water into wine and in this
country discoursed concerning the bread of life himself, who is the best of bread and royal
dainties.
3. Henry, “Concerning Asher (Gen_49:20), that it should be a very rich tribe, replenished not
only with bread for necessity, but with fatness, with dainties, royal dainties (for the king himself is
served of the field, Ecc_5:9), and these exported out of Asher to other tribes, perhaps to other
lands. ote, The God of nature has provided for us not only necessaries but dainties, that we
might call him a bountiful benefactor; yet, whereas all places are competently furnished with
necessaries, only some places afford dainties. Corn is more common than spices. Were the
supports of luxury as universal as the supports of life, the world would be worse than it is, and
that it needs not be.
4. Jamison, ““Blessed.” Its allotment was the seacoast between Tyre and Carmel, a district fertile
in the production of the finest corn and oil in all Palestine.
5. K&D, ““Out of Asher (cometh) fat, his bread, and he yieldeth royal dainties.” ‫ֹו‬ ‫ְמ‬‫ח‬ַ‫ל‬ is in
apposition to ‫ָה‬‫נ‬ֵ‫מ‬ְ‫,שׁ‬ and the suffix is to be emphasized: the fat, which comes from him, is his
bread, his own food. The saying indicates a very fruitful soil. Asher received as his inheritance the
lowlands of Carmel on the Mediterranean as far as the territory of Tyre, one of the most fertile
parts of Canaan, abounding in wheat and oil, with which Solomon supplied and household of
king Hiram (1Ki_5:11).
6. Calvin, “Out of Asher. The inheritance of Asher is but just alluded to, which he declares shall
be fruitful in the best and finest wheat, so that it shall need no foreign supply of food, having
abundance at home. By royal dainties, he means such as are exquisite. Should any one object, that
it is no great thing to be fed with nutritious and pleasant bread; I answer; we must consider the
end designed; namely, that they might hereby know that they were fed by the paternal care of
God.
7. Leupold, “"Asher" —the lucky or fortunate one, as his name indicates —has a portion which
conforms to his name. Situated along the seacoast north of Carmel, he has one of the most
fruitful areas in the land—"his food is rich," or "fat," shemenah. Lachmô, "his bread," signifies
"his food" —pars pro toto —synecdoche. From the abundance of rich things that are produced he
is able to provide what would grace any king’s table, "royal delicacies." Here it matters little
whether one thinks in terms of Israel’s kings or of those who were in Phoenicia or of none in
particular. Delicacies worthy of a king are meant. Moses in his blessing (De 33:24) states the case
thus: "let him dip his foot in oil," i. e., a profusion of rich olive oil shall overflow so that men at
times will tread upon the rich overflow. All this by no means contains an allusion, as is foolishly
claimed, to the oil pipeline that now has its western terminus at the Bay of Haifa in Asher’s

99. territory.
8. Pink, "Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal dainties" (Gen. 49:20).
Asher’s descendants, in common with the tribes of Zebulun, aphtali and Issachar, were settled
in the northern part of Palestine, which was called by the general name of "Galilee of the
Gentiles," which name was perfectly appropriate to Asher, for from first to last this was a half
Gentile tribe. Asher’s territory lay in the extreme north of Palestine between Mount Lebanon and
the Mediterranean Sea, and included within its borders the celebrated cities of Tyre and Sidon
(See Josh. 19:24-31). The portion of this tribe was better known by its Grecian name of
Phoenicia, which means "land of the palms," so designated because of the luxuriant palms which
abounded there. It was to this land, preeminently rich and beautiful, Jacob’s prediction looked.
"Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield ROYAL dainties." Let us turn now to
a few Scriptures which furnish illustrations of the repeated fulfillment of Jacob’s prophecy.
"And Hiram, king of Tyre, sent messengers to David, and cedar trees and carpenters and
masons, and they built David a house" (2 Sam. 5:11). This city of Tyre was, as pointed out
above, within the territory of the tribe of Asher (Josh. 19:29), and here we learn how the king
of Tyre yielded or provided "royal dainties" by furnishing both material and workmen for
building a house for king David.
We behold a repetition of this in the days of Solomon. In 1 Kings 5 we read: "And Hiram,
king of Tyre, sent his servants unto Solomon, for he had heard that they had anointed him
king in the room of his father: for Hiram was ever a lover of David. And Solomon sent to
Hiram, saying, Thou knowest how that David, my father, could not build a house unto the
name of the Lord his God, for the wars which were about him on every side, until the Lord
put them under the soles of his feet. But now the Lord my God hath given me rest on every
side, so that there is neither adversary nor evil occurrent. And, behold, I purpose to build a
house unto the name of the Lord my God, as the Lord spake unto David, my father, saying,
Thy son, whom I will set upon thy throne in thy room, he shall build a house unto my name.
ow, therefore, command thou that they hew me cedar trees out of Lebanon; and my servants
shall be with thy servants; and unto thee will I give hire for thy servants according to all that
thou shalt appoint: for thou knowest that there is not among us any that can skill to hew
timbers like unto the Sidonians. And it same to pass, when Hiram heard the words of
Solomon, that he rejoiced greatly, and said, Blessed be the Lord this day, which hath given
unto David a wise son over this great people. And Hiram sent to Solomon, saying, I have
considered the things which thou sentest to me for: and I will do all thy desire concerning
timber of cedar, and concerning timber of fir. My servants shall bring them down from
Lebanon unto the sea, and I will convey them by sea in floats unto the place that thou shalt
appoint me, and will cause them to be discharged there, and thou shalt receive them: and
thou shalt accomplish my desire, in giving food for my household. So Hiram gave Solomon
cedar trees and fir trees according to all his desire" (1 Kings 5:1-10). Thus again do we see
how Asher "yielded royal dainties."
Jacob also said: "Out of Asher his bread shall be fat." Is it not striking to discover that in the

100. time of famine in the days of Elijah that God sent his prophet to the widow in Zarephath,
saying: "Behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee" (1 Kings 17:9).
ote Zarephath was in Sidon (see Luke 4:26) and Sidon was in Asher’s territory (Josh.
19:28). In 2 Chronicles 30, we have another illustration, along a different line, of how Asher
yielded "royal dainties." It was at the time of a great religious revival in Israel. King
Hezekiah "sent to all Israel and Judah, and wrote letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh, that
they should come to the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, to keep the passover unto the Lord
God of Israel" (2 Chron. 30:1). Then we are told, "So the posts passed from city to city,
through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, even unto Zebulun: but they laughed them to
scorn, and mocked them" (2 Chron. 30:10). But in marked and blessed contrast from this we
read: " evertheless, divers of Asher and Manasseh and of Zebulun humbled themselves, and
came to Jerusalem" (2 Chron. 30:11).
The ew Testament supplies us with two more illustrations. In Luke 2 we learn of how one
who belonged to this Tribe of Asher yielded a most blessed "dainty" to Israel’s new-born
King, even the Lord Jesus. For when His parents brought the Child Jesus into the Temple,
following the beautiful Song of Simeon, we read, "And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the
daughter of Phanuel, of the Tribe of Asher; she was of a great age, and had lived with an
husband seven years from her virginity. And she was a widow of about fourscore and four
years, which departed not from the Temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night
and day. And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of
Him to all that looked for redemption in Jerusalem" (Luke 2:36-38).
Finally, note in Acts 27 we are told that when the apostle Paul was being carried prisoner to
Rome, that when the ship reached Sidon (which was in the borders of Asher) that "Julius
courteously entreated Paul, and gave him liberty to go unto his friends to refresh himself" (Acts
27:3). Thus, once more, do we read of "bread" out of Asher.
21. “ aphtali is a doe set free
that bears beautiful fawns.[j]
1. Barnes, “ aphtali is a hind let loose. The hind or “gazelle” is agile and nimble. When free on
its native hills, it roams with instinctive confidence and delight. It is timid and irresolute in
confinement. This is probably the character of aphtali. “He giveth goodly words.” Here we pass
from the figure to the reality. Eloquence in prose and verse was characteristic of this particular
tribe. The only important historical event in which they are concerned is the defeat of Jabin’s
host, which is celebrated in the song of Deborah and Barak Jdg_4:5. In this passage we may
study the character of the tribe.
2. Gill, “ aphtali is a hind let loose,.... Onkelos applies it to the tribe itself, and to the goodness of
its land,"as for aphtali, his lot fell in a good land, and his inheritance a fruit bearing one,''as it
was; for in it was the most fruitful country of Gennesaret, which gave name to a sea or lake by it,

101. and which abounded with gardens, with palm trees, fig trees, and olive trees; and which,
Josephus says (n) one might call the ambition of nature; and Strabo (o), an Heathen writer, says
of it, that it was an happy blessed country, and bearing all sorts of good things; and Jarchi on the
place observes, this is the vale of Gennesaret, which is as quick to bring forth fruit, as a hind is
swift to run. Some will have this prophecy to be fulfilled in Barak, as Ben Gersom, Abendana,
and others, who was of this tribe, and who at first was fearful like the hind, and backward to go
out to war when called, but afterwards readily went out with Deborah, and at last gave goodly
words in the song they both sung: but it better describes the genius, disposition, and manners of
the tribe, who were kind and loving, swift and expeditious in their affairs; lovers of liberty, well
spoken persons, humane, affable, courteous, of a good address and pleasing language, as follows:
he giveth goodly words; to those he converses with; and it may be applied, particularly to Christ
and his disciples, and to the inhabitants of this tribe in his time, among whom they much were,
see Mat_4:13 he himself is compared to the hind of the morning, Psa_22:1 in the title, and to a
roe or a young hart, Son_2:9 Son_8:14 for his amiableness and loveliness in himself, and for his
lovingness to his people, and for his swiftness to do the will and work of his father, being sent out
(p), as the word here used signifies, by him into this world, on the business of man's salvation:
and so his disciples, who were Galilaeans, were swift to obey his call, and left all and followed
him, and were sent out by him to preach his Gospel; and both he and they may be said to "give
goodly words", as the doctrines of the Gospel are, words of grace, truth, and life; wholesome,
comfortable, pleasant and delightful; good tidings of good things, of peace, pardon,
righteousness, salvation and eternal life by Christ: and the inhabitants of this country in Christ's
time were swift to run after him, and hear him; panted after him as the hart after the water
brooks, and both received and gave out the goodly words of the Gospel, and were made free
thereby, and so like an hind let loose. Bochart gives a different version of these words, which is
countenanced by the Septuagint version, aphtali is a tree full of shoots, or "a tree shot out,
sprouting out beautiful branches"; but as this is contrary to the points, and coincides with the
next verse, it is rejected by many learned men.
3. Henry, “Concerning aphtali (Gen_49:21), a tribe that carries struggles in its name; it signifies
wrestling, and the blessing entailed upon it signifies prevailing; it is a hind let loose. Though we
find not this prediction so fully answered in the event as some of the rest, yet, no doubt, it proved
true that those of this tribe were, 1. As the loving hind (for that is her epithet, Pro_5:19), friendly
and obliging to one another and to other tribes; their converse remarkably kind and endearing.
2. As the loosened hind, zealous for their liberty. 3. As the swift hind (Psa_18:33), quick in
despatch of business; and perhaps, 4. As the trembling, timorous in times of public danger. It is
rare that those that are most amiable to their friends are most formidable to their enemies. 5.
That they should be affable and courteous, their language refined, and they complaisant, giving
goodly words. ote, Among God's Israel there is to be found a great variety of dispositions,
contrary to each other, yet all contributing to the beauty and strength of the body, Judah like a
lion, Issachar like an ass, Dan like a serpent, aphtali like a hind. Let not those of different
tempers and gifts censure one another, nor envy one another, any more than those of different
statures and complexions.
4. Jamison, “The best rendering we know is this, “ aphtali is a deer roaming at liberty; he
shooteth forth goodly branches,” or majestic antlers [Taylor, Scripture Illustrations], and the

102. meaning of the prophecy seems to be that the tribe of aphtali would be located in a territory so
fertile and peaceable, that, feeding on the richest pasture, he would spread out, like a deer,
branching antlers.
5. K&D, ““ aphtali is a hind let loose, who giveth goodly words.” The hind or gazelle is a simile of
a warrior who is skilful and swift in his movements (2Sa_2:18; 1Ch_12:8, cf. Psa_18:33;
Hab_3:19). ‫ָה‬‫ה‬ֻ‫ל‬ ְ‫שׁ‬ here is neither hunted, nor stretched out or grown slim; but let loose, running
freely about (Job_39:5). The meaning and allusion are obscure, since nothing further is known of
the history of the tribe of aphtali, than that aphtali obtained a great victory under Barak in
association with Zebulun over the Canaanitish king Jabin, which the prophetess Deborah
commemorated in her celebrated song (Judg 4 and 5). If the first half of the verse be understood
as referring to the independent possession of a tract of land, upon which aphtali moved like a
hind in perfect freedom, the interpretation of Masius (on Josh 19) is certainly the correct one:
“Sicut cervus emissus et liber in herbosa et fertili terra exultim ludit, ita et in sua fertili sorte ludet et
excultabit ephtali.” But the second half of the verse can hardly refer to “beautiful sayings and
songs, in which the beauty and fertility of their home were displayed.” It is far better to keep, as
Vatablius does, to the general thought: tribus aphtali erit fortissima, elegantissima et agillima et
erit facundissima.
6. Keith Krell, “n 49:21, Jacob says, “ aphtali is a doe let loose, he gives beautiful words.” The
tribe of aphtali would be well known for producing eloquent speakers and beautiful
literature.23 The most famous of these was Deborah who composed a beautiful poem of military
triumph in Judg 5:1-31. Along with the land of Zebulun, aphtali’s territory was near the Sea of
Galilee, the region where Jesus did much of His teaching and ministry (Matt 4:15-16). And it goes
without saying that there has never been a man who spoke such beautiful, life-giving words as
Jesus Christ.
7. Calvin, “ aphtali. Some think that in the tribe of aphtali fleetness is commended; I rather
approve another meaning, namely, that it will guard and defend itself by eloquence and suavity
of words, rather than by force of arms. It is, however, no despicable virtue to soothe ferocious
minds, and to appease excited anger, by bland and gentle discourse; or if any offense has been
stirred up, to allay it by a similar artifice. He therefore assigns this praise to the sons of aphtali,
that they shall rather study to fortify themselves by humanity, by sweet words, and by the arts of
peace, then by the defense of arms. He compares them to a hind let loose, which having been
taken in hunting, is not put to death, but is rather cherished with delicacies
8. Leupold, “"A liberated deer" or "a hind let loose" (A. V.) is a deer hemmed in by no restraint.
By comparison with 2Sa 22:34, where the fleet strength of warriors’ feet is pictured by the same
figure, we may conclude that the fleet strength of the average man of aphtali is the point
involved. Such men were Barak and the ten thousand of aphtali and Zebulon that came with
him for the deliverance of Israel. The same judge illustrates "the clever speech" here referred to.
For ’imrey shßpher are "words of beauty" like the song of Deborah and Barak (Jud 5). These
may not be the most notable of achievements but they will be the distinguishing marks of this
tribe. The critics try many reconstructions of this verse as though it were quite unsatisfactory,
but their best is not an improvement. We regard the last participle nothen as expressing the
habitual: "he is wont to use" or "give."
9. Clarke, “This is Bochart’s translation; and perhaps no man who understands the genius of the

103. Hebrew language will attempt to dispute its propriety; it is as literal as it is correct. Our own
translation scarcely gives any sense. The fruitfulness of this tribe in children may be here
intended. From his four sons Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem, which he took down into Egypt,
Gen_46:24, in the course of two hundred and fifteen years there sprang of effective men 53,400:
but as great increase in this way was not an uncommon case in the descendants of Jacob, this
may refer particularly to the fruitfulness of their soil, and the especial providential care and
blessing of the Almighty; to which indeed Moses seems particularly to refer, Deu_33:23 : O
aphtali, satisfied with favor, and full with the blessing of the Lord. So that he may be
represented under the notion of a tree planted in a rich soil, growing to a prodigious size,
extending its branches in all directions, and becoming a shade for men and cattle, and a harbour
for the fowls of heaven.
22. The son of a fruitful (vine) is Joseph;
The son of a fruitful (vine) by the fountain:
The daughters (branches) shoot over the wall.
23. They sorely afflicted him and contended with him;
The chief archers had him in hatred.
24. But his bow remained in strength,
And the arms of his hands were made strong
By the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob:
By the name of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel.
25. By the God of thy father, for he helped thee;
And God All-sufficient, he blessed thee,
The blessing of the heavens from above,
And the blessings lying in the deep beneath,
The blessings of the breasts and of the womb
26. The blessings of thy father have prevailed
Over the blessings of the eternal mountains,
And the desirable things of the everlasting hills.
These shall be on the head of Joseph,
And on his crown who was separated from his brethren.
22. “Joseph is a fruitful vine,
a fruitful vine near a spring,
whose branches climb over a wall.[k]
1. Barnes 22-26, “Jacob had doubtless been made acquainted with the history of his beloved son
Joseph from the time of his disappearance until he met him on the borders of Egypt. It had been
the meditation and the wonder of his last seventeen years. When he comes to Joseph, therefore,
the mingled emotions of affection and gratitude burst forth from his heart in language that
cannot be restrained by the ordinary rules of speech. The first thing connected with Joseph in the
patriarch’s mind is fruitfulness. The image is vivid and striking. “Son of a fruitful tree.” A

104. branch or rather a shoot transplanted from the parent stem. “By a well;” from which it may
draw the water of life. “Whose daughters” - luxuriant branches. Run over a wall - transcend all
the usual boundaries of a well-enclosed garden. This fruitfulness attaches to Joseph in two
respects. First, he is the prudent gatherer and the inexhaustible dispenser of the produce of
Egypt, by which the lives of his father and brethren were preserved. And then he is in prospect
the twofold tribe, that bursts the bounds assigned to a twelfth of the chosen people, and
overspreads the area of two tribes.
2. Clarke, “The sum of a fruitful vine - This appears to me to refer to Jacob himself, who was
blessed with such a numerous posterity that in two hundred and fifteen years after this his own
descendants amounted to upwards of 600,000 effective men; and the figures here are intended to
point out the continual growth and increase of his posterity. Jacob was a fruitful tree planted by a
fountain, which because it was good would yield good fruit; and because it was planted near a
fountain, from being continually watered, would be perpetually fruitful. The same is used and
applied to Jacob, Deu_33:28 : The Fountain Of Jacob shall be upon a land of corn, and wine, etc.
The daughters, ‫בנות‬ banoth, put here for branches, shoot over or run upon the wall - Alluding
probably to the case of the vine, which requires to be supported by a wall, trees, etc. Some
commentators have understood this literally, and have applied it to the Egyptian women, who
were so struck with the beauty of Joseph as to get upon walls, the tops of houses, etc., to see him
as he passed by. This is agreeable to the view taken of the subject by the Koran. See Clarke on
Gen_39:6 (note).
3. Gill, “Joseph is a fruitful bough,.... Or as one, like the bough or branch of a tree laden with
fruit, as he was with children; one of which he called Ephraim from his fruitfulness, and both his
sons became numerous, and the heads of two tribes in Israel; and with other temporal fruits and
blessings, as riches, honour, &c. and especially with the fruits of grace and righteousness:
even a fruitful bough by a well; those are the most fruitful that are near a well or fountain of
water, as such trees are which are planted by rivers of water, see Psa_1:3 this being repeated may
have respect to the two boughs or branches of Joseph's family, or the two fruitful and numerous
tribes that sprung from him:
whose branches run over the wall; as such trees that are set against one, and by the reflected heat
of the sun grow the more, and become more fruitful. The word for "branches" is "daughters",
which some refer to the daughters of Manasseh and Zelophehad, who received their inheritance
on both sides of Jordan; and others interpret it of the cities of the tribes of Ephraim and
Manasseh, as cities are sometimes called.
4. Henry, “The blessing of Joseph, which is very large and full. He is compared (Gen_49:22) to a
fruitful bouth, or young tree; for God had made him fruitful in the land of his affliction; he owned
it. Gen_41:52. His two sons were as branches of a vine, or other spreading plant, running over the
wall. ote, God can make those fruitful, great comforts to themselves and others, who have been
looked upon as dry and withered. More is recorded in the history concerning Joseph than
concerning any other of Jacob's sons; and therefore what Jacob says of him is historical as well as
prophetical.
5. Jamison, “a fruitful bough, etc. — denotes the extraordinary increase of that tribe (compare

105. um_1:33-35; Jos_17:17; Deu_33:17). The patriarch describes him as attacked by envy, revenge,
temptation, ingratitude; yet still, by the grace of God, he triumphed over all opposition, so that he
became the sustainer of Israel; and then he proceeds to shower blessings of every kind upon the
head of this favorite son. The history of the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh shows how fully
these blessings were realized.
6. K&D, “Turning to Joseph, the patriarch's heart swelled with grateful love, and in the richest
words and figures he implored the greatest abundance of blessings upon his head.Gen_49:22
“Son of a fruit-tree is Joseph, son of a fruit-tree at the well, daughters run over the wall.” Joseph
is compared to the branch of a fruit-tree planted by a well (Psa_1:3), which sends it shoots over
the wall, and by which, according to Ps 80, we are probably to understand a vine. ‫ֵן‬‫בּ‬ an unusual
form of the construct state for ‫ֶן‬‫בּ‬, and ‫ת‬ ָ‫ֹר‬ ‫פּ‬ equivalent to ‫ָה‬‫יּ‬ ִ‫ֹר‬ ‫פּ‬ with the old feminine termination
ath, like ‫ת‬ ָ‫ְר‬‫מ‬ִ‫ז‬, Exo_15:2. - ‫ֹות‬ ‫ָנ‬‫בּ‬ are the twigs and branches, formed by the young fruit-tree. The
singular ‫ה‬ָ‫ֲד‬‫ע‬ָ‫צ‬ is to be regarded as distributive, describing poetically the moving forward, i.e., the
rising up of the different branches above the wall (Ges. §146, 4). ‫ֵי‬‫ל‬ֲ‫ע‬, a poetical form, as in
Gen_49:17.
7. Calvin, “Joseph is a fruitful bough. Others translate it, “a son of honor,”214214 “Filium
decoris.” The original is ‫פרת‬ ‫,בנ‬ (Ben porath,) literally, “the son of fruitfulness.” The name of
Joseph’s son, Ephriam, is derived from this word. — Ed and both are suitable; but I rather
incline to the former sense, because it seems to me that it refers to the name Joseph, by which
addition or increase is signified; although I have no objection to the similitude taken from a tree,
vehicle, being planted near a fountain, draws from the watered earth the moisture and sap by
which it grows the faster. The sum of the figure is, that he is born to grow like a tree situated near
a fountain, so that, by its beauty and lofty stature, it may surmount the obstacles around it. For I
do not interpret the words which follow to mean that there will be an assemblage of virgins upon
the walls, whom the sight of the tree shall have attracted; but, by a continued metaphor, I
suppose the tender and smaller branches to be called daughters.215215 ‫,בנות‬ (Banoth,) literally,
“the daughters went over the wall.” But Calvin, with our translators, wisely interprets the
expression as a poetical one, meaning the branches, (which are the daughters of the tree,)
according to a very usual phraseology of the Hebrew Scriptures. — Ed And they are said “to run
over the wall” when they spread themselves far and wide. Besides, Jacob’s discourse does not
relate simply to the whole tribe, nor is it a mere prophecy of future times; but the personal
history of Joseph is blended with that of his descendants. Thus some things are peculiar to
himself, and others belong to the two tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh. So when Joseph is said to
have been “grieved,” this is wont to be referred especially to himself. And whereas Jacob has
compared him to a tree; so he calls both his brethren and Potiphar, with his wife,
“archers.”216216 Archers, literally, “Lords of the arrows.”
“The archers shot at him with hpoisoned arrows,
They have pursued him with hatred.”
Waterland in Caunter’s Poetry of the Pentateuch, vol. I., p. 223. — Ed. Afterwards, however, he
changes the figure by making Joseph himself like a strenuous archer, whose bow abides in
strength, and whose arms are not relaxed, nor have lost, in any degree, their vigor; by which
expressions he predicts the invincible fortitude of Joseph, because he has yielded to no blows
however hard and severe. At the same time we are taught that he stood, not by the power of his
own arm, but as being strengthened by the hand of God, whom he distinguishes by the peculiar
title of “the mighty God of Jacob,” because he designed his power to be chiefly conspicuous, and

106. to shine most brightly in the Church. Meanwhile, he declares that the help by which Joseph was
assisted, arose from hence, that God had chosen that family for himself For the holy fathers were
extremely solicitous that the gratuitous covenant of God should be remembered by themselves
and by their children, whenever any benefit was granted unto them. And truly it is a mark of
shameful negligence, not to inquire from what fountain we drink water. In the mean time he
tacitly censures the impious and ungodly fury of his ten sons; because, by attempting the murder
of their brother, they, like the giants, had carried on war against God. He also admonishes them
for the future, that they should rather choose to be protected by the guardianship of God, than to
make him their enemy, seeing that he is alike willing to give help to all. And hence arises a
consideration consolatory to all the pious, when they hear that the power of God resides in the
midst of the Church, if they do but glory in him alone; as the Psalm teaches,
“Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will invoke the name of the Lord our God.”
(Psalm 20:7.)
The sons of Jacob, therefore, must take care lest they, by confiding in their own strength,
precipitate themselves into ruin; but must rather bear themselves nobly and triumphantly in the
Lord.
What follows admits of various interpretations. Some translate it, “From thence is the shepherd,
the stone of Israel;” as if Jacob would say, that Joseph had been the nourisher and rock, or stay
of his house. Others read, “the shepherd of the stone,” in the genitive case, which I approve,
except that they mistake the sense, by taking “stone” to mean family. I refer it to God, who
assigned the office of shepherd to his servant Joseph, in the manner in which any one uses the
service of a hireling to feed his flock. For whence did it arise that he nourished his own people,
except that he was the dispenser of the Divine beneficence? Moreover, under this type, the image
of Christ is depicted to us, who, before he should come forth as the conqueror of death and the
author of life, was set as a mark of contradiction, (Hebrews 12:3,) against whom all cast their
darts; as now also, after his example, the Church also must be transfixed with many arrows, that
she may be kept by the wonderful help of God. Moreover, lest the brethren should maliciously
envy Joseph, Jacob sets his victory in an amiable point of view to them, by saying that he had
been liberated in order that he might become their nourisher or shepherd.
8. Leupold, “As the blessing upon Judah is richer and better than that of the tribes grouped
around him in this chapter, so that of Joseph stands out in the same fashion, and its phrases and
pictures are rich and rare. Some of the comparisons involved require a measure of thought before
they are grasped, but the case is far from being as hopeless as some claim. It is not true that "the
section is full of obscurities and the text frequently quite untranslatable." This impression of
obscurity is fostered by presenting the most difficult of several possible translations. The
unnecessary textual alterations resorted to as pure conjectures result in an amazingly different
rendering. ote how Meek translates:
22. Joseph is a young bull,
A young bull at a spring,
A wild ass at Shur,
23. Shooting at him in enmity,
The archers fiercely assailed him.
24. But their bow was broken by the Eternal,
And their arms and hands trembled

107. At the might of the Mighty One of Jacob,
At the name of the Shepherd, the Rock of
Israel.
The impression created upon the uninformed by such a translation is that the Hebrew text must
be in a deplorable state—a thing which is by no means the case. Besides, such unwarranted
alterations undermine very effectually the confidence in God’s Word. We hope to show both that
the text makes sense and that the sense is good. First of all Joseph is described as "a shoot of a
fruitful branch," literally, "son of a fruitbearer" (B D B), with the common use of ben, "son," for
anything derived from another thing; this means, of course, that since it is derived from a fruitful
branch, it is itself fruitful. Consequently, the translation, "Joseph is a fruitful bough" (A. V.),
covers the case very acceptably. Porath is the feminine of the participle of parah, "to bear fruit"
(G. K. 80 g). As a choice phrase the expression "shoot of a fruitful branch" is repeated with the
addition of the descriptive phrase "by the side of a fountain." The Hebrew says "over a fountain"
using ’al, because the sturdy vine does stand higher than the fountain. Even so far we have a
situation that gives a guarantee of fruit. The "shoot" was derived from good stock; its water
supply is ample. So the picture does not delay to depict the meagre beginning. At once it gives the
shoot in the advanced stage of growth where it has "already climbed up on the wall" —so the
perfect tsa’adhah is meant: it has been growing and now is quite spread out over the wall. The
supporting wall, of course, furnishes a good hold for the vine and protection from inclement
weather. Such a healthy, thriving, fullgrown, well-supported, fruit-bearing vine well portrays the
fruitful sturdy tribe of Joseph or Ephraim and Manasseh. Perhaps a play on words is here
intended. For the root parah appears in Ephraim —the fruitful one. The distributive singular
verb tsa’adhah after a plural subject merely concentrates more on the individual shoot that
spreads out (cf. G. K. 145 k).
23. With bitterness archers attacked him;
they shot at him with hostility.
1. Barnes, “The memory then reverts to the past history of Joseph. A new figure is now called up.
A champion is assailed by a host of archers. They vex him, shoot at him, and in every way act the
part of an enemy. But his bow continues elastic, and his arms are enabled to bend it, because he
receives strength from the God of his fathers, “the Might of Jacob, the Shepherd, the Stone of
Israel.” Such is the rich and copious imagery that flows from the lips of Jacob. “The Might,” the
exalted upholder; “the Shepherd, the Stone,” the fostering guardian as well as the solid
foundation of his being. His great hands upheld Joseph against the brother and the stranger.
“From him.” This seems the free rendering of the word requisite to bring the two members of the
parallel into harmony.
2. Clarke, “The chief archers - ‫חצים‬ ‫בעלי‬ baaley chitstsim, the masters of arrows - Joseph’s
brethren, who either used such weapons, while feeding their flocks in the deserts, for the
protection of themselves and cattle, or for the purpose of hunting; and who probably excelled in
archery. It may however refer to the bitter speeches and harsh words that they spoke to and of

108. him, for they hated him, and could not speak peaceably to him, Gen_37:4. Thus they sorely
afflicted him, and were incessantly scolding or finding fault.
3. Gill, “The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him. His brethren who
grieved him with their ill usage, shot out bitter words against him, and hated him for his dreams,
and because his father loved him; and they could not speak peaceably to him, they mocked at
him, conspired to kill him, stripped him of his clothes, cast him into a pit, and then sold him; in
all which he was a type of Christ, as used by the Jews. His mistress also, and Satan by her,
grieved him with her temptations and solicitations to sin, which were as fiery darts shot at him;
but being resisted, her impure love was turned into hatred to him, and she shot her lies,
calumnies, and reproaches, as so many darts at him; and, as the Targum of Jonathan, the
magicians of Egypt, who envied him for his superior knowledge, and perhaps many others in
Pharaoh's court, who were displeased at his preferments, might bring accusations to Pharaoh
against him, out of hatred to him; and Satan and his principalities and powers, whose
temptations are compared to fiery darts, are not to be exempted, which they shoot at and grieve
the people of God, who are hated by them. Perhaps reference may be had to the wars of the
posterity of Joseph under Joshua, who was of the tribe of Ephraim, with the Canaanites.
4. Henry, “The providences of God concerning Joseph, Gen_49:23, Gen_49:24. These are
mentioned to the glory of God, and for the encouragement of Jacob's faith and hope, that God
had blessings in store for his seed. Here observe (1.) Joseph's straits and troubles, Gen_49:23.
Though he now lived at ease and in honour, Jacob reminds him of the difficulties he had formerly
waded through. He had had many enemies, here called archers, being skilful to do mischief,
masters of their art of persecution. They hated him: there persecution begins. They shot their
poisonous darts at him, and thus they sorely grieved him. His brethren, in his father's house,
were very spiteful towards him, mocked him, stripped him, threatened him, sold him, thought
they had been the death of him. His mistress, in the house of Potiphar, sorely grieved him, and
shot at him, when she impudently assaulted his chastity (temptations are fiery darts, thorns in the
flesh, sorely grievous to gracious souls); when she prevailed not in this, she hated him, and shot at
him by her false accusations, arrows against which there is little fence but the hold God has in the
consciences of the worst of men. Doubtless he had enemies in the court of Pharaoh, that envied
his preferment, and sought to undermine him.
5. K&D, ““Archers provoke him, and shoot and hate him; but his bow abides in strength, and the
arms of his hands remain pliant, from the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, from thence, from the
Shepherd, the Stone of Israel.” From the simile of the fruit-tree Jacob passed to a warlike figure,
and described the mighty and victorious unfolding of the tribe of Joseph in conflict with all its
foes, describing with prophetic intuition the future as already come (vid., the perf. consec.). The
words are not to be referred to the personal history of Joseph himself, to persecutions received by
him from his brethren, or to his sufferings in Egypt; still less to any warlike deeds of his in Egypt
(Diestel): they merely pointed to the conflicts awaiting his descendants, in which they would
constantly overcome all hostile attacks. ‫ר‬ ַ‫ָר‬‫מ‬: Piel, to embitter, provoke, lacessere. ‫ֹבּוּ‬ ‫:ר‬ perf. o from
‫ַב‬‫ב‬ ָ‫ר‬ to shoot. ‫ן‬ָ‫ית‬ֵ‫ְא‬‫בּ‬: “in a strong, unyielding position” (Del.). ‫ַז‬‫ז‬ָ‫פּ‬: to be active, flexible; only found
here, and in 2Sa_6:16 of a brisk movement, skipping or jumping. ‫ֵי‬‫ע‬ֹ ‫ְר‬‫ז‬: the arms, “without whose
elasticity the hands could not hold or direct the arrow.” The words which follow, “from the hands
of the Mighty One of Jacob,” are not to be linked to what follows, in opposition to the Masoretic
division of the verses; they rather form one sentence with what precedes: “pliant remain the arms

109. of his hands from the hands of God,” i.e., through the hands of God supporting them. “The
Mighty One of Jacob,” He who had proved Himself to be the Mighty One by the powerful
defence afforded to Jacob; a title which is copied from this passage in Isa_1:24, etc. “From
thence,” an emphatic reference to Him, from whom all perfection comes - “from the Shepherd
(Gen_48:15) and Stone of Israel.” God is called “the Stone,” and elsewhere “the Rock”
(Deu_32:4, Deu_32:18, etc.), as the immoveable foundation upon which Israel might trust, might
stand firm and impregnably secure.
6. Leupold, “The figure of this verse draws our attention to a situation radically different from
the former. The successful tribe is antagonized because of its success. His enemies are thought of
under the figure of "archers," called in Hebrew "masters of the bow," ba’aley chitstsim (a
peculiar double plural, "masters of bows"; K. S. 267 b). These archers "have grieved him sorely"
—from the root marar: yemararuhû —"to make life bitter for one." Besides, they have "shot at
him" —robbû from rabhabh. They have lastly "persecuted him," yishtemuhû, i. e. "proved
themselves adversaries." Apparently, the brunt of hostile opposition to Israel will have to be
borne by Joseph, next to Judah. The three verbs indicate that he will have plenty of it. However
(waw adversative in wattéshebh) "his bow stayed firm" (v. 24). He, too, has a bow for defensive
purposes when attacked. He uses it, and his hands do not weaken as they draw the tough bow
again and again; it stayed "firm" —"as a strong one," be’eythan. The arms behind the bow are
described thus, "the arms of his hands remained supple." Arms and hands are seen in quick
movements, snatching the arrow from the quiver, placing it in position on the bowstring, bending
the bow, steadying it for aim, letting it fly. Every movement is eloquent with suppleness. And yet,
in harmony with v. Ge 49:18, even this purely physical asset is not to be ascribed to man’s native
powers. Tracing it back to its true Source, Jacob says that it comes "as a result of the work of
(literally: ‘from the hands of’) the Strong One of Jacob." By this time Jacob well knows God as
strong and as the Source of all strength, and he knows that God will engage in behalf of his loved
ones. By a second parallel statement Jacob traces back the strength Joseph will display as coming
"from there where (Hebrew: ‘from where’) the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel, is." A protecting
"Shepherd" is a thought Jacob and his shepherding sons could well appreciate. "The Stone of
Israel" (’ébhen yisrael) is not meant any differently than is the other common phrase: "the Rock"
of Israel. This pictures Yahweh’s sturdy strength and unwavering helpfulness.
One would hardly venture to claim that the verses about Joseph considered thus far are lacking
in clear, forceful meaning. Any tribe might well have desired such a rich blessing.
24. But his bow remained steady,
his strong arms stayed[l] limber,
because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob,
because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,
1. Clarke, “But his bow remained in strength - The more he was persecuted, either by his
brethren or in Egypt, the more resplendent his uprightness and virtues shone: and the arms his
extended power and influence, of his hands plans, designs, and particular operations of his
prudence, judgment, discretion, etc., were all rendered successful by the hand - the powerful

110. succor and protection, of the Mighty One of Jacob that God who blessed and protected all the
counsels and plans of Jacob, and protected and increased him also when he was in a strange land,
and often under the power of those who sought opportunities to oppress and defraud him.
By the name of the Shepherd; the Rock of Israel - Jehovah, and El-Elohey Israel; see
Gen_33:20. This appears to me to refer to the subject of the thirty-second chapter, where Jacob
wrestled with God, had God’s name revealed to him, and his own name changed from Jacob to
Israel, in consequence of which he built an altar, and dedicated it to God, who had appeared to
him under the name of Elohey-Israel, the strong God of Israel; which circumstance led him to use
the term Rock, which, as an emblem of power, is frequently given to God in the sacred writings,
and may here refer to the stone which Jacob set up. It is very probable that the word shepherd is
intended to apply to our blessed Lord, who is the Shepherd of Israel, the good Shepherd,
Joh_10:11-17; and who, beyond all controversy, was the person with whom Jacob wrestled. See
Clarke on Gen_16:7 (note) and Gen_32:24 (note).
2. Gill, “But his bow abode in strength,.... For as his enemies were archers, and had bows and
arrows, so had he, and repelled force by force; but then his bow and arrows were of a different
sort, the virtues and graces that he was possessed of, as innocence and integrity, chastity,
fortitude, wisdom, prudence and patience, faith, hope, and the like, which remained unmoved,
and in their full exercise, notwithstanding the powerful attacks made upon them; and so his
posterity were unmoved and unshaken, and stood firm and undaunted, notwithstanding the
powerful enemies they had to deal with, until they were wholly subdued:
and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; so that he
held his bow, and drew it with great strength against his enemies, as an archer being used to the
bow, his nerves become strong, and he is not weakened by drawing it, nor weary of using it; but
Joseph had not his strength of himself, but from the Lord, the mighty One, that had strengthened
his father Jacob, and supported him under all his trouble: saints, like Joseph, have their strength,
as well as their righteousness, in and from Christ; and when they are weak in themselves, they
are strong in him, to exercise grace and perform duty:
from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel; from Jacob descended Joseph; or from the God
of Jacob it was that Joseph through divine Providence was sent into Egypt to be as a shepherd, to
feed his father's family, and as a stone to uphold and support it; in which he was a type of Christ,
the great and good Shepherd of the flock, and the stone that is laid in Zion, on which the whole
spiritual Israel of God is built; the foundation stone on which they are laid, and are safe, and the
corner stone which knits them together. And some think that Christ is principally meant, who in
his office capacity was from the mighty God of Jacob, a Shepherd of his providing and
appointing, and a stone of his laying; and so achmahides says, the stone here made mention of is
the same as in Psa_118:22.
3. Henry, “Joseph's strength and support under all these troubles (Gen_49:24): His bow abode in
strength, that is, his faith did not fail, but he kept his ground, and came off a conqueror. The arms
of his hands were made strong, that is, his other graces did their part, his wisdom, courage, and
patience, which are better than weapons of war. In short, he maintained both his integrity and his
comfort through all his trials; he bore all his burdens with an invincible resolution, and did not
sink under them, nor do any thing unbecoming him. (3.) The spring and fountain of this strength;
it was by the hands of the mighty God, who was therefore able to strengthen him, and the God of

111. Jacob, a God in covenant with him, and therefore engaged to help him. All our strength for the
resisting of temptations, and the bearing of afflictions, comes from God: his grace is sufficient,
and his strength is perfected in our weakness. (4.) The state of honour and usefulness to which he
was subsequently advanced: Thence (from this strange method of providence) he became the
shepherd and stone, the feeder and supporter, of God's Israel, Jacob and his family. Herein
Joseph was a type, [1.] Of Christ; he was shot at and hated, but borne up under his sufferings
(Isa_50:7-9), and was afterwards advanced to be the shepherd and stone. [2.] Of the church in
general, and particular believers; hell shoots its arrows against the saints, but Heaven protects
and strengthens them, and will crown them.
25. because of your father’s God, who helps you,
because of the Almighty,[m] who blesses you
with blessings of the skies above,
blessings of the deep springs below,
blessings of the breast and womb.
1. Barnes 25-6, “These two thoughts - the peaceful abundance of his old age, which he owed to
Joseph, and the persecutions his beloved son had endured - stir the fountains of his affections
until they overflow with blessings. “From the God of thy father” - the Eternal One who is the
source of all blessing. “And the Almighty,” who is able to control all adverse influences.
“Blessings of heaven above” - the air, the rain, and the sun. “Blessings of the deep” - the springs
and streams, as well as the fertile soil. “Blessings of the breasts and the womb” - the children of
the home and the young of the flocks and herds. “Have prevailed.” The benedictions of Jacob
pronounced upon Joseph exceed those that came upon Jacob himself from his fathers. To Joseph
is given a double portion, with a double measure of affection from a father’s heart. “Unto the
bound of the perpetual hills.” Like an overflowing flood they have risen to the very summits of
the perpetual hills in the conceptions of the venerable patriarch. “Of him who was distinguished
from his brethren;” not only by a long period of persecution and humiliation, but by a
subsequent elevation to extraordinary dignity and pre-eminence.
It is to be noted that this benediction, when fairly interpreted, though it breathes all the
fondness of a father’s heart, yet contains no intimation that the supremacy or the priesthood were
to belong to Joseph, or that the Messiah was to spring from him. At the same time Joseph was in
many events of his history a remarkable type of the Messiah, and by intermarriage he, as well as
many foreigners, was no doubt among the ancestors of the Messiah 2Ki_8:18, 2Ki_8:26.
2. Clarke, “The God of thy father - How frequently God is called the God of Jacob none needs be
told who reads the Bible.
God All-sufficient - Instead of ‫שדי‬ ‫את‬ Eth Shaddai, The Almighty or All-sufficient; I read ‫אל‬
‫שדי‬ El Shaddai, God All-sufficient; which is the reading of the Samaritan, Septuagint, Syriac,
and Coptic, and of three reputable MSS. In the collections of Kennicott and De Rossi. The copies

112. used by those ancient versions had evidently ‫אל‬ El, God, and not ‫את‬ eth, The, a mistake
produced in later times. On the word ‫שדי‬ ‫אל‬ El Shaddai, See Clarke on Gen_17:1 (note).
The blessing of the heavens from above - A generally pure, clear, serene sky, frequently
dropping down fertilizing showers and dews, so as to make a very fruitful soil and salubrious
atmosphere.
Blessings lying in the deep beneath - Whatever riches could be gained from the sea or rivers,
from mines and minerals in the bowels of the earth, and from abundant springs in different parts
of his inheritance. Our translation of this line is excessively obscure: Blessings of the deep that
lieth under. What is it that lies under the deep: By connecting ‫ברכת‬ bircoth, blessings, with ‫רבצת‬
robetseth, lying, all ambiguity is avoided, and the text speaks a plain and consistent sense.
The blessings of the breasts and of the womb - A numerous offspring, and an abundance of
cattle. The progeny of Joseph, by Ephraim and Manasseh, amounted at the first census or
enumeration ( umbers 1). to 75,900 men, which exceeded the sum of any one tribe; Judah, the
greatest of the others, amounting to no more than 74,600. Indeed, Ephraim and Manasseh had
multiplied so greatly in the days of Joshua, that a common lot was not sufficient for them. See
their complaint, Jos_17:14.
3. Gill, “ Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee,.... The same with the mighty God of
Jacob, by whom his hands had been made strong, and he would be still helped, protected, and
defended against his powerful enemies; and by whom Christ, the antitype, was helped as man
and Mediator against his enemies, and to do all the work he engaged in; and by whom all the
Lord's people are helped to fight his battles with their spiritual enemies, to withstand
temptations, exercise every grace, and do the will and work of God:
and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above; with those blessings
which may be ascribed to the sun, moon, and stars, and their influences as means, and to the rain
and dew which descend from thence; and as with such temporal blessings, so with spiritual ones
in heavenly things in Christ:
blessings of the deep that lieth under; of rivers, fountains and springs that rise out of the earth
from below, which water and make fruitful:
blessings of the breasts, and of the womb an increase of children, and of cattle, and those healthy,
thriving, and prosperous, which are great temporal mercies; as are the word and ordinances
spiritual ones, those breasts of consolation, which such that are born again partake of, and grow
thereby.
4. Henry, “The promises of God to Joseph. See how these are connected with the former: Even by
the God of thy father Jacob, who shall help thee, Gen_49:25. ote, Our experiences of God's
power and goodness in strengthening us hitherto are our encouragements still to hope for help
from him; he that has helped us will help: we may build much upon our Eben-ezers. See what
Joseph may expect from the Almighty, even the God of his father. (1.) He shall help thee in
difficulties and dangers which may yet be before thee, help thy seed in their wars. Joshua came
from him, who commanded in chief in the wars of Canaan. (2.) He shall bless thee; and he only
blesses indeed. Jacob prays for a blessing upon Joseph, but the God of Jacob commands the
blessing. Observe the blessings conferred on Joseph. [1.] Various and abundant blessings:
Blessings of heaven above (rain in its season, and fair weather in its season, and the benign

113. influences of the heavenly bodies); blessings of the deep that lieth under this earth, which,
compared with the upper world, is but a great deep, with subterraneous mines and springs.
Spiritual blessings are blessings of heaven above, which we ought to desire and seek for in the
first place, and to which we must give the preference; while temporal blessings, those of this
earth, must lie under in our account and esteem. Blessings of the womb and the breasts are given
when children are safely born and comfortably nursed. In the word of God, by which we are
born again, and nourished up (1Pe_1:23; 1Pe_2:2), there are to the new man blessings both of the
womb and the breasts.
5. K&D 25-26, ““From the God of thy father, may He help thee, and with the help of the Almighty,
may He bless thee, (may there come) blessings of heaven from above, blessings of the deep, that
lieth beneath, blessings of the breast and of the womb. The blessing of thy father surpass the
blessings of my progenitors to the border of the everlasting hills, may they come upon the head of
Joseph, and upon the crown of the illustrious among his brethren.” From the form of a description
the blessing passes in Gen_49:25 into the form of a desire, in which the “from” of the previous
clause is still retained. The words “and may He help thee,” “may He bless thee,” form
parentheses, for “who will help and bless thee.” ‫ת‬ֵ‫ְא‬‫ו‬ is neither to be altered into ‫ל‬ֵ‫ְא‬‫ו‬ (and from
God), as Ewald suggests, in accordance with the lxx, Sam., Syr., and Vulg., nor into ‫ת‬ֵ‫א‬ֵ‫מ‬ as Knobel
proposes; and even the supplying of ‫ן‬ִ‫מ‬ before ‫ת‬ֵ‫א‬ from the parallel clause (Ges. §154, 4) is scarcely
allowable, since the repetition of ‫ן‬ִ‫מ‬ before another preposition cannot be supported by any
analogous case; but ‫ת‬ֵ‫א‬ may be understood here, as in Gen_4:1; Gen_5:24, in the sense of helpful
communion: “and with,” i.e., with (in) the fellowship of, “the Almighty, may He bless thee, let
there be (or come) blessings,” etc. The verb ָ‫ן‬‫ֶי‬‫י‬ְ‫ח‬ִ‫תּ‬ follows in Gen_49:26 after the whole subject,
which is formed of many parallel members. The blessings were to come from heaven above and
from the earth beneath. From the God of Jacob and by the help of the Almighty should the rain
and dew of heaven (Gen_27:28), and fountains and brooks which spring from the great deep or
the abyss of the earth, pour their fertilizing waters over Joseph's land, “so that everything that
had womb and breast should become pregnant, bring forth, and suckle.”
( ote: “Thus is the whole composed in pictorial words. Whatever of man and cattle can be
fruitful shall multiply and have enough. Childbearing, and the increase of cattle, and of the
corn in the field, are not our affair, but the mercy and blessing of God.” - Luther.)
‫ים‬ ִ‫ֹר‬ ‫ה‬ from ‫ה‬ ָ‫ָר‬‫ה‬ signifies parentes (Chald., Vulg.); and ‫ָה‬‫ו‬ֲ‫א‬ַ‫תּ‬ signifies not desiderium from ‫ָה‬‫ו‬‫,אָ‬ but
boundary from ‫אָה‬ָ‫,תּ‬ um_34:7-8, = ‫ָה‬‫ו‬ָ‫תּ‬,1 Sa_21:14; Eze_9:4, to mark or bound off, as most of
the Rabbins explain it. ‫ַל‬‫ע‬‫ַר‬‫ב‬ָ‫גּ‬ to be strong above, i.e., to surpass. The blessings which the
patriarch implored for Joseph were to surpass the blessings which his parents transmitted to him,
to the boundary of the everlasting hills, i.e., surpass them as far as the primary mountains tower
above the earth, or so that they should reach to the summits of the primeval mountains. There is
no allusion to the lofty and magnificent mountain-ranges of Ephraim, Bashan, and Gilead, which
fell to the house of Joseph, either here or in Deu_33:15. These blessings were to descend upon the
head of Joseph, the ‫ִיר‬‫ז‬ָ‫נ‬ among his brethren, i.e., “the separated one,” from ‫ַר‬‫ז‬ָ‫נ‬ separavit. Joseph is
so designated, both here and Deu_33:16, not on account of his virtue and the preservation of his
chastity and piety in Egypt, but propter dignitatem, qua excellit, ab omnibus sit segregatus (Calv.),
on account of the eminence to which he attained in Egypt. For this meaning see Lam_4:7;
whereas no example can be found of the transference of the idea of asir to the sphere of
morality.
6. Calvin, “Even by the God of thy father. Again, he more fully affirms that Joseph had been
delivered from death, and exalted to such great dignity, not by his own industry, but by the favor

114. of God: and there is not the least doubt that he commends to all the pious, the mere goodness of
God, lest they should arrogate anything to themselves, whether they may have escaped from
dangers, or whether they may have risen to any rank of honor. By the God of thy father. In
designating God by this title, he again traces whatever good Joseph has received, to the covenant,
and to the fountain of gratuitous adoption; as if he had said, “Whereas thou hast proved the
paternal care of God in helping thee, I desire that thou wouldst ascribe this to the covenant which
God has made with me.” Meanwhile, (as we have said before,) he separates from all fictitious
idols the God whom he transmits to his descendants to worship.
After he has declared, that Joseph should be blessed in every way, both as it respects his own life,
and the number and preservation of his posterity; he affirms that the effect of this benediction is
near and almost present, by saying, that he blessed Joseph more efficaciously than he himself had
been blessed by his fathers. For although, from the beginning, God had been true to his promises,
yet he frequently postponed the effect of them, as if he had been feeding Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob with nothing but words. For, to what extent were the patriarchs multiplied in Egypt?
Where was that immense seed which should equal the sands of the seashore and the stars of
heaven? Therefore, not without reason, Jacob declares that the full time had arrived in which the
result of his benediction, which had lain concealed, should emerge as from the deep. ow, this
comparison ought to inspire us with much greater alacrity at the present time; for the abundant
riches of the grace of God which have flowed to us in Christ, exceeds a hundredfold, any
blessings which Joseph received and felt.
What is added respecting the utmost bounds of the everlasting hills, some wish to refer to distance
of place, some to perpetuity of time. Both senses suit very well; either that the felicity of Joseph
should diffuse itself far and wide to the farthest mountains of the world; or that it should endure
as long as the everlasting hills, which are the firmest portions of the earth, shall stand. The more
certain and genuine sense, however, is to be gathered from the other passage, where Moses
repeats this benediction; namely, that the fertility of the land would extend to the tops of the
mountains; and these mountains are called perpetual, because they are most celebrated. He also
declares that this blessing should be upon his head, lest Joseph might think that his good wishes
were scattered to the winds; for by this word he intends to show, if I may so speak, that the
blessing was substantial. At length he calls Joseph‫נזיר‬)nazir) among his brethren, either because
he was their crown, on account of the common glory which redounds from him to them all, or
because, on account of the dignity by which he excels, he was separated from them all.217217
“The blessings of thy father have prevailed over the blessings of the eternal mountains,
And the desirable things of the everlasting hills.
These shall be on the head of Joseph,
And on his crown who was separated from his brethren”.
—Dr. A. Clarke. It may be understood in both senses. Yet we must know that this excellency
was temporal, because Joseph, together with the others, was required to take his proper place,
and to submit himself to the scepter of Judah.
7. Leupold, “The blessings now become superlatively rich. It is hard to say whether Judah or
Joseph gets the greater blessing. Jacob it still tracing all gifts and blessings back to their true
Source, particularly the deliverance of Joseph. It will be offered from the God (’el, "the Strong
One") of Jacob’s father. Eagerly Jacob inserts the prayer for his beloved son, "and may He help
thee." The next statement, also spoken in an exalted strain of thought, begins with we’eth, "and
with," here used in the sense of "and with the help of" as it appears in Ge 4:1. Having told of
Joseph’s fortunate lot and having now again inserted a brief prayer that God might bless Joseph,
the father goes on to heap blessing upon blessing upon his son. If any son was worthy of such

115. wonderful blessings, it surely was Joseph. The following blessings are specialized: first "blessings
of the heavens above" —those would be such blessings as the heavens hold within their grasp—
rain, sunshine and pleasant breezes. Then follow "blessings of the deep," i. e. tehom, the deep
source of the subterranean waters, which is pictured as a being "that coucheth (or croucheth)
beneath" the earth. This involves the waters stored in the earth that are so essential to all
vegetable growth as well as the sources of the much needed streams and of the fountains. Thirdly
follow "blessings of breasts and womb" which means abundant offspring of man and of beast
and the capacity of caring successfully for them in their early days. If it still seem strange that
Jacob in pronouncing blessings offers none of a character that may be termed spiritual blessings,
we must again recall to mind that Jacob set out v. 1 to foretell "what shall befall." So even the
blessings are largely predictions. Then, if no spiritual blessings are foretold in the case of the
offspring of this favourite son, it seems to us that this was because the Spirit of truth Himself
could foresee none of particular moment. This very silence must have constituted a warning and
a lesson to Joseph’s descendants. Spiritually they never excelled. It was among the tribe of
Ephraim that one of its sons, Jeroboam, instituted the calf worship, whereby he "made Israel to
sin."
26. Your father’s blessings are greater
than the blessings of the ancient mountains,
than[n] the bounty of the age-old hills.
Let all these rest on the head of Joseph,
on the brow of the prince among[o] his brothers.
1. Clarke, “The blessing of thy father, etc. - The blessings which thy father now prays for and
pronounces are neither temporal nor transitory; they shall exceed in their duration the eternal
mountains, and in their value and spiritual nature all the conveniences, comforts, and delicacies
which the everlasting hills can produce. They shall last when the heavens and the earth are no
more, and shall extend throughout eternity. They are the blessings which shall be communicated
to the world by means of the Messiah.
The Jerusalem Targum paraphrases the place thus: “The blessing of this father shall be added
unto the blessings wherewith thy fathers Abraham and Isaac, who are likened to mountains, have
blessed thee; and they shall exceed the blessings of the four mothers, Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel,
and Leah, who are likened to the hills: all these blessings shall be a crown of magnificence on the
head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him who was a prince and governor in the land
of Egypt.”
27. Benjamin is a ravenous wolf:
In the morning he shall devour the prey,
And in the evening he shall divide the spoil.
This tribe is very fitly compared to a ravenous wolf, because of the rude courage and ferocity
which they have invariably displayed, particularly in their war with the other tribes, in which

116. they killed more men than the whole of their own numbers amounted to.
“This last tribe,” says Dr. Hales, “is compared to a wolf for its ferocious and martial
disposition, such as was evinced by their contests with the other tribes, in which, after two
victories, they were almost exterminated, Judges 19, 20.” Its union with the tribe of Judah seems
to be intimated in their joint conquests, expressed nearly in the same terms: “Judah went up
from the prey;” “Benjamin devoured the prey.” Moses in his parallel prophecy, Deu_33:12,
confirms this by signifying that the sanctuary should be fixed in his lot, and that he should
continue as long as the existence of the temple itself: -
The Beloved Of The Lord shall dwell with him in safety,
And shall cover him all the day long,
And shall dwell between his shoulders.
Deu_33:12.
In the morning, etc. - These expressions have been variously understood. The sense given above
is that in which the principal interpreters agree; but Houbigant protests against the prophecy
signifying the continuance of this tribe, as the words, “in the morning devouring the prey,” and
“in the evening dividing the spoil,” are supposed to imply; “because,” he observes, “after the
return from the Babylonish captivity, this tribe is no more mentioned.” But this may be
accounted for from the circumstance of its being associated with that of Judah, (see 1Ki_12:21-
24), after which it is scarcely ever mentioned but in that union. Being thus absorbed in the tribe
of Judah, it continued from the morning till the evening of the Jewish dispensation, and
consequently till the Lion of the tribe of Judah was seen in the wilderness of Israel. In the
morning, according to Mr. Ainsworth, “signifies the first times; for Ehud of Benjamin was the
second judge that saved the Israelites from the hands of the Moabites, Jdg_3:15, etc. Saul of
Benjamin was the first king of Israel; he and his son were great warriors, making a prey of many
enemies, 1Sa_11:6, 1Sa_11:7, 1Sa_11:11; 1Sa_14:13, 1Sa_14:15, 1Sa_14:47, 1Sa_14:48. And the
evening, the latter times; for Mordecai and Esther of Benjamin delivered the Jews from a great
destruction, and slew their enemies, Est_8:7, Est_8:9, Est_8:11; Est_9:5, Est_9:6, Est_9:15,
Est_9:16.”
2. Gill, “The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors,....
Jacob's blessings were greater and more numerous, both those which he himself had, and
bestowed upon his offspring, than those that Abraham and Isaac had, he having more children
than they, and blessings for everyone of them; whereas they each of them had but two, and one of
these two were excluded the blessing: and besides, though these blessings were the same in
substance bestowed on his progenitors, and by them on him, yet these were more clearly and
distinctly given out by him to his posterity, and were nearer their accomplishment:
unto the utmost bounds of the everlasting hills, they shall be on the head of Joseph: that is,
continue on him as long as the everlasting hills continue, particularly those of a spiritual kind, for
they endure for ever. The word for "bounds" signifies "desire"; and Onkelos paraphrases the
words,"which the princes that were of old desired:''meaning either the angels who desire to look
into heavenly things, or the patriarchs, who were desirous of the coming of the Messiah, and
salvation by him; and so the Vulgate Latin version is, "until the desire of the everlasting hills
should come"; that is, Christ, who is the desire of all nations, in whom all nations of the earth are
to be blessed, and therefore desirable; blessings of all kinds are upon the head of the just, as they

117. were on Joseph, Pro_10:6.
and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren; who shunned company
and conversation with him, and at length sold him into Egypt, where he was parted from them,
and remained separate for many years; and when they came to dwell in the land of Egypt, they
lived in Goshen, and he at Pharaoh's court, where he was distinguished with peculiar honours,
and advanced above them. Of Christ his antitype, see Heb_7:26.
3. Henry, “Eminent and transcendent blessings, which prevail above the blessings of my
progenitors, Gen_49:26. His father Isaac had but one blessing, and, when he had given that to
Jacob, he was at a loss for a blessing to bestow upon Esau; but Jacob had a blessing for each of
his twelve sons, and now, at the latter end, a copious one for Joseph. The great blessing entailed
upon that family was increase, which did not so immediately and so signally follow the blessings
which Abraham and Isaac gave to their sons as it followed the blessing which Jacob gave to his;
for, soon after his death, they multiplied exceedingly. [3.] Durable and extensive blessings: Unto
the utmost bounds of the everlasting hills, including all the productions of the most fruitful hills,
and lasting as long as they last, Isa_54:10. ote, the blessings of the everlasting God include the
riches of the everlasting hills, and much more. Well, of these blessings it is here said, They shall
be, so it is a promise, or, Let them be, so it is a prayer, on the head of Joseph, to which let them be
as a crown to adorn it and a helmet to protect it. Joseph was separated from his brethren (so we
read it) for a time; yet, as others read it, he was a azarite among his brethren, better and more
excellent than they. ote, It is no new thing for the best men to meet with the worst usage, for
azarites among their brethren to be cast out and separated from their brethren; but the blessing
of God will make it up to them.
4. Leupold, “. It is difficult at first to determine the exact import of the expression "the blessings
of thy father." Is the genitive "of thy father" objective or subjective? If it were subjective, i. e.,
"the blessing that thy father bestows," then Jacob’s word would convey the thought: I can bless
more potently than my own forefathers. That would be presumption on Jacob’s part. There is left
the objective genitive, i. e. "the blessings that thy father received." Then the following statement
involves: God has blessed me more abundantly than my fathers—a word spoken, indeed, in all
humility in the sense of, "Lord, I am not worthy." Abraham had one son of promise; Isaac had
two children; Jacob had twelve sons destined to be heads of tribes. When Jacob came down to
Egypt with his family according to Ge 46:27, his descendants numbered seventy. What wonderful
provisions for the preservation of this group God had made! Truly: "the blessings of thy father
have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors" (that is horay, participle of harah, plural
with the first person suffix). Only here the word appears as meaning "parents" or "progenitors."
But though this is unusual, there is no need to change to the text which would substitute
"mountains" (hararey) for "progenitors." Another line added to this statement says that these
blessings enjoyed by Jacob extended "even unto the border (ta’avah is admitted to have this
sense, even by B D B) of the everlasting hills." The land seems to be thought of as encircled by
mountains. The blessings are thought of as growing in rich profusion up to the very borderland
of the mountains, thus filling the whole land. With these rich blessings he himself received filling
his thoughts, Jacob pronounces the wish over the head of Joseph: may they be also upon his head
"and upon the crown of the head of the choice one among his brethren." azîr is the word from
which " azirite" comes. ow that word may mean "one consecrated, devoted," but since that
again according to the root means "a separated one," we could also find the meaning in it "the
one standing apart" or here practically "the choice one" or "the prince" (A. R. V. m.). Without a

118. doubt, Joseph was the most eminent one among his brethren, eminent in character and in
godliness. If any one of the twelve deserved pre-eminence, it was Joseph. Jacob practically claims
as much in these words. The ’al of the first line is practically equivalent to a comparative, for the
line may be translated: "The blessings of thy father have been stronger than the blessings of my
progenitors" (K. S. 308 d).
27. “Benjamin is a ravenous wolf;
in the morning he devours the prey,
in the evening he divides the plunder.”
1. Barnes, “Benjamin is described as a wolf who is engaged morning and evening, that is, all day
long, in hunting after prey. He was warlike by character and conduct Judg. 20–21, and among his
descendants are Ehud, Saul, and Jonathan.
2. Gill, “Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf,.... All the three Targums apply this prophecy to the
priests offering the daily sacrifice, morning and evening, in the temple, which stood in the lot of
Benjamin, and dividing what was left, and eating it. But it respects the tribe itself, compared to a
wolf for its fortitude, courage, and valour, as well as for its rapaciousness, it being a warlike
tribe; and the Jewish writers (q) say, that it is compared to a wolf, because of its strength. Wolves,
said to be devoted to Mars, are called "martial" wolves by Virgil (r) and Horace (s); and we have
an early instance of the valour and success of this tribe in a war waged with all the other tribes,
and in two pitched battles, in one with 26,000 men it beat 400,000, Jdg_20:15, and if this tribe is
compared to a wolf for rapaciousness, this may be illustrated by the remainder of those, after the
loss of a third battle, catching and carrying away the daughters of Shiloh, and making them their
wives, Jdg_21:23. Some apply this to particular persons of this tribe, as to Saul the first king of
Israel, who was of Benjamin; and who as soon as he took the kingdom of Israel, in the morning,
in the beginning of that state, fought against all his enemies on every side, against Moab, Ammon,
Edom, the kings of Zobah, and the Philistines, and the Amalekites, 1Sa_14:47 and to Mordecai
and Esther, who were of the same tribe, who after the captivity, and in the evening of that state,
divided the spoil of Haman, Est_8:1 this is observed by Jarchi, Aben Ezra, and Ben Gersom.
Some of the Christian fathers have applied the prophecy to the Apostle Paul, who was of the tribe
of Benjamin; who in the morning of his youth was a fierce and ravenous persecutor, and made
havoc of the church of God: and in the evening, or latter part of his life, spent his days in dividing
the spoil of Satan among the Gentiles, taking the prey out of his hands, turning men from the
power of Satan unto God, and distributed food to the souls of men. In a spiritual sense he was a
warlike man, a good soldier of Christ, and accoutred as such, had a warfare to accomplish, and
enemies to fight with; and did fight the good fight of faith, conquered, and was more than a
conqueror through Christ, and is now crowned: and why may it not be applied to Christ himself,
seeing the blessing of Benjamin by Moses, Deu_33:12 seems to belong to him? he is God's
Benjamin, the son and man of his right hand, as dear to him as his right hand, in whom his
power has been displayed, and who is exalted at his right hand; and may as well be compared to
a wolf as to a lion, as he is the lion of the tribe of Judah, and as God himself is compared to a lion
and bear, Hos_13:7 and who is expressly said to divide the spoil with the strong, Isa_53:12 spoiled

119. principalities and powers, delivered his people as a prey out of the hands of the mighty, and will
make an utter destruction of all his and their enemies. Some of these things were done in the
morning of the Gospel dispensation, and others will be done in the evening of it, Col_2:15.
3. Henry, “The blessing of Benjamin (Gen_49:27): He shall raven as a wolf; it is plain by this that
Jacob was guided in what he said by a spirit of prophecy, and not by natural affection; else he
would have spoken with more tenderness of his beloved son Benjamin, concerning whom he only
foresees and foretels this, that his posterity should be a warlike tribe, strong and daring, and that
they should enrich themselves with the spoils of their enemies - that they should be active and
busy in the world, and a tribe as much feared by their neighbours as any other: In the morning,
he shall devour the prey, which he seized and divided over night. Or, in the first times of Israel,
they shall be noted for activity, though many of them left-handed, Jdg_3:15; Jdg_20:16. Ehud the
second judge, and Saul the first king, were of this tribe; and so also in the last times Esther and
Mordecai, by whom the enemies of the Jews were destroyed, were of this tribe. The Benjamites
ravened like wolves when they desperately espoused the cause of the men of Gibeah, those men of
Belial, Jdg_20:14. Blessed Paul was of this tribe (Rom_11:1; Phi_3:5); and he did, in the morning
of his day, devour the prey as a persecutor, but, in the evening, divided the spoil as a preacher.
ote, God can serve his own purposes by the different tempers of men; the deceived and the
deceiver are his.
4. Jamison, “shall ravin like a wolf — This tribe in its early history spent its energies in petty or
inglorious warfare and especially in the violent and unjust contest (Judges 19:1-20:48), in which
it engaged with the other tribes, when, notwithstanding two victories, it was almost exterminated.
5. K&D, ““Benjamin - a world, which tears in pieces; in the morning he devours prey, and in the
evening he divides spoil.” Morning and evening together suggest the idea of incessant and
victorious capture of booty (Del.). The warlike character which the patriarch here attributes to
Benjamin, was manifested by that tribe, not only in the war which he waged with all the tribes on
account of their wickedness in Gibeah (Judg 20), but on other occasions also (Jdg_5:14), in its
distinguished archers and slingers (Jdg_20:16; 1Ch_8:40, 1Ch_8:12; 2Ch_14:8; 2Ch_17:17), and
also in the fact that the judge Ehud (Jdg_3:15.), and Saul, with his heroic son Jonathan, sprang
from this tribe (1Sa_11:1-15 and 13; 2Sa_1:19.).
6. Calvin, “Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf. Some of the Jews think the Benjamites are here
condemned; because, when they had suffered lusts to prevail, like lawless robbers, among them,
they were at length cut down and almost destroyed by a terrible slaughter, for having defiled the
Levite’s wife. Others regard it as an honorable encomium, by which Saul, or Mordecai was
adorned, who were both of the tribe of Benjamin. The interpreters of our own age most inaptly
apply it to the apostle Paul, who was changed from a wolf into a preacher of the Gospel. othing
seems to me more probable than that the disposition and habits of the whole tribe is here
delineated; namely, that they would live by plunder. In the morning they would seize and devour
the prey, in the evening they would divide the spoil; by which words he describes their diligence in
plundering.

120. 7. Leupold, “This is the last word, spoken in reference to the second son of Rachel. There is no
criticism involved in the use of this comparison; it is complimentary. The rapacity of the wolf is
not under consideration. Yet even as v. Ge 49:17 contained a veiled warning, so we may also
regard this word as suggesting to Benjamin as a tribe that he take heed unto himself lest the
undesirable qualities of a wolf develop in him. The original says, "Benjamin, a wolf, rends prey."
We prefer to translate as Luther does: Benjamin ist ein reissender Wolf. To describe him as
successful in his depredations Jacob speaks of him as always having prey; in the morning he
devours it; in the evening, with a change of figure, he is the warrior dividing the spoil. This
expression, touching upon the two limits ("morning" and "evening"), is one of many similar
expressions designed to cover the entire intervening area. Here, therefore, this means, he is
always successful in despoiling his foes. At the same time, when he must encounter his foes, he is a
fierce opponent like a wolf. Representative men of this type were Ehud "the Benjamite" (Jud
3:15) and Saul (1Sa 9:1) and Jonathan. The whole tribe displayed this attitude, though not in a
holy cause, in Jud 20.
28. All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is
what their father said to them when he blessed them,
giving each the blessing appropriate to him.
1. Barnes 28-33, “After the benediction Jacob gives directions concerning his burial. “All these
are the twelve tribes”. This implies that the benedictions refer not to the heads only, but to the
whole tribes. “Each according to his blessing.” All are blessed, but the form of the blessing is
suited to the character of the individual “Bury me with my fathers” - with Abraham and Sarah,
Isaac and Rebekah, and Leah. This dying command he now lays on the twelve, as he had before
bound Joseph by oath to its performance. “Gathered up his feet into the bed.” He had been
sitting upright while pronouncing the benedictory address and giving his last directions. He now
lies down and calmly breathes his last.
2. Clarke, “Every one according to his blessing - That is, guided by the unerring Spirit of
prophecy, Jacob now foretold to each of his sons all the important events which should take place
during their successive generations, and the predominant characteristic of each tribe; and, at the
same time, made some comparatively obscure references to the advent of the Messiah, and the
redemption of the world by him.
3. Gill, “All these are the twelve tribes of Israel,.... The twelve sons of Jacob before mentioned
were heads of twelve tribes, who were afterwards seated, and had their part in the land of
Canaan; there were indeed thirteen tribes, two springing from Joseph; but then the tribe of Levi
had no part in the land of Canaan, which was divided into twelve parts; this shows that the above
predictions respect not the persons of the patriarchs, but their tribes:
and this is it that their father spake unto them, and blessed them: the above is the sum and
substance of what he had delivered in his patriarchal benediction of them, a little before his

121. death; and though some of them, as Reuben, Simeon, and Levi, may seem rather to be cursed
than blessed, yet the greater part of them were clearly and manifestly blessed; and what he said
by way of correction and rebuke to the others, might be blessed to them for their good; nor is it
improbable, that after he had delivered out the above predictions, he might wish for and implore
a blessing on them all; and certain it is, that they all had a part in the blessing of Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob, as it related to the land of Canaan:
everyone according to his blessing he blessed them; according to the blessing which was
appointed to them of God, and was in later times bestowed on them, Jacob under a spirit of
prophecy was directed to bless them with, or to foretell what blessings should come upon them,
and which accordingly did.
4. Henry, “Here is, I. The summing up of the blessings of Jacob's sons, Gen_49:28. Though
Reuben, Simeon, and Levi were put under the marks of their father's displeasure, yet he is said to
bless them every one according to his blessing; for none of them were rejected as Esau was. ote,
Whatever rebukes of God's word or providence we are under at any time, yet, as long as we have
an interest in God's covenant, a place and a name among his people, and good hopes of a share in
the heavenly Canaan, we must account ourselves blessed.
5. Jamison, “all these are the twelve tribes of Israel — or ancestors. Jacob’s prophetic words
obviously refer not so much to the sons as to the tribes of Israel.
6. K&D, “The concluding words in Gen_49:28, “All these are the tribes of Israel, twelve,” contain
the thought, that in his twelve sons Jacob blessed the future tribes. “Every one with that which
was his blessing, he blessed them,” i.e., every one with his appropriate blessing (‫ר‬ֶ‫שׁ‬ֲ‫א‬ accus.
dependent upon ‫ְך‬ ֵ‫ֵר‬‫בּ‬ which is construed with a double accusative); since, as has already been
observed, even Reuben, Simeon, and Levi, though put down through their own fault, received a
share in the promised blessing.
7. Calvin, “All these are the twelve tribes of Israel. Moses would teach us by these words, that his
predictions did not apply only to the sons of Jacob, but extended to their whole race. We have,
indeed, shown already, with sufficient clearness, that the expressions relate not to their persons
only; but this verse was to be added, in order that the readers might more clearly perceive the
celestial majesty of the Spirit. Jacob beholds his twelve sons. Let us grant that, at that time, the
number of his offspring, down to his great grandchildren, had increased a hundredfold. He does
not, however, merely declare what is to be the condition of six hundred or a thousand men, but
subjects regions and nations to his sentence; nor does he put himself rashly forward, since it is
found afterwards, by the event, that God had certainly made known to him, what he had himself
decreed to execute. Moreover, seeing that Jacob beheld, with the eyes of faith, things which were
not only very remote, but altogether hidden from human sense; woe be unto our depravity, if we
shut our eyes against the very accomplishment of the prediction in which the truth conspicuously
appears.
But it may seem little consonant to reason, that Jacob is said to have blessed his posterity. For, in
deposing Reuben from the primogeniture, he pronounced nothing joyous or prosperous
respecting him; he also declared his abhorrence of Simon and Levi. It cannot be alleged that
there is an antiphrasis in the word of benediction, as if it were used in a sense contrary to what is
usual; because it plainly appears to be applied by Moses in a good, and not an evil sense. I

122. therefore reconcile these things with each other thus; that the temporal punishments with which
Jacob mildly and paternally corrected his sons, would not subvert the covenant of grace on which
the benediction was founded; but rather, by obliterating their stains, would restore them to the
original degree of honor from which they had fallen, so that, at least, they should be patriarchs
among the people of God. And the Lord daily proves, in his own people, that the punishments he
lays upon them, although they occasion shame and disgrace, are so far from opposing their
happiness, that they rather promote it. Unless they were purified in this manner, it were to be
feared lest they should become more and more hardened in their vices, and lest the hidden virus
should produce corruption, which at length would penetrate to the vitals. We see how freely the
flesh indulges itself, even when God rouses us by the tokens of his anger. What then do we
suppose would take place if he should always connive at transgression? But when we, after
having been reproved for our sins, repent, this result not only absorbs the curse which was felt at
the beginning, but also proves that the Lord blesses us more by punishing us, than he would have
done by sparing us. Hence it follows, that diseases, poverty, famine, nakedness, and even death
itself, so far as they promote our salvation, may deservedly be reckoned blessings, as if their very
nature were changed; just as the letting of blood may be not less conducive to health than food.
When it is added at the close, every one according to his blessing, Moses again affirms, that Jacob
not only implored a blessing on his sons, from a paternal desire for their welfare, but that he
pronounced what God had put into his mouth; because at length the event proved that the
prophecies were efficacious.
8. Leupold, “All these constitute the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father spoke to
them; and he blessed them, individually he blessed them with what was in conformity with each
man’s blessing.
Quite naturally the author now summarizes his results. He reminds that the twelve tribes have
just been blessed—twelve being the covenant number, and this, therefore, being an event that has
bearing upon the covenant existing between Israel and God. The numeral strangely after a
definite noun lacks the definite article (K. S. 334 u). To emphasize that Jacob actually spoke all
these remarkable words the author then reiterates (cf. v. Ge 49:1), "this is what their father spoke
to them." Of course, this statement is either a truth or a lie. We accept it as truth. It had,
however, not been said previously that this was a blessing. So after we have the words before us
the author reminds us of what is really quite selfevident, that these individual words were in
reality blessings, strictly adapted to each man’s case and needs, as Jacob foresaw that God would
bestow them. This is the meaning of the words, "individually he blessed them with what was in
conformity with each man’s blessing."
Skinner calls the construction ’îsh ‘asher "impossible," for he seemingly overlooks what K. C.
points out by his translation that ’asher is the cognate or factative object and to be translated
"with which." Besides, criticism insists that at this point (v. 28) P again begins (v. Ge 49:28-33);
and so J, who spoke v. Ge 49:1-27, is regarded quite incapable of any summary statement or
formal remark such as this is—a rather unfounded limitation laid on J. Capable writers like
these are capable of quite a number of different types of style. To deny to them this capacity,
which all good writers have, makes of the Biblical writers a peculiar set of literary dummies of
very limited ability. Very queer is the claim of Koenig that the blessing now spoken of in this
verse has nothing to do with the preceding verses of the chapter. Rather, it is claimed, having
spoken these words (v. 1-27), he then proceeded to add a blessing, but the blessing as such is not
recorded. How can a man fail to see that in all its parts almost v. 1-27 are blessings?

123. The Death of Jacob
29.Then he gave them these instructions: “I am about to
be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the
cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite
1. Clarke, “Bury me with my fathers, etc. - From this it appears that the cave at Machpelah was a
common burying-place for Hebrews of distinction; and indeed the first public burying-place
mentioned in history. From Gen_49:31 we find that Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, and Leah,
had been already deposited there, and among them Jacob wished to have his bones laid; and he
left his dying charge with his children to bury him in this place, and this they conscientiously
performed. See Gen_50:13.
2. Gill, “ And he charged them, and said unto them,.... The same charge he had given to Joseph
he here renews, and lays it upon his sons, who were everyone of them to go along with Joseph to
bury him in Canaan:
I am to be gathered unto my people; the people of God, the spirits of just men made perfect, the
souls of all the saints who before this time had departed this life, and were in a state of happiness
and bliss; called his people, because he and they were of the same mystical body the church,
belonged to the same general assembly, and church of the firstborn; the company of God's elect,
who were in the same covenant of grace, and partakers of the same blessings and promises of
grace: this shows that the souls of men are immortal; that there is a future state after death,
which is a state of happiness, and into which saints immediately enter as soon as they die, and
where Jacob expected to be in a short time:
bury me with my fathers; the other part of himself, his body, which should not be gathered to his
people, as his soul would be, he orders to be interred with his fathers Abraham and Isaac:
in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite; which is more particularly described in the
following verse, being the place of his father's sepulchre.
3. Henry, “The solemn charge Jacob gave them concerning his burial, which is a repetition of
what he had before given to Joseph. See how he speaks of death, now that he is dying: I am to be
gathered unto my people, Gen_49:29. ote, It is good to represent death to ourselves under the
most desirable images, that the terror of it may be taken off. Though it separates us from our
children and our people in this world, it gathers us to our fathers and to our people in the other
world. Perhaps Jacob uses this expression concerning death as a reason why his sons should bury
him in Canaan; for, says he, “I am to be gathered unto my people, my soul must go to the spirits of
just men made perfect: and therefore bury me with my fathers, Abraham and Isaac, and their
wives,” Gen_49:31. Observe, 1. His heart was very much upon it, not so much from a natural

124. affection to his native soil as from a principle of faith in the promise of God, that Canaan should
be the inheritance of his seed in due time. Thus he would keep up in his sons a remembrance of
the promised land, and not only would have their acquaintance with it renewed by a journey
thither on that occasion, but their desire towards it and their expectation of it preserved.
4. Jamison, “he charged them — The charge had already been given and solemnly undertaken
(Gen_47:31). But in mentioning his wishes now and rehearsing all the circumstances connected
with the purchase of Machpelah, he wished to declare, with his latest breath, before all his family,
that he died in the same faith as Abraham.
5. K&D 29-33, “Death of Jacob. - After the blessing, Jacob again expressed to his twelve sons his
desire to be buried in the sepulchre of his fathers (Gen 24), where Isaac and Rebekah and his own
wife Leah lay by the side of Abraham and Sarah, which Joseph had already promised on oath to
perform (Gen_47:29-31). He then drew his feet into the bed to lie down, for he had been sitting
upright while blessing his sons, and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered to his people (vid.,
Gen_25:8). ‫ַע‬‫ו‬ְ‫ג‬ִ‫יּ‬ַ‫ו‬ instead of ‫ֹת‬ ‫ָמ‬‫יּ‬ַ‫ו‬ indicates that the patriarch departed from this earthly life
without a struggle. His age is not given here, because that has already been done at Gen_47:28.
6. Calvin, “And he charged them. We have seen before, that Jacob especially commanded his son
Joseph to take care that his body should be buried in the land of Canaan. Moses now repeats that
the same command was given to all his sons, in order that they might go to that country with one
consent; and might mutually assist each other in performing this office. We have stated elsewhere
why he made such a point of conscience of his sepulture; which we must always remember, lest
the example of the holy man should be drawn injudiciously into a precedent for superstition.
Truly he did not wish to be carried into the land of Canaan, as if he would be the nearer heaven
for being buried there: but that, being dead, he might claim possession of a land which he had
held during his life, only by a precarious tenure. ot that any advantage would hence accrue to
him privately, seeing he had already fulfilled his course; but because it was profitable that the
memory of the promise should be renewed, by this symbol, among his surviving sons, in order
that they might aspire to it. Meanwhile, we gather that his mind did not cleave to the earth;
because, unless he had been an heir of heaven, he would never have hoped that God, for the sake
of one who was dead, would prove so bountiful towards his children. ow, to give the greater
weight to his command, Jacob declares that this thing had not come first into his own mind, but
that he had been thus taught by his forefathers. Abraham, he says, bought that sepulcher for
himself and his family: hitherto, we have sacredly kept the law delivered to us by him. You must
therefore take care not to violate it, in order that after my death also, some token of the favor of
God may continue with us.
7. Leupold, “Joseph had already been placed under oath to see to it that Jacob be buried in
Canaan. ow all the sons have the same charge laid upon them. Jacob very clearly realizes that
he is dying: "I for my part" — ’anî for emphasis, namely I, as formerly my fathers—"am now
being gathered unto my people." e’esaph as ifal participle describes an act or experience
which is beginning at the time the speaker utters the word and continues into the future (K. S.
237 d). Jacob regards "his people" as still existing though dead, and so he gives testimony of his
faith in the life to come. It is an act of faith on Jacob’s part that he desires burial in Canaan in the
grave acquired by Abraham. Abraham’s provision for his and for Sarah’s burial (chapter 23) was
a testimony of faith for the generations that were to come after him. That "being gathered unto

125. his people" is one thing, and that "being buried with his fathers" is another, appears from the
fact that the two are mentioned separately. His sons may well have heard of this family sepulchre.
He repeats in detail where it is, to whom it formerly belonged, that it is a cave, what other name
the field bears, that it lies over against Mamre in the land of Canaan, and that Abraham had
bought it of Ephron for this very purpose, that he might at least have "a burial place of his own
possession" in the land where he was not privileged to own any other property or fields. The
expression ’ahuzzath qébher, "a possession of a grave," means "a burial place of his own
possession." Luther renders it well Erbbegraebnis, "a hereditary burial plot."
30. the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre in
Canaan, which Abraham bought along with the field as a
burial place from Ephron the Hittite.
1. Gill, “In the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of
Canaan,.... This is so exactly described, that there might be no mistake about the place, see
Gen_23:17,
which Abraham bought with the field of Ephron the Hittite, for a possession of a burying place;
this is observed if any of the successors of Ephron, or any of the Hittites, should lay any claim
unto it, or dispute the right of Jacob's sons to bury him there.
2. Henry, “ He is very particular in describing the place both by the situation of it and by the
purchase Abraham had made of it for a burying-place, Gen_49:30, Gen_49:32. He was afraid lest
his sons, after seventeen years' sojourning in Egypt, had forgotten Canaan, and even the burying-
place of their ancestors there, or lest the Canaanites should dispute his title to it; and therefore he
specifies it thus largely, and the purchase of it, even when he lies a-dying, not only to prevent
mistakes, but to show how mindful he was of that country. ote, It is, and should be, a great
pleasure to dying saints to fix their thoughts upon the heavenly Canaan, and the rest they hope
for there after death.
31. There Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried, there
Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried, and there I
buried Leah.
1. Gill, “There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife,.... Abraham buried Sarah there himself,

126. and his two sons, Isaac and Ishmael, buried him there:
there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; we have no other account of the death of Rebekah,
and her burial, but here; it is probable she died before Isaac, and that Isaac buried her in this
cave; and here Esau and Jacob buried him:
and there I buried Leah; of whose death and burial we also read nowhere else but here; it is
probable she died before Isaac, and that Isaac buried her in this cave; and here Esau and Jacob
buried him:
2. Leupold, “Shammah, "thither," is often weakened down to a mere "there," though it involves a
kind of pregnant construction: they took him to that place and buried him there. We already
know that Abraham (chapter 35) and Sarah lay buried there (chapter 23). ow we are informed
of what we would have surmised, that Isaac and Rebekah lay there also. There Jacob himself had
buried Leah. Jacob now repeats how much the property actually involved, for he wants his sons
to perpetuate a correct tradition concerning it. It is "the property consisting of the field and the
cave which is in it." All these directions are not the garrulous reminiscences of an old man but
specific directions which are of importance for the future. All three patriarchs wanted their
children to have clear testimony that they had believed God’s promises also in reference to the
land that was ultimately to be theirs. These clear directions help to carry this testimony down to
successive generations, clear-cut and correct.
32. The field and the cave in it were bought from the
Hittites.[p]”
1. Gill, “The purchase of the field, and of the cave that is there, was from the children of Heth.
Which is repeated for the certainty of it, and that it might be taken notice of, that both the field
and cave were bought by Abraham of Ephron the Hittite, and that the children of Heth were
witnesses of the bargain, and of the payment of the money, and by whom the estate was made
sure to Abraham; all which might be urged, if any controversy should arise about it; see
Gen_23:16
33. When Jacob had finished giving instructions to his
sons, he drew his feet up into the bed, breathed his last
and was gathered to his people.
1. Clarke, “He gathered up his feet into the bed - It is very probable that while delivering these

127. prophetic blessings Jacob sat upon the side of his bed, leaning upon his staff; and having finished,
he lifted up his feet into the bed, stretched himself upon it, and expired!
And was gathered unto his people - The testimony that this place bears to the immortality of
the soul, and to its existence separate from the body, should not be lightly regarded. In the same
moment in which Jacob is said to have gathered up his feet into the bed, and to have expired, it is
added, and was gathered unto his people. It is certain that his body was not then gathered to his
people, nor till seven weeks after; and it is not likely that a circumstance, so distant in point both
of time and place, would have been thus anticipated, and associated with facts that took place in
that moment. I cannot help therefore considering this an additional evidence for the
immateriality of the soul, and that it was intended by the Holy Spirit to convey this grand and
consolatory sentiment, that when a holy man ceases to live among his fellows, his soul becomes an
inhabitant of another world, and is joined to the spirits of just men made perfect.
1. It has been conjectured (See Clarke Gen_37:9 (note)) that the eleven stars that bowed down
to Joseph might probably refer to the signs of the Zodiac, which were very anciently known
in Egypt, and are supposed to have had their origin in Chaldea. On this supposition
Joseph’s eleven brethren answered to eleven of these signs, and himself to the twelfth.
General Vallancy has endeavored, in his Collectanea de Rebus Hibernicis, vol. vi., part. ii.,
p. 343, to trace out the analogy between the twelve sons of Jacob and the twelve signs of the
Zodiac, which Dr. Hales (Analysis, vol. ii., p. 165) has altered a little, and placed in a form
in which it becomes more generally applicable. As this scheme is curious, many readers who
may not have the opportunity of consulting the above works will be pleased to find it here.
That there is an allusion to the twelve signs of the Zodiac, and probably to their ancient
asterisms, may be readily credited; but how far the peculiar characteristics of the sons of
Jacob were expressed by the animals in the Zodiac, is a widely different question.
1. Reuben - “Unstable (rather pouring out) as waters” - the sign Aquarius, represented as
a man pouring out waters from an urn.
2. Simeon and Levi - “The united brethren” the sign Gemini or the Twins.
3. Judah - “The strong lion” - the sign Leo.
4. Asher - “His bread shall be fat” - the sign Virgo or the Virgin, generally represented as
holding a full ear of corn.
5. Issachar - “A strong ass” or ox, both used in husbandry - the sign Taurus or the Bull.
6. and
7. Dan - “A serpent biting the horse’s heels” - Scorpio, the Scorpion. On the celestial
sphere the Scorpion is actually represented as biting the heel of the horse of the archer
Sagittarius; and Chelae, “his claws,” originally occupied the space of Libra.
8. Joseph - “His bow remained in strength” - the sign Sagittarius, the archer or bowman;
commonly represented, even on the Asiatic Zodiacs, with his bow bent, and the arrow
drawn up to the head - the bow in full strength.
9. aphtali - by a play on his name, ‫טלה‬ taleh, the ram - the sign Aries, according to the
rabbins.
10. Zebulun - “A haven for ships” - denoted by Cancer, the crab.
11. Gad - “A troop or army” - reversed, dag, a fish - the sign Pisces.
12. Benjamin - “A ravening wolf” - Capricorn, which on the Egyptian sphere was
represented by a goat led by Pan, with a wolf’s head.

128. What likelihood the reader may see in all this, I cannot pretend to say; but that the twelve
signs were at that time known in Egypt and Chaldea, there can be little doubt.
2. We have now seen the life of Jacob brought to a close; and have carefully traced it through
all its various fortunes, as the facts presented themselves in the preceding chapters. Isaac
his father was what might properly be called a good man; but in strength of mind he
appears to have fallen far short of his father Abraham, and his son Jacob. Having left the
management of his domestic concerns to Rebekah his wife, who was an artful and
comparatively irreligious woman, the education of his sons was either neglected or
perverted. The unhappy influence which the precepts and example of his mother had on the
mind of her son we have seen and deplored. Through the mercy of God Jacob outlived the
shady part of his own character, and his last days were his brightest and his best. He had
many troubles and difficulties in life, under which an inferior mind must have necessarily
sunk; but being a worker together with the providence of God, his difficulties only served in
general to whet his invention, and draw out the immense resources of his own mind. He had
to do with an avaricious, procrastinating relative, as destitute of humanity as he was of
justice. Let this plead something in his excuse. He certainly did outwit his father-in-law;
and yet, probably, had no more than the just recompense of his faithful services in the
successful issue of all his devices. From the time in which God favored him with that
wonderful manifestation of grace at Peniel, Genesis 32, he became a new man. He had
frequent discoveries of God before, to encourage him in journeys, secular affairs, etc.; but
none in which the heart-changing power of Divine grace was so abundantly revealed.
Happy he whose last days are his best! We can scarcely conceive a scene more noble or
dignified than that exhibited at the deathbed of Jacob. This great man was now one
hundred and forty-seven years of age; though his body, by the waste of time, was greatly
enfeebled, yet with a mind in perfect vigor, and a hope full of immortality, he calls his
numerous family together, all of them in their utmost state of prosperity, and gives them his
last counsels, and his dying blessing. His declarations show that the secret of the Lord was
with him, and that his candle shone bright upon his tabernacle. Having finished his work,
with perfect possession of all his faculties, and being determined that while he was able to
help himself none should be called in to assist, (which was one of the grand characteristics
of his life), he, with that dignity which became a great man and a man of God stretched
himself upon his bed, and rather appears to have conquered death than to have suffered it.
Who, seeing the end of this illustrious patriarch, can help exclaiming, There is none like the
God of Jeshurun! Let Jacob’s God be my God! Let me die the death of the righteous, and
let my last end be like his! Reader, God is still the same: and though he may not make thee
as great as was Jacob, yet he is ready to make thee as good; and, whatever thy past life may
have been, to crown thee with loving-kindness and tender mercies, that thy end also may be
peace.
2. Gill, “ And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons,.... Had given all the proper
directions and instructions concerning his interment in the land of Canaan: he gathered up his
feet into the bed; on which he sat while he blessed his sons, and gave orders to them about his
burial; but now he gathered up his feet into the bed, laid himself along, and composed himself in
a proper posture to die. What authority the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem on Gen_49:21
had for saying this bed was a bed of gold, I know not:

129. and he yielded up the ghost; he expired, he died an easy death, without any pain or sickness:
which Ben Melech says this phrase is expressive of. He died in the year of his age one hundred
and forty seven, and not one hundred and forty four, as a Jewish chronologer (t) wrongly puts it,
and in the year of the world 2315, and before Christ 1689, according to Bishop Usher (u): and
was gathered unto his people:
3. Henry, “The death of Jacob, Gen_49:33. When he had finished both his blessing and his charge
(both which are included in the commanding of his sons), and so had finished his testimony, he
addressed himself to his dying work. 1. He put himself into a posture for dying; having before
seated himself upon the bed-side, to bless his sons (the spirit of prophecy bringing fresh oil to his
expiring lamp, Dan_10:19), when that work was done, he gathered up his feet into the bed, that he
might lie along, not only as one patiently submitting to the stroke, but as one cheerfully
composing himself to rest, now that he was weary. I will lay me down, and sleep. 2. He freely
resigned his spirit into the hand of God, the Father of spirits: He yielded up the ghost. 3. His
separated soul went to the assembly of the souls of the faithful, which, after they are delivered
from the burden of the flesh, are in joy and felicity: he was gathered to his people. ote, If God's
people be our people, death will gather us to them.
4. Jamison, “when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons — It is probable that he was
supernaturally strengthened for this last momentous office of the patriarch, and that when the
divine afflatus ceased, his exhausted powers giving way, he yielded up the ghost, and was
gathered unto his people.
5. Calvin, “He gathered up his feet. The expression is not superfluous: because Moses wished
thereby to describe the placid death of the holy man: as if he had said, that the aged saint gave
directions respecting the disposal of his body, as easily as healthy and vigorous men are wont to
compose themselves to sleep. And truly a wonderful vigor and presence of mind was necessary
for him, when, while death was in his countenance, he thus courageously fulfilled the prophetic
office enjoined upon him. And it is not to be doubted that such efficacy of the Holy Spirit
manifested itself in him, as served to produce, in his sons, confidence in, and reverence for his
prophecies. At the same time, however, it is proper to observe, that it is the effect of a good
conscience, to be able to depart out of the world without terror. For since death is by nature
formidable, wonderful torments agitate the wicked, when they perceive that they are summoned
to the tribunal of God. Moreover, in order that a good conscience may lead us peacefully and
quietly to the grave, it is necessary to rely upon the resurrection of Christ; for we then go
willingly to God, when we have confidence respecting a better life. We shall not deem it grievous
to leave this failing tabernacle, when we reflect on the everlasting abode which is prepared for us.
6. Leupold, “Jacob’s very last act on earth was an act of faith. When the charge is finished, he
draws up his feet into his bed. Apparently, he had summoned up his last strength and had sat up
in bed to bless his own sons, even as he had done to bless Joseph’s sons (Ge 48:2). Practically
immediately thereafter he "expired," whether the process of dying was instantaneous or whether
it occupied several hours Apparently, death was almost instantaneous. Such remarkable
instances occur from time to time where men remain in full possession of their faculties to the end
and are also entirely certain that their end is just at hand. On the expression "was gathered unto
his people" see v. Ge 49:29. It means here as there to go to the company of those who live in the

130. life to come in a happier existence. For a full discussion of this phrase read our remarks on Ge
25:8.
CO CLUSIO S.
Bob Deffinbaugh has an excellent summery of this chapter and the questions it raises. He wrote,
“Conclusion
Having given a very brief explanation of the prophecies of Jacob concerning each of his sons, we
must return to our original questions if we are to gain a grasp of the purposes of prophecy.
(1) Did every detail of Jacob’s prophecy come to pass, as he predicted? I believe we can say with a
fair degree of confidence that the answer is no. For example, Zebulun did not dwell at the
seashore (verse 13). Also, we must remember that while Levi is rather harshly rebuked by his
father here, and he is said to be dispersed among his brethren (verse 7), he is to become the head
of the priestly tribe. In this position there is great blessing.
What explanation can we give for the fact that some prophecies are not precisely fulfilled, as we
have come to expect? First, let me remind you that God’s purposes for Israel are not yet
complete:
For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery, lest you be wise in your own
estimation, that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has
come in; and thus all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, “THE DELIVERER WILL COME
FROM ZIO , HE WILL REMOVE U GODLI ESS FROM JACOB.” “A D THIS IS MY
COVE A T WITH THEM, WHE I TAKE AWAY THEIR SI S” (Romans 11:25-27).
The promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, were never fully realized in Israel’s history, and thus
they are still viewed to be future. How can we be surprised, then, that some prophecies are not
yet fulfilled?
Secondly (and this will sound like a great heresy) God never intended to fulfill every prophecy.
Before you turn me off and tear up this page, let me explain what I am saying. While most
prophecies are specific and certain of their fulfillment, not all are so. Some prophecies are God’s
warning of what would come to pass if men did not repent and change their attitudes and actions.
This is why Jonah had no intention of prophesying impending judgment to the inevites:
When God saw their deeds and that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented
concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them. And He did not do it.
But it greatly displeased Jonah, and he became angry. And he prayed to the Lord and said,
“Please Lord, was not this what I said while I was still in my own country? Therefore, in order to
forestall this I fled to Tarshish, for I knew that Thou art a gracious and compassionate God, slow
to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and one who relents concerning calamity” (Jonah 3:10-
4:2).

131. Some years later, the truth which Jonah knew was clearly stated by the prophet Jeremiah:
At one moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to uproot, to pull
down, or to destroy it, if that nation against which I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent
concerning the calamity I planned to bring on it. Or at another moment I might speak concerning
a nation or concerning a kingdom to build up or to plant it, if it does evil in My sight by not
obeying My voice, then I will think better of the good with which I had promised to bless it
(Jeremiah 18:7-10).
(2) What purpose does this prophecy serve the sons of Israel, since they will all die before God
causes the nation to return to Canaan? For the twelve sons of Jacob, the primary lesson I see is
that their character not only affects their own destiny, but also the conduct of future generations
and the consequences which that conduct conceives. In other words, the sons of Jacob are
reminded of the lesson which Jacob had himself recently learned, that present actions have future
results and repercussions. Jacob’s deceptiveness could be seen in his two sons, Simeon and Levi.
The prophecies of Jacob remind his sons that what they are tends to shape what the nation will
be in years to come. If they live godly lives, this will be a blessing to coming generations. If they
are godless, the nation will likewise reap the consequences:
“You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting
the iniquity of the fathers on the children, and on the third and the fourth generations of those
who hate Me, … Oh that they had such a heart in them, that they would fear Me, and keep all
My commandments always, that it may be well with them and with their sons forever! Go, say to
them, ‘Return to your tents.’ But as for you, stand here by Me, that I may speak to you all the
commandments and the statutes and the judgments which you shall teach them, that they may
observe them in the land which I give them to possess.” So you shall observe to do just as the
Lord your God has commanded you; you shall not turn aside to the right or to the left. You shall
walk in all the way which the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live, and that it
may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which you shall possess
(Deuteronomy 5:9, 29-33).
(3) Why did Moses record the words of Jacob? What did the ancient Israelites learn from them?
The lesson for those Israelites was precisely that which Jacob sought to teach his sons, that
present actions tend to shape the future. The early chapters of Deuteronomy (such as Deut. 5:9,
29-33, quoted above) record Moses’ attempt to underscore the importance of trusting and
obeying God, for present and future blessing.
(4) Why did Reuben, Simeon and Levi receive rebuke from their father for their past sins while
Judah is greatly blessed? Genesis 38 surely teaches us that Judah, like his brothers, was guilty of
misconduct. But there is a significant difference between Judah and Reuben (for example). We
are never told that Reuben repented of his evil, or that he changed his conduct significantly.
Judah, when faced with his sin, confessed it and forsook it:
And Judah recognized them, and said, “She is more righteous than I, inasmuch as I did not give
her to my son Shelah.” And he did not have relations with her again (Genesis 38:26).
Furthermore, Reuben’s response to their distress in Egypt was to “pass the buck” by telling his
brothers, in effect, “I told you so” (42:22). Judah, on the other hand, took full responsibility for
the safety of Benjamin (43:8-10) and offered himself as a hostage in place of his youngest brother
(48:18ff.).
These observations bring us to the purpose of Jacob’s prophecy, and thus the purpose of all
prophecy. Here, we can find the meaning of the many prophecies which are yet to be fulfilled,

132. whether in our day or not.
The Purpose of Prophecy
(1) Prophecy focuses our attention upon future things. Our tendency is to live our lives as though
there were no future. Israel’s hope, like ours, was a future hope. The ultimate reality is not in
things seen, but in things unseen. Faith focuses upon the future rather than the present:
ow faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1).
While at the moment Jacob and his sons lived comfortably in Egypt, there was a grave danger in
placing their hope and trust in what Egypt offered them. Israel’s hope and the fulfillment of
God’s promises lay in Canaan, not Egypt. The sons of Jacob must look ahead.
We, too, must not fix our hopes on earthly things, in the momentary, temporal pleasures of this
life, but in those things which God has yet in store for us:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has
caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the
dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away,
reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation
ready to be revealed in the last time (I Peter 1:3-5).
(2) Prophecy focuses not only on the future, however, but on living in the present in the light of
the future. The promises of God to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were to prompt purity in the lives
of Israel’s sons, not passivity or complacency. The future blessings (and judgments) which are in
store for us are intended to encourage Christians to live in peace and purity:
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar
and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned
up. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in
holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, on account
of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat!
But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which
righteousness dwells (II Peter 3:10-13).
So it was that Moses was prompted to forego passing pleasures for eternal glory:
By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter;
choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God, than to enjoy the passing
pleasures of sin; considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt;
for he was looking to the reward (Hebrews 11:24-26).
Prophecy, then, is given not to satisfy our curiosity, but to prompt us to purity. Many Christians
have an obsession with prophecy, seeking to fill in their charts and laying out God’s program for
the future in minutest detail, as though it were some kind of puzzle to be solved. I fear that it is
possible for us to strain eschatological (prophetic) gnats while we swallow biblical camels. While
prophecy has future promises, it also contains present implications which are intended to prompt
us to purity and piety.
I must make a momentary aside for yet another reason why we must exercise caution in
attempting to too precisely plot out all of God’s prophetic program.
We know that while all of the prophecies of our Lord’s first coming were literally and exactly
fulfilled, no one, before the fact, could have predicted how it would happen. While the particulars

133. of prophecy were known, the program was not. Dare we suppose that we will see the plan for our
Lord’s second coming any more precisely than did those saints of olden days see the first? Let us
be careful about a fixation on particulars when the purpose of prophecy is purity.
(3) While we may be certain that specific prophecy (such as the second coming of Christ) will be
fulfilled as specifically and literally as were those prophecies of Christ’s first coming, more
general prophecies may be given to warn men of the possibility of future things which can be
avoided. Judgment did fall upon inevah, but it was delayed (from a human point of view) by
repentance (Jonah 3:5ff.). And while judgment may fall on others, we may escape through the
acceptance of divine grace.
In general we must say that all of the prophecy of Jacob either was fulfilled or will be in the
future outworking of God’s plan for Israel. To the descendants of the twelve sons of Jacob, the
prophecy was a warning of the potential for following in the footsteps of their father. As sons of
their father, they had the predisposition to sin just as their forefathers. These words of warning
were also words of hope for, through the grace which God provided, they need not follow in the
steps of their fathers. The warning of sin and its consequences was designed to turn men from
their sin to the Messiah, through whom deliverance would come. The sons of Jacob, like Jacob
himself, must wait for God’s salvation: “For Thy salvation I wait, O Lord” (verse 18).
We should also add that none of the blessings which Jacob pronounced upon his descendants
were realized apart from divine grace. o one could inherit grace from their forefathers, they
must accept it personally. This was the error of those in Jesus’ day:
They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s offspring, and have never yet been enslaved to anyone;
how is it that You say, ‘You shall become free’?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you,
every one who commits sin is the slave of sin. And the slave does not remain forever. If therefore
the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed” (John 8:33-36).
ationally, the prophecies of Jacob were certainties; they were sure to be fulfilled sooner or later
in that tribe. But individually one could be the exception to the rule of the consequences of sin, or
the participant in the divine promises of blessing, by trusting the Messiah who was to come.
The Scriptures abound in passages which speak of days ahead of suffering and eternal torment,
of judgment and condemnation:
And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened;
and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the
things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead
which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were
judged, every one of them according to their deeds. And death and Hades were thrown in to the
lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written
in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:12-15).
While some will surely face this judgment, you need not. Prophecy such as this is written so that
you might turn from sin and judgment to Jesus Christ and the salvation He offers to all who will
believe:
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him
should not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the
world, but that the world should be saved through Him (John 3:16,17).
By acknowledging your sin and the judgment you deserve, by personally trusting in Jesus Christ
as Messiah and Savior, you may avoid the judgment to come and may live in purity and

134. expectation of the promise of God of the blessed hope:
And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away,
and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of
heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice
from the throne, saying, “Behold the tabernacle of God is among men, and He shall dwell among
them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be among them, and He shall wipe
away every tear from their eyes; and there shall no longer be any death; there shall no longer be
any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away” (Revelation 21:1-4).
For the unbeliever, the purpose of prophecy is to warn him of the wages of sin. For the Christian,
the purpose of prophecy is to motivate him to live in this life in purity and hope, assured that God
has even greater blessings in store for those who will trust and obey.”
Footnotes:
1. Genesis 49:5 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
2. Genesis 49:8 Judah sounds like and may be derived from the Hebrew for praise.
3. Genesis 49:10 Or from his descendants
4. Genesis 49:10 Or to whom tribute belongs; the meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
5. Genesis 49:12 Or will be dull from wine, / his teeth white from milk
6. Genesis 49:14 Or strong
7. Genesis 49:14 Or the campfires; or the saddlebags
8. Genesis 49:16 Dan here means he provides justice.
9. Genesis 49:19 Gad sounds like the Hebrew for attack and also for band of raiders.
10. Genesis 49:21 Or free; / he utters beautiful words
11. Genesis 49:22 Or Joseph is a wild colt, / a wild colt near a spring, / a wild donkey on a terraced
hill
12. Genesis 49:24 Or archers will attack … will shoot … will remain … will stay
13. Genesis 49:25 Hebrew Shaddai
14. Genesis 49:26 Or of my progenitors, / as great as
15. Genesis 49:26 Or of the one separated from
16. Genesis 49:32 Or the descendants of Heth
All of my own poems, books, commentaries and other writings can be found at
1. 68 FREE BOOKS http://www.scribd.com/doc/21800308/Free-Christian-Books
2. ALL WRITI GS http://www.scribd.com/glennpease/documents?page=148
3. JUST POETRY http://www.scribd.com/doc/21858076/Poems-and-Lyrics

135. APPE DIX A
An Early Text for Later Messianic Conceptions: A Look at Genesis 49:8-12
Study By: Greg Herrick
The ew Testament ( T) writers constantly employed the Old Testament (OT) in their preaching
about Christ. And there is good reason, of course, for they believed that all of the OT spoke to the
coming of Christ, either directly or indirectly, by type, example, etc. Jesus said in Luke 24:44 that
everything that was spoken about him in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms had to
be fulfilled. This means that in some way there is reference to him as the
messiah/savior/priest/king throughout the whole OT, including the Pentateuch (for this made up
the “law” as Luke referred to it here). It is to the Pentateuch, and to Genesis 49:8-12 in
particular, that we now turn our attention in this short paper. (This paper is one of several to
follow which will attempt to show Davidic regal conceptions in the Old Testament as backdrop
for the T presentation of the Messiah.)1
Perhaps one of the most intriguing traditions found in the “Testament of Jacob,” as Genesis 49:3-
27 is often referred to,2 concerns the blessing on Judah in vv. 8-12. According to Wenham this
passage alone “has provoked more discussion than the whole of the rest of the chapter.”3
Questions about the precise significance of the various images (e.g., “lion’s cub,” “between his
feet,” etc.), the original wording of v. 8 (cf. 1QM 12:10),4 the use (i.e., Sitz im Leben) of the
tradition before its incorporation into the text, and the essential unity of the poem as a whole, are
legion and it appears that no consensus is in sight on most of the issues; the passage has had,
especially since the 19th century and the rise of critical scholarship, a diverse history of
interpretation.5 It is not our purpose here to attempt systematic answers to all the queries arising
out of this text, but instead to surface certain elements important for understanding regal hope in
the Old Testament and the kinds of ideas T writers were free to draw on and utilize in their
preaching about Christ. It is the images concerning Judah which will become important for
subsequent Jewish thinking about the Messiah and his kingdom for they outline in incipient form
a portrait of a coming king. The focus of this study is not on the T’s use of Gen 49:8-12, but on
the text of Genesis 49 itself and the kinds of regal ideas it advances.
Date and Literary Integrity of Genesis 49:8-12
The prevailing view among critical scholars today regarding the date of the traditions reflected in
the poem partly depends on one’s view of the literary integrity of the unit. For those who see the
poem as essentially a collection of disparate traditions the dates range accordingly, from pre-
monarchic for certain traditions to post-exilic for others. For those, on the other hand, who
maintain the essential literary integrity of the unit, the date of composition ranges, based on

136. internal considerations such as the places where the tribes are said to live (cf. Zebulon in v. 13)
and the exalted emphasis on Judah vv. 8-12 and the tribe of Joseph, from some time in the period
of the Judges with still later modifications in the monarchic period.6 There is, however, good
evidence for an even earlier date (e.g., the lack of reference to Mosaic legislation of any kind), but
on any reasonable reckoning it may be considered one of the oldest parts of the Bible.7
Regal Conceptions in Genesis 49:8-12
There are several features of the coming ruler and his rule that Genesis 49:8-12 introduces and
upon which, either verbally or conceptually, later writers appear to make use. The beginning of
verse 8 ühT*a hd*Why+ (“You are Judah”) with the use of the second person pronoun serves to
underscore the fact that the predication to follow uniquely and singularly concerns Judah,8 that
is, ultimately the tribe as a whole, and though some commentators disagree, the verses as a whole
are extremely lauditory in nature.9 It is said that Judah will be praised by his brothers (v. 8a) and
that they will bow down to him (v. 8c) probably because he has earned it in that he has conquered
his enemies (i.e., put his hand on their necks10) and undoubtedly because, as his brothers, they
will certainly benefit in Judah’s victories.11 As the tribe goes so goes the nation. This will be
developed quite extensively in the covenant made with David some years later (2 Sam 7:6-16).
The idea of Judah’s strength is evidenced in the reference to him as “a lion’s cub going up (tyl!u*
yn]b= [rF#m!) from the prey.” Though some have understood tyl!u* as a reference to “being
reared” on prey (cf. Ezek. 19:3), “it is better to understand it of the lion’s ascent, after a raid, to
his mountain fastness, where he rests in unassailable security.”12 Thus the image speaks of
Judah’s power and supremacy among the tribes and over her enemies. His sovereignty is
expressed in that no one dare challenge him, i.e., “rouse him.” This brings to mind the comments
of the psalmist who, when speaking of God’s Davidic king, said, “Therefore you kings be wise; be
warned, you rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the
Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment”
(Psalm 2:10-12a IV; see also Ps 110).
Though some have found the transition to the metaphor of a scepter (fb#v@) and ruler’s staff
(qq@{jm=13 [v. 10]) a difficult one, it need not be if the general underlying principal of
leadership and dominance be seen to be carried through in this second image. There are many
difficult phrases to translate and deal with here, but the overall thrust is clear enough. The point
of the image is that Judah will continue to rule14 until hylv (Shiloh) comes and the obedience of
the nations is his [i.e., hlyv]. Thus the rule of Judah as crystallized in hlyv is here envisioned by
Jacob as extending beyond the borders of Israel to include the entire world, though perhaps not
in a completely absolute sense. The fact that the nations of the earth shall benefit (i.e., on the idea
of a beneficial rule see comments on v. 11, 12) is in keeping with the author’s view of God’s
covenant promises to Abraham in Genesis 12:3: “in you all the nations of the earth will be
blessed.” But we must return now to take a closer look at the enigmatic hylv.
There are four prominent interpretations of Genesis 49:10b which will be briefly cited here.15
First, the text may be translated as “until he comes to Shiloh.”16 The point, then, would be that a
Judean ruler will come to control Shiloh which is understood to refer to a sacred sanctuary in
Ephraim. A significant problem with this view is that here the writing of hlyv is plene, but the

137. place name is written defectively, hlv. Second, the LXX (and other versions) read “until he comes
whose it is.” The point of the statement, then, is that rulership (i.e., the scepter and the rod) will
not depart from Judah until one comes to whom the right to rule belongs. Third, Westermann17
and von Rad18 suggest that hlyv was originally hlvm and, therefore, referred to a Davidic ruler
or messianic figure. Fourth, several commentators suggest that the Hebrew need only be
repointed as h{l yv^ ab*y| “until tribute is brought to him” to make good sense. As Wenham
argues, this “solution has the advantage of requiring no consonantal changes and makes a nice
parallel with the following clause.”19 The most important point for our consideration, however, is
not the precise referent for the term alyv but the fact that on any reasonable reading of the
passage, a future ruler is envisaged and that he may well go beyond just a political figure, but
indeed may be characterized as an escahtological20 regal triumphant figure.21 As Gunkel points
out, the mention of olw+ clearly indicates that a person is in view here.22
The images in verse 11 have undergone no little discussion, but while there are differences of
opinion on specific points the overall meaning is fairly straightforward. Here the promised ruler
of the preceding verse is seen to tether his donkey to a vine, wash his clothes in wine, and his
appearance speaks of beauty and health.23 The lavish language describes a time when there will
be extravagent blessing symbolized by the abundance of wine and milk. The image “is a common
biblical figure of divine favor and prosperity.”24 The connection of an ideal earth with a coming
ruler was made at several points in later writers (cf. e.g. Isa 11:1-9; Ezek 34:23-31; Amos 9:11-15;
Ps 72:16). There may also be another inference to be drawn from the grape imagery which could
have implications for later writers. Hamilton explains:
It is clear that wine is not exactly the same as grape’s blood. The first refers to the finished
product. The second refers to the crushing of the grapes. May we have here a pastoral image, but
within which there is the intimation of violence? May there be both a laundering of wine and a
laundering of blood? To his own this one will bring joy and fullness; to those who reject him he
brings terror.25
Summary
In summary, then, Genesis 49:8-12, while containing many exegetical difficulties, nonetheless
provides a well of very early regal conceptions which later writers were free to draw from, use
(cf. Pss 45, 72, 89, 110, 132; Hos 3:5; Amos 9:11-15; Is 9:6-7; 11:1ff, etc.), and adapt according to
the profile of the regal/eschatological figure they wished to sketch.26 The passage, then, is a
prophecy of David and the Davidic kingdom. It envisions a regal figure who will come from the
tribe of Judah. Both Judah’s brothers and many others will benefit as a result of his rule. He will
exhibit strength and defeat his foes with none to overthrow him. The scope of his rule includes
not only the tribes of Israel, but also the nations. In connection with his coming there will be
tremendous blessing and divine favor. In light of vv. 11-12 it is highly likely that later writers
would not have viewed the prophecy as in any real final sense fulfilled at the time of David, but
that more could be anticipated at a future time. This, of course, is ultimately fulfilled in Jesus
Christ, who as a descendant of David and the line of Judah is the only One who exhausts the
regal language employed in the text. The Lord will ultimately defeat all his enemies (Rev 19) and
there will be a time of great worldwide blessing to Israel and the nations through him (Rom
11:25-32; Rev 20:4-6). Certain aspects of the kingdom have been inaugurated at the king’s first
coming and the consummation awaits his return. For example, we have the Spirit now, but we

138. will be completely glorified when he returns (cf. e.g., Acts 3:19-22 and 13:16-41) and Israel will be
restored to the kingdom at that time (Rom 11:25-32). The next paper in this series will focus on
the “star” imagery of umbers 24:17-19 where these regal hopes are further elaborated upon.
1 There is an ongoing discussion among scholars as to the precise date for the development of the
“messianic” idea in Israel. The present author is not arguing that this text as originally given has
all the messianic intent of later texts, but only that with its exalted regal language it is ripe fodder
for later writers to nourish their messianic hopes on. After we have looked at several texts
throughout the OT and the intertestamental period, we will then examine the T to see where
and how these ideas are utilized.
2 See E. A. Speiser, Genesis, Anchor Bible, vol. 1 ( ew York: Doubleday, 1964), 370.
3 Gordon J. Wenham, Genesis 16-50, Word Biblical Commentary, vol. 2, ed. John D. W. Watts
(Dallas, TX: Word Books, Publisher, 1994), 2: 475. See also Andr Caquot, “La parole sur Juda
dans le testament lyrique de Jacob,” Semitica 26 (1976): 5, who says, “Sans tre la plus obscure
des onze paroles que Gense 49 prte Jacob, la sentence du patriarche concernant son fils Juda est
l’une des plus discutes.”
4 For the argument, on the basis of parallels with 1QM 12:10, that this line was originally a
couplet, see S. Gevirtz, “Adumbrations of Dan in Jacob’s Blessing on Judah,” ZAW 93 (1981):
23-24.
5 For a history of the interpretation of Genesis 49:10 and its relation to Deuteronomy 33 see J. D.
Heck, “A History of Interpretation of Genesis 49 and Deuteronomy 33,” BSac 147 (1990): 16-31.
He says that “there continue to be two major streams of interpretation, the traditional and the
critical, with the latter predominating and with each position largely rejecting the other. Among
critical scholars, those who follow the Albright-Bright-Wright reconstruction of Israelite history
are in the minority. Those who follow the oth-Alt-von Rad reconstruction of Israelite history
with its amphictyonic hypothesis reflect the dominant interpretation of Genesis 49 and
Deuteronomy 33.”
6 See for example, Hermann Gunkel, Genesis, Mercer Library of Biblical Studies, trans., Mark
E. Biddle (Macon, GA: Mercer University Press, 1997), 452, who says, “The sayings of Gen 49
belong to various eras. The saying concerning Judah clearly presupposes that Judah rules the
other tribes. The context of the song shows how Judah acquired the birthright. This points to the
time of David or Solomon.” Gunkel’s statement rests on the premise that the poem was not a
unified composition, but instead a collection of divergent traditions, and a vaticinium ex eventu
approach to prophetic material. The latter premise remains to be argued by those in theology and
philosophy (and one which the present author strongly rejects as necessary), but the former has
been critiqued by several scholars. See e.g. Von Horst Seebass, “Die Stmmesprüche Gen 49 3-27,”
ZAW 96 (1984): 333-50; Franz Delitzsch, A ew Commentary on Genesis, 2 vols., trans., Sophia
Taylor (n.p.: T & T Clark, 1888; reprint Minneapolis, M : Klock & Klock Christian Publishers,

139. 1978), 2:366, reacts to the idea that the poem as a whole belongs in the period of the Davidic
monarchy, or in the period of the Judges, but insists that it goes back to Jacob himself and that
“testamentary words of a prophetic character might be expected from the departing ancestor of
the chosen people.”
7 See Gleason Archer, Jr., A Survey of Old Testament Introduction, rev. ed. (Chicago: Moody
Press, 1974), 155, 56 for arguments against dating that rests on the so-called J editor at the time
of the united monarchy and later.
8 The contrast between Judah and the other tribes, including Joseph (though he is accorded
much in the blessing as well; vv. 22-26) is apparent from even a cursory glance at the poem as a
whole (cf. Reuben, vv. 3-4, who will no longer excel; Simeon and Levi, vv. 5-6 whose unrighteous
and uncontrollable anger is cursed; Issachar, vv. 14-15 will submit to forced labor, etc.).
9 The expression “your brothers will praise you” (;yj#a^ ;Wdoy) invovles assonance and a word-
play (i.e., pun) between ;Wdoy and hd*Why+. The fact that Judah is praised is important for
indicating the positive nature of the blessing, for on only three other ocassions are people said to
be praised in the OT: Job 40:14; Pss 45:18[17], 49:19[18]. But cf. Edwin M. Good, “The Blessing
on Judah in Genesis 49: 8-12,” JBL (1963):427-32, who argues that the blessing only appears to
be laudatory and messianic, but is underneath built on irony and results in a scathing indictment
on the tribe for Judah’s dealings with Tamar in chapter 38. At certain points Calum M.
Carmichael, “Some Sayings in Genesis 49,” JBL (1969): 435-444, follows Good, but disagrees
with inferring from the “staff” something about the conception of the twins; he does not see the
same connections to chapter 38 on the basis of fbv since in 38:18 the term is hfm. According to
Carmichael, the connection, if it exists at all, is only by a “loose association of ideas.” He also
disagrees with Good’s interpretation of the ass and vine imagery. But we must reject this
approach outrightly because it 1) is extremely subtle [Carmichael admits as much, p. 438] and at
certain points quite strained; and 2) rests on the dubious reading of verse 8 as judgmental. See
Wenham, Genesis, 475; Hamilton, Genesis, 2:657.
10 Usually it is the foot that the victor puts on the neck of the downed foe, but here it is the hand
—a fact which has led to attempts at emendation. See e.g., Anderson, “Orthography in Repetitive
Parallelism,” JBL 89 (1970): 344. The occurrence of the phrase, however, at Qumran, i.e., 1QM
12:11, should quell the need for such hypothetical reconstructions: 1QM 12:11 says: “…Set Thy
hand upon the neck of Thine enemies and Thy foot upon the heap of the slain” (italics mine)! See
A. Dupont-Sommer, The Essene Writings from Qumran, ed. Geza Vermes (Gloucester, MA: Peter
Smith, 1973), 187.
11 That there is indeed a causal relationship between the praising and the fact that Judah has
subdued his enemies is evidenced by the causative hiphil form of W;doy in the first line of the
blessing.
12 John Skinner, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Genesis, The International Critical

140. Commentary, ed. S. R. Driver, A. Plummer, and C. A. Briggs, 2nd ed. (Edinburgh: T & T Clark,
1930), 519.
13 The two terms fb#v@ and qq@{jm= are interchangeable in that they both represent political
authority and leadership. So Claus Westermann, Genesis 37-50, trans. John J. Scullion
(Minneapolis, M : Augsburg, 1982), 230. See also B. Margulis, “Gen. XLIX/DEUT.XXXIII 2-3:
A ew Look at Old Problems,” VT 19 (1969):203.
14 The phrase “between his feet” is not a euphemism for the male sexual organ, but shows the
mace or ruler’s staff placed in a position of authority; it is from this position of authority and
leadership that the staff will not depart. See A EP no. 463; Hamilton, Genesis, 2:658, n. 26.
15 Other solutions involve emendations to the consonantal text or unlikely etymologies. See
Margulis, “Gen. XLIX/DEUT.XXXIII 2-3,” 203, who proposes yv^ <a!B> a{by` for the MT. See
also L. Sabotka, “ och Einmal Gen 49:10 Bib 51 (1970): 225-29, who understands the Hebrew
preposition du to refer to a “throne.” Westermann, Genesis 37-50, 3:231, suggests (along with
several other commentators) alyv be explained on the basis of an Akkadian loanword @l%
“ruler.” These solutions are precocious and tenuous at best.
16 In this reading the h in hlyv is directive.
17 Westermann, Genesis 37-50, 3:231.
18 G. von Rad, Genesis, 425, 26. He says that the one to come, in light of verses 11 and 12 “is
almost a Dionysiac figure” which is probably saying too much about this person.
19 Wenham, Genesis, 478.
20 By the term eschatological here we refer to the time envisioned in vv. 11-12 wherein there is an
abundance of divine blessing concomitant with the arrival of the regal figure.
21 Cf. Gunkel, Genesis, 456.
22 Gunkel, Genesis, 456.
23 Gunkel, Genesis, 458.
24 ahum M. Sarna, Genesis ty?arb, The JPS Torah Commentary, gen. ed. ahum M. Sarna

141. (Philadelphia/ ew York/Jerusalem: The Jewish Publication Society, 1989), 337.
25 Hamilton, Genesis, 662.
26 We will deal with those passages as we move through the survey.
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