Genesis 49

Jacob Blesses His Sons

Dt 33:1–29

1Jacob called to his sons and said, “Gather yourselves together, so that I may tell you what will befall you in the last days. # Nu 24:14; Jer 23:20

2Gather yourselves together and hear, sons of Jacob,

and listen to your father Israel. # Ps 34:11

3Reuben, # Ge 29:32; Nu 2:10; Dt 27:13; Jos 13:8–23; Eze 48:6; Rev 7:5 you are my firstborn,

my might and the beginning of my strength, # Dt 21:17

the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power.

4Unstable as water, you shall not excel,

because you went up to your father’s bed;

then you defiled it—he went up to my couch. # Ge 35:22; Dt 27:20

5Simeon # Nu 2:12–13; Dt 27:12; Jos 19:1–9; Eze 48:24; Rev 7:7 and Levi # Nu 1:49; Dt 27:12; Jos 21; Eze 48:6; Rev 7:7 are brothers; # Ge 29:33–34

weapons of violence are their swords. # Ge 34:25–31

6Let my soul not enter into their council; # Ps 26:9

let my glory not be united with their assembly;

for in their anger they killed men

and in their self-will they hamstrung oxen. # Ge 34:30

7Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce;

and their wrath, for it is cruel!

I will divide them in Jacob

and scatter them in Israel.

8Judah, # Nu 2:3–4; Dt 27:12; Jos 15; Eze 48:7; Rev 5:5; 7:5 your brothers shall praise you;

your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies;

your father’s sons will bow down before you. # Ge 27:29; 1Ch 5:2

9Judah is a lion’s cub; # Rev 5:5

from the prey, my son, you have gone up.

He crouches and lies down like a lion;

and as a lion, who dares rouse him? # Nu 24:9

10The scepter shall not depart from Judah,

nor a lawgiver from between his feet,

until Shiloh comes;

and to him will be the obedience of the people. # Nu 24:17; Ps 60:7

11He tethers his foal to the vine,

and his colt to the choicest vine;

he washes his garments in wine,

his clothes in the blood of grapes.

12His eyes are darker than wine,

and his teeth whiter than milk.

13Zebulun # Ge 30:20; Nu 2:7–8; Dt 27:13; 33:18–19; Jos 19:10–16; Eze 48:26; Mt 4:13–15; Rev 7:8 shall dwell at the haven of the sea;

and he shall be a haven of ships.

His border shall be at Sidon.

14Issachar # Ge 30:18; Nu 2:5–6; Dt 27:12; Jos 19:17–23; 1Ch 12:32; Eze 48:25; Rev 7:7 is a strong donkey,

lying down between two burdens;

15he saw that a resting place was good,

and that the land was pleasant;

so he bowed his shoulder to bear the burden

and became a slave to forced labor.

16Dan # Ge 30:6; Nu 2:25–26; Dt 27:13; 33:22; Jos 19:40–48; Eze 48:1 shall judge his people

as one of the tribes of Israel.

17Dan shall be a serpent by the road,

a viper on the path,

that bites the horse’s heels

so that its rider will fall backward.

18I wait for Your salvation, O Lord! # Ps 119:166, 174

19Gad # Ge 30:11; Nu 2:14–15; Dt 27:13; Jos 13:24–28; Eze 48:27; Rev 7:5 shall be attacked by raiding bands,

but he shall raid at their heels.

20Asher’s # Ge 30:13; Nu 2:27–28; Dt 27:13; 33:24–25; Jos 19:24–31; Eze 48:2; Lk 2:36; Rev 7:6 food shall be rich,

and he shall yield royal delicacies.

21Naphtali # Ge 30:8; Nu 2:29–30; Dt 27:13; 33:23; Jos 19:32–39; Eze 48:3; Mt 4:13–15; Rev 7:6 is a doe set loose;

he gives beautiful words.

22Joseph # Dt 27:12; Jos 13:29–33; 16; 17:1–13; Eze 48:26; Rev 7:8 is a fruitful bough,

a fruitful bough by a spring,

whose branches run over the wall.

23The archers bitterly attacked him,

they shot at him and hated him. # Ge 37:28

24But his bow remained firm.

His arms were agile

because of the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, # Ps 132:2, 5

because of the Shepherd, the rock of Israel,

25because of the God of your father who will help you,

and by the Almighty who will bless you

with blessings from heaven above, # Ge 17:1; 28:13

blessings from the deep that lies beneath,

the blessings of the breasts and the womb.

26The blessings of your father have surpassed

the blessings of my fathers,

up to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills. # Dt 33:15–16; Hab 3:6

They will be on the head of Joseph,

and on the crown of the head of him who was set apart from his brothers.

27Benjamin # Ge 35:18; Nu 2:22–23; Dt 27:12; Jos 18:11–28; Jdg 20:21; 1Sa 9:1–2; Eze 48:23; Ro 11:1; Rev 7:8 is a ravenous wolf;

in the morning he devours the prey,

and at night he divides the spoil.”

28These are all the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them. He blessed them, each with the blessing appropriate to him.

The Death of Jacob

29Then he charged them and said to them, “I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, # Ge 47:30; 50:13 30in the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought along with the field from Ephron the Hittite as a burial place. 31They buried Abraham and Sarah his wife there. # Ge 25:9 They buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife there, # Ge 35:29 and I buried Leah there. 32The field and the cave that is there were purchased from the sons of Heth.”

33When Jacob finished instructing his sons, he drew his feet into the bed, breathed his last, and was gathered to his people. # Ge 25:8

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Genesis 49: MEV

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Genesis 49

Jacob Blesses His Sons

1 # For ver. 1-27, see Deut. 33:6-25 Then Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you what shall happen to you #Num. 24:14; Deut. 4:30; 31:29; Isa. 2:2; Jer. 23:20; Dan. 2:28; 10:14; Hos. 3:5in days to come.

2“Assemble and listen, O sons of Jacob,

listen to Israel your father.

3“Reuben, you are #ch. 29:32 my firstborn,

my might, and the #Deut. 21:17firstfruits of my strength,

preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power.

4Unstable as water, you shall not have preeminence,

because you #ch. 35:22; 1 Chr. 5:1went up to your father’s bed;

then you defiled it—he went up to my couch!

5 # ch. 29:33, 34 “Simeon and Levi are brothers;

weapons #ch. 34:25, 26of violence are their swords.

6Let my soul come not into their council;

# [Ps. 16:9; 57:8] O my glory, #[Ps. 26:9] be not joined to their company.

For in their anger they killed men,

and in their willfulness they #Josh. 11:6, 9; 2 Sam. 8:4hamstrung oxen.

7Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce,

and their wrath, for it is cruel!

I will #See Num. 3:5-13; Josh. 19:1-9; 1 Chr. 4:24-39divide them in Jacob

and scatter them in Israel.

8“Judah, #ch. 29:35; [ch. 27:29] your brothers shall praise you;

# [Job 16:12] your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies;

# 1 Chr. 5:2 your father’s sons shall bow down before you.

9Judah is #Rev. 5:5; [Deut. 33:22; Hos. 5:14] a lion’s cub;

from the prey, my son, you have gone up.

# [Num. 23:24; 24:9] He stooped down; he crouched as a lion

and as a lioness; who dares rouse him?

10The #Num. 24:17; Zech. 10:11 scepter shall not depart from Judah,

nor the ruler’s staff #Deut. 28:57from between his feet,

until tribute comes to him;#49:10 By a slight revocalization; a slight emendation yields (compare Septuagint, Syriac, Targum) until he comes to whom it belongs; Hebrew until Shiloh comes, or until he comes to Shiloh

and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.

11Binding his foal to the vine

and his donkey’s colt to the choice vine,

he has washed his garments in wine

and his vesture in the blood of grapes.

12His #Prov. 23:29eyes are darker than wine,

and his teeth whiter than milk.

13 # [Deut. 33:18, 19]; Josh. 19:10, 11 “Zebulun shall dwell at the #[Deut. 1:7; Josh. 9:1; Judg. 5:17]shore of the sea;

he shall become a haven for ships,

and his border shall be at Sidon.

14 # Judg. 5:16; [1 Chr. 12:32] “Issachar is a strong donkey,

crouching between the sheepfolds.#49:14 Or between its saddlebags

15He saw that a resting place was good,

and that the land was pleasant,

so he bowed his shoulder to bear,

and #Josh. 16:10became a servant at forced labor.

16 # [Deut. 33:22] “Dan shall #ch. 30:6judge his people

as one of the tribes of Israel.

17Dan #Judg. 18:27shall be a serpent in the way,

a viper by the path,

that bites the horse’s heels

so that his rider falls backward.

18I #Ps. 25:5; 119:166, 174; Isa. 25:9; Mic. 7:7; [Luke 2:25]wait for your salvation, O Lord.

19 # [Deut. 33:20] “Raiders shall raid #See 1 Chr. 5:18-22Gad,#49:19 Gad sounds like the Hebrew for raiders and raid

but he shall raid at their heels.

20 # [Deut. 33:24] “Asher’s food shall be rich,

and he shall yield royal delicacies.

21 # [Deut. 33:23] “Naphtali is a doe let loose

that bears beautiful fawns.#49:21 Or he gives beautiful words, or that bears fawns of the fold

22“Joseph is #ch. 41:52; Josh. 17:14, 18a fruitful bough,

a fruitful bough by a spring;

his branches run over the wall.#49:22 Or Joseph is a wild donkey, a wild donkey beside a spring, his wild colts beside the wall

23The archers #[ch. 37:24, 28; 39:20]bitterly attacked him,

shot at him, and harassed him severely,

24yet #Job 29:20 his bow remained unmoved;

his arms#49:24 Hebrew the arms of his hands were made agile

by the hands of the #Ps. 132:2, 5; Isa. 1:24 Mighty One of Jacob

(from there is #Ps. 23:1; 80:1 the Shepherd,#49:24 Or by the name of the Shepherd #Isa. 28:16; Eph. 2:20; 1 Pet. 2:4; [Deut. 32:4]the Stone of Israel),

25 # ch. 35:3; 50:17 by the God of your father who will help you,

by #ch. 17:1; 35:11 the Almighty#49:25 Hebrew Shaddai #Deut. 33:13who will bless you

with blessings of heaven above,

blessings of the deep that crouches beneath,

blessings of the breasts and of the womb.

26The blessings of your father

are mighty beyond the blessings of my parents,

up to the bounties #Deut. 33:15; Hab. 3:6 of the everlasting hills.#49:26 A slight emendation yields (compare Septuagint) the blessings of the eternal mountains, the bounties of the everlasting hills

May they be #Deut. 33:16on the head of Joseph,

and on the brow of him who was set apart from his brothers.

27 # [Judg. 20:21, 25; Ezek. 22:27] “Benjamin is a ravenous wolf,

in the morning devouring the prey

and at evening #Zech. 14:1; [Ezek. 39:10]dividing the spoil.”

Jacob’s Death and Burial

28All these are the twelve tribes of Israel. This is what their father said to them as he blessed them, blessing each with the blessing suitable to him. 29Then he commanded them and said to them, “I am to be #ver. 33; ch. 25:8 gathered to my people; #ch. 47:30 bury me with my fathers #ch. 50:13; [ch. 23:9]in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, 30in the cave that is in the field at Machpelah, to the east of Mamre, in the land of Canaan, #See ch. 23:16-18which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite to possess as a burying place. 31#ch. 23:19; 25:9 There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife. There #ch. 35:29they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah— 32the field and the cave that is in it were bought from the Hittites.” 33When Jacob finished commanding his sons, he drew up his feet into the bed and breathed his last and #ver. 29was gathered to his people.

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