• Well as always, thank you for joining me as we are now only two chapters away from completing our study of the book of Genesis.
• In the last episode, we saw that Jacob, nearing death, adopts Joseph’s sons Ephraim and Manasseh, blessing them and affirming God’s covenant promises. He prophesies their future inheritance in Israel, and marks the continuation of God’s plan through the generations. And that brings us now to chapter 49, which is one of the most difficult chapters in all of scripture.
• It’s not difficult to comprehend what’s being said. After Jacob adopts Joseph’s two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, he now gathers his 12 sons around him to bless each of them. And so again, it’s not difficult to read the words he says to them. What makes this chapter so difficult for anyone, including theologians and Bible scholars, is interpreting what Jacob means by the words he uses to bless his sons. He uses several metaphors and analogies, some of them are vague and shadowy, and there are different possible interpretations put forward to explain them.
• Now this chapter is commonly thought of as Jacob blessing his sons, and that is often the title used. But what you will see is that his words are actually more prophecy and moral criticisms than blessings.
• So, what we will do is read through the chapter, and I will offer some thoughts based on the most common interpretations for each, as well as offer some alternate interpretations for some as well. And so, with those introductory words out of the way, we begin with the first four verses of chapter 49 which read….1 Then Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you what shall happen to you in days to come.2 “Assemble and listen, O sons of Jacob, listen to Israel your father. 3 “Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the first fruits of my strength, preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power. 4 Unstable 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!
• Now, if you recall from the last episode, Jacob is about to die. He is sitting on his bed, he has just blessed Joseph through his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. And now he has called his other sons and assembled them around his bed.
• And he says to them, gather yourselves together, “that I may tell you what is to happen to you in the days to come”. Now, as he blesses each son, and gives his remarks, he is speaking to that son of course, but he is also speaking prophetically to the distant future. Meaning, Jacob is speaking to the individual tribes that are personified as his sons. IOW, since each son will become a leader of a tribe of Israel, Jacob is also prophesying what will happen to that particular tribe.
• Just an observation, but Jacob gathering his sons around him is a striking contrast to how his father Isaac blessed Jacob and Ishmael. If you remember, Isaac blessed them behind closed doors, one at a time. This is what led to Jacob’s deceptive scheme to steal Ishmael’s blessing.
• But when he says, “In the days to come”, this phrase in Hebrew simply means “in the future”, with no precise definition or timeline. But the expression embraces both the near future and the distant future. It embraces the entire history of Israel, from the conquest and distribution of the Promised land, to the ultimate reign of Jesus Christ.
• But he begins with Reuben, his firstborn. He tells him that “you are my firstborn, my might, and the first fruits of my strength, preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power”. IOW, being the firstborn, you should have preeminence over your brothers. Because the unique position of being the firstborn normally guaranteed rights to a double portion of inheritance, as well as leadership. And so, for Reuben, that’s the good news.
• But now the bad news, as Jacob continues by saying that he is ‘unstable as water” and “shall not have preeminence”. And why shall he not have preeminence? Jacob tells us, “Because you went up into your father’s bed, and defiled it!
• When Jacob says that Reuben had defiled his bed, that Hebrew word for “defiled” means to bring disgrace to, to pollute, and it’s used in connection with sexual depravity. Now what Jacob is referring to is the incestuous act of Reuben way back in chapter 35, where it tells us that Reuben had sex with Bilhah, who was Jacob’s concubine, after Jacob’s wife Rachel had died. If you don’t remember or you’re curious as to why Reuben may have done this, you can refer back to podcast episode 51.
• But this is even mentioned in 1 Chronicle chapter 5, where it says that “Reuben, the first-born of Israel. He was the first-born, but when he defiled his father’s bed, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph”. And that is exactly what we just read about in the last episode, where Jacob blesses Joseph’s sons Ephraim and Manasseh.
• Again, Jacob tells Reuben, you ‘shall not have preeminence”. And it is remarkable that not one of the later judges came from the tribe of Reuben. It provided no great captain to the armies of Israel, nor any of the prophets for Israel
• But Jacob moves next to his two sons Simeon and Levi in verses 5-7, where he says .5 “Simeon and Levi are brothers; weapons of violence are their swords.6 Let my soul come not into their council; O my glory, be not joined to their company. For in their anger, they killed men, and in their willfulness, they hamstrung oxen.7 Cursed 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.
• So, Simeon and Levi are strongly condemned for their violent natures. One observation here is that since all of the other brothers are addressed individually, linking Simeon and Levi together is most likely a reference to their combined attack on the city of Shechem, which is described in chapter 34. If you remember, this is where they not only avenged the rape of their sister Dinah, but massacred the men of the city over it.
• At the time, Jacob was fearful for his family, concerned about a counter attack. And there is no record of him chastising his sons for the attack. But now, after many years, he finally speaks up and renders a moral verdict on their actions, and their disregard for human life and a standard of values.
• With Reuben being disqualified already by Jacob as inheriting the position of leadership, Simeon and Levi would have been the next two in line. But here, Jacob passes on them as well. Since they shared the same character traits, they also shared the same condemnation.
• Now where it says that they “hamstrung oxen”, that is a curious phrase for sure. And it refers to crippling a beast by severing the tendons of its hind legs. So, it’s most likely conveying the idea of senseless brutality. When they were angry, they killed men. When they were pleased, they maimed oxen.
• The idea being that whether they were angry or pleased, just on a whim, Simeon and Levi had a destructive nature about them with regards to life.
• As a result of this, Jacob says that he will divide them and scatter them in Israel. This signifies a loss of power. And what we see is that eventually, Simeon’s descendants are absorbed into the territory of Judah.
• The next five verses deal with Judah, and Jacob says to him, 8 “Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons shall bow down before you.9 Judah is a lion’s cub; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down; he crouched as a lion and as a lioness; who dares rouse him?10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.11 Binding 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.12 His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk.
• So, we see a stark contrast between how Jacob has condemned his other sons compared to how he praises Judah here. Jacob says that his brothers shall praise him, and his preeminence will be acknowledged. That he possesses lion-like strength.
• Jacob blesses Judah with the rewards of wisdom, kingship, dominion, and prosperity. Now this doesn’t mean he was innocent. I mean, just think back to the sins of his youth and his episode with Tamar. But Jacob apparently overlooks or forgives this as a result of Judah’s changed character. And this was evidenced by a repentant Judah who later sacrificed himself for Jacob’s well-being.
• Jacob compares Judah to a lion. The lion, one of the largest and strongest carnivores. It poses a threat not just to other animals, but also to humans. It has a majestic appearance, fearless. It has become a symbol of majesty and strength, and was a symbol of kingship in the ancient Near East.
• Remember, Jacob is not only speaking to his sons, but he is also speaking prophetically to the tribes that would descend from each son. And it’s interesting, because we know Jesus came from the tribe of Judah, and he is referred to as what? The Lion. The lion from where? The lion from the tribe of Judah!
• Although we won’t get into that here, Judah was by far the largest tribe, and we know this because of the census taken during the wilderness wanderings. The tribe of Judah even survived the Babylonian destruction and deportation in 586 BC. It made the survival of the Jewish people possible. And it’s from Judah that the Jews get their name.
• But that brings us now to one of the most controversial passages in all of scripture. The very celebrated but difficult verse 10. Verse 10 says “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.”
• Well first of all, the scepter is a symbol of power, and authority, and kingship. That’s the easy part. But it also says, The scepter shall not depart from Judah, until tribute comes to him
• Now the difficult part…what exactly does Jacob mean here? He says “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, until tribute comes to him”. What does he mean by the scepter shall not depart? And when he says “until tribute comes to him”, who is this “him” he is referring to?
• When Jacob says “the scepter shall not depart from Judah”, there is general agreement that this is simply a way of saying that Judah will always have authority and power, particularly over the other tribes. In fact, it is from Judah, for example, that David would come, who would one day be king of Israel. And again, that’s the easier part of this passage.
• But the verse continues, after stating that the scepter will not depart from Judah, it continues by saying “until tribute comes to him”. Another way to say this based on the Hebrew is “until he comes to whom it belongs”. Now that gets your attention! Because, who is the “he” that is referred to here?
• The meaning of the Hebrew phrase used here “yabo siloh” is one of the most debated in all of Genesis, and this is evidenced by the fact that there are two or three optional interpretations. And it boils down to the interpretation of that Hebrew phrase “yabo siloh” and exactly what it means.
• This is the only place in scripture where this phrase is used. And neither the subject of the verb nor the meaning of Shiloh is clear. Now it is actually pronounced sheel-oh’, but I will pronounce it Shiloh for the sake of listeners who may be more familiar with it that way.
• But one option is that the Hebrew actually reads “until Shiloh comes”. Another option is for the phrase to be interpreted “until he comes to whom tribute belongs”. This interpretation is based on amending the spelling of Shiloh to “say loh”, which means “tribute to him”.
• This interpretation is partially based on Ezekiel 21:27, where the almost identical expression is used. In Ezekiel chapter 21, God is speaking to Ezekiel, telling him of the judgment to befall Israel, and in verse 27, God says “I will overturn, overturn, overturn, it: and it shall be no more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it him.”
• Now the sentence of destruction is emphasized, in the Hebrew manner, by a threefold iteration. IOW, saying it three times emphasizes the overturning.
• When God says “whose right it is”, He is referring to Him whose right it is to wear the crown. And so, some interpret the Ezekiel passage in chapter 21 as God saying “By several degrees I will utterly overthrow the kingdom of Judah; and it shall be no more — It shall never recover its former luster and dignity; until he come…That is, until the Messiah comes to take his kingdom.
• But regardless of which interpretation is correct, what is clear is that all of them predict the rise of David and the establishment of the Israelite empire, and may even imply the coming of one who is greater than David.
• One early tradition that is found in texts from Qumran, in the Targums, and in rabbinic literature, sees Shiloh as a messianic title, reading “Until the time King Messiah comes, to whom belongs the kingdom”. Even the Septuagint translation reads “Until he comes for whom it was preserved”.
• In Hebrew, letters also have a numeric value. And it has been noted that the numerical value of consonants in the phrase “Shiloh will come” is 358, equal to that of messhiach, the Hebrew word for “messiah”.
• Now, I’m going to mention this just so you are aware of the possibility. But when it says, “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” ….
• There are some who believe that Judah had lost its national sovereignty during the 70-year captivity in Babylon, but even then, the leaders had the authority to rule their fellow Israelites according to the Old Testament Law. It wasn’t until the Romans denied the Sanhedrin the right to use capital punishment that the scepter was considered to have departed from Judah.
• Josephus actually describes a situation in which the Sanhedrin illegally condemned a man to stoning without Roman authority. Augustin Lemann, in his 1886 book Jesus before the Sanhedrin, records a statement by Rabbi Rachmon in which he says, “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 bodies with sackcloth, exclaiming: ‘Woe unto us for the scepter has departed from Judah and the Messiah has not come’
• So, they thought. What they didn’t know was that He had indeed come and was living as a young boy in a carpenter’s shop down in Nazareth.
• So, in sum, this Old Testament prophetic blessing on Judah is fulfilled in David and his house, and in the New Testament, it’s interpreted as being fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Oh, and by the way, “Christ” is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word “Messiah”.
• In the book of Revelation, the Apocalypse, John sees this prophecy consummated when in Revelation 5:5 he says, “And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals”. You know, it’s truly amazing. And it’s also sobering to realize that the scepter of the universe will be held by nail-pierced hands!
• But we move now to Zebulon in verse 13, where Jacob says 13“Zebulon shall dwell at the shore of the sea; he shall become a haven for ships, and his border shall be at Sidon.
• We know that the tribe of Zebulon later contributed the largest army to David, and its soldiers were characterized as experienced and loyal.
• Where it mentions the shore of the sea, it is most likely referring to the Mediterranean, maybe even the Sea of Galilee. His border was to be Sidon, which was a port city, and is also a generalized term for Phoenicia in general.
• Verse 14 & 15 address Issachar, and reads…14 Issachar is a strong donkey, crouching between the sheepfolds.15 He saw that a resting place was good, and that the land was pleasant, so he bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant at forced labor.
• In short, Issachar is described as being strong, but stubbornly refuses to work, preferring comfort. And so, he will be forced to bend his shoulder to the burden. In fact, there is even a criticism for Issachar placing its strength in the service of the Canaanites.
• The tribe of Issachar apparently plays no significant role in the battles against the Midianites or the Canaanites, and whereas the other tribes, even with their flaws, although they did not exterminate the Canaanites, at least subjugated them. But Issachar presumably submits to the Canaanites for peace.
• Issachar was allotted most of the Jezreel Valley. The main highway from Egypt to Babylon passed through the Jezreel Valley, and so was a very prosperous trade route for any country to try and control
• Jacob sort of reproaches the tribe of Issachar for allowing its material prosperity to make it submissive to Canaanite overlords. There is an implication that the tribe is simply content to enjoy its safety at the expense of their freedom.
• Jacob then moves to Dan in verse 16, where he says, “16 “Dan shall judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel.17 Dan shall be a serpent in the way, a viper by the path, that bites the horse’s heels so that his rider falls backward.
• Now when it says that Dan will judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel, even though we already know that each of these sons will be the head of 12 tribes, this is actually the first time the Bible uses the phrase, “tribes of Israel”.
• But Dan here receives two separate blessings. The first is that he will judge, or execute justice, to the tribes of Israel. And he will actually do this by pleading cases, not condemning. This could also be an allusion to Sampson and his exploits against the Philistines, as Sampson came from the tribe of Dan.
• The second is that, although relatively small, they strike back. They are aggressive, dangerous, and strike unexpectedly. And so, the imagery of a serpent or viper on a road is fitting. It represents the tribe as relatively small and in a vulnerable position, which is exactly as it is depicted in the book of Judges. And again, this too could be an allusion to Sampson
• Before he continues to the next son, Jacob inserts a prayer in verse 18. Jacob petitions God, saying, “I wait for your salvation, O LORD”. He may be saying this because his blessings and prophecies for the tribes predict fierce hostilities against the tribes. Jacob here is calling for divine deliverance. A prayer like this would only originate in a situation of danger.
• Again, it could be that Jacob is troubled by the hostility he knows the tribe will face, but could also simply be a personal prayer for strength to finish his blessings on his sons, or even during a moment of physical weakness. Remember, this is Jacob on his deathbed here.
• But after this short prayer, Jacob continues with his seventh son, Gad, in verse 19, saying “Raiders shall raid Gad, but he shall raid at their heels”. Now the tribe of Gad had its territory east of the Jordan, and its boundaries are defined in the book of Joshua. This was in the vulnerable Transjordan area.
• For most of its history, Gad was engaged in a series of wars with its neighbors, the Ammonites, Moabites, Arameans, and Assyrians, and its members gained a reputation and were celebrated as fighting warriors. The blessing predicts that Gad will live a troubled life, but will strike back at its enemies. The tribe wasn’t big enough to engage in full-scale warfare, so it had to resort to guerilla raids
• Next up is Jacob’s eighth son, Asher, in verse 20, where Jacob says “Asher’s food shall be rich, and he shall yield royal delicacies.
• Saying that his food shall be rich, or fat, and yield delicacies, is a reference to the fertile land that Asher would settle in, which was in Western Galilee. This area was famous for its fertility. The name Asher actually means “fortune” or “happiness”, and so was sort of a veiled allusion to prosperity for the tribe,
• Now where it mentions that he “shall yield royal delicacies”, this could be figurative, meaning, “food fit for a king”. Or it could be literal, meaning, that Asher served the Canaanite kingdoms, throwing in its lot with some of the local city-states, and that’s where it derived its prosperity. But again, that is why this chapter is difficult, because we simply aren’t privy to a lot of the history and details here.
• But either way, Jacob moves to his son, Naphtali, where he says in verse 21 “Naphtali is a doe let loose that bears beautiful fawns”. This is one of those blessings that is difficult to interpret simply due to lack of context and the fact that there is no other elaboration.
• We do know that does were famous for their beauty and fleetness. And so, where Jacob compares him to a doe let loose, it could be an allusion to his freedom, agility, and frequent movements of the tribe. Or, it could be an allusion to him being impetuous, doing things suddenly on the spur of the moment
• But that brings us now to Jacob’s blessing on Joseph in verses 22-26, where he says “Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a spring; his branches run over the wall. 23 The archers bitterly attacked him, shot at him, and harassed him severely, 24 yet his bow remained unmoved; his arms were made agile by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob (from there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel), 25 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 crouches beneath, blessings of the breasts and of the womb. 26 The blessings of your father are mighty beyond the blessings of my parents, up to the bounties of the everlasting hills. May they be on the head of Joseph, and on the brow of him who was set apart from his brothers.
• Joseph was the 11th son of Jacob. The first by his beloved wife Rachel. But remember, because Jacob adopted Joseph’s two sons Ephraim and Manasseh, and gives them equal status with his sons, Joseph here actually refers to the two tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh. The two tribes together are also known as the House of Joseph. This prophecy is the longest of all the prophecies.
• But it begins by comparing Joseph to a fruitful vine, which is most likely a metaphor for fertility, and when it says that his branches run over the wall, it is speaking of the expansion of his territory.
• But it then mentions that the archers attacked him severely. This is a difficult passage. Nowhere else in scripture is there a mention of archers attacking Joseph. And so, unless this is referring to some unrecorded episode in his life, or even attacks on Ephraim or Manasseh, this phrase may be figurative.
• For example, it could be referring to the Ishmaelites, or to his brothers, or even to Potipher’s wife, all with their resentment and slander towards Joseph. All intended to bring harm to Joseph. And so, Joseph had to endure the archers of envy and temptation. And it does seem that one of those truisms in life is that the brightest lights often cast the longest shadows.
• But following this is the idea that Joseph remained steadfast in the face of adversity, and drew his strength from God, who championed his cause.
• Jacob then tells Joseph that the blessings he is giving him exceed the blessings he received from his father.
• But that brings us now to the last of Joseph’s 12 sons, Benjamin, also the son of his beloved wife Rachel, who died giving birth to Benjamin. Jacob continues in verse 27, saying, 27 Benjamin is a ravenous wolf, in the morning devouring the prey and at evening dividing the spoil.”
• This is a much different picture we are painted about Benjamin than in the earlier Joseph story. If you remember back then, Benjamin was younger, and Jacob and the other brothers didn’t want to let him out of their sight. But here, he is now portrayed as a ravenous wolf. The Hebrew is literally referring to a ravenous wolf that tears its prey. And it says that he divides the plunder, killing more than he could eat, he shares the prey.
• The tribe of Benjamin settled along a narrow strip of land that was strategically located, so that both the north-south and the east-west roads leading to Transjordan passed through it. As a result, this area became an arena for wars.
• The Benjaminites had a reputation for bravery and skill in war. The opposition to the Philistines was centered around this tribe. And Saul, the first king of Israel, came from the tribe of Benjamin. And so, the testament of Jacob here reflects this general historical situation.
• And with that, Jacob has now blessed each of his sons. And the narrative now shifts back to focusing on Jacob, where again, he has been on his deathbed. And we read his final words before his death in verses 28-33, which tell us, 28 All 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. 29 Then he commanded 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, 30 in the cave that is in the field at Machpelah, to the east of Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite to possess as a burying place. 31 There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife. There they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah— 32 the field and the cave that is in it were bought from the Hittites.” 33 When Jacob finished commanding his sons, he drew up his feet into the bed and breathed his last and was gathered to his people.
• And with that, Jacob passes away. A man whose amazing life we have been following for many chapters now. He charges his sons with burying him back in his land, the land of his fathers. And he makes sure that he provides them all the details, so there is no mistake. He gives a precise description of the burial site.
• But as we say goodbye to Jacob, and look back on his life, this pivotal biblical figure experienced an amazing life and adventure. Born into family strife, his journey unfolded through deceit, then exile, and finally redemption. He wrestled with God and grappled with his own identity, eventually earning the name Israel.
• Despite his flaws, Jacob’s story reflects both human frailty and divine grace. His legacy extends through his sons, who would form the Twelve Tribes of Israel, shaping the nation’s history.
• Through profound encounters with God, he learned important lessons of faith, forgiveness, and perseverance. And so, Jacob’s life serves as a great example of both human struggle and spiritual growth, and it should resonate with all of us who seek purpose and redemption.