JACOB BLESSES HIS SONS
Key verse: 10
NIV
Jacob Blesses His Sons(A)
49 Then Jacob called for his sons and said: “Gather around so I can tell you what will happen to you in days to come.(B)
3 “Reuben, you are my firstborn,(E)
my might, the first sign of my strength,(F)
excelling in honor,(G) excelling in power.
4 Turbulent as the waters,(H) you will no longer excel,
for you went up onto your father’s bed,
onto my couch and defiled it.(I)
5 “Simeon(J) and Levi(K) are brothers—
their swords[a] are weapons of violence.(L)
6 Let me not enter their council,
let me not join their assembly,(M)
for they have killed men in their anger(N)
and hamstrung(O) oxen as they pleased.
7 Cursed be their anger, so fierce,
and their fury,(P) so cruel!(Q)
I will scatter them in Jacob
and disperse them in Israel.(R)
8 “Judah,[b](S) your brothers will praise you;
your hand will be on the neck(T) of your enemies;
your father’s sons will bow down to you.(U)
9 You are a lion’s(V) cub,(W) Judah;(X)
you return from the prey,(Y) my son.
Like a lion he crouches and lies down,
like a lioness—who dares to rouse him?
10 The scepter will not depart from Judah,(Z)
nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,[c]
until he to whom it belongs[d] shall come(AA)
and the obedience of the nations shall be his.(AB)
11 He will tether his donkey(AC) to a vine,
his colt to the choicest branch;(AD)
he will wash his garments in wine,
his robes in the blood of grapes.(AE)
12 His eyes will be darker than wine,
his teeth whiter than milk.[e](AF)
13 “Zebulun(AG) will live by the seashore
and become a haven for ships;
his border will extend toward Sidon.(AH)
14 “Issachar(AI) is a rawboned[f] donkey
lying down among the sheep pens.[g](AJ)
15 When he sees how good is his resting place
and how pleasant is his land,(AK)
he will bend his shoulder to the burden(AL)
and submit to forced labor.(AM)
16 “Dan[h](AN) will provide justice for his people
as one of the tribes of Israel.(AO)
17 Dan(AP) will be a snake by the roadside,
a viper along the path,(AQ)
that bites the horse’s heels(AR)
so that its rider tumbles backward.
22 “Joseph(BB) is a fruitful vine,(BC)
a fruitful vine near a spring,
whose branches(BD) climb over a wall.[k]
23 With bitterness archers attacked him;(BE)
they shot at him with hostility.(BF)
24 But his bow remained steady,(BG)
his strong arms(BH) stayed[l] limber,
because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob,(BI)
because of the Shepherd,(BJ) the Rock of Israel,(BK)
25 because of your father’s God,(BL) who helps(BM) you,
because of the Almighty,[m](BN) who blesses you
with blessings of the skies above,
blessings of the deep springs below,(BO)
blessings of the breast(BP) and womb.(BQ)
26 Your father’s blessings are greater
than the blessings of the ancient mountains,
than[n] the bounty of the age-old hills.(BR)
Let all these rest on the head of Joseph,(BS)
on the brow of the prince among[o] his brothers.(BT)
27 “Benjamin(BU) is a ravenous wolf;(BV)
in the morning he devours the prey,(BW)
in the evening he divides the plunder.”(BX)
28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel,(BY) and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them, giving each the blessing(BZ) appropriate to him.
Footnotes
- Genesis 49:5 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
- Genesis 49:8 Judah sounds like and may be derived from the Hebrew for praise.
- Genesis 49:10 Or from his descendants
- Genesis 49:10 Or to whom tribute belongs; the meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
- Genesis 49:12 Or will be dull from wine, / his teeth white from milk
- Genesis 49:14 Or strong
- Genesis 49:14 Or the campfires; or the saddlebags
- Genesis 49:16 Dan here means he provides justice.
- Genesis 49:19 Gad sounds like the Hebrew for attack and also for band of raiders.
- Genesis 49:21 Or free; / he utters beautiful words
- Genesis 49:22 Or Joseph is a wild colt, / a wild colt near a spring, / a wild donkey on a terraced hill
- Genesis 49:24 Or archers will attack … will shoot … will remain … will stay
- Genesis 49:25 Hebrew Shaddai
- Genesis 49:26 Or of my progenitors, / as great as
- Genesis 49:26 Or of the one separated from
Cross references
- Genesis 49:1 : 49:1-28Ref — Dt 33:1-29
- Genesis 49:1 : Nu 24:14; Dt 31:29; Jer 23:20; Da 2:28, 45
- Genesis 49:2 : Jos 24:1
- Genesis 49:2 : ver 16, 28; Ps 34:11
- Genesis 49:3 : S Ge 29:32; S 41:51
- Genesis 49:3 : Dt 21:17; Ps 78:51; 105:36
- Genesis 49:3 : S Ge 34:19
- Genesis 49:4 : Isa 57:20; Jer 49:23
- Genesis 49:4 : S Ge 29:29; S 34:5
- Genesis 49:5 : S Ge 29:33
- Genesis 49:5 : Ge 29:34
- Genesis 49:5 : S Ge 34:25; S Pr 4:17
- Genesis 49:6 : Ps 1:1; Pr 1:15; Eph 5:11
- Genesis 49:6 : S Ge 34:26
- Genesis 49:6 : Jos 11:6, 9; 2Sa 8:4; 1Ch 18:4
- Genesis 49:7 : Ge 34:7
- Genesis 49:7 : Ge 34:25
- Genesis 49:7 : Jos 19:1, 9; 21:1-42
- Genesis 49:8 : S Ge 29:35
- Genesis 49:8 : Dt 28:48
- Genesis 49:8 : S Ge 9:25; 1Ch 5:2
- Genesis 49:9 : Nu 24:9; Ps 7:2; 10:9; Eze 19:5; Mic 5:8
- Genesis 49:9 : Eze 19:2
- Genesis 49:9 : Rev 5:5
- Genesis 49:9 : ver 27; Nu 23:24; Job 38:39; Ps 17:12; 22:13; 104:21
- Genesis 49:10 : Nu 24:17, 19; Jdg 1:1-2; 20:18; 1Ch 5:2; 28:4; Ps 60:7; 108:8
- Genesis 49:10 : Eze 21:27
- Genesis 49:10 : Ps 2:9; 72:8-11; 98:3; 110:2; Isa 2:4; 26:18; 42:1, 4; 45:22; 48:20; 49:6; 51:5
- Genesis 49:11 : Jdg 5:10; 10:4; Zec 9:9
- Genesis 49:11 : Dt 8:8; 2Ki 18:32
- Genesis 49:11 : Dt 32:14; Isa 63:2
- Genesis 49:12 : SS 5:12
- Genesis 49:13 : S Ge 30:20
- Genesis 49:13 : S Ge 10:19
- Genesis 49:14 : S Ge 30:18
- Genesis 49:14 : Jdg 5:16; Ps 68:13
- Genesis 49:15 : Jos 19:17-23
- Genesis 49:15 : Eze 29:18
- Genesis 49:15 : 1Ki 4:6; 5:13; 9:21; Isa 14:2; 31:8
- Genesis 49:16 : Ge 30:6
- Genesis 49:16 : S ver 2
- Genesis 49:17 : Jdg 18:27
- Genesis 49:17 : Jer 8:17; Am 9:3
- Genesis 49:17 : ver 19
- Genesis 49:18 : S Ge 45:7; Ps 40:1-3
- Genesis 49:18 : Ps 119:166, 174
- Genesis 49:19 : S Ge 30:11
- Genesis 49:19 : ver 17
- Genesis 49:20 : S Ge 30:13
- Genesis 49:20 : Isa 25:6
- Genesis 49:20 : Job 29:6
- Genesis 49:21 : S Ge 30:8
- Genesis 49:21 : Job 39:1
- Genesis 49:22 : Ge 30:24
- Genesis 49:22 : S Ge 17:6; Ps 128:3; Eze 19:10
- Genesis 49:22 : Ps 80:10
- Genesis 49:23 : 1Ch 10:3
- Genesis 49:23 : S Ge 27:41; S 37:24
- Genesis 49:24 : Job 29:20
- Genesis 49:24 : Ps 18:34; Isa 63:12
- Genesis 49:24 : Ps 132:2, 5; Isa 1:24; 10:34; 49:26; 60:16
- Genesis 49:24 : S Ge 48:15
- Genesis 49:24 : Dt 32:4, 15, 18, 31; 1Sa 2:2; 2Sa 22:32; Ps 18:2, 31; 19:14; 78:35; 89:26; 144:1; Isa 17:10; 26:4; 30:29; 44:8; Hab 1:12
- Genesis 49:25 : S Ge 28:13
- Genesis 49:25 : Ex 18:4; Ps 27:9
- Genesis 49:25 : S Ge 17:1
- Genesis 49:25 : S Ge 27:28
- Genesis 49:25 : Isa 66:11
- Genesis 49:25 : Dt 7:13; 28:4; Ps 107:38; Pr 10:22
- Genesis 49:26 : Hab 3:6
- Genesis 49:26 : 1Ch 5:1; Eze 47:13
- Genesis 49:26 : S Ge 37:8
- Genesis 49:27 : Ge 35:18; Jdg 20:12-13
- Genesis 49:27 : Hab 1:8; Zep 3:3
- Genesis 49:27 : S ver 9
- Genesis 49:27 : Nu 31:11; Dt 2:35; Jos 7:21; 8:2; 22:8; Jdg 8:24
- Genesis 49:28 : S ver 2
- Genesis 49:28 : S Ge 27:4
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway
ESV
Jacob Blesses His Sons
49 (A)Then Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you what shall happen to you (B)in days to come.
2 “Assemble and listen, O sons of Jacob,
listen to Israel your father.
3 “Reuben, you are (C)my firstborn,
my might, and the (D)firstfruits of my strength,
preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power.
4 Unstable as water, you shall not have preeminence,
because you (E)went up to your father's bed;
then you defiled it—he went up to my couch!
5 (F)“Simeon and Levi are brothers;
weapons (G)of violence are their swords.
6 Let my soul come not into their council;
(H)O my glory, (I)be not joined to their company.
For in their anger they killed men,
and in their willfulness they (J)hamstrung oxen.
7 Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce,
and their wrath, for it is cruel!
I will (K)divide them in Jacob
and scatter them in Israel.
8 “Judah, (L)your brothers shall praise you;
(M)your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies;
(N)your father's sons shall bow down before you.
9 Judah is (O)a lion's cub;
from the prey, my son, you have gone up.
(P)He stooped down; he crouched as a lion
and as a lioness; who dares rouse him?
10 The (Q)scepter shall not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler's staff (R)from between his feet,
until tribute comes to him;[a]
and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.
11 Binding his foal to the vine
and his donkey's colt to the choice vine,
he has washed his garments in wine
and his vesture in the blood of grapes.
12 His (S)eyes are darker than wine,
and his teeth whiter than milk.
13 (T)“Zebulun shall dwell at the (U)shore of the sea;
he shall become a haven for ships,
and his border shall be at Sidon.
14 (V)“Issachar is a strong donkey,
crouching between the sheepfolds.[b]
15 He saw that a resting place was good,
and that the land was pleasant,
so he bowed his shoulder to bear,
and (W)became a servant at forced labor.
16 (X)“Dan shall (Y)judge his people
as one of the tribes of Israel.
17 Dan (Z)shall be a serpent in the way,
a viper by the path,
that bites the horse's heels
so that his rider falls backward.
18 I (AA)wait for your salvation, O Lord.
20 (AD)“Asher's food shall be rich,
and he shall yield royal delicacies.
22 “Joseph is (AF)a fruitful bough,
a fruitful bough by a spring;
his branches run over the wall.[e]
23 The archers (AG)bitterly attacked him,
shot at him, and harassed him severely,
24 yet (AH)his bow remained unmoved;
his arms[f] were made agile
by the hands of the (AI)Mighty One of Jacob
(from there is (AJ)the Shepherd,[g] (AK)the Stone of Israel),
25 (AL)by the God of your father who will help you,
by (AM)the Almighty[h] (AN)who will bless you
with blessings of heaven above,
blessings of the deep that crouches beneath,
blessings of the breasts and of the womb.
26 The blessings of your father
are mighty beyond the blessings of my parents,
up to the bounties (AO)of the everlasting hills.[i]
May they be (AP)on the head of Joseph,
and on the brow of him who was set apart from his brothers.
27 (AQ)“Benjamin is a ravenous wolf,
in the morning devouring the prey
and at evening (AR)dividing the spoil.”
Jacob's Death and Burial
28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel. This is what their father said to them as he blessed them, blessing each with the blessing suitable to him.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Genesis 49:10 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
- Genesis 49:14 Or between its saddlebags
- Genesis 49:19 Gad sounds like the Hebrew for raiders and raid
- Genesis 49:21 Or he gives beautiful words, or that bears fawns of the fold
- Genesis 49:22 Or Joseph is a wild donkey, a wild donkey beside a spring, his wild colts beside the wall
- Genesis 49:24 Hebrew the arms of his hands
- Genesis 49:24 Or by the name of the Shepherd
- Genesis 49:25 Hebrew Shaddai
- Genesis 49:26 A slight emendation yields (compare Septuagint) the blessings of the eternal mountains, the bounties of the everlasting hills
Cross references
- Genesis 49:1 : For ver. 1-27, see Deut. 33:6-25
- Genesis 49:1 : Num. 24:14; Deut. 4:30; 31:29; Isa. 2:2; Jer. 23:20; Dan. 2:28; 10:14; Hos. 3:5
- Genesis 49:3 : ch. 29:32
- Genesis 49:3 : Deut. 21:17
- Genesis 49:4 : ch. 35:22; 1 Chr. 5:1
- Genesis 49:5 : ch. 29:33, 34
- Genesis 49:5 : ch. 34:25, 26
- Genesis 49:6 : [Ps. 16:9; 57:8]
- Genesis 49:6 : [Ps. 26:9]
- Genesis 49:6 : Josh. 11:6, 9; 2 Sam. 8:4
- Genesis 49:7 : See Num. 3:5-13; Josh. 19:1-9; 1 Chr. 4:24-39
- Genesis 49:8 : ch. 29:35; [ch. 27:29]
- Genesis 49:8 : [Job 16:12]
- Genesis 49:8 : 1 Chr. 5:2
- Genesis 49:9 : Rev. 5:5; [Deut. 33:22; Hos. 5:14]
- Genesis 49:9 : [Num. 23:24; 24:9]
- Genesis 49:10 : Num. 24:17; Zech. 10:11
- Genesis 49:10 : Deut. 28:57
- Genesis 49:12 : Prov. 23:29
- Genesis 49:13 : [Deut. 33:18, 19]; Josh. 19:10, 11
- Genesis 49:13 : [Deut. 1:7; Josh. 9:1; Judg. 5:17]
- Genesis 49:14 : Judg. 5:16; [1 Chr. 12:32]
- Genesis 49:15 : Josh. 16:10
- Genesis 49:16 : [Deut. 33:22]
- Genesis 49:16 : ch. 30:6
- Genesis 49:17 : Judg. 18:27
- Genesis 49:18 : Ps. 25:5; 119:166, 174; Isa. 25:9; Mic. 7:7; [Luke 2:25]
- Genesis 49:19 : [Deut. 33:20]
- Genesis 49:19 : See 1 Chr. 5:18-22
- Genesis 49:20 : [Deut. 33:24]
- Genesis 49:21 : [Deut. 33:23]
- Genesis 49:22 : ch. 41:52; Josh. 17:14, 18
- Genesis 49:23 : [ch. 37:24, 28; 39:20]
- Genesis 49:24 : Job 29:20
- Genesis 49:24 : Ps. 132:2, 5; Isa. 1:24
- Genesis 49:24 : Ps. 23:1; 80:1
- Genesis 49:24 : Isa. 28:16; Eph. 2:20; 1 Pet. 2:4; [Deut. 32:4]
- Genesis 49:25 : ch. 35:3; 50:17
- Genesis 49:25 : ch. 17:1; 35:11
- Genesis 49:25 : Deut. 33:13
- Genesis 49:26 : Deut. 33:15; Hab. 3:6
- Genesis 49:26 : Deut. 33:16
- Genesis 49:27 : [Judg. 20:21, 25; Ezek. 22:27]
- Genesis 49:27 : Zech. 14:1; [Ezek. 39:10]
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway
1. The scepter will not depart from Judah (1-21)
Jacob was a man of blessing and patriarch of the nation of Israel. He blessed each of his 12 sons appropriately. He recognized Judah as chosen for the most important blessing. He is the ancestor of David and of Christ. His older brothers lost their priority because of their violent acts. Jacob spoke of a time of fulfillment, when all nations would be ruled by Jesus and live in obedience to his rule.
2. Joseph is a fruitful vine (22-28)
Jacob loved Joseph and poured out his blessing on him. Joseph’s sons Ephraim and Manasseh each received a tribe in the nation of Israel. Joseph was not the covenant son, but he was a beautiful reflection of the gospel of Jesus in the Old Testament. He suffered greatly to bring his brothers to live under God’s blessing.
Prayer: Lord, make me a source of blessing. Use me to call others to live under your blessing.
One Word: Live in God’s blessing