Genesis 49
In this chapter Jacob addresses his sons for the last time. We get the impression from vs. 33, that he dies that very day in the presence of his sons. "When Jacob had finished giving instructions to his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed, breathed his last and was gathered to his people."
This chapter is unique in the Bible. Jacob leaves this world in a regal matter, and he addresses his sons with an authority, which seems to have been lacking throughout his life. With a few exception his words do not contain much blessing. They are prophetic utterances and judgments upon the character of his boys and the character of the tribes that would evolve from them. We can understand why Bible critics would read in these words projections from a future time, when Israel had become a nation and the individual characteristics of each tribe were known. Accepting these verses as Jacob's own utterances implies the recognition that God revealed to him what the future held.
The fact that much of what had gone wrong in Jacob's family had been his own doing, (and there was much that had gone wrong), did in no way diminish the personal responsibility of the sons. There is no injustice in the judgments pronounced.
We must also take much of what is said as an expression of grace. In every instance in the Bible where God announces judgment the intent is that people would mend their ways and repent.
One would wonder what would have happened if Jacob had in earlier days gathered his sons like this and admonished them. The picture we get of the character of Jacob is one of a shy, fearful person, who would scheme in order to achieve his goals, but who generally did not have the nerve to stand up and speak, even to his own sons. His approaching end changes this. The glimpse of eternity he catches in his last days lifts him up above himself and makes his "Israel," the prince of God.
Jacob's language is highly poetical. The Pulpit Commentary says: "Jacob's patriarchal benediction takes the form of an elevated poem, or sublime religious hymn, exhibiting the well-known classes of parallelism, the synthetic, the antithetic, and the synonymous, not alone in its separate clauses, but sometimes also in its stanzas or verses."
Adam Clarke even goes so far as to make an effort to reproduce the original poetical form of the Hebrew in English, with quite a bit of success. We will not copy the whole chapter in this way, but give the example of the opening verses:
"Come together and hear, O sons of Jacob!
And harken unto Israel your father.
Reuben, my firstborn art thou!
My might, and the prime of my strength,
Excelling in eminence and excelling in power:
Pouring out like the waters: - thou shalt not excel,..."
There are other examples in the Bible of similar addresses of people who are about to leave this world. Moses' final address to the nation of Israel some four centuries later has much in common with Jacob's farewell.[ 1 ] The supreme example is found in John 17, where Jesus prays for His disciples and for those who will believe in Him through their message. Jesus' words breathe an intimacy of fellowship with the Father and a love toward those the Father had given Him, which is unparalleled in any other farewell address.
Beginning with vs. 3 Jacob addresses each of his sons individually, but in front of all. Reuben is the oldest. Reuben is given an excellent testimony as far as his character is concerned. "Excelling in honor, excelling in power." He also was a impetuous passionate person. "Turbulent as the waters." Both the KJV and RSV say here: "Unstable as water." Generally speaking he was a fine species of manhood. As the oldest son he should have been given. Adam Clarke quotes the Targum of Onkelos which paraphrases it as: "Thou shouldst have received three portions, the birthright, the priesthood, and the kingdom." Clarke continues to quote the Targums of Jonathan ben Uzziel and Jerusalem, saying: "But because thou hast sinned, the birthright is given to Joseph, the kingdom to Judah, and the priesthood to Levi."
The reason for Reuben's rejection is the incident described in chapter 35:22 - "While Israel was living in that region, Reuben went in and slept with his father's concubine Bilhah, and Israel heard of it." We remarked before that this act of incest was probably more an act of revenge than an excess of sexual desire. Reuben, as well as all of Jacob's children, except for Joseph and Benjamin, suffered greatly from their father's lack of love. But, as said before, this did not excuse Reuben. He was responsible for his act.
All commentators agree that Reuben as a tribe never amounted to anything in the nation of Israel, either in numbers or achievement.
Adam Clarke translates Jacob's words for Simeon and Levi as follows:
"Simeon and Levi, brethren:
They have accomplished their fraudulent purposes.
Into their secret council my soul did not come;
In their confederacy my honor was not united:
For in their anger they slew a man,
And in their pleasure they murdered a prince.
Cursed was their anger, for it was fierce!
And their excessive wrath, for it was inflexible!
I will divide them out in Jacob,
And I will disperse them in Israel."
Jacob denies any association with the crimes of Simeon and Levi. The incident referred to is, undoubtedly, the massacre described in Ch. 34:25 - "Three days later, while all of them were still in pain, two of Jacob's sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brothers, took their swords and attacked the unsuspecting city, killing every male." Jacob's reaction at that time was less one of moral indignation, that of fear for his own safety. We read in vs. 30 - "Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, 'You have brought trouble on me by making me a stench to the Canaanites and Perizzites, the people living in this land. We are few in number, and if they join forces against me and attack me, I and my household will be destroyed.'" There is a tragic note in the fact that Jacob only found the courage, which he lacked during his life, to speak these words in the face of death.
The words "And in their pleasure they murdered a prince," are, evidently, open to different translations. The NIV renders it with: "and hamstrung oxen as they pleased." The KJV translates it with: "and in their self-will they digged down a wall." We saw Clarke's interpretations above: "And in their pleasure they murdered a prince." As before, we see the description as an indication that the man had a sadistic streak in their character. It should be noted that Jacob does not curse the persons, but their acts. As God's children we have no liberty to curse anybody, not even the devil. Jude transmits this thought in vs. 9 of his epistle: "But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, 'The Lord rebuke you!'"
There is a hidden treasure in the prophecy "I will scatter them in Jacob and disperse them in Israel." The scattering of Levi was connected with the blessing that the Lord would be their portion, because of their priesthood in the nation. The Pulpit Commentary says here: "While for the sin (the deed, not the doers) Jacob has a curse, for the sinners themselves he has a well-merited chastisement. They had been confederate in their wickedness, they should in future, when returning to occupy their God-assigned inheritance, be disjoined. That this prediction was exactly fulfilled Scripture testifies. At the second census in the wilderness, shortly before the conquest, the tribe of Simeon had become so reduced in its numbers (reckoning only 22,000 as against 76,500 in Judah) as to be the smallest of the twelve (Numb. xxvi. 14); to be passed over entirely in the last blessing of Moses (Deut. xxxiii.); to be accorded no independent allotment of territory in Canaan on the completion of the conquest, having only a few cities granted to it with the borders of Judah (Josh. xix. 1-9); and to be ultimately absorbed in the more powerful and distinguished tribe under whose protection and tutelage, so to speak, it had been placed (1 Chron. iv. 27). The tribe of Levi also was deprived of a separate inheritance, receiving only a number of cities scattered here and there among the possessions of their brethren (Josh. xxi. 1, 40); and, though by its election to the priesthood the curse may be said to have been turned into a blessing, yet of this signal honor which was waiting Levi Jacob was completely silent, showing both that no prophecy was of any private interpretation (the seer seeing no further than the Holy Spirit helped him), and that Jacob spoke before the days of Moses. It is almost incredible that a late writer would have omitted to forecast the latter-day glory of the tribe of Levi; and this opinion is confirmed by observing the very different strain in which, after Levi's calling had been revealed, the benediction of Moses himself proceeds (Deut. xxxiii. 8-11)."
The blessing pronounced on Judah is one of the richest in the Bible and the highlight of Jacob's prophecy. Again we cannot resist giving Adam Clarke's poetic rendering of the vs. 8-12.
"Judah! thou! They brethren shall praise thee.
Thy hand, in the neck of thine enemies:
The sons of thy father shall bow themselves to thee.
As a lion's whelp is Judah:
From the prey, my son, thou hast ascended.
He couched, lying down like a strong lion,
And like a lioness; who shall arouse him?
From Judah the scepter shall not depart,
Nor a teacher from his offspring,
until that Shiloh shall come,
And to him shall be assembled the peoples.
Binding his colt to the vine,
And to the choice vine the foals of his ass,
He washed his garments in wine,
His clothes in the blood of the grape.
With wine shall his eyes be red,
And his teeth shall be white with milk."
Bible critics who operate from the pre-conceived idea that we live in a closed system and that prophecy is an impossibility, refer these verses to the time of David, when it had become obvious that the tribe of Judah had become predominant in Israel. If we would not confess to believe in an omniscient God and in a Holy Spirit who can reveal God to men, we would not have choice but to agree with the above mentioned sages.
Judah's role as the leader of Israel, as the Lion, as the tribe from which the Messiah would come, is here foretold by Jacob centuries before the signs were even visible on the horizon. The Bible does not describe the banner of Judah, but it must have had the image of a lion on it. In Rev. 5:5 Jesus is called "The lion from the tribe of Judah."
Vs. 10 is at the same time one of the great Messianic prophecies of the Bible and one of the problem verses as far as interpretation is concerned. The NIV says: "The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his." The KJV renders it with: "The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be." The intent of the words is clear: Judah will be the tribe that produces the rulers of the nation. The problem is the word translated with "ruler's staff" or "lawgiver." The root word has the meaning of "to cut, to cut into, hence to decree, to ordain, having the sense of one who decrees; hence leader," according to The Pulpit Commentary . The same commentary suggests that the parallelism of the verse requires the word to be "regarded as not the person, but the thing that determines or rules." Adam Clarke, however, maintains that "from between his feet," should be translated as "out of his thigh," meaning progeny, natural offspring.
But the real problem is the word "Shiloh." The KJV simply leaves it untranslated. Evidently the original meaning of the word is not clear. The Pulpit Commentary states several possibilities, namely that Shiloh could be taken as the name of a place. The word can also be taken as an abstract noun meaning "to be safe." Judah should reign until it would attain to rest. The majority or interpreters, ancient and modern agree that the word should be taken as the name of a person and that the person referred to is the Messiah.
History has justified the latter interpretation and from our historic perspective we should have no problem seeing in Jacob's words the prediction that the Messiah would come from Judah. As the writer to the Hebrews says: "For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah." (Heb. 7:14)
Vs. 11 is a very remarkable verse in that it combines various images that have become essential symbols in the life and work of Christ. "He will tether his donkey to a vine, his colt to the choicest branch; he will wash his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes." There is a danger of reading too much in these words, but the danger of not reading enough in it is also present. Jacob's personal understanding of his own words may have differed substantially from what the Holy Spirit intended to say. Peter emphasizes this when he says in I Pet. 1:10-12 - "Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, Trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things." Peter actually says that we are in a better position to understand what the prophets meant when they prophesied than they themselves.
Jacob predicted that Judah's wine would be famous and that it would grow in abundance. That is probably the main message he wanted to convey to his son. But in doing so he connects a donkey to a vine and he makes the blood splatter on Judah's clothes. Jesus rode a donkey on His way to the cross, thus fulfilling Zechariah's prophecy: "Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey." (Zech. 9:9) It is impossible to sufficiently probe the depth of the fact that the King's way to the throne was His way to the cross. Everybody thought that the King would come to ascend the throne, nobody could guess that the triumph of Jesus' entry was to be nailed on the cross. The misunderstanding about the reason for the coming of the Messiah would last till the Holy Spirit came down at Pentecost. One of the last questions the disciples asked Jesus before His ascension was: "So when they met together, they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" (Acts 1:6) Jesus had told them before: "The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Matt. 20:28) but nobody had taken Him seriously.
In the same week Jesus rode the donkey He took the cup during the Last Supper and said: "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." (Matt. 26:28) More than fifteen centuries before, Jacob tied the two together. The wine became an image of the blood of Christ, that did not only stain His robe, but washed ours. Isaiah paints Jesus' atoning death as follows in chapter 63:1-3 "Who is this coming from Edom, from Bozrah, with his garments stained crimson? Who is this, robed in splendor, striding forward in the greatness of his strength? 'It is I, speaking in righteousness, mighty to save.' 'Why are your garments red, like those of one treading the winepress?' 'I have trodden the winepress alone; from the nations no one was with me. I trampled them in my anger and trod them down in my wrath; their blood spattered my garments, and I stained all my clothing.'" It was this treading of the winepress of God's wrath, by which His own blood flowed, that were cleansed from sin; as John says in Rev. 1:5 "And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood." (KJV)
Also, in the same week Jesus rode the donkey into Jerusalem and took the cup of wine, symbol of the blood of the new covenant, He pronounced the parable of the vine. "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." (John 15:5) Jacob's prophecy about Judah was, word for word, fulfilled in his grandson Jesus Christ.
Finally, Judah's wine is an image of the joy of the Lord. The book of Psalms sings about the wine in Ps. 104:15 "Wine that gladdens the heart of man." And Ps. 4:7 indicates that there is a joy that is greater and deeper than the one brought on by wine: "You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound." Also Paul points to the real thing which is foreshadowed by the joy of wine drinking when he says: "Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit." (Eph. 5:18) Listening to me! You would say I am advertising wine drinking; I haven't touched the stuff for years!
Since we have copied Adam Clarke so far we better keep on doing so now for vs. 13
"At the haven of the seas shall Zebulun dwell,
And he shall be a haven for ships.
And his border shall extend unto Sidon.
Issachar is a strong ass
Couching between two burdens.
And he saw the resting-place that it was good,
And the land that it was pleasant;
And he inclined his shoulder to the load,
And he became a servant unto tribute."
Clarke quotes The Targum of Joathan, which paraphrases the passage thus: "Zebulun shall be on the coasts of the sea, and he shall rule over the havens; he shall subdue the provinces of the sea with his ships, and his border shall extend unto Sidon." The Pulpit Commentary comments that the territory "allotted to Zebulun neither actually touched the Mediterranean, nor reached to Zidon." The territory allotted to Zebulun is described in Joshua.[ 2 ] The Book of Judges says that the tribe never took full advantage of its heritage. "Neither did Zebulun drive out the Canaanites living in Kitron or Nahalol, who remained among them; but they did subject them to forced labor."[ 3 ]
We have two problems in connection with the above prophecy: the first one regarding the allotted territory, the second regarding Zebulun's role in sea faring and commerce. Of course, Joshua knew Jacob's prophecy; this is obvious from the allotments to the other tribes, but also, if the book of Genesis had not been written in Joshua's time the chain of Scriptural revelation would have been broken. Why then did Joshua not give Zebulun his full heritage in accordance with Jacob's words? Some incident must have taken place, or there must have been something in Zebulun's attitude that made Joshua believe that there would be no point in giving the tribe what was due to them.
Secondly, sea faring never became an important feature among any of the tribes of Israel. There may have been more going on than we are aware off. Deborah mentions ships in her song in Judges 5, but the reference is to Dan and maybe Asher. "Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan. And Dan, why did he linger by the ships? Asher remained on the coast and stayed in his coves."[ 4 ] King Salomon tried his hand on shipbuilding, but the actual sea faring seems to have been left to the people of Tyre. And this maritime trade was carried out on the Red Sea, not on the Mediterranean. In I Kings 22:48 we read: "Now Jehoshaphat built a fleet of trading ships to go to Ophir for gold, but they never set sail; they were wrecked at Ezion Geber."
The Westminster Dictionary of the Bible says about Jacob's prediction regarding Zebulun: "Jacob, in his farewell address, blessing his sons, pictured Zebulun as dwelling at the haven of the sea, being a haven of ships and having his border on Sidon (Ch. 49:13). This picture was realized in its essentials, but not in its details. Zebulun was allotted territory in the vicinity of the sea and enjoyed the markets of the towns on the coast; but it was itself separated from the Sea of Galilee by Naphatali and Issachar, and from the Mediterranean Sea and the city of Sidon by the tribe of Asher."
Lastly there is Moses' final address in which he says about Zebulun: "Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out, and you, Issachar, in your tents. They will summon peoples to the mountain and there offer sacrifices of righteousness; they will feast on the abundance of the seas, on the treasures hidden in the sand."[ 5 ] There seems to be no historical evidence that this ever happened, but that does not prove or disprove anything.
The characteristics Jacob attributed to his son Issachar are not very flattering. He is compared to a donkey and a slave, mainly because he prefers an easy life to the trouble it would mean to be free. He, obviously, did not invent the words "Give me liberty or give me death." He wants life at all cost and an easy life at that. His is to be the attitude of the mule.
According to The Pulpit Commentary the word "mishpetaim," translated as "between two saddlebags" or "between two burdens" (KJV) could be rendered with "within their own boundaries." The Onkelos and Targums of Jerusalem and Jonathan give their authority to this translation. The commentary continues: "Issachar was to manifest a keen appreciation of the land or portion of territory that should be assigned to him, and to renounce the warlike spirit and military enterprises of his brethren for the indolent and luxurious repose of his fat pastures, crouching between his sheep-folds, or rejoicing within his tents, like a lazy ass, capable indeed of mighty efforts, but too self-satisfied to put forth much exertion, devoting himself to agriculture and pastoral pursuits, and preferring rather to pay tribute to his brethren, in order to secure their protection, than to leave his ploughshare and cast aside his shepherd's crook to follow them into the tented field of war, as the patriarch next describes."
There are lessons to be learned from Jacob's prophecy about Issachar. It is not sinful to enjoy blessing. When God leads us into green pastures we better enjoy them. But we should draw a line between phlegmatic enjoyment and lethargic inactivity. If peace is obtained by paying off the enemy we will have short-term enjoyment for long-term suffering. We are in a situation of war, although God does give us time out for restoration. Ironically, it is about Issachar that we read in I Chr. 12:32 - "Men of Issachar, who understood the times and knew what Israel should do." It took them a few centuries, but they did learn something.
Adam Clarke's rendering of the prophecy about Dan in vs. 16,17 reads as follows:
"Dan shall judge his people,
As one of the tribes of Israel.
Dan shall be a serpent on the way,
A cerastes upon the track,
Biting the heels of the horse,
And his rider shall fall backwards."
Clarke further comments: "Dan, whose name signifies 'judgment,' was the eldest of Jacob's sons by Bilhah, Rachel's maid, and he is here promised an equal rule with those tribes that sprang from either Leah or Rachel, the legal wives of Jacob. Some Jewish and some Christian writers understand this prophecy of Samson, who sprang from this tribe, and judged, or as the word might be translated 'avenged,' the people of Israel twenty years. See Judg. xiii2; xv. 20."
Clarke continues about vs. 17. - "Dan shall be a serpent. The original word is nachash, and this has a great variety of signification. It is probable that a serpent is here intended, but of what kind we know not. 'A cerastes upon the track.' The word shephiphon, which is nowhere else to be found in the Bible, is thus translated by the Vulgate. The cerastes has its name from two little horns upon its head, and is remarkable for the property here ascribed to the shephiphon. The word orach, which we translate path, signifies the track or rut made in the ground by the wheel of a cart, wagon, etc. And the description that Nicander gives of this serpent in his Theriaca perfectly agrees with what is here said of the shephiphon: 'It lies under the sand, or in some cart rut by the way.' It is intimated that this tribe should gain the principal part of its conquests more by cunning and stratagem than by valor; and this is seen particularly in their conquest of Laish, Judges xviii, and even in some of the transactions of Samson, such as burning the corn of the Philistines, and at last pulling down their temple, and destroying 3,000 at one time; see Judg.xvi.26-30."
Ch. 49:18 is one of the great verses of the Bible: "I look for your deliverance, O LORD. (NIV) Or, as the RSV renders it: "I wait for thy salvation, O LORD." A literal translation would be: "In thy help do I hope, O Jehovah!" The Pulpit Commentary points out that in this verse we find the first occurrence of the term salvation. The word is derived from a verb that means "to be roomy or spacious," or, "to be set free." We find the same word in Ps. 119:45 - "I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your
precepts."
Some attempts have been made by commentators to place Jacob's ejaculation in the context of physical condition and see it as a cry for help to be delivered from his suffering. Undoubtedly, these words are richer and deeper than that! Jacob sees the great lines of God's plan of salvation, of which he had become such a vital part. What he passed on to his sons was not just a word about their future, a lifting of a tip of the veil; it was God's revelation of Himself and His glory to a lost world. Jacob saw his life and the future of his children in the light of eternity. He knew that to die would be gain, as it would mean "to be with Christ."
George Bernard Shaw once said: "Youth is a wonderful thing. Too bad it is wasted on young people!" We could catch the spirit of his words and turn them around and say: "It is wonderful to see heaven opened and Christ waiting for us. Too bad we have to wait till our dying moment to catch the glimpse." What I mean is, waiting for the Lord's salvation should be the tenor of our life. It should color our actions and scent our attitude. We read about Stephen in his dying moment that he said: "I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God." (Acts 7:56) Moses saw this through the whole of his life, according to Heb. 11:27 - "he persevered because he saw him who is invisible."
Clarke's poetic rendering continues with vs. 19:
"Gad, an army shall attack him,
And he shall attack in return."
The Pulpit Commentary brings out some interesting features of this verse. It says: "The threefold alliteration of the original, which is lost in the received translation, may be this expressed: 'Gad - a press presses him, but he presses the heel'; or, 'troops shall troop on him, but he shall troop on their retreat.' The language refers to attacks of nomadic tribes which would harass and annoy the Gadites, but which they would successfully repel."
Adam Clarke, however, says here: "This is one of the most obscure prophecies in the whole chapter, and no two interpreters agree in the translation of the original words. The prophecy seems to refer generally to the frequent disturbances to which this tribe should be exposed, and their hostile, warlike disposition, that would always lead them to repel every aggression. It is likely that the prophecy had an especial fulfillment when this tribe in conjunction with that of Reuben and the half tribe of Manasseh, had a great victory over the Hagarites, taking captive 100,000 men, 2,000 asses, 50,000 camels, and 250,000 sheep; see 1 Chron. v. 18-22."
The next verse is put in poetical form as follows:
"From Asher his bread shall be fat,
And he shall produce royal dainties."
As a parallel blessing for Asher we have Moses' words in Deuteronomy: "Most blessed of sons is Asher; let him be favored by his brothers, and let him bathe his feet in oil."[ 6 ] Evidently the most fertile part of the promised land was allotted to Asher, which attributed to his cuisine that became famous in Israel. "Gefuelte Fish" may have found its origin in this blessing. Asher elevated cooking of food to an art. Food can be a blessing and a temptation. I am not an expert on the subject of gourmet cooking. The enjoyment of good food could rank among other enjoyments such as enjoying good music. Undoubtedly the gift of enjoyment is part of the blessing God bestowed upon man at his creation. But sin corrupted this gift also. The line between enjoyment and enslavement is a very thin one. It seems to me that gourmet food is more dangerous for man than music by Bach, but this judgment is probably too subjective. What I am trying to say is that Jacob's blessing to Asher was a mixed one. No statistics of death by heart attacks are available for the tribe, but the death rate was probably higher than among the others. Enjoyment of good food, like all other enjoyments, should never be indulged in outside fellowship with God.
Vs. 21 in the NIV reads: "Naphtali is a doe set free that bears beautiful fawns." The KJV and RSV virtually concur with this. But in The Adam Clarke's Commentary we find a surprise.
"Naphtali is a spreading oak,
Producing beautiful branches."
The commentary adds here: This is Bochart's translation; and perhaps no man who understands the genius of the Hebrew language will attempt to dispute its propriety; it is as literal as it is correct. Our own translation scarcely gives any sense. The fruitfulness of this tribe in children may be here intended. But as great increase in this way was not an uncommon case in the descendants of Jacob, this may refer particularly to the fruitfulness of their soil, and the especial providential care and blessing of the Almighty; to which indeed Moses seems particularly to refer, Deut. xxxiii. 23: 'O Naphtali, satisfied with favour, and full with the blessing of the Lord." So that he may be represented under the notion of a tree planted in a rich soil, growing to a prodigious size, extending its branches in all directions, becoming a shade for men and cattle and a harbor for the fowls of heaven."
Not understanding "the genius of the Hebrew language" I will not attempt to dispute its propriety. The Septuagint gives the translation with the word "oak" instead of "doe". But The Pulpit Commentary insists that the word signifies "hind or gazelle." The choice is between a creation of the third day or of the sixth day. The intent is, obviously, to express beauty for which both the picture of a tree and a gazelle are fitting images.
The next blessing goes to Joseph. We turn again to Adam Clarke's poetry:
"The son of a fruitful [vine] is Joseph;
The son of a fruitful [vine] by the fountain:
The daughters [branches] shoot over the wall,
They sorely afflicted him and contended with him;
The chief archers had him in hatred.
But his bow remained in strength,
And the arms of his hands were made strong
By the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob;
By the name of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel.
By the God of thy father, for He helped thee;
And God All-sufficient, He blessed thee.
The blessing of the heavens from above,
And the blessings lying in the deep beneath,
The blessings of the breasts and of the womb,
The blessings of thy father have prevailed
Over the blessings of the eternal mountains,
And the desirable things of the everlasting hills.
These shall be on the head of Joseph,
And on his crown who was separated from his brethren."
It would add to the consistency of Jacob's use of images if he compared Naphtali with an oak tree and Joseph with a vine. Clarke's translation, however, attributes the image of the vine to Jacob and not to Joseph. It seems to me, though, that the Hebrew is sufficiently complicated that the meaning of the words can be argued both ways. I would prefer the think that Joseph is meant by the vine, and not Jacob. The word "vine" itself does not seem to be in the original though, although every translator supplies it to make meaning out of "the daughters [that] shoot over the wall."
Part of the prophecy appears to be looking back over Joseph's life and part looks into the future. Joseph adversity is mentioned in the image that compares him to the aim of the archers. The question is, who did Jacob have in mind with this picture? It seems very doubtful that he had ever heard the full story of what happened to Joseph. If he had been aware of the fact that his brothers, who initially had wanted to kill him had sold Joseph, it seems, that Jacob would have added some curses for some of his sons in this chapter. Most likely, Jacob had the real enemy, the powers of darkness, in mind when he talked about the archers. And he was right. Even in Joseph's painful experience, the struggle was "not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Eph. 6:12)
Joseph's defense was the power of God in his life. In spite of all the pressure that had been put upon him he had never given up, either in the house of Potiphar, nor in prison. God had given him the training David talks about in Ps. 18:34 "He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze."
Jacob seems to be mixing his metaphors. He piles them up on his son. The vine, the bow, the rock do not seem to have much in common. Yet there is strength in all three of them. The vine does not give the impression of strength, but it conquers obstacles by the power of its growth. It scales a wall by climbing over it, one inch at the time. The bow has the strength of momentum that gives the impact to the sharp and lethal pointed arrow. The rock is the strength of the immovable. Those were the virtues Jacob recognized in his son and crowned with his blessing for him.
When David uses those images in his psalms they are often applicable to physical exploits. Examples are:
Ps. 18:34 - "He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze."
Ps. 18:2 - "The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold."
Ps. 27:5 - "For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock."
But in Joseph's life these images was symbols of moral strength. Joseph did not counterattack by taking revenge or by using his authority to subdue his brothers. His sharp arrows were genuine love and forgiveness. He climbed the wall by growing over it, like the vine. Jacob does paint a most beautiful picture of his son's character.
Joseph's experiences were among the most horrible that could befall man. Yet he stood up and remained victorious. The only explanation for his attitude is the presence of God in his life. When tempted by Potiphar's wife his answer is "How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?" (Ch. 39:9) And Pharaoh's conclusion about Joseph is "Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?" (Ch. 41:38)
Jacob reveals the secret of Joseph's life by saying: "Because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob, because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel, Because of your father's God, who helps you, because of the Almighty." A son or daughter in whose life God occupies the first place is a child a parent can be proud of. Jacob is rightfully proud of Joseph.
The blessing poured out upon Joseph is expressed in terms of earthly and material prosperity. But there is an indication that the essence of the blessing goes far beyond that which meets the eye. The last two verses of Jacob's address to Joseph indicate this. "Blessings of the heavens above, blessings of the deep that lies below, blessings of the breast and womb." And, "Your father's blessings are greater than the blessings of the ancient mountains, than the bounty of the age-old hills." These words breathe the spirit of heaven, of life, and of eternity.
The last blessing goes to Benjamin, if we can call it a blessing. The last verse of Clarke's poem reads:
"Benjamin is a ravenous wolf:
In the morning he shall devour the prey,
And in the evening he shall divide the spoil."
This rendering is essentially the same as in the official translations. We only copy it for the sake of completeness.
The commentaries agree that the prophecy alludes to the warlike character of the tribe of Benjamin. As examples of this attitude Ehud is mentioned, who assassinated Eglon (Judges 3:15-30); and king Saul, whose acts of excessive cruelty are too many to mention in the context of this study.
With vs. 27 ends the blessings that Jacob pronounced over his sons. We can hardly say that these were blessing in the common sense of the word. As vs.1 of this chapter indicates, Jacob's words were more a predication than a blessing, with the exception of the prophecies given to Judah and Joseph. In Jacob's own words, he said to his sons: "Gather around so I can tell you what will happen to you in days to come." (vs.1) But even in the words of warning and in the curses pronounced there is a hidden blessing, because the fulfillment of prophecy is often linked to the attitude of the people involved. In Levi's case, for instance, the scattering about of the tribe in the promised land was the best thing that could happen to them. The received no inheritance of lands or cities, because the Lord was their inheritance. In fulfilling the ministry of the priesthood they became the most prominent tribe in the nation.
The chapter ends with Jacob's instructions about his burial and his actual death. Jacob's last charge to his sons is the same as the one he had given to Joseph in ch. 47: 29-31. There he had said: "Do not bury me in Egypt, But when I rest with my fathers, carry me out of Egypt and bury me where they are buried." Here he is more specific, giving details about the purchase of the cave of Machpelah. We find the reference in ch. 23. His sons must have been aware of the facts, since Lea had been buried there already. The main impact of the charge, besides being a last wish regarding funeral arrangements, was the reminder that there existed a place in the land which God had promised to them, to which they had legal rights. This reminder plays an important role during the whole period of Israel's presence in Egypt and at the exodus. At the death of Joseph it would be reinforced.
The way in which Jacob left this world is very impressive. He must have been sitting up during his last conversation with his sons. He was very much in command of the situation. Having finished his task he lay back down on his bed and breathed his last breath. We do not read about any death struggle. The KJV reports the moment even more impressively than the other versions: "And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered unto his people." The yielding up of the ghost reminds us of the authoritative way Jesus died on the cross. The KJV says: "And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost." (Luke 23:46) Jacob left this world in a regal way, as behooves a prince of God.
Jacob was one hundred forty-seven years old when he died. He started his life as a tripper-up of people, according to the meaning of his name. Of all the patriarchs he had the most personal encounters with God. Yet, somehow the supernatural did not seem to influence his character very deeply. There was little of the daring faith of Abraham and of Abraham's deep love for God in his life. There were no fragrant traces of surrender, as we find in Isaac's life. Jacob remained a rather self-centered individual till the very end. His scheming diminished because his energy went down. There was the presence of God with him, which overawed him and broke him to the point where he limped through life after his victory in Peniel. But the love of God had never struck a deep resounding cord in his life.
Yet, God calls Himself the God of Jacob, the God of Israel. Looking at this life, that was maimed by sin, we still stand in awe.
[ 1 ]
See Deut. 32, 33
[ 2 ]
Josh. 19:10-16
[ 3 ]
Judges 1:30
[ 4 ]
Judges 5:17
[ 5 ]
Deut. 33:18,19
[ 6 ]
Deut. 32:24
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