Genesis 49:1-15

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 firstfruits 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!
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 Jacoband scatter them in Israel.
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 lionand 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 vineand his donkey’s colt to the choice vine,he has washed his garments in wineand his vesture in the blood of grapes.
12 His eyes are darker than wine,and his teeth whiter than milk.
13 “Zebulun shall dwell at the shore of the sea;he shall become a haven for ships,and his border shall be at Sidon.
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.

Genesis 49:1-15 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO GENESIS 49

This chapter contains a prophecy of future things, relating to the twelve sons of Jacob, and to the twelve tribes, as descending from them, and which he delivered to his sons on his death bed, having called them together for that purpose, Ge 49:1,2, he begins with Reuben his firstborn, whose incest he takes notice of, on which account he should not excel, Ge 49:3,4, next Simeon and Levi have a curse denounced on them for their cruelty at Shechem, Ge 49:5,6, but Judah is praised, and good things prophesied of him; and particularly that Shiloh, or the Messiah, should spring from him, the time of whose coming is pointed at, Ge 49:7-12, the predictions concerning Zebulun, Issachar, and Dan, follow, at the close of which Jacob expresses his longing expectation of God's salvation, Ge 49:13-18 and after foretelling what should befall Gad, Asher, and Naphtali, Ge 49:19-21, a large account is given of Joseph, his troubles, his trials, and his blessings, Ge 49:22-26, and Benjamin the youngest son is taken notice of last of all, all the tribes being blessed in their order according to the nature of their blessing, Ge 49:27,28, and the chapter is closed with a charge of Jacob's to his sons to bury him in Canaan, which having delivered, he died, Ge 49:29-33.

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Cross References 34

  • 1. 49:3 ch. 29:32
  • 2. 49:5 ch. 29:33, 34
  • 3. 49:8 ch. 29:35; [ch. 27:29]
  • 4. 49:9 Rev. 5:5; [Deut. 33:22; Hos. 5:14]
  • 5. 49:10 Num. 24:17; Zech. 10:11
  • 6. 49:12 Prov. 23:29
  • 7. 49:13 [Deut. 33:18, 19]; Josh. 19:10, 11
  • 8. 49:1 For ver. 1-27, see Deut. 33:6-25
  • 9. 49:14 Judg. 5:16; [1 Chr. 12:32]
  • 10. 49:1 Num. 24:14; Deut. 4:30; 31:29; Isa. 2:2; Jer. 23:20; Dan. 2:28; 10:14; Hos. 3:5
  • 11. 49:13 [Deut. 1:7; Josh. 9:1; Judg. 5:17]
  • 12. For ver. 1-27, see Deuteronomy 33:6-25
  • 13. Numbers 24:14; Deuteronomy 4:30; Deuteronomy 31:29; Isaiah 2:2; Jeremiah 23:20; Daniel 2:28; Daniel 10:14; Hosea 3:5
  • 14. Genesis 29:32
  • 15. Deuteronomy 21:17
  • 16. Genesis 35:22; 1 Chronicles 5:1
  • 17. Genesis 29:33, 34
  • 18. Genesis 34:25, 26
  • 19. [Psalms 16:9; Psalms 57:8]
  • 20. [Psalms 26:9]
  • 21. Joshua 11:6, 9; 2 Samuel 8:4
  • 22. See Numbers 3:5-13; Joshua 19:1-9; 1 Chronicles 4:24-39
  • 23. Genesis 29:35; [Genesis 27:29]
  • 24. [Job 16:12]
  • 25. 1 Chronicles 5:2
  • 26. Revelation 5:5; [Deuteronomy 33:22; Hosea 5:14]
  • 27. [Numbers 23:24; Numbers 24:9]
  • 28. Numbers 24:17; Zechariah 10:11
  • 29. Deuteronomy 28:57
  • 30. Proverbs 23:29
  • 31. [Deuteronomy 33:18, 19]; Joshua 19:10, 11
  • 32. [Deuteronomy 1:7; Joshua 9:1; Judges 5:17]
  • 33. Judges 5:16; [1 Chronicles 12:32]
  • 34. Joshua 16:10

Footnotes 2

  • [a]. By a slight revocalization; a slight emendation yields (compare Septuagint, Syriac, Targum) until he comes to whom it belongs; Hebrew until Shiloh comes, or until he comes to Shiloh
  • [b]. Or between its saddlebags
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.