Genesis 49

This chapter comes near the end of Genesis. In Genesis 48, Jacob blesses Joseph's two sons; in this chapter he summons all twelve of his sons and tells each one what lies ahead. He then gives instructions about his burial place and dies. Verses 3–27 are poetry and are commonly called the "Blessing of Jacob."

Outline

• Verses 1–2 Jacob gathers his sons and says he will tell them "that which shall befall you in the last days."
• Verses 3–7 Jacob tells Reuben, the firstborn, that because he defiled his father's bed, "thou shalt not excel." Because Simeon and Levi killed men in their anger, Jacob says he will "scatter them in Israel."
• Verses 8–12 Judah is the one whom his brothers will praise, and he is called "a lion's whelp." The scepter will not depart from him "until Shiloh come."
• Verses 13–21 Zebulun, Issachar, Dan, Gad, Asher, and Naphtali each receive brief words. In the midst of these, Jacob declares, "I have waited for thy salvation, O LORD."
• Verses 22–27 Joseph is likened to "a fruitful bough by a well" and receives abundant blessings from the Almighty. Benjamin, the youngest, is portrayed as a ravening wolf.
• Verses 28–32 The text identifies these as the twelve tribes of Israel. Jacob charges his sons to bury him with his fathers in the cave in the field of Machpelah.
• Verse 33 Jacob finishes giving his charge and dies.

Key Verses

• Genesis 49:10 "The sceptre shall not depart from Judah … until Shiloh come" — the principal text cited for the royal authority of the tribe of Judah and for messianic expectation.
• Genesis 49:18 "I have waited for thy salvation, O LORD" — Jacob's own prayer, set in the middle of his words of blessing.
• Genesis 49:28 "Every one according to his blessing he blessed them" — the conclusion that applies the words spoken to the twelve sons to the twelve tribes of Israel.

People and Places

• Jacob — also called Israel. He dies in this chapter.
• Reuben — Jacob's firstborn son. Because of the incident recorded in chapter 35, he loses the preeminence of the firstborn.
• Simeon and Levi — the principal figures in the incident at Shechem in chapter 34. Levi's descendants later become the Levites.
• Judah — Jacob's fourth son. The royal house of David later comes from this tribe.
• Zebulun, Issachar, Dan, Gad, Asher, and Naphtali — the sons who receive brief words.
• Joseph and Benjamin — the two sons born to Rachel.
• Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, and Leah — those buried in the cave of Machpelah.
• Cave of Machpelah — a cave before Mamre in the land of Canaan. It is the burial site that Abraham purchased, together with the field, from Ephron the Hittite (chapter 23).

Points to Consider

• Interpretations of "Shiloh" in verse 10 differ. One tradition takes it as a name for the Messiah; this reading is said to have been widely preserved in the ancient Jewish Aramaic translations and in Christian tradition. Other views read it as "he to whom it belongs" or take it as the place name Shiloh, and translations render the word in various ways.
• Traditionally, this chapter is read as Jacob's prophecy. Some historical-critical scholars, by contrast, regard it as a later compilation of sayings that had circulated among the individual tribes.
• The statement that Levi and Simeon will be "scattered" is sometimes read in light of later events. Instead of receiving a territory, the tribe of Levi received cities within the other tribes, and the tribe of Simeon received its inheritance within the territory of Judah (Joshua 19:1).
• Some Church Fathers, including Irenaeus, associated the tribe of Dan with the Antichrist. This, however, is a later interpretation, not something the text itself states.
• The New Testament's "the Lion of the tribe of Juda" (Revelation 5:5) and "our Lord sprang out of Juda" (Hebrews 7:14) are read in connection with the blessing of Judah in this chapter.