Genesis 49:1-10

Jacob's Last Words

1 Then Jacob called his sons and said, "Gather around, and I will tell you what will happen to you in the days to come.^[a]

2 Come together and listen, sons of Jacob; listen to your father Israel:

3 Reuben, you are my firstborn, my strength and the firstfruits of my virility, excelling in prominence, excelling in power.

4 Turbulent as water, you will no longer excel, because you got into your father's bed^[b] and you defiled it-he^[c] got into my bed.

5 Simeon and Levi are brothers; their knives are vicious weapons.^[d]

6 May I never enter their council; may I never join their assembly. For in their anger they kill men, and on a whim they hamstring oxen.

7 Their anger is cursed, for it is strong, and their fury, for it is cruel! I will disperse them throughout Jacob and scatter them throughout Israel.

8 Judah, your brothers will praise you. Your hand will be on the necks of your enemies; your father's sons will bow down to you.

9 Judah is a young lion- my son, you return from the kill- he crouches; he lies down like a lion and like a lioness-who wants to rouse him?

10 The scepter will not depart from Judah, or the staff from between his feet, until He whose right it is comes^{[e] [f]} and the obedience of the peoples belongs to Him.

Genesis 49:1-10 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.

Footnotes

• [a] Or in the last days
• [b] Gn 35:22
• [c] LXX, Syr, Tg read you
• [d] Gn 34:25
• [e] Or until tribute comes to him, or until Shiloh comes, or until He comes to Shiloh
• [f] Ps 60:7; 108:8; Ezk 21:27