Genesis 49:13

13 "Zebulun will live by the coast. He will have ships by the coast. His border will go as far as Sidon.

Genesis 49:13 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 49:13

Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea
Of the sea of Galilee, sometimes called the sea of Tiberias and of Gennesaret; and of the Mediterranean sea; and accordingly we find that the border of this tribe, when settled in the land of Canaan, was toward the sea, ( Joshua 19:10 Joshua 19:11 ) and this was done, not at the discretion of Joshua, or at the choice of this tribe, but by lot; and which shows that Jacob said this under a spirit of prophecy, and which had its fulfilment two hundred years after; and is a full proof of the prescience and providence of God; and who, as he sets the bounds of the people, or of the nations of the world, and of the tribes of Israel, so the bounds of the habitations of particular persons, ( Acts 17:26 ) and he shall be for an haven of ships; shall have good ports commodious for ships to station in, and to cover them from storms and tempests; this tribe being situated by the sea shore F2: and his border shall be unto Zidon;
not the city Zidon, for the tribe of Zebulun reached no further than Carmel, as Josephus observes;

``the Zebulunites (says he) obtained the land from Carmel, and the sea to the lake of Gennesaret.''
Now Carmel was forty miles at least from Zidon; but Phoenicia is meant, of which Zidon was the chief city; and so the Septuagint in ( Isaiah 23:2 ) put Phoenicia instead of Zidon; and whereas Carmel was the border of this tribe that way, it is also said by Jerom F4 to be the border of Phoenicia; so that Zebulun reaching to Carmel, its border may be truly said to be to Zidon or Phoenicia.
FOOTNOTES:

F2 (Mymy Pwxl) "in litore maris", V. L. "ad litus marium", Drusius, Cocceius, Schmidt.
F4 Comment. in Amos, 9. 3.

Genesis 49:13 In-Context

11 He will tie his donkey to a grapevine, his colt to the best vine. He will wash his clothes in wine, his garments in the blood of grapes.
12 His eyes are darker than wine. His teeth are whiter than milk.
13 "Zebulun will live by the coast. He will have ships by the coast. His border will go as far as Sidon.
14 "Issachar is a strong donkey, lying down between the saddlebags.
15 When he sees that his resting place is good and that the land is pleasant, he will bend his back to the burden and will become a slave laborer.
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