Genesis 49:16-26

16 Dan shall deem his people, as also another lineage in Israel. (Dan shall judge, or shall rule, his people, like another tribe in Israel.)

17 Dan be made a serpent in the way, and (a) cerastes, that is, an horned adder, in the path, and bite he the feet of an horse, that the rider of him fall backward; (Let Dan be made a serpent on the way, and a cerastes, or a horned adder, on the path, and bite he the horse's feet, so that his rider fall backwards;)

18 Lord, I shall abide thine health. (Lord, I wait for thy salvation!)

19 Gad shall be girded, and he shall fight (them) before him, and he shall be girded behind. (Gad shall be girded, and shall be attacked from the front, but he shall fight back from behind.)

20 Asher, his bread shall be fat, and he shall give delights to kings.

21 Naphtali shall be an hart sent out, and giving speeches of fairness.

22 Joseph, a son increasing, (yea,) a son increasing, and fair in beholding; [the] daughters run about on the wall (his branches climb up over the wall),

23 but his brethren wrathed (at) him, and chided him, and they had darts, and had envy to him (and they had arrows, and they envied him).

24 His bow sat in the strong (One), the Lord, and the bonds of his arms and his hands were unbound by the hand of the mighty (God) of Jacob; of him a shepherd went out, the stone of Israel. (But his bow stood strong, and the bonds on his arms, and on his hands, were unbound by the power of the mighty God of Jacob; yea, by his Shepherd, by the Rock of Israel.)

25 (The) God of thy father shall be thine helper, and Almighty God shall bless thee, with blessings of (the) heaven(s) from above (with blessings from heaven above), and with blessings of the sea lying beneath, with blessings of teats, and of the womb;

26 the blessings of thy father be strengthened, that is, be (made) better than the blessings of his fathers, till the desire of (the) everlasting hills came; blessings be made on the head of Joseph, and in the noll of (the) Nazarite, that is, holy, among his brethren (blessings shall rest on Joseph's head, yea, on the noll of the Nazarite, that is, the one set apart, or the holy one, among his brothers).

Genesis 49:16-26 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.