Verse

Genesis chapter 49

English Standard Version

2"Assemble and listen, O sons of Jacob, listen to Israel your father. 3"Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the firstfruits of my strength, preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power. 4Unstable as water, you shall not have preeminence, because you went up to your father 's bed; then you defiled it — he went up to my couch! 5 "Simeon and Levi are brothers; weapons of violence are their swords. 6Let my soul come not into their council; O my glory, be not joined to their company. For in their anger they killed men, and in their willfulness they hamstrung oxen. 7Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce, and their wrath, for it is cruel! I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel. 8"Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father 's sons shall bow down before you. 9Judah is a lion 's cub; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down; he crouched as a lion and as a lioness; who dares rouse him? 10The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler 's staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. 11Binding 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. 12His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk. 13 "Zebulun shall dwell at the shore of the sea; he shall become a haven for ships, and his border shall be at Sidon. 14 "Issachar is a strong donkey, crouching between the sheepfolds. 15He saw that a resting place was good, and that the land was pleasant, so he bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant at forced labor. 16 "Dan shall judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel. 17Dan shall be a serpent in the way, a viper by the path, that bites the horse 's heels so that his rider falls backward. 18I wait for your salvation, O Lord. 19 "Raiders shall raid Gad, but he shall raid at their heels. 20 "Asher 's food shall be rich, and he shall yield royal delicacies. 21 "Naphtali is a doe let loose that bears beautiful fawns. 22"Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a spring; his branches run over the wall. 23The archers bitterly attacked him, shot at him, and harassed him severely, 24yet his bow remained unmoved; his arms were made agile by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob (from there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel), 25 by the God of your father who will help you, by the Almighty who will bless you with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that crouches beneath, blessings of the breasts and of the womb. 26The blessings of your father are mighty beyond the blessings of my parents, up to the bounties of the everlasting hills. May they be on the head of Joseph, and on the brow of him who was set apart from his brothers. 27 "Benjamin is a ravenous wolf, in the morning devouring the prey and at evening dividing the spoil." 28All 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. 29Then he commanded them and said to them, "I am to be gathered to my people; bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, 30in the cave that is in the field at Machpelah, to the east of Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite to possess as a burying place. 31There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife. There they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah — 32the field and the cave that is in it were bought from the Hittites." 33When Jacob finished commanding his sons, he drew up his feet into the bed and breathed his last and was gathered to his people.
New International Version

New American Standard Bible

2Gather together and listen, sons of Jacob; Yes, listen to Israel your father. 3'Reuben, you are my firstborn, My might and the beginning of my strength, Preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power. 4 Uncontrollable as water, you shall not have preeminence, Because you went up to your father’s bed; Then you defiled it—he went up to my couch. 5'Simeon and Levi are brothers; Their swords are implements of violence. 6May my soul not enter into their council; May my glory not be united with their assembly; For in their anger they killed men, And in their self-will they lamed oxen. 7Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce; And their wrath, for it is cruel. I will scatter them in Jacob, And disperse them among Israel. 8'As for you, Judah, your brothers shall praise you; Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; Your father’s sons shall bow down to you. 9Judah is a lion’s cub; From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He crouches, he lies down as a lion, And as a lion, who dares to stir him up? 10The scepter will not depart from Judah, Nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes, And to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. 11He ties his foal to the vine, And his donkey’s colt to the choice vine; He washes his garments in wine, And his robes in the blood of grapes. 12His eyes are dull from wine, And his teeth white from milk. 13'Zebulun will reside at the seashore; And he shall be a harbor for ships, And his flank shall be toward Sidon. 14'Issachar is a strong donkey, Lying down between the sheepfolds. 15When he saw that a resting place was good And that the land was pleasant, He bowed his shoulder to carry burdens, And became a slave at forced labor. 16'Dan shall judge his people, As one of the tribes of Israel. 17Dan shall be a serpent in the way, A horned viper in the path, That bites the horse’s heels, So that its rider falls backward. 18For Your salvation I wait, Lord. 19'As for Gad, a band of raiders shall attack him, But he will attack at their heels. 20'As for Asher, his food shall be rich, And he will yield royal delicacies. 21'Naphtali is a doe let loose; He utters beautiful words. 22'Joseph is a fruitful branch, A fruitful branch by a spring; Its branches hang over a wall. 23The archers provoked him, And shot at him and were hostile toward him; 24But his bow remained firm, And his arms were agile, From the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob (From there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel), 25From the God of your father who helps you, And by the Almighty who blesses you With blessings of heaven above, Blessings of the deep that lies beneath, Blessings of the breasts and of the womb. 26The blessings of your father Have surpassed the blessings of my ancestors Up to the furthest boundary of the everlasting hills; May they be on the head of Joseph, And on the top of the head of the one distinguished among his brothers. 27'Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; In the morning he devours the prey, And in the evening he divides the spoils.'
Christian Standard Bible

New Living Translation

King James Version

New King James Version

2“Gather together and hear, you sons of Jacob, And listen to Israel your father. 3“Reuben, you are my firstborn, My might and the beginning of my strength, The excellency of dignity and the excellency of power. 4Unstable as water, you shall not excel, Because you went up to your father’s bed; Then you defiled itHe went up to my couch. 5“Simeon and Levi are brothers; Instruments of cruelty are in their dwelling place. 6 Let not my soul enter their council; Let not my honor be united to their assembly; For in their anger they slew a man, And in their self-will they hamstrung an ox. 7Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce; And their wrath, for it is cruel! I will divide them in Jacob And scatter them in Israel. 8“Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise; Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; Your father’s children shall bow down before you. 9Judah is a lion’s whelp; From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He bows down, he lies down as a lion; And as a lion, who shall rouse him? 10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people. 11Binding his donkey to the vine, And his donkey’s colt to the choice vine, He washed his garments in wine, And his clothes in the blood of grapes. 12His eyes are darker than wine, And his teeth whiter than milk. 13“Zebulun shall dwell by the haven of the sea; He shall become a haven for ships, And his border shall adjoin Sidon. 14“Issachar is a strong donkey, Lying down between two burdens; 15He saw that rest was good, And that the land was pleasant; He bowed his shoulder to bear a burden, And became a band of slaves. 16“Dan shall judge his people As one of the tribes of Israel. 17 Dan shall be a serpent by the way, A viper by the path, That bites the horse’s heels So that its rider shall fall backward. 18 I have waited for your salvation, O Lord! 19“Gad, a troop shall tramp upon him, But he shall triumph at last. 20“Bread from Asher shall be rich, And he shall yield royal dainties. 21“Naphtali is a deer let loose; He uses beautiful words. 22“Joseph is a fruitful bough, A fruitful bough by a well; His branches run over the wall. 23The archers have bitterly grieved him, Shot at him and hated him. 24But his bow remained in strength, And the arms of his hands were made strong By the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob (From there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel), 25 By the God of your father who will help you, And by the Almighty who will bless you With blessings of heaven above, Blessings of the deep that lies beneath, Blessings of the breasts and of the womb. 26The blessings of your father Have excelled the blessings of my ancestors, Up to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills. They shall be on the head of Joseph, And on the crown of the head of him who was separate from his brothers. 27“Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; In the morning he shall devour the prey, And at night he shall divide the spoil.”

What does Genesis chapter 49 mean?

Before he dies, Jacob urgently seeks to complete two important pieces of business with his twelve sons. First, he wishes to give a prophetic message appropriate to each. While these are titled "blessings," not all are positive. These are presented more as predictions than bestowing favors. Second, he wants to command them to bury his body in Canaan and not in Egypt.

The predictions given here are in a style often termed a "prophetic oracle." Using poetic language and metaphors, Jacob will reveal a small part of the future of each son's descendants. Each son's family will become one of the tribes of Israel. This oracle will serve many purposes for the people of Israel. During the centuries of slavery in Egypt (Exodus 1:7–14), Jacob's deathbed oracle will point to a future when they take possession of the Promised Land of Canaan. Afterwards, it will serve as a reminder. God's plan has been in place since the beginning, and He is faithful to bless His people (Genesis 49:1–2).

Jacob fathered twelve sons with four women: his wives Leah and Rachel, and their servants Bilhah and Zilpah (Genesis 35:23–26). In this passage, only the first four and last two sons are addressed in exact accordance with birth order. However, there is still an arrangement to Jacob's speech. The first six sons addressed—Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Zebulun, and Issachar—are the naturally-born sons of Leah. The next four—Dan, Gad, Asher, and Naphtali—are sons carried through surrogacy by Rachel and Leah's servants. The last two—Joseph and Benjamin—are the naturally-born sons of Jacob's dearest wife, Rachel.

The first three predictions from Jacob are harsh. He holds Reuben, Simeon, and Levi accountable for sins committed decades earlier. The tribes descended from them will be less esteemed, as a result. Reuben is vilified for sleeping with his father's concubine (Genesis 35:22). This causes him to lose his esteemed position as the firstborn. His tribe will be noted for indecisiveness. Simeon and Levi are closely linked in their violent, vengeful personalities, for which both are condemned. The most notable evidence of this was their deceptive and sadistic response to the rape of their sister, Dinah (Genesis 34:1–2, 13–15, 25–29). Neither tribe will come to possess much of the Promised Land; the tribe of Levi will become priests with no established territory of their own (Genesis 49:3–7).

In contrast, Judah's tribe will become great. This fourth son of Jacob will be the ancestor of most of Israel's kings and rulers. In fact, the kingship will remain with Judah forever. Much later in history, Jesus, the Messiah, descended from Judah and King David, will also be known as the Lion of Judah. Part of Jacob's prediction is a prophecy about Messiah and the everlasting nature of His rule (Genesis 49:8–12).

Brief mentions are made of the futures of the tribes of Zebulun, Issachar, Dan, Gad, Asher, and Naphtali. Zebulun will be associated, in some way, with sea trading. Issachar will be known for hard work and possibly enslavement. Dan is cryptically described as a lurking serpent, possibly a reference to military skill. The oracle about Gad uses rhyming Hebrew words to imply conflict. Asher's prediction involves food. Naphtali is associated with independence and beauty. In the middle of these prophecies, Jacob exclaims his desire to see God's salvation (Genesis 49:13–21).

Jacob saves his greatest blessing for Joseph and the people to come from him. Having already given the family blessing to Joseph's two sons (Genesis 48:5–6), Jacob now includes Joseph specifically. His people will be fruitful and fight off their attackers in the strength of the Mighty One of Jacob. Notable Old Testament warriors such as Joshua, Gideon, and Deborah will be from the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh. Further, all the material blessings of the earth will come to them (Genesis 49:22–26).

The final prediction is for Jacob's youngest son, Benjamin. His people are compared to a voracious, vicious predator. The Benjaminites would be known for their military accomplishments. They would also be associated with a horrific incident (Judges 19:25–27) which sparked a civil war (Judges 20). The first king of Israel, Saul, would be from this tribe, and his rule would be marked by a predatory, violent streak. After the extensive praise given to Joseph, this brief remark seems anticlimactic (Genesis 49:27).

In the moments before he dies, Jacob urgently commands his sons not to bury him in Egypt. Rather, they are to take his remains to the family burial cave. This location near Mamre was purchased by Abraham, one of the few spots in Canaan owned outright by God's people. Buried there are Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, and Jacob's first wife Leah. His sons must bury him there alongside them (Genesis 49:28–32).

With his business finished, Jacob dies (Genesis 49:33).
Expand
Expand
Expand
What is the Gospel?
Download the app: