1 And Jacob H3290 called H7121 unto his sons, H1121 and said, H559 Gather yourselves together, H622 that I may tell H5046 you that which shall befall H7122 you in the last H319 days. H3117
2 Gather yourselves together, H6908 and hear, H8085 ye sons H1121 of Jacob; H3290 and hearken H8085 unto Israel H3478 your father. H1
3 Reuben, H7205 thou art my firstborn, H1060 my might, H3581 and the beginning H7225 of my strength, H202 the excellency H3499 of dignity, H7613 and the excellency H3499 of power: H5794
4 Unstable H6349 as water, H4325 thou shalt not excel; H3498 because thou wentest up H5927 to thy father's H1 bed; H4904 then defiledst thou H2490 it: he went up H5927 to my couch. H3326
5 Simeon H8095 and Levi H3878 are brethren; H251 instruments H3627 of cruelty H2555 are in their habitations. H4380
6 O my soul, H5315 come H935 not thou into their secret; H5475 unto their assembly, H6951 mine honour, H3519 be not thou united: H3161 for in their anger H639 they slew H2026 a man, H376 and in their selfwill H7522 they digged down H6131 a wall. H7794
7 Cursed H779 be their anger, H639 for it was fierce; H5794 and their wrath, H5678 for it was cruel: H7185 I will divide H2505 them in Jacob, H3290 and scatter H6327 them in Israel. H3478
8 Judah, H3063 thou art he whom thy brethren H251 shall praise: H3034 thy hand H3027 shall be in the neck H6203 of thine enemies; H341 thy father's H1 children H1121 shall bow down H7812 before thee.
9 Judah H3063 is a lion's H738 whelp: H1482 from the prey, H2964 my son, H1121 thou art gone up: H5927 he stooped down, H3766 he couched H7257 as a lion, H738 and as an old lion; H3833 who shall rouse him up? H6965
10 The sceptre H7626 shall not depart H5493 from Judah, H3063 nor a lawgiver H2710 from between his feet, H7272 until H3588 Shiloh H7886 come; H935 and unto him shall the gathering H3349 of the people H5971 be.
11 Binding H631 his foal H5895 unto the vine, H1612 and his ass's H860 colt H1121 unto the choice vine; H8321 he washed H3526 his garments H3830 in wine, H3196 and his clothes H5497 in the blood H1818 of grapes: H6025
12 His eyes H5869 shall be red H2447 with wine, H3196 and his teeth H8127 white H3836 with milk. H2461
13 Zebulun H2074 shall dwell H7931 at the haven H2348 of the sea; H3220 and he shall be for an haven H2348 of ships; H591 and his border H3411 shall be unto Zidon. H6721
14 Issachar H3485 is a strong H1634 ass H2543 couching down H7257 between two burdens: H4942
15 And he saw H7200 that rest H4496 was good, H2896 and the land H776 that it was pleasant; H5276 and bowed H5186 his shoulder H7926 to bear, H5445 and became a servant H5647 unto tribute. H4522
16 Dan H1835 shall judge H1777 his people, H5971 as one H259 of the tribes H7626 of Israel. H3478
17 Dan H1835 shall be a serpent H5175 by the way, H1870 an adder H8207 in the path, H734 that biteth H5391 the horse H5483 heels, H6119 so that his rider H7392 shall fall H5307 backward. H268
18 I have waited for H6960 thy salvation, H3444 O LORD. H3068
19 Gad, H1410 a troop H1416 shall overcome H1464 him: but he shall overcome H1464 at the last. H6119
20 Out of Asher H836 his bread H3899 shall be fat, H8082 and he shall yield H5414 royal H4428 dainties. H4574
21 Naphtali H5321 is a hind H355 let loose: H7971 he giveth H5414 goodly H8233 words. H561
22 Joseph H3130 is a fruitful H6509 bough, H1121 even a fruitful H6509 bough H1121 by a well; H5869 whose branches H1323 run H6805 over the wall: H7791
23 The archers H1167 H2671 have sorely grieved him, H4843 and shot H7232 at him, and hated him: H7852
24 But his bow H7198 abode H3427 in strength, H386 and the arms H2220 of his hands H3027 were made strong H6339 by the hands H3027 of the mighty H46 God of Jacob; H3290 (from thence is the shepherd, H7462 the stone H68 of Israel:) H3478
25 Even by the God H410 of thy father, H1 who shall help H5826 thee; and by H854 the Almighty, H7706 who shall bless H1288 thee with blessings H1293 of heaven H8064 above, H5920 blessings H1293 of the deep H8415 that lieth H7257 under, blessings H1293 of the breasts, H7699 and of the womb: H7356
26 The blessings H1293 of thy father H1 have prevailed H1396 above the blessings H1293 of my progenitors H2029 unto the utmost bound H8379 of the everlasting H5769 hills: H1389 they shall be on the head H7218 of Joseph, H3130 and on the crown of the head H6936 of him that was separate H5139 from his brethren. H251
27 Benjamin H1144 shall ravin H2963 as a wolf: H2061 in the morning H1242 he shall devour H398 the prey, H5706 and at night H6153 he shall divide H2505 the spoil. H7998
28 All these are the twelve H6240 H8147 tribes H7626 of Israel: H3478 and this is it that their father H1 spake H1696 unto them, and blessed H1288 them; every H834 one H376 according to his blessing H1293 he blessed H1288 them.
29 And he charged H6680 them, and said H559 unto them, I am to be gathered H622 unto my people: H5971 bury H6912 me with my fathers H1 in the cave H4631 that is in the field H7704 of Ephron H6085 the Hittite, H2850
30 In the cave H4631 that is in the field H7704 of Machpelah, H4375 which is before H6440 Mamre, H4471 in the land H776 of Canaan, H3667 which Abraham H85 bought H7069 with the field H7704 of Ephron H6085 the Hittite H2850 for a possession H272 of a buryingplace. H6913
31 There they buried H6912 Abraham H85 and Sarah H8283 his wife; H802 there they buried H6912 Isaac H3327 and Rebekah H7259 his wife; H802 and there I buried H6912 Leah. H3812
32 The purchase H4735 of the field H7704 and of the cave H4631 that is therein was from the children H1121 of Heth. H2845
33 And when Jacob H3290 had made an end H3615 of commanding H6680 his sons, H1121 he gathered up H622 his feet H7272 into the bed, H4296 and yielded up the ghost, H1478 and was gathered H622 unto his people. H5971
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Genesis 49
Commentary on Genesis 49 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 49
This chapter is a prophecy; the likest to it we have yet met with was that of Noah, ch. 9:25, etc. Jacob is here upon his death-bed, making his will. He put it off till now, because dying men's words are apt to make deep impressions, and to be remembered long: what he said here, he could not say when he would, but as the Spirit gave him utterance, who chose this time, that divine strength might be perfected in his weakness. The twelve sons of Jacob were, in their day, men of renown, but the twelve tribes of Israel, which descended and were denominated from them, were much more renowned; we find their names upon the gates of the New Jerusalem, Rev. 21:12. In the prospect of this their dying father says something remarkable of each son, or of the tribe that bore his name. Here is,
Gen 49:1-4
Here is,
Gen 49:5-7
These were next in age to Reuben, and they also had been a grief and shame to Jacob, when they treacherously and barbarously destroyed the Shechemites, which he here remembers against them. Children should be afraid of incurring their parents' just displeasure, lest they fare the worse for it long afterwards, and, when they would inherit the blessing, be rejected. Observe,
Gen 49:8-12
Glorious things are here said of Judah. The mention of the crimes of the three elder of his sons had not so put the dying patriarch out of humour but that he had a blessing ready for Judah, to whom blessings belonged. Judah's name signifies praise, in allusion to which he says, Thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise, v. 8. God was praised for him (ch. 29:35), praised by him, and praised in him; and therefore his brethren shall praise him. Note, Those that are to God for a praise shall be the praise of their brethren. It is prophesied that,
Gen 49:13-21
Here we have Jacob's prophecy concerning six of his sons.
Gen 49:22-27
He closes with the blessings of his best beloved sons, Joseph and Benjamin; with these he will breathe his last.
Gen 49:28-33
Here is,