Genesis Chapter 49

From The Open Bible Project

49:1 Jacob called to his sons, and said: "Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which will happen to you in the days to come.

• (a) When God will bring you out of Egypt, and because he speaks of the Messiah, he calls it the last days.

49:2 Assemble yourselves, and hear, you sons of Jacob. Listen to Israel, your father.

49:3 "Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength; excelling in dignity, and excelling in power.

• (b) Begotten in my youth.
• (c) If you have not left your birthright by your offence.

49:4 Boiling over as water, you shall not excel; because you went up to your father's bed, then defiled it. He went up to my couch.

49:5 "Simeon and Levi are brothers. Their swords are weapons of violence.

49:6 My soul, don't come into their council. My glory, don't be united to their assembly; for in their anger they killed men. In their self-will they hamstrung cattle.

• (d) Or, tongue: meaning that he neither consented to them in word or thought.
• (e) The Shechemites Ge 34:26.

49:7 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.

• (f) For Levi had no part, and Simeon was under Judah, Jos 19:1 till God gave them the place of the Amalekites, 1Ch 4:43.

49:8 "Judah, your brothers will praise you. Your hand will be on the neck of your enemies. Your father's sons will bow down before you.

• (g) As was verified in David and Christ.

49:9 Judah is a lion's cub. From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down, he crouched as a lion, as a lioness. Who will rouse him up?

• (h) His enemies will so fear him.

49:10 The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs. To him will the obedience of the peoples be.

• (i) Which is Christ the Messiah, the giver of prosperity who will call the Gentiles to salvation.

49:11 Binding his foal to the vine, his donkey's colt to the choice vine; he has washed his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes.

• (k) A country most abundant with vines and pastures is promised to him.

49:12 His eyes will be red with wine, his teeth white with milk.

49:13 "Zebulun will dwell at the haven of the sea. He will be for a haven of ships. His border will be on Sidon.

49:14 "Issachar is a strong donkey, lying down between the saddlebags.

• (l) His force will be great, but he will lack courage to resist his enemies.

49:15 He saw a resting place, that it was good, the land, that it was pleasant. He bows his shoulder to the burden, and becomes a servant doing forced labor.

49:16 "Dan will judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel.

• (m) Shall have the honour of a tribe.

49:17 Dan will be a serpent in the way, an adder in the path, That bites the horse's heels, so that his rider falls backward.

49:18 I have waited for your salvation, Yahweh.

• (o) Seeing the miseries that his posterity would fall into, he bursts out in prayer to God to remedy it.

49:19 "A troop will press on Gad, but he will press on their heel.

49:20 "Asher's food will be rich. He will yield royal dainties.

• (p) He will abound in corn and pleasant fruits.

49:21 "Naphtali is a doe set free, who bears beautiful fawns.

• (q) Overcoming more by fair words than by force.

49:22 "Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine by a spring. His branches run over the wall.

49:23 The archers have sorely grieved him, shot at him, and persecute him:

• (r) As his brethren when they were his enemies, Potiphar and others.

49:24 But his bow remained strong. The arms of his hands were made strong, by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, (from there is the shepherd, the stone of Israel),

• (s) That is God.

49:25 even by the God of your father, who will help you; by the Almighty, who will bless you, with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lies below, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb.

49:26 The blessings of your father have prevailed above the blessings of your ancestors, above the boundaries of the ancient hills. They will be on the head of Joseph, on the crown of the head of him who is separated from his brothers.

• (t) In as much as he was closer to the accomplishment of the promise and it had been more often confirmed.
• (u) Either in dignity, or when he was sold from his brethren.

49:27 "Benjamin is a ravenous wolf. In the morning he will devour the prey. At evening he will divide the spoil."

49:28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father spoke to them and blessed them. He blessed everyone according to his blessing.

49:29 He instructed them, and said to them, "I am to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite,

49:30 in the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite as a burial place.

49:31 There they buried Abraham and Sarah, his wife. There they buried Isaac and Rebekah, his wife, and there I buried Leah:

49:32 the field and the cave that is therein, which was purchased from the children of Heth."

49:33 When Jacob made an end of charging his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the spirit, and was gathered to his people.

• (x) By which is signified how quietly he died.