April 8, 2024 • 30 mins
Jacob blesses his 12 sons from his deathbed
Discover the ancient words that shaped a nation as we journey through Genesis 49, where the patriarch Jacob delivers prophetic blessings with far-reaching impact. On the brink of his final breath, he speaks of futures written in the stars for the tribes descending from his sons, entwining moral judgments with predictions that would echo through history. From Reuben's squandered birthright to the violent legacy of Simeon and Levi, we uncover the rich tapestry of narratives that Jacob's declarations weave. Joined by renowned biblical scholars, we scrutinize the enigmatic "yaboshilo" phrase, debating its connection to messianic prophecy and its fulfillment through the line of Judah—a conversation that intertwines ancient scripture with New Testament revelations, presenting a kaleidoscope of interpretations for your contemplation.
As Jacob's life ebbs away, his last words to his sons crystallize into a vision of the future, imprinting upon the tribes of Benjamin and beyond, presaging conflicts and kings. We honor the complexity of his final moments—the strategic burial instructions that tether him to the promised land and the reflection on a life marred by strife but ultimately redeemed. Our dialogue traverses the emotive landscape of Jacob's narrative, from the depths of family discord to the heights of patriarchal influence, inviting you to witness the close of an epoch and the lasting resonance of Jacob's legacy in the biblical saga.
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Speaker 0 (00:08):
Well as always.
Thank you for joining me, as weare now only two chapters away
from completing our study of thebook of Genesis.
In the last episode, we sawthat Jacob, nearing death,
adopts Joseph's sons Ephraim andManasseh, blessing them and
affirming God's covenantpromises.
He prophesies their futureinheritance in Israel and marks
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the continuation of God's planthrough the generations.
And that brings us now tochapter 49, which is one of the
most difficult chapters in allof Scripture.
Now it's not difficult tocomprehend what's actually being
said.
After Jacob adopts Joseph'ssons Ephraim and Manasseh, he
now gathers his 12 sons aroundhim to bless each of them, and
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so, again, it's not difficult toread the words that he says to
them.
What makes this chapter sodifficult for anyone, including
theologians and Bible scholars,is interpreting what Jacob means
by the words he uses to blesshis sons.
He uses several metaphors andanalogies.
Some of them are vague and sortof shadowy, and there are
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different possibleinterpretations put forward to
explain them.
Now, this chapter is commonlythought of as Jacob blessing his
sons, and that is often thetitle that's used.
But what you'll see is that hiswords are actually more
prophecy and moral criticismsthan blessings.
So what we'll do is readthrough the chapter and I'll
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offer some thoughts based on themost common interpretations for
each, as well as offer somealternate interpretations for
some as well.
And so, with those introductorywords out of the way, we begin
with the first four verses ofchapter 49, which read Then
Jacob called his sons and saidGather yourselves together that
I may tell you what shall happento you in days to come.
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Assemble and listen, o sons ofJacob, listen to Israel, your
father Reuben.
You were my firstborn, my mightand the firstfruits of my
strength, preeminent in dignityand preeminent in power,
unstable as water.
You shall not have preeminencebecause you went up to your
father's bed, then you defiledit.
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He went up to my couch.
Now, if you recall from thelast episode, jacob is about to
die.
He's sitting on his bed.
He has just blessed Josephthrough his two sons, ephraim
and Manasseh, and now he'scalled his other sons and
assembled them around his bedand he says to them gather
yourselves together that I maytell you what is about to happen
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to you in the days to come.
Now, as he blesses each son andgives his remarks, he is
speaking to that son, of course,but he's also speaking
prophetically to the distantfuture, meaning Jacob is
speaking to the individualtribes that are personified as
his sons.
In other words, since each sonwill become a leader of a tribe
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of Israel sons.
In other words, since each sonwill become a leader of a tribe
of Israel, jacob is alsoprophesying what will happen to
that particular tribe.
Now just an observation, butJacob gathering his sons around
him.
It's a striking contrast to howhis father, isaac, blessed Jacob
himself and Ishmael.
If you remember, isaac blessedthem behind closed doors, one at
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a time.
I mean, this is what led toJacob's deceptive scheme to
steal Ishmael's blessing.
But when he says in the days tocome, this phrase in Hebrew
simply means in the future, withno precise definition or
timeline.
But the expression embracesboth near future and the distant
future.
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It embraces the entire historyof Israel, from the conquest and
distribution of the promisedland to the ultimate reign of
Jesus Christ.
But he begins with Reuben, hisfirstborn, and he tells him that
you are my firstborn, my mightand the first fruits.
You should have preeminenceover your brothers, because the
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unique position of being thefirstborn normally guaranteed
rise to a double portion ofinheritance as well as
leadership.
And so for Reuben, that's thegood news.
But now the bad news leadership.
And so for Reuben, that's thegood news, but now the bad news,
as Jacob continues by sayingthat he is as unstable as water
and shall not have preeminence.
And why shall he not havepreeminence?
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Jacob tells us, because youwent up into your father's bed
and defiled it.
And when Jacob says that Reubenhad defiled his bed, that Hebrew
word for defiled means to bringdisgrace to, to pollute it, and
it's used in connection withsexual depravity.
Now, what Jacob is referring tois the incestuous act of Reuben
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, way back in chapter 35, whereit tells us that Reuben had sex
with Bilhah, who was Jacob'sconcubine, after Jacob's wife
Rachel had died.
Now, if you don't remember oryou're curious as to why Reuben
may have done this, you canrefer back to podcast episode 51
.
But this is even mentioned in 1Chronicles, chapter 5, where it
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says that Reuben, the firstbornof Israel.
He was the firstborn, but whenhe defiled his father's bed, his
birthright was given to thesons of Israel.
He was the firstborn, but whenhe defiled his father's bed, his
birthright was given to thesons of Joseph.
And that's exactly what we justread about in the last episode,
where Jacob blesses Joseph'ssons, ephraim and Manasseh.
Again, jacob tells Reuben youshall not have preeminence, and
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it's remarkable that not evenone of the later judges came
from the tribe of Reuben.
It provided no great captain tothe armies of Israel, nor any
of the prophets for Israel.
But Jacob moves next to his twosons, simeon and Levi, in verses
5 through 7, where he saysWeapons of violence are their
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swords.
Let my soul come not into theircounsel.
O my glory, be not joined totheir company, for in their
anger they killed men and intheir wilfulness they hamstrung
oxen.
Cursed be their anger, for itis fierce, and their wrath, for
it is cruel.
I will divide them in Jacob andscatter them in Israel.
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So Simeon and Levi are stronglycondemned for their violent
natures.
One observation here is that,since all the other brothers are
addressed individually, linkingSimeon and Levi together is
most likely a reference to theircombined attack on the city of
Shechem, which is described inchapter 34.
And if you remember, this iswhere they not only avenged the
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rape of their sister Dina, butmassacred the men of the city
over it.
At the time Jacob was fearfulfor his family, concerned about
a counterattack, and there's norecord of him chastising his
sons for the attack.
But now, after many years, hefinally speaks up and renders a
moral verdict on their actionsand their disregard for human
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life and a standard of values.
And with Reuben beingdisqualified already by Jacob as
inheriting the position ofleadership, simeon and Levi
would have been the next two inline, but here Jacob passes on
them as well.
Since they shared the samecharacter traits, they also
shared the same condemnation.
Now, where it says that theyhamstrung oxen, that is a
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curious phrase for sure, and itrefers to crippling a beast by
severing the tendons of its hindlegs.
So it's most likely conveyingthe idea of senseless brutality.
When they were angry, theykilled men.
When they were pleased, theymaimed oxen, the idea being that
, whether they were angry orpleased, just on a whim, simeon
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and Levi had a destructivenature about them with regards
to life.
As a result of this, jacob saysthat he will divide them and
scatter them in Israel, and thissignifies a loss of power, and
what we see is that, eventually,simeon's descendants are
absorbed into the territory ofJudah.
The next five verses deal withJudah, and Jacob says to him
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Judah, your brother shall praiseyou.
Your hand shall be on the neckof your enemies.
Your father's son shall bowdown before you.
Judah is a lion's cub From theprey.
My son, you have gone up.
He stooped down, he crouched asa lion and as a lioness who
dares, rouse him.
The scepter shall not departfrom Judah, nor the ruler's
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staff from between his feet,until tribute comes to him, and
to him shall be the obedience ofthe peoples.
And so we see a stark contrastbetween how Jacob has condemned
his other sons compared to howhe praises Judah here.
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Jacob says that his brothershall praise him and his
preeminence will be acknowledged, that he possesses lion-like
strength.
Jacob blesses Judah with therewards of wisdom, kingship,
dominion and prosperity.
Now, this doesn't mean he wasinnocent I mean, just think back
to the sins of his youth andhis episode with Tamar.
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But Jacob apparently overlooksor forgives this as a result of
Judah's changed character, andthis was evidenced by a
repentant Judah who latersacrificed himself for Jacob's
well-being.
Jacob compares Judah to a lionthe lion, one of the largest and
strongest carnivores.
It poses a threat not just toother animals but also to humans
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.
It has a majestic appearance,fearless, and it has become a
symbol of majesty and strengthand was a symbol of kingship in
the ancient Near East.
Remember, jacob is not onlyspeaking to his sons, but he's
also speaking prophetically tothe tribes that would descend
from each son.
And it's interesting because weknow Jesus came from the tribe
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of Judah and he's referred to aswhat?
The lion?
The lion from where?
The lion?
From the tribe of Judah.
And although we won't get intothat here, judah was by far the
largest tribe and we know thisbecause of the census taken
during the wilderness wanderings.
The tribe of Judah evensurvived the Babylonian
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destruction and deportation in586 BC.
It made the survival of theJewish people possible and it's
from Judah that the Jews gettheir name.
But that brings us now to one ofthe most controversial passages
in all of scripture, the verycelebrated but difficult verse
10.
Verse 10 says the scepter shallnot depart from Judah, nor the
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ruler's staff from between hisfeet, until tribute comes to him
, and to him shall be theobedience of the peoples.
Well, first of all, the scepteris a symbol of power and
authority and kingship.
That's the easy part.
But it also says the sceptershall not depart from Judah
until tribute comes to him.
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Now the difficult part whatexactly does Jacob mean here?
He says the scepter shall notdepart from Judah until tribute
comes to him.
What does he mean by thescepter shall not depart?
And when he says until tributecomes to him, who is the him
he's referring to?
Well, when Jacob says thescepter shall not depart from
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Judah, there's general agreementthat this is simply a way of
saying that Judah will alwayshave authority and power,
particularly over the othertribes.
In fact, it's from Judah, forexample, that David would come,
who would one day be king ofIsrael.
And again, that's the easierpart of this passage.
But the verse continues.
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After stating that the scepterwill not depart from Judah, it
continues by saying untiltribute comes to him.
Another way to say this, basedon the Hebrew, is until he comes
to whom it belongs.
Now that gets your attention,because who is the he that's
referred to here?
The meaning of the Hebrew phrasethat's used here, yaboshilo, is
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one of the most debated in allof Genesis, and this is
evidenced by the fact that thereare two or three optional
interpretations, and it boilsdown to the interpretation of
that Hebrew phrase, yaboshilo,and exactly what it means.
This is the only place inscripture where this phrase is
used, and neither the subject ofthe verb, nor the meaning of
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Shiloh is clear Now.
It is actually pronouncedShiloh, but I will pronounce it
Shiloh for the sake of listenerswho may be more familiar with
it that way.
But one option is that theHebrew actually reads until
Shiloh comes.
Another option is for thephrase to be interpreted until
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he comes, to whom tributebelongs.
This interpretation is based onamending the spelling of Shiloh
to Salo, which means tribute tohim.
This interpretation ispartially based on Ezekiel 21-27
, where the almost identicalexpression is used In Ezekiel,
chapter 21,.
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God is speaking to Ezekieltelling him of the judgment to
befall Israel.
And in verse 27, god says Iwill overturn, overturn,
overturn it and it shall be nomore until he comes, whose right
it is, and I will give it tohim Now.
The sentence of destruction isemphasized in the Hebrew manner
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by a threefold iteration.
In other words, saying it threetimes emphasizes the
overturning.
When God says whose right it is, he's referring to him, whose
right it is to wear the crown.
And so some interpret theEzekiel passage in chapter 21 as
God saying by several degrees Iwill utterly overthrow the
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kingdom of Judah and it shall beno more, it shall never recover
its former luster and dignityuntil he comes, that is, until
the Messiah comes to take hiskingdom.
But regardless of whichinterpretation is correct, what
is clear is that all of thempredict the rise of David and
the establishment of theIsraelite empire, and may even
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imply the coming of one who isgreater than David.
One early tradition that's foundin the text from Qumran in the
Targums and in rabbinicliterature sees Shiloh as a
messianic title, reading Untilthe time King Messiah comes, to
whom belongs the kingdom.
Even the Septuagint translationreads Until he comes, for whom.
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It was preserved In Hebrew.
All the letters also have anumeric value, and it's been
noted that the numerical valueof consonants in the phrase
Shiloh will come is 358, equalto that of Mashiach, the Hebrew
word for Messiah.
Now I'm going to mention thisjust so you're aware of the
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possibility.
But when it says the sceptershall not depart from Judah, nor
a lawgiver from between hisfeet, until Shiloh come, and
unto him shall the gathering ofthe people be.
There are some who believe thatJudah had lost its national
sovereignty during the 70-yearcaptivity in Babylon, but even
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then the leaders had theauthority to rule their fellow
Israelites according to the OldTestament law.
It wasn't until the Romansdenied the Sanhedrin the right
to use capital punishment, thatthe scepter was considered to
have been departed from.
Judah scepter was considered tohave been departed from Judah.
Josephus actually describes asituation in which the Sanhedrin
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illegally condemned AmandaStoning without Roman authority.
Augustine Le Mans, in his 1886book Jesus Before the Sanhedrin,
records a statement by RabbiAragmon in which he says when
the members of the Sanhedrinfound themselves deprived of
their right over life and deathwhich he says, and was living as
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a young boy in a carpenter'sshop down in Nazareth.
So in sum, this Old Testamentprophetic blessing on Judah is
fulfilled in David and his house, and in the New Testament it's
interpreted as being fulfilledin Jesus Christ.
Oh, and by the way, christ isthe Greek equivalent of the
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Hebrew word Messiah.
In the book of Revelation, theApocalypse John sees this
prophecy consummated when, inRevelation 5.5, he says and one
of the elders said to me Weep nomore.
Behold the lion of the tribe ofJudah, the root of David has
conquered so that he can openthe scroll and its seven seals.
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And you know, it's trulyamazing and it's also sobering
to realize that the scepter ofthe universe will be held by
nail-pierced hands.
But we move now to Zebulon inverse 13, where Jacob says
Zebulon shall dwell at the shoreof the sea, he shall become a
haven for ships and his bordershall be at Sidon.
Now we know that the tribe ofZebulon later contributed,
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become a haven for ships and hisborder shall be at Sidon.
Now we know that the tribe ofZebulon later contributed the
largest army to David, and itssoldiers were characterized as
experienced and loyal.
And where it mentions the shoreof the sea, it's most likely
referring to the Mediterranean,maybe even the Sea of Galilee,
and his border was to be Sidon,which was a port city, and it's
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also a generalized term forPhoenicia.
In general.
Verses 14 and 15 addressIssachar and read Issachar is a
strong donkey crouching betweenthe sheepfolds.
He saw that a resting place wasgood and that the land was
pleasant, so he bowed hisshoulder to bear and became a
servant at forced labor.
In short, issachar is describedas being strong but stubbornly
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refuses to work, preferringcomfort, and so he'll be forced
to bend his shoulder to theburden.
In fact, there's even acriticism for Issachar, placing
its strength in the service ofthe Canaanites.
The tribe of Issachar apparentlyplays no significant role in
the battles against either theMidianites or the Canaanites.
The tribe of Issacharapparently plays no significant
role in the battles againsteither the Midianites or the
Canaanites, and whereas theother tribes, even with their
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flaws and although they did notexterminate the Canaanites, at
least subjugated them.
But Issachar presumably submitsto the Canaanites for peace.
Issachar was allotted most ofthe Jezreel Valley.
The main highway from Egypt toBabylon passed through the
Jezreel Valley, and so was avery prosperous trade route for
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any country to try and control.
And Jacob sort of reproachesthe tribe of Issachar for
allowing its material prosperityto make it submissive to
Canaanite overlords, and there'san implication that the tribe
is simply content to enjoy itssafety at the expense of their
freedom.
Jacob then moves to Dan in verse16, where he says Dan shall
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judge his people as one of thetribes of Israel.
Dan shall be a serpent in theway, a viper by the path that
bites the horse's heels so thathis rider falls backward.
Now, when it says that Dan willjudge his people as one of the
tribes of Israel, even though wealready know that each of these
sons will be the head of 12tribes, this is actually the
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first time the Bible uses thephrase tribes of Israel.
But Dan here receives twoseparate blessings.
The first is that he will judgeor execute justice to the
tribes of Israel.
But Dan here receives twoseparate blessings.
The first is that he will judgeor execute justice to the
tribes of Israel, and he'llactually do this by pleading
cases, not condemning.
This could also be an allusionto Samson and his exploits
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against the Philistines, asSamson came from the tribe of
Dan.
The second is that, althoughrelatively small, came from the
tribe of Dan.
The second is that, althoughrelatively small, they strike
back.
They are aggressive, dangerousand they strike unexpectedly,
and so the imagery of a serpentor a viper on a road is fitting.
It represents the tribe asrelatively small and in a
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vulnerable position, which isexactly as it's depicted in the
book of Judges, and again, thistoo could be an allusion to
Samson.
Before he continues to the nextson, though, jacob inserts a
prayer in verse 18.
Jacob petitions God, saying Iwait for your salvation, o Lord,
and he may be saying thisbecause his blessings and
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prophecies for the tribespredict fierce hostility against
the tribes.
Jacob here is calling fordivine deliverance, and a prayer
like this would only originatein a situation of danger.
So again, it could be thatJacob is troubled by the
hostility he knows the tribeswill face, but could also simply
be a personal prayer forstrength to finish his blessings
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on his sons, or even during amoment of physical weakness.
Remember, this is Jacob on hisdeathbed here.
But after this short prayer,jacob continues with his seventh
son, gad, in verse 19, sayingRaiders shall raid Gad, but he
shall raid at their hills.
Now the tribe of Gad had itsterritory east of the Jordan,
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and its boundaries are definedin the book of Joshua.
This was in the vulnerableTransjordan area.
For most of its history, gadwas engaged in a series of wars
with its neighbors the Ammonites, the Moabites, arameans and
Assyrians, and its membersgained a reputation and were
celebrated as fighting warriors.
The blessing predicts that Gadwill live a troubled life but
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will strike back at its enemies.
The tribe wasn't big enough toengage in full-scale warfare, so
it had to resort to guerrillaraids.
But next up is Jacob's eighthson, asher, in verse 20, where
Jacob says Now, saying that hisfood shall be rich or fat and
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yield delicacies is a referenceto the fertile land that Asher
would settle in, which was inwestern Galilee.
This area was famous for itsfertility and the name Asher
actually means fortune orhappiness, and so it was sort of
a veiled allusion to prosperityfor the tribe.
Now, where it mentions that heshall yield royal delicacies.
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This could be figurative,meaning food fit for a king, or
it could be literal, meaningthat Asher served the Canaanite
kingdoms, throwing in its lotwith some of the local
city-states, and that's where itderived its prosperity.
But again, this is why thischapter is difficult, because we
simply aren't privy to a lot ofthe history and details here.
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But either way, jacob moves tohis son, naphtali, where he says
in verse 21, naphtali is adough let loose that bears
beautiful fawns.
This is one of those blessingsthat's difficult to interpret,
simply due to a lack of contextand the fact that there's just
no other elaboration.
We do know that does werefamous for their beauty and
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fleetness, and so where Jacobcompares him to a doe let loose,
it could be an allusion to hisfreedom, his agility and
frequent movements of the tribe.
Or it could be an allusion tohim being impetuous, doing
things suddenly, on the spur ofthe moment.
But that brings us now toJacob's blessing on Joseph in
verses 22 through 26, where hesays Joseph is a fruitful bow, a
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fruitful bow by a spring.
His branches run over the wallby the Almighty, who will bless
you with blessings of heavenabove, blessings of the deep
that crouches beneath, blessingsof the breast and of the womb.
The blessings of your Fatherare mighty beyond the blessings
of my parents, up to thebounties of the everlasting
hills.
May they be on the head ofJoseph and on the brow of him,
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who was set apart from hisbrothers.
Joseph was the eleventh son ofJacob, the first by his beloved
wife Rachel.
But remember, because Jacobadopted Joseph's two sons,
ephraim and Manasseh, and givesthem equal status with his sons,
joseph here actually refers tothe two tribes of Ephraim and
Manasseh.
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The two tribes together arealso known as the house of
Joseph.
This prophecy is the longest ofall the prophecies, but it
begins by comparing Joseph to afruitful vine, which is most
likely a metaphor for fertility,and when it says that his
branches run over the wall, it'sspeaking of the expansion of
his territory.
But it then mentions that thearchers attacked him severely.
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Now, this is a difficultpassage.
Nowhere else in scripture isthere a mention of archers
attacked him severely.
Now, this is a difficult passage.
Nowhere else in scripture isthere a mention of archers
attacking Joseph, and so, unlessthis is referring to some
unrecorded episode in his life,or even attacks on Ephraim and
Manasseh, this phrase may befigurative.
For example, it could bereferring to the Ishmaelites, or
(25:41):
to his brothers, or even toPotiphar's wife, all with their
resentment and slander towardJoseph, all intended to bring
harm to Joseph.
And so Joseph had to endure thearchers of envy and temptation.
And it does seem that one ofthose truisms in life is that
the brightest lights often castthe longest shadows is that the
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brightest lights often cast thelongest shadows.
But following this is the ideathat Joseph remained steadfast
in the face of adversity anddrew his strength from God, who
championed his cause.
Jacob then tells Joseph thatthe blessings he's giving him
exceed the blessings he receivedfrom his father.
But that brings us now to thelast of Joseph's 12 sons,
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benjamin, also the son of hisbeloved wife Rachel, who died
giving birth to Benjamin.
And Jacob continues in verse 27, saying Benjamin is a ravenous
wolf, in the morning devouringthe prey and at evening dividing
the spoil.
This is a much differentpicture we're painted about
Benjamin than in the earlierJoseph story.
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If you remember, back thenBenjamin was younger and Jacob
and the other brothers didn'twant to let him out of their
sight, but here he's now,portrayed as a ravenous wolf.
The Hebrew is literallyreferring to a ravenous wolf
that tears its prey, and it saysthat he divides the plunder,
killing more than he could eat.
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He shares the prey.
Now, the tribe of Benjaminsettled along a narrow strip of
land that was strategicallylocated so that both the
north-south and the east-westroads leading to Transjordan
passed through it.
As a result, this area becamean arena for wars.
The Benjaminites had areputation for bravery and skill
(27:25):
in war, and the opposition tothe Philistines was centered
around this tribe.
And Saul, the first king ofIsrael, came from the tribe of
Benjamin, and so the testamentof Jacob here reflects this
general historical situation.
And with that, jacob has nowblessed each of his sons, and
the narrative now shifts back tofocusing on Jacob, where, again
(27:48):
, he has been on his deathbed.
And we read his final wordsbefore his death in verses 28
through 33, which tell us allthese are the 12 tribes of
Israel.
This is what their father saidto them as he blessed them,
blessing each with the blessingsuitable to him.
Then he commanded them and saidto them.
I am to be gathered to.
(28:08):
My people, bury me with myfathers in the cave that is in
the field of Ephron the Hittite,in the cave that is in the
field of Machpelah, to the eastof Mamre, in the land of Canaan,
which Abraham bought with thefield from Ephron the Hittite to
possess as a burying place.
There they buried Abraham andSarah, his wife.
There they buried Isaac andRebekah, his wife, and there I
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buried Leah.
The field and the cave that isin it were bought from the
Hittites, and when Jacobfinished commanding his sons, he
drew up his feet into the bedand breathed his last and was
gathered to his people.
And with that Jacob passes away,a man whose amazing life we've
been following for many chaptersnow.
(28:54):
He charges his sons withburying him back in his land,
the land of his fathers, and hemakes sure that he provides them
all of the details.
So there's no mistake, he givesa precise description of the
burial site.
But as we say goodbye to Jacoband look back on his life, this
pivotal biblical figureexperienced an amazing life and
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adventure.
Born into family strife, hisjourney unfolded through deceit,
then exile and finallyredemption.
He wrestled with God andgrappled with his own ideas.
Well as always.
Thank you for joining me, as weare now only two chapters away
from completing our study of thebook of Genesis.
In the last episode, we sawthat Jacob, nearing death,
adopts Joseph's sons Ephraim andManasseh, blessing them and
affirming God's covenantpromises.
He prophesies their futureinheritance in Israel and marks
(00:30):
the continuation of God's planthrough the generations.
And that brings us now tochapter 49, which is one of the
most difficult chapters in allof Scripture.
Now it's not difficult tocomprehend what's actually being
said.
After Jacob adopts Joseph'ssons Ephraim and Manasseh, he
now gathers his 12 sons aroundhim to bless each of them, and
(00:53):
so, again, it's not difficult toread the words that he says to
them.
What makes this chapter sodifficult for anyone, including
theologians and Bible scholars,is interpreting what Jacob means
by the words he uses to blesshis sons.
He uses several metaphors andanalogies.
Some of them are vague and sortof shadowy, and there are
(01:14):
different possibleinterpretations put forward to
explain them.
Now, this chapter is commonlythought of as Jacob blessing his
sons, and that is often thetitle that's used.
But what you'll see is that hiswords are actually more
prophecy and moral criticismsthan blessings.
So what we'll do is readthrough the chapter and I'll
(01:35):
offer some thoughts based on themost common interpretations for
each, as well as offer somealternate interpretations for
some as well.
And so, with those introductorywords out of the way, we begin
with the first four verses ofchapter 49, which read Then
Jacob called his sons and saidGather yourselves together that
I may tell you what shall happento you in days to come.
(01:58):
Assemble and listen, o sons ofJacob, listen to Israel, your
father Reuben.
You were my firstborn, my mightand the firstfruits of my
strength, preeminent in dignityand preeminent in power,
unstable as water.
You shall not have preeminencebecause you went up to your
father's bed, then you defiledit.
(02:19):
He went up to my couch.
Now, if you recall from thelast episode, jacob is about to
die.
He's sitting on his bed.
He has just blessed Josephthrough his two sons, ephraim
and Manasseh, and now he'scalled his other sons and
assembled them around his bedand he says to them gather
yourselves together that I maytell you what is about to happen
(02:42):
to you in the days to come.
Now, as he blesses each son andgives his remarks, he is
speaking to that son, of course,but he's also speaking
prophetically to the distantfuture, meaning Jacob is
speaking to the individualtribes that are personified as
his sons.
In other words, since each sonwill become a leader of a tribe
(03:04):
of Israel sons.
In other words, since each sonwill become a leader of a tribe
of Israel, jacob is alsoprophesying what will happen to
that particular tribe.
Now just an observation, butJacob gathering his sons around
him.
It's a striking contrast to howhis father, isaac, blessed Jacob
himself and Ishmael.
If you remember, isaac blessedthem behind closed doors, one at
(03:26):
a time.
I mean, this is what led toJacob's deceptive scheme to
steal Ishmael's blessing.
But when he says in the days tocome, this phrase in Hebrew
simply means in the future, withno precise definition or
timeline.
But the expression embracesboth near future and the distant
future.
(03:46):
It embraces the entire historyof Israel, from the conquest and
distribution of the promisedland to the ultimate reign of
Jesus Christ.
But he begins with Reuben, hisfirstborn, and he tells him that
you are my firstborn, my mightand the first fruits.
You should have preeminenceover your brothers, because the
(04:13):
unique position of being thefirstborn normally guaranteed
rise to a double portion ofinheritance as well as
leadership.
And so for Reuben, that's thegood news.
But now the bad news leadership.
And so for Reuben, that's thegood news, but now the bad news,
as Jacob continues by sayingthat he is as unstable as water
and shall not have preeminence.
And why shall he not havepreeminence?
(04:33):
Jacob tells us, because youwent up into your father's bed
and defiled it.
And when Jacob says that Reubenhad defiled his bed, that Hebrew
word for defiled means to bringdisgrace to, to pollute it, and
it's used in connection withsexual depravity.
Now, what Jacob is referring tois the incestuous act of Reuben
(04:56):
, way back in chapter 35, whereit tells us that Reuben had sex
with Bilhah, who was Jacob'sconcubine, after Jacob's wife
Rachel had died.
Now, if you don't remember oryou're curious as to why Reuben
may have done this, you canrefer back to podcast episode 51
.
But this is even mentioned in 1Chronicles, chapter 5, where it
(05:17):
says that Reuben, the firstbornof Israel.
He was the firstborn, but whenhe defiled his father's bed, his
birthright was given to thesons of Israel.
He was the firstborn, but whenhe defiled his father's bed, his
birthright was given to thesons of Joseph.
And that's exactly what we justread about in the last episode,
where Jacob blesses Joseph'ssons, ephraim and Manasseh.
Again, jacob tells Reuben youshall not have preeminence, and
(05:40):
it's remarkable that not evenone of the later judges came
from the tribe of Reuben.
It provided no great captain tothe armies of Israel, nor any
of the prophets for Israel.
But Jacob moves next to his twosons, simeon and Levi, in verses
5 through 7, where he saysWeapons of violence are their
(06:01):
swords.
Let my soul come not into theircounsel.
O my glory, be not joined totheir company, for in their
anger they killed men and intheir wilfulness they hamstrung
oxen.
Cursed be their anger, for itis fierce, and their wrath, for
it is cruel.
I will divide them in Jacob andscatter them in Israel.
(06:23):
So Simeon and Levi are stronglycondemned for their violent
natures.
One observation here is that,since all the other brothers are
addressed individually, linkingSimeon and Levi together is
most likely a reference to theircombined attack on the city of
Shechem, which is described inchapter 34.
And if you remember, this iswhere they not only avenged the
(06:45):
rape of their sister Dina, butmassacred the men of the city
over it.
At the time Jacob was fearfulfor his family, concerned about
a counterattack, and there's norecord of him chastising his
sons for the attack.
But now, after many years, hefinally speaks up and renders a
moral verdict on their actionsand their disregard for human
(07:07):
life and a standard of values.
And with Reuben beingdisqualified already by Jacob as
inheriting the position ofleadership, simeon and Levi
would have been the next two inline, but here Jacob passes on
them as well.
Since they shared the samecharacter traits, they also
shared the same condemnation.
Now, where it says that theyhamstrung oxen, that is a
(07:30):
curious phrase for sure, and itrefers to crippling a beast by
severing the tendons of its hindlegs.
So it's most likely conveyingthe idea of senseless brutality.
When they were angry, theykilled men.
When they were pleased, theymaimed oxen, the idea being that
, whether they were angry orpleased, just on a whim, simeon
(07:54):
and Levi had a destructivenature about them with regards
to life.
As a result of this, jacob saysthat he will divide them and
scatter them in Israel, and thissignifies a loss of power, and
what we see is that, eventually,simeon's descendants are
absorbed into the territory ofJudah.
The next five verses deal withJudah, and Jacob says to him
(08:16):
Judah, your brother shall praiseyou.
Your hand shall be on the neckof your enemies.
Your father's son shall bowdown before you.
Judah is a lion's cub From theprey.
My son, you have gone up.
He stooped down, he crouched asa lion and as a lioness who
dares, rouse him.
The scepter shall not departfrom Judah, nor the ruler's
(08:38):
staff from between his feet,until tribute comes to him, and
to him shall be the obedience ofthe peoples.
And so we see a stark contrastbetween how Jacob has condemned
his other sons compared to howhe praises Judah here.
(09:04):
Jacob says that his brothershall praise him and his
preeminence will be acknowledged, that he possesses lion-like
strength.
Jacob blesses Judah with therewards of wisdom, kingship,
dominion and prosperity.
Now, this doesn't mean he wasinnocent I mean, just think back
to the sins of his youth andhis episode with Tamar.
(09:24):
But Jacob apparently overlooksor forgives this as a result of
Judah's changed character, andthis was evidenced by a
repentant Judah who latersacrificed himself for Jacob's
well-being.
Jacob compares Judah to a lionthe lion, one of the largest and
strongest carnivores.
It poses a threat not just toother animals but also to humans
(09:48):
.
It has a majestic appearance,fearless, and it has become a
symbol of majesty and strengthand was a symbol of kingship in
the ancient Near East.
Remember, jacob is not onlyspeaking to his sons, but he's
also speaking prophetically tothe tribes that would descend
from each son.
And it's interesting because weknow Jesus came from the tribe
(10:10):
of Judah and he's referred to aswhat?
The lion?
The lion from where?
The lion?
From the tribe of Judah.
And although we won't get intothat here, judah was by far the
largest tribe and we know thisbecause of the census taken
during the wilderness wanderings.
The tribe of Judah evensurvived the Babylonian
(10:30):
destruction and deportation in586 BC.
It made the survival of theJewish people possible and it's
from Judah that the Jews gettheir name.
But that brings us now to one ofthe most controversial passages
in all of scripture, the verycelebrated but difficult verse
10.
Verse 10 says the scepter shallnot depart from Judah, nor the
(10:54):
ruler's staff from between hisfeet, until tribute comes to him
, and to him shall be theobedience of the peoples.
Well, first of all, the scepteris a symbol of power and
authority and kingship.
That's the easy part.
But it also says the sceptershall not depart from Judah
until tribute comes to him.
(11:14):
Now the difficult part whatexactly does Jacob mean here?
He says the scepter shall notdepart from Judah until tribute
comes to him.
What does he mean by thescepter shall not depart?
And when he says until tributecomes to him, who is the him
he's referring to?
Well, when Jacob says thescepter shall not depart from
(11:35):
Judah, there's general agreementthat this is simply a way of
saying that Judah will alwayshave authority and power,
particularly over the othertribes.
In fact, it's from Judah, forexample, that David would come,
who would one day be king ofIsrael.
And again, that's the easierpart of this passage.
But the verse continues.
(11:57):
After stating that the scepterwill not depart from Judah, it
continues by saying untiltribute comes to him.
Another way to say this, basedon the Hebrew, is until he comes
to whom it belongs.
Now that gets your attention,because who is the he that's
referred to here?
The meaning of the Hebrew phrasethat's used here, yaboshilo, is
(12:21):
one of the most debated in allof Genesis, and this is
evidenced by the fact that thereare two or three optional
interpretations, and it boilsdown to the interpretation of
that Hebrew phrase, yaboshilo,and exactly what it means.
This is the only place inscripture where this phrase is
used, and neither the subject ofthe verb, nor the meaning of
(12:44):
Shiloh is clear Now.
It is actually pronouncedShiloh, but I will pronounce it
Shiloh for the sake of listenerswho may be more familiar with
it that way.
But one option is that theHebrew actually reads until
Shiloh comes.
Another option is for thephrase to be interpreted until
(13:04):
he comes, to whom tributebelongs.
This interpretation is based onamending the spelling of Shiloh
to Salo, which means tribute tohim.
This interpretation ispartially based on Ezekiel 21-27
, where the almost identicalexpression is used In Ezekiel,
chapter 21,.
(13:24):
God is speaking to Ezekieltelling him of the judgment to
befall Israel.
And in verse 27, god says Iwill overturn, overturn,
overturn it and it shall be nomore until he comes, whose right
it is, and I will give it tohim Now.
The sentence of destruction isemphasized in the Hebrew manner
(13:47):
by a threefold iteration.
In other words, saying it threetimes emphasizes the
overturning.
When God says whose right it is, he's referring to him, whose
right it is to wear the crown.
And so some interpret theEzekiel passage in chapter 21 as
God saying by several degrees Iwill utterly overthrow the
(14:10):
kingdom of Judah and it shall beno more, it shall never recover
its former luster and dignityuntil he comes, that is, until
the Messiah comes to take hiskingdom.
But regardless of whichinterpretation is correct, what
is clear is that all of thempredict the rise of David and
the establishment of theIsraelite empire, and may even
(14:34):
imply the coming of one who isgreater than David.
One early tradition that's foundin the text from Qumran in the
Targums and in rabbinicliterature sees Shiloh as a
messianic title, reading Untilthe time King Messiah comes, to
whom belongs the kingdom.
Even the Septuagint translationreads Until he comes, for whom.
(14:57):
It was preserved In Hebrew.
All the letters also have anumeric value, and it's been
noted that the numerical valueof consonants in the phrase
Shiloh will come is 358, equalto that of Mashiach, the Hebrew
word for Messiah.
Now I'm going to mention thisjust so you're aware of the
(15:20):
possibility.
But when it says the sceptershall not depart from Judah, nor
a lawgiver from between hisfeet, until Shiloh come, and
unto him shall the gathering ofthe people be.
There are some who believe thatJudah had lost its national
sovereignty during the 70-yearcaptivity in Babylon, but even
(15:40):
then the leaders had theauthority to rule their fellow
Israelites according to the OldTestament law.
It wasn't until the Romansdenied the Sanhedrin the right
to use capital punishment, thatthe scepter was considered to
have been departed from.
Judah scepter was considered tohave been departed from Judah.
Josephus actually describes asituation in which the Sanhedrin
(16:01):
illegally condemned AmandaStoning without Roman authority.
Augustine Le Mans, in his 1886book Jesus Before the Sanhedrin,
records a statement by RabbiAragmon in which he says when
the members of the Sanhedrinfound themselves deprived of
their right over life and deathwhich he says, and was living as
(16:39):
a young boy in a carpenter'sshop down in Nazareth.
So in sum, this Old Testamentprophetic blessing on Judah is
fulfilled in David and his house, and in the New Testament it's
interpreted as being fulfilledin Jesus Christ.
Oh, and by the way, christ isthe Greek equivalent of the
(17:00):
Hebrew word Messiah.
In the book of Revelation, theApocalypse John sees this
prophecy consummated when, inRevelation 5.5, he says and one
of the elders said to me Weep nomore.
Behold the lion of the tribe ofJudah, the root of David has
conquered so that he can openthe scroll and its seven seals.
(17:22):
And you know, it's trulyamazing and it's also sobering
to realize that the scepter ofthe universe will be held by
nail-pierced hands.
But we move now to Zebulon inverse 13, where Jacob says
Zebulon shall dwell at the shoreof the sea, he shall become a
haven for ships and his bordershall be at Sidon.
Now we know that the tribe ofZebulon later contributed,
(17:42):
become a haven for ships and hisborder shall be at Sidon.
Now we know that the tribe ofZebulon later contributed the
largest army to David, and itssoldiers were characterized as
experienced and loyal.
And where it mentions the shoreof the sea, it's most likely
referring to the Mediterranean,maybe even the Sea of Galilee,
and his border was to be Sidon,which was a port city, and it's
(18:03):
also a generalized term forPhoenicia.
In general.
Verses 14 and 15 addressIssachar and read Issachar is a
strong donkey crouching betweenthe sheepfolds.
He saw that a resting place wasgood and that the land was
pleasant, so he bowed hisshoulder to bear and became a
servant at forced labor.
In short, issachar is describedas being strong but stubbornly
(18:28):
refuses to work, preferringcomfort, and so he'll be forced
to bend his shoulder to theburden.
In fact, there's even acriticism for Issachar, placing
its strength in the service ofthe Canaanites.
The tribe of Issachar apparentlyplays no significant role in
the battles against either theMidianites or the Canaanites.
The tribe of Issacharapparently plays no significant
role in the battles againsteither the Midianites or the
Canaanites, and whereas theother tribes, even with their
(18:51):
flaws and although they did notexterminate the Canaanites, at
least subjugated them.
But Issachar presumably submitsto the Canaanites for peace.
Issachar was allotted most ofthe Jezreel Valley.
The main highway from Egypt toBabylon passed through the
Jezreel Valley, and so was avery prosperous trade route for
(19:12):
any country to try and control.
And Jacob sort of reproachesthe tribe of Issachar for
allowing its material prosperityto make it submissive to
Canaanite overlords, and there'san implication that the tribe
is simply content to enjoy itssafety at the expense of their
freedom.
Jacob then moves to Dan in verse16, where he says Dan shall
(19:35):
judge his people as one of thetribes of Israel.
Dan shall be a serpent in theway, a viper by the path that
bites the horse's heels so thathis rider falls backward.
Now, when it says that Dan willjudge his people as one of the
tribes of Israel, even though wealready know that each of these
sons will be the head of 12tribes, this is actually the
(19:56):
first time the Bible uses thephrase tribes of Israel.
But Dan here receives twoseparate blessings.
The first is that he will judgeor execute justice to the
tribes of Israel.
But Dan here receives twoseparate blessings.
The first is that he will judgeor execute justice to the
tribes of Israel, and he'llactually do this by pleading
cases, not condemning.
This could also be an allusionto Samson and his exploits
(20:16):
against the Philistines, asSamson came from the tribe of
Dan.
The second is that, althoughrelatively small, came from the
tribe of Dan.
The second is that, althoughrelatively small, they strike
back.
They are aggressive, dangerousand they strike unexpectedly,
and so the imagery of a serpentor a viper on a road is fitting.
It represents the tribe asrelatively small and in a
(20:37):
vulnerable position, which isexactly as it's depicted in the
book of Judges, and again, thistoo could be an allusion to
Samson.
Before he continues to the nextson, though, jacob inserts a
prayer in verse 18.
Jacob petitions God, saying Iwait for your salvation, o Lord,
and he may be saying thisbecause his blessings and
(20:58):
prophecies for the tribespredict fierce hostility against
the tribes.
Jacob here is calling fordivine deliverance, and a prayer
like this would only originatein a situation of danger.
So again, it could be thatJacob is troubled by the
hostility he knows the tribeswill face, but could also simply
be a personal prayer forstrength to finish his blessings
(21:20):
on his sons, or even during amoment of physical weakness.
Remember, this is Jacob on hisdeathbed here.
But after this short prayer,jacob continues with his seventh
son, gad, in verse 19, sayingRaiders shall raid Gad, but he
shall raid at their hills.
Now the tribe of Gad had itsterritory east of the Jordan,
(21:42):
and its boundaries are definedin the book of Joshua.
This was in the vulnerableTransjordan area.
For most of its history, gadwas engaged in a series of wars
with its neighbors the Ammonites, the Moabites, arameans and
Assyrians, and its membersgained a reputation and were
celebrated as fighting warriors.
The blessing predicts that Gadwill live a troubled life but
(22:05):
will strike back at its enemies.
The tribe wasn't big enough toengage in full-scale warfare, so
it had to resort to guerrillaraids.
But next up is Jacob's eighthson, asher, in verse 20, where
Jacob says Now, saying that hisfood shall be rich or fat and
(22:27):
yield delicacies is a referenceto the fertile land that Asher
would settle in, which was inwestern Galilee.
This area was famous for itsfertility and the name Asher
actually means fortune orhappiness, and so it was sort of
a veiled allusion to prosperityfor the tribe.
Now, where it mentions that heshall yield royal delicacies.
(22:48):
This could be figurative,meaning food fit for a king, or
it could be literal, meaningthat Asher served the Canaanite
kingdoms, throwing in its lotwith some of the local
city-states, and that's where itderived its prosperity.
But again, this is why thischapter is difficult, because we
simply aren't privy to a lot ofthe history and details here.
(23:11):
But either way, jacob moves tohis son, naphtali, where he says
in verse 21, naphtali is adough let loose that bears
beautiful fawns.
This is one of those blessingsthat's difficult to interpret,
simply due to a lack of contextand the fact that there's just
no other elaboration.
We do know that does werefamous for their beauty and
(23:33):
fleetness, and so where Jacobcompares him to a doe let loose,
it could be an allusion to hisfreedom, his agility and
frequent movements of the tribe.
Or it could be an allusion tohim being impetuous, doing
things suddenly, on the spur ofthe moment.
But that brings us now toJacob's blessing on Joseph in
verses 22 through 26, where hesays Joseph is a fruitful bow, a
(24:15):
fruitful bow by a spring.
His branches run over the wallby the Almighty, who will bless
you with blessings of heavenabove, blessings of the deep
that crouches beneath, blessingsof the breast and of the womb.
The blessings of your Fatherare mighty beyond the blessings
of my parents, up to thebounties of the everlasting
hills.
May they be on the head ofJoseph and on the brow of him,
(24:37):
who was set apart from hisbrothers.
Joseph was the eleventh son ofJacob, the first by his beloved
wife Rachel.
But remember, because Jacobadopted Joseph's two sons,
ephraim and Manasseh, and givesthem equal status with his sons,
joseph here actually refers tothe two tribes of Ephraim and
Manasseh.
(24:58):
The two tribes together arealso known as the house of
Joseph.
This prophecy is the longest ofall the prophecies, but it
begins by comparing Joseph to afruitful vine, which is most
likely a metaphor for fertility,and when it says that his
branches run over the wall, it'sspeaking of the expansion of
his territory.
But it then mentions that thearchers attacked him severely.
(25:21):
Now, this is a difficultpassage.
Nowhere else in scripture isthere a mention of archers
attacked him severely.
Now, this is a difficult passage.
Nowhere else in scripture isthere a mention of archers
attacking Joseph, and so, unlessthis is referring to some
unrecorded episode in his life,or even attacks on Ephraim and
Manasseh, this phrase may befigurative.
For example, it could bereferring to the Ishmaelites, or
(25:41):
to his brothers, or even toPotiphar's wife, all with their
resentment and slander towardJoseph, all intended to bring
harm to Joseph.
And so Joseph had to endure thearchers of envy and temptation.
And it does seem that one ofthose truisms in life is that
the brightest lights often castthe longest shadows is that the
(26:03):
brightest lights often cast thelongest shadows.
But following this is the ideathat Joseph remained steadfast
in the face of adversity anddrew his strength from God, who
championed his cause.
Jacob then tells Joseph thatthe blessings he's giving him
exceed the blessings he receivedfrom his father.
But that brings us now to thelast of Joseph's 12 sons,
(26:23):
benjamin, also the son of hisbeloved wife Rachel, who died
giving birth to Benjamin.
And Jacob continues in verse 27, saying Benjamin is a ravenous
wolf, in the morning devouringthe prey and at evening dividing
the spoil.
This is a much differentpicture we're painted about
Benjamin than in the earlierJoseph story.
(26:44):
If you remember, back thenBenjamin was younger and Jacob
and the other brothers didn'twant to let him out of their
sight, but here he's now,portrayed as a ravenous wolf.
The Hebrew is literallyreferring to a ravenous wolf
that tears its prey, and it saysthat he divides the plunder,
killing more than he could eat.
(27:05):
He shares the prey.
Now, the tribe of Benjaminsettled along a narrow strip of
land that was strategicallylocated so that both the
north-south and the east-westroads leading to Transjordan
passed through it.
As a result, this area becamean arena for wars.
The Benjaminites had areputation for bravery and skill
(27:25):
in war, and the opposition tothe Philistines was centered
around this tribe.
And Saul, the first king ofIsrael, came from the tribe of
Benjamin, and so the testamentof Jacob here reflects this
general historical situation.
And with that, jacob has nowblessed each of his sons, and
the narrative now shifts back tofocusing on Jacob, where, again
(27:48):
, he has been on his deathbed.
And we read his final wordsbefore his death in verses 28
through 33, which tell us allthese are the 12 tribes of
Israel.
This is what their father saidto them as he blessed them,
blessing each with the blessingsuitable to him.
Then he commanded them and saidto them.
I am to be gathered to.
(28:08):
My people, bury me with myfathers in the cave that is in
the field of Ephron the Hittite,in the cave that is in the
field of Machpelah, to the eastof Mamre, in the land of Canaan,
which Abraham bought with thefield from Ephron the Hittite to
possess as a burying place.
There they buried Abraham andSarah, his wife.
There they buried Isaac andRebekah, his wife, and there I
(28:33):
buried Leah.
The field and the cave that isin it were bought from the
Hittites, and when Jacobfinished commanding his sons, he
drew up his feet into the bedand breathed his last and was
gathered to his people.
And with that Jacob passes away,a man whose amazing life we've
been following for many chaptersnow.
(28:54):
He charges his sons withburying him back in his land,
the land of his fathers, and hemakes sure that he provides them
all of the details.
So there's no mistake, he givesa precise description of the
burial site.
But as we say goodbye to Jacoband look back on his life, this
pivotal biblical figureexperienced an amazing life and
(29:18):
adventure.
Born into family strife, hisjourney unfolded through deceit,
then exile and finallyredemption.
He wrestled with God andgrappled with his own ideas.
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