Genesis
49
1 “And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather
yourselves together, that I
may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days.” And Jacob (having
closed his interview with Joseph and his two sons) called (by means of messengers)
unto his sons (i.e. the others who were then absent), and
said, Gather yourselves
together, - the prophet's last utterance must be a public one - that I may tell you –
literally, and I will tell you - that which shall befall you - קָרָא, in the sense of
happening or occurring to any one, is here equivalent to קָרָה (compare 42:4, 38) –
in the last days - literally, in the end of the days, not simply in future time
(Gesenius, Rosenmüller, Kalisch), or in the times intervening between the
speaker and the end of the human race (Murphy), but in the last age, the
closing period of time, the era of fulfillment (Kurtz, Hengstenberg), which
era, however, must be judged from the standpoint of the speaker (Baumgarten).
Hence the period must not be restricted to exclusively Messianic times (Rabbi
Nachmanides),
ἐπ ἐσχάτῶν
τῶν ἡμερῶν
– ep eschaton ton haemeron – the days
to come (Septuagint), in diebus novissimis (Vulgate), but must commence with
what to Jacob was the era of consummation, the days of the conquest
(Baumgarten, Hengstenberg); while, on the other hand, it can as little be
limited to these, but must be held
as extending over totum tempus ab exitu
AEgypti ad Christi regnum (Calvin), and even as reaching, though unconsciously
to Jacob, to the very terminus of
human history (Keil, Lange).
2 “Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of
Jacob; and hearken unto
once the elevation of the speaker's soul, and the importance, in his mind, of the
impending revelation - and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto
father. The two clauses form a synthetic or synonymous parallel, numerous
illustrations of which are to be found in the succeeding
verses.
3 “Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the
beginning of my
strength, the
excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power:
4 Unstable as
water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to
thy father's bed;
then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch.
Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my
strength,
the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power: - 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. As was perhaps to be expected, it begins with Reuben,
who is characterized by a threefold designation, viz.,
(1) by his position in the family, as Jacob's firstborn;
(2) by his relation to Jacob, as the patriarch's "might," כּחַ, or robur virile,
and "the beginning" of his
"strength," not "of his sorrow" (Vulgate,
Symmachus), though און might be so translated (compare 35:18), and the
sense would sufficiently accord with the allusion of v. 4, but, as required
by the parallelism, "of
his vigor," און
being here equivalent to כּחַ
(Rosenmuller, Kalisch, Keil, 'Speaker's Commentary,' et alii); and
(3) by the natural prominence which as Jacob's eldest son belonged to him,
"the excellency of dignity" or "elevation," i.e. the dignity of the chieftainship,
and "the excellency of power," or authority, which the first born claimed and
received as his prerogative. Yet the natural advantages enjoyed by Reuben as
Jacob's firstborn were to be taken from him, as the patriarch proceeded to
announce - Unstable as water, - literally, boiling over like water, the import
of which is not effusus es sicut aqua (Vulgate), but
either ἐξύβρισας ὡς ὑδωρ
–
exubrisas hos hudor - boiling over as water (Septuagint), or lasciviousness
(was to thee) as the boiling of water (Gesenius, Rosenmüller, Keil, Kalisch, &c.),
the same root in Arabic conveying the notion of pride, and in Syriac that of
wantonness – thou shalt not excel; - literally, thou shalt not have the
ישׂנךללךשׂצך רו יֶרֶת (v. 3), i.e. the pre-eminence belonging to the firstborn,
a sense which the versions have more or less successfully
expressed: μὴ
περισσεύσης – mae perisseusaes - (
esae perissoteros - (Symmachus), μὴ ἐκζέσης – mae ekzesaes - (Septuagint ), non crescas (Vulgate) - because thou wentest up to thy father's bed
(see ch. 35:22; I Chronicles 5:1); then defiledst thou it: - the verb is used
absolutely, as meaning that Reuben
had desecrated what ought to have been
regarded by him as sacred (compare
Deuteronomy 27:20) - he went up to my
couch - literally, my couch he ascends; the order of the words and the change
from the second to the third person helping to give expression to the horror
and indignation with which, even at that distance of time, the venerable
patriarch contemplated the shameful deed.
5 “Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of
cruelty are in their habitations.
6 O my soul,
come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honor,
be not thou united:
for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill
they
digged down a wall. 7 Cursed be their anger, for it was
fierce; and their wrath,
for it was cruel: I
will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in
Simeon and Levi are brethren (not in parentage alone, but also in their deeds;
e.g. their massacre of the Shechemites (ch. 34:25-28), to which undoubtedly the
next words allude); instruments of cruelty are in their habitations - literally,
instruments of violence their מְכֵדֹת, a ἅπαξ λεγόμ (a word used once) which
has been variously rendered:
(1) their dwellings, or habitations (Kimchi, A. V., Calvin, Ainsworth), in the
land of their sojourning (Onkelos), for which, however, there does not seem
to be much authority;
(2) their machinations or wicked counsels, deriving from מָכַר, to string together,
to take in a net, to ensnare (Nahum 3:4), the cognate Arabic root signifying to
deceive or practice stratagems (De Dieu, Schultens, Castelli, Tayler Lewis, etal.);
(3) their betrothals, or compacts of marriage, connecting with the same root
as the preceding in the sense of "binding together" (Dathius, Clericus,
Michaelis, Knobel, Furst, et alii);
(4) their rage, as suggested by the unused root כִּיד, to boil or seethe (Kalisch);
(5) their swords, from כּוּר = כָּרָה to dig or pierce through, compare μάχαιρα –
machaira – sword (Vulgate, Luther, Gesenius, Rosenmüller, Keil, Murphy,
and others). The preponderance of authority appears to be in favor of this last.
O my soul, come not thou into their secret; literally, into their council or
assembly (סוד,
from יָסַד,
to set or sit) come not, my soul, or my soul shall
not come (compare
Proverbs 1:15-16) - unto their assembly, mine honor,
be not thou united: - literally, with or in their assembly or congregation
(קָהֵל from קָהַל, to call together: compare ch.28:3; 35:11; 48:4), mine honor אִישִׁי
or glory (i.e. the soul as being the noblest part of man: Psalm 16:9; 57:9;
108:2 - the term כְּבֹדִי is parallel with the preceding נַפְשִׁי), do not join (Keil),
or shall not join (Kalisch) - for in their anger they slew a man, - literally, man,
a collective, singular for "men," the plural form of אִישׁ occurring rarely;
only in Psalm 141:4; Proverbs 8:4; and Isaiah 53:3 - and
in their self will they
digged down a wall - literally, they houghed ox (Septuagint, Gesenius, Furst,
Rosenmüller, Keil, Kalisch, Lange, Gerlach, T. Lewis, Murphy, &c., &e.),
the singular שׁור, the plural of which is only found once, in Hosea 12:12,
being retained here to correspond with אִישׁ. The received rendering, which
is not without sanction (Onkelos, Targnm of Jonathan, Syriac,
Arabic,
Symmachus, Vulgate, Dathius, Calvin), reads שׁוּר
instead of שׁור,
and takes
עָקַרin
the primary sense of destruere, evertexe. Cursed
be their anger, for
it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: - the second synonym "wrath,"
literally, outpourings, indicates the fullness and intensity of the tide of fury
which by Simeon and Levi was let loose upon the unsuspecting Shechemites –
I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in
(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
to be passed over entirely in the last blessing of Moses (Deuteronomy 33.);
to be accorded no independent allotment of
territory in
completion of the conquest, having only a few cities granted to it within
the borders of Judah (Joshua
19:1-9); and to be ultimately absorbed in the
more powerful and distinguished tribe under
whose protection and tutelage,
so to speak, it had been placed (I Chronicles 4:27). 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 (Joshua
21:1, 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 (Deuteronomy 33:8-11).
8 “
neck of thine enemies; thy father's children shall bow down before
thee.
9
down, he couched as a
lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?
10 The sceptre shall not
depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between
his feet, until
11 Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass's
colt unto the choice vine;
he washed his
garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes:
12 His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth
white with milk.”
will praise thee thy brethren, the word יְהוּדָה
being a palpable play on יודוך
(compare ch. 29:35). Leah praised Jehovah for his birth, and his brethren
should extol him for his nobility of character, which even in his acts of sin
could not be entirely obscured (ch.37:26; 38:26), and certainly in his later days
(ch. 43:8; 44:18-34) shone out
with undiminished luster. Thy hand shall be in
the neck of thine enemies (i.e.
putting his foes to flight,
them by the neck, a prediction remarkably accomplished in the victories of
David and Solomon); thy father's children shall bow down before thee.
Fulfilled in the elevation of the house of
as its subjects not simply
from Leah, but also his father's, i.e. all the tribes of
whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he
couched down as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?
By a bold and striking figure
into its full strength and ferocity, roaming through the forests in search of prey,
repairing to his mountain den (ἐκ βλάστοῦ ἀνέβης – ek blastou anebaes –
Septuagint) when his booty has been devoured, and there in quiet majesty,
full of dignified repose, lying down or crouching in his lair, and calmly
resisting all attempts to disturb his leonine serenity. The effect of the picture
is also heightened by the alternative image of a lioness, which is particularly
fierce in defending its cubs, and which no one would venture to assail when
so employed. The use of such figures to describe a strong and invincible
hero is by no means infrequent in Scripture (see Psalm 7:2; 57:4; Isaiah 5:29;
Ezekiel 19:2-9). The scepter shall not depart from
(i.e. an emblem of regal command, hence dominion or
sovereignty; ἅρχων
–
archon – leader - Septuagint,
Theodotion; ἐξουσία
- exousia – authority, power –
Symmachus) shall not depart from Judah - nor a lawgiver from between his feet –
literally, and a legislator (shall not depart)from between his feet; מְחֹקֵק, the poel
part of חָקַק, to cut, to cut into, hence to decree, to ordain, having the sense of one
who decrees; hence leader, as in Judges 5:14, dux (Vulgate), ἠγούμενος –
aegoumenos - leader (Septuagint), or lawgiver, as in Deuteronomy 33:21 and
Isaiah 33:22 (Calvin, Dathius, Ainsworth, Rosenmüller, Murphy, Wordsworth,
'Speaker's Commentary'). In view, however, of what appears the requirement
of the parallelism, מְחֹקֵק is regarded as not the person, but the thing, that
determines or rules, and hence as equivalent to the ruler's staff, or marshal's
baton (Gesenius, Furst, Keil, Lange, Bleek, Tuch, Kalisch, and others), in
support of which is claimed the phrase "from between his feet," which is
supposed to point to the Oriental custom, as depicted on the monuments,
of monarchs, when sitting upon their thrones, resting their staves between
their feet (compare Agamemnon, 'Iliad,' 2:46, 101; Layard s '
descendants," "from among his children's children" (Onkelos), ἐκ τῶν μηρῶν αὐτοῦ -
ek ton maeron autou
– from between his loins (Septuagint). Until
This difficult clause has been very variously rendered.
1. Taking Shiloh
as the name of a place, viz.,
Joshua 19:51; Judges 18:31; I Samuel 1:3, 9, 24; 2:14, &c.), the sense has been
explained as meaning that the leadership of
should not cease until he came to
Bleek, Furst,
Tuch, Delitzsch). But
though וַיָּבלֺא
שִׁלה, and
they came to
a similar phrase, is found in I Samuel 4:12, yet against this interpretation maybe
urged:
is also problematical, being mentioned by Jacob, Zidon, the only
other name occurring in the prophecy, having been, even before the
days of Jacob, a city of renown (ch. 10:19); and
since the
supremacy of
not diminished,
by the setting up of the tabernacle in
obviate which objection Kalisch proposes to read סא עַד כִּי "even if,"
or "even when," and to understand the prediction as intimating that
even though a
new empire should be established at
eventually done,
prerogative - only this sense of עַד כִּי is not clearly recognized by
the best grammarians (Gesenius, Furst), and is not successfully
supported by the passages referred to (ch. 28:15; Psalm 110:1; 112:8),
in every one of which the received rendering "until" is distinctly
preferable.
2. Regarding
the import of the prophecy has been expressed as asserting that the scepter
should not depart from
(Hofmann, Kurtz), or until
tranquility should come, i.e. until
enemies should be subdued (Gesenius), an interpretation which Rosenmüller
properly characterizes as "languidum et paine frigidum." Hence:
3. Believing
both Jewish and Christian, and ancient as well as modern,
agree that the
MESSIAH is the person referred to, and understand Jacob as fore-announcing
that the time of His appearance would not be till the staff of regal power had
dropped from the hands of
among those who discover a Messianic reference in the prediction as to the
exact significance of the term
(great) descendant, from an imaginary root, שִׁל, which, after Chaldee and
Arabic analogies, is supposed to mean "offspring" (Targum of Jonathan,
Kimchi, Calvin, Ainsworth, and others); others, deriving it from שָׁלַח, to send,
compare it with Siloam (John 9:7) and Shiloah (Isaiah 8:6), and interpret it as
qui mittendus est (Vulgate, Pererius, A Lapide, Grotius); a third class of
expositors, connecting it with שָׁלָה,
to be safe or at rest, view it us a nomen
appellatum,
signifying the
Pacificator, the Rest-giver, the Tranquillizer,
the Peace (Luther, Venema, Rosenmüller, Hengstenberg, Keil, Gerlach,
Murphy, &c.); while a fourth resolve it into אֲשֶׁר לו, and conjecture it to
signify, He to whom it
(the scepter or the kingdom) belongs, or He
whose
right it is, as in Ezekiel
21:27 (Septuagint, ἕως ἐὰν ἔλθῃ τα
ἀποκείμενα
αὐτῷ -
heos ean elathae ta apokeimena auto – until the One for whom it is reserved;
is in favor of the last two interpretations, and if שִׁילֹה be the correct reading,
instead of שִׁלֹה ( = שֶׁלֹּה = אֲשֶׁר לו), as the majority of MSS. attest, it will be
difficult to withhold from the former, "the Tranquillizer," the palm of superiority.
The translations of Dathius (quamdiu prolem habebit, ei genres obedient), who
professes to follow Guleher, who
understands the words as a prophecy of the
perpetuity of
("until he himself comes home as the
in
of ingenious, but scarcely convincing, exposition. And
unto him shall the gathering
of the people be. Not καὶ αὐτὸς προσδοκία
ἐθνῶν – kai autos prosdokia ethnon –
He the expectation of the nations (Septuagint), ipse erit expectatio gentium
(Vulgate), with which also agrees the Syriac, or "to him nations will flock"
(Samaritan), σύστημα λαῶν – sustaema laon – composition of people (
but to Him, i.e.
submission or willing obedience (a word occurring elsewhere only in Proverbs
30:17) of nations or peoples (Onkelos, Targum of Jonathan, Kimchi, Aben Ezra,
Dathius, Rosenmuller, Keil, Kalisch, Gerlach, Murphy, Tayler Lewis, 'Speaker's
Commentary'). Binding his foal unto the vine, i.e.
not Shiloh, but
אֹסְרִי has the archaic י appended, as in ch. 31:39; Deuteronomy 33:16; Zechariah
11:17 - and his ass's colt unto the choice vine. The שׂרֵקַה (fem. of שׂרֵק) was a
nobler kind of vine which grew in
dark color, with soft and hardly perceptible stones (Gesenius, p. 796). בְּנִי is an
archaic form of the construct state which occurs only here. He
washed his
garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes. The word סוּת is a
ἅπαξ λεγόμενον – (used once), and is either put by aphaeresis (the loss of a
sound or sounds at the beginning of a word), for כּסוּת which occurs in the
Samaritan Version, or is derived from סָוָה, an uncertain root, signifying to
cover (Gesenius, Kalisch). His eyes shall be red with wine, and his
teeth
white with milk. Otherwise rendered "redder than wine," and "whiter than
milk" (Septuagint, Vulgate, Targum of Jerusalem, et alii), as a description of
(Calvin, Rosenmuller, Keil, Kalisch, Murphy, Lange, and others), which,
completes the preceding picture of
soil be so fertile that its vines should be employed for tying asses and colts to
their branches, but the grapes of those vines should be so plentiful and luscious
as to make wine run like the water in which he washed his clothes, while the
wine and milk should be so exhilarating and invigorating as to impart a sparkling
brilliance to the eyes and a charming whiteness to the teeth. The aged prophet,
it has been appropriately remarked, has here no thought of debauchery, but only
paints before the mind's eye a picture of
the richest and most ornate enjoyment
(Lange). Minime consentaneum esse videtur profusam intemperiem et projectionem
in benedictione censeri (Calvin).
The Coming of
Remarkable agreement of ancient interpreters, Jewish as
well as Christian,
to consider this a prophecy of Messiah. The former of
special value, as
being before the event. The Targum
of Onkelos renders the passage, “until
Messiah comes, whose is the kingdom.” Many others equally distinct.
Some have observed that the words, “
the same number as the name “Messiah.” Ancient Christian
writers all take
the same view. The name
answers THE NEED OF MAN! Sin brought the curse of labor (ch.
3:17-19),
and unrest (Isaiah 57:20-21), and want of peace. Hence the frequent
mention
of rest, which, however, was only typical and
temporary (Hebrews 4:8).
Hence the common salutation, “Peace be unto you.” And rest and peace are
ours through THE COMING
OF CHRIST! (Matthew
11:28; John 10:28;
Romans 8:38-39).
OF CHRIST. The moral law convincing of sin (Galatians 3:24). The
ceremonial law foreshadowing
restoration (Hebrews 10:1).; the
prophets declaring God’s
purpose, and the person and work of Christ; the
dispersion by the captivity,
bringing the people into contact with other
nations, and thus preparing for
a universal Church; their sufferings and
state of subjection after their
return, keeping alive the expectation of
“Messiah, the prince.”
(Daniel 9:25)
CHRIST. The colonizing instinct of the Greeks making their language
almost universal; the contact of
Greek and Jewish learning at
and elsewhere, by which the heathen language was made capable of
expressing DIVINE TRUTH, the
widespread power and organization of the
Romans, by which in so many ways
the fulfillment of prophecy was
brought about (Luke 2:1; John
19:36-37).
Ø
To gather all
nations unto Himself (Isaiah 2:2-3; John
11:52; 12:32).
Ø
To redeem
mankind, both Jews and Gentiles (Psalm
49:15; Isaiah
35:4-10; John 10:16; Galatians
4:5).
Ø
To bear the sins
of mankind (Isaiah 53:11-12; II Corinthians
5:14;
I Peter 2:24).
Ø
To teach His
people the way of life (Deuteronomy
18:15; Matthew
11:27; John 4:25).
Ø
To reign over His
people (Daniel 2:44; Revelation
11:15).
Ø
To give them victory (Psalm 44:5; I John 5:4; Revelation 12:11).
thee? or His readiness to help?
Mark His desire that all should be saved
(Ezekiel 18:32; I Timothy 2:4).
Mark how this is the ruling
principle running through the
whole Bible. The work of Christ was no
newly devised thing, but “that
which was from the beginning” (I Peter
1:20). All our imperfections,
all our weakness of faith is known to God, yet
such as we are, He bids us trust
in Christ’s work. Judah himself was a very
imperfect character. His
descendants not less so. Yet of them the text was
spoken. “Be not afraid, only
believe.”
“Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise,” etc. This dying vision
and the utterances of the dying patriarch seem in harmony
with all the
surroundings in this part of the sacred record. The aged
Jacob is dying. He
has passed through such changes, such trials and successes,
has had such
seasons of depression and of exultation, but now his soul
is filled with
rapture at what will be the future of his children. He saw
how he would
live in his children, A man should not be indifferent to
his name dying out.
Some are, but only such as are not of intense nature. As a
man nearing the
close of life, great importance was attached, by his son,
to his utterances.
On a farewell festive occasion, Isaac partook of venison
before giving his
blessing to Jacob and Esau. Jacob called all his sons
together, as he was
dying, and seems to have had supernatural strength given to
utter so many
and distinct prophecies. He knew the individual character
of his sons, and
so could better foretell, almost apart from Divine
inspiration, what would
be their future. The words uttered on the borders of the
other land seemed
necessarily inspired. Such a man as Jacob would no more
pass away, if
possible, without such utterances, than would a millionaire
think of dying
without a will. No mere offspring of a disordered brain, or
over-excited
imagination, were these words. They were actual prophecies.
Jacob was
not only a patriarch, but a prophet. He speaks under the
influence of the
God of his fathers (ch. 48:15),
and the future bore out what he had
foretold. We wish to consider chiefly the utterances concerning
one tribe,
&c. As victor he lays his
hands on their necks, that they may be subject and
yet live. His brethren were to
acknowledge his power. He is to be as a
young lion in agility, and as an
old lion with the strength of years
remaining, whom none will dare
to anger. All this seems to be the
glorification of mere physical
power. Spiritual power is to be desired above
the physical.
And THIS WE HAVE IN CHRIST!
upon the one for whom he was
seeking. He speaks of
his brethren shall praise. This
is said to be “a play upon the name,
meaning one who is celebrated.”
And the name of
afterwards by the whole nation.
We should have thought that if the
firstborn, Reuben, had not been
placed first, Joseph would have been.
of Joseph. He did not delight in
the wrong-doing of the brethren. Jacob
may in his mind have blamed
Joseph, in that he had not sought to know
whether his father was alive
before circumstances of death drove him to
know of his still being alive.
himself, to be bound for his
brother. There seems to have been much that
was noble in him. Hence, we can
understand, in a measure, the precedency
accorded to him. Precedency is not to be sought for its own sake. It is then
only another form of vanity.
When precedency is forced on men, it is
because their worth and their
usefulness to others is recognized by others,
although not by themselves. How
remarkable it is that God often selected
the younger before the elder,
e.g. Abel, Jacob, Moses, David.
taken before Reuben. A lesson
evidently taught in this, viz., that God is
no
respecter of
persons, that He seeth
not as man seeth, that the course of
spiritual feeling does not
always follow the line of birth.
comparative in one sense and
actual in another.
any of the tribes as a distinct
power, and, since Christ came of that tribe,
may be said to be permanent
still. Who thinks of Naphtali, or Zebulun,
or
Issachar? but
staff, which, like a marshal’s
baton, indicates his right to lead.
lead, and to give the law until
points to the Messiah. It is a mystic name
(compare ch.48:16; Psalm 9:6;
11:1). Some render this passage,
“Until he [Judah] comes as
the rest-giver;” others, “until
he comes to whom it belongs.” Christ is the
only rightful rest-giver, AND TO HIM ALONE BELONGS ALL HONOR
AND PRAISE! We see that the aim of God with respect to the descendants
of
Jacob was to provide a race
which should keep alive a knowledge of God in the
world until the Messiah should
come. When that race had fulfilled this mission,
it dropped into line with the
rest of the nations. It is no longer to lead. We
see that as ten tribes were
broken off by Jeroboam from
carried captive by the
Assyrians, and with that nation SWALLOWED UP
IN OBLIVION, never, probably, to be known of again. And so with the Jews;
they no longer lead. Although
still retaining much that is distinctive, they
will gradually, we believe, assimilate
with other nations, and, accepting
Christ, be one with other Christians in that ONE FOLD OF MERCY
He has provided. Christ unites us to God and to others, breaks clown
middle walls of partition, gives to us also “life eternal,” so that when this
life shall fail, we shall be received into “everlasting
habitations” (Luke
16:9, and know as real a permanency as that of
indicates the sort of territory
olive yards. He foretells his
prosperity during the period intervening
between the prophecy and the
advent of
that “his eyes should be
redder than wine,” i.e. brilliant with joy. The
words “white as milk” refer to purity as well
as prosperity. Both are found
IN CHRIST! True joy
and purity shall draw souls to Christ. “Unto him shall
the gathering of
the people be.” His truth has “the
promise of the life that
now is, and of
that which is to come.” (I Timothy
4:8) How much that is
foretold of
object of praise. He is “the
Lion of the tribe of
the “desire of all nations” (Haggai 2:7), the one who if lifted up would
draw all unto Him (John 12:32),
the one in whom all the children of God
are to be gathered in one (ibid. 11:52).
1. We find much to confirm faith in the way in which the
prophecy of
Jacob was fulfilled.
2. We find much to lead us to seek to be in Christ, through
whom
obtained such blessings antecedently.
3. We find something to lead us to ask as to whether we have
grown in
purity, power, and whether our souls
prosper and are in health.
13 “Zebulun shall dwell at
the haven of the sea; and he shall be for an haven of
ships; and his border
shall be unto Zidon.”
Zebulun
shall dwell at the haven of
the sea; - not παρ ὅρμον πλοίων – par hormon ploion – for a
haven of ships
(Septuagint), in statione navium (Vulgate), but to, or at, or beside, the shore (from
the idea of being washed by the waters of the ocean) of the waters, i.e. of the
Galilean and
and he to, at, or on, a shore of ships, i.e. a shore where ships are unloaded (shall dwell),
the words being a repetition of the previous thought, with only the expansion,
suggested by the term ships, that Zebulun's calling should be in the direction of
commerce; - and his border shall be unto Zidon - literally, and his side, or hinder
part (shall be, or
extend), towards, rather than unto, - usque ad
(Vulgate), ἕως – heos –
(Septuagint), - Zidon, since the territory subsequently allotted to Zebulun neither
actually touched the
be noted as an indirect hint that this prophecy was not spoken, or even first written,
after the occupation of the land.
14 “Issachar is a strong
ass couching down between two burdens: 15 And he saw
that rest was good,
and the land that it was pleasant; and bowed his shoulder
to bear, and became a
servant unto tribute.” Issachar is a strong ass couching
down between two burdens - literally, an ass of bone - hence a strong, powerful
animal, asinus fortis (Vulgate), asinus walidi corporis (Gesenius), asinus robustus
(Rosenmuller) - lying down between the folds, or cattle-pens, which received and
protected the flocks by night, the dual being used probably because such pens
were divided into two parts for different kinds of cattle (Gesenius, Keil, Kalisch,
Murphy, 'Speaker s Commentary,' &c.), though the word mishpetaim has been
also rendered ἀνὰ μέσον τῶν κλήρων
– ana meson ton klaeron – lying
down
between the saddlebags (Sepptuagint), inter terminos (Vulgate, Rosenmüller),
"within their own boundaries" (Onkelos, Targums of Jerusalem and Jonathan),
"between two burdens" (Authorized Version, Lange,
Murphy, &c.). And he saw
that rest was good, and the land that it was pleasant. 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. And bowed his shoulder to bear,
and became a servant
unto tribute - or a tributary servant. The phrase מַס־עֹבֵד, though sometimes used
of servitude under a foreign sovereignty (Deuteronomy 20:11; Joshua 16:10),
commonly refers to tribute rendered by labor (I Kings 9:21; II Chronicles 8:8),
and is correctly rendered ἄνθρωπος εἴς φόρον δουλεύων
- anthropos eis phoron
douleuon – a man that becomes a servant to
tribute (
serviens (Vulgate). The translation καὶ ἐγενήθη
ἀνὴο γεωργος - kai egenaethae
anaeo georgos – and becomes a servant doing forced labor (Septuagint) discovers
in the clause an allusion to Issachar's agricultural pursuits.
16 “Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes
of
serpent by the way,
an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so
that his
rider shall fall
backward. 18 I
have waited for thy salvation, O LORD.”
Dan shall judge his people as one of the tribes of
the firstborn son of Rachel's handmaid, Bilhah, is described as one who should
occupy an important place and exercise highly beneficial functions in the future
commonwealth, enjoying independence and self-government as one of the tribes
of
the people not of his own tribe merely, but also of all
perhaps to the transient supremacy enjoyed by Dan over the other tribes in the days
of Samson (Onkelos, et alii). Dan
shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the
path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward. The שְׁפִיפון,
from the Syriac שֶׁפַפ, to glide (Gesenins), from שׁוּפ, to sting (Kalisch), שָׁפַפ, to bite
(Furst), was the horned serpent, cerastes, of the color of sand, and marked with white
and black spots, which was exceedingly dangerous to passers; by, its bite being
poisonous and fatal. The allusion has been almost unanimously explained as pointing
to Samson (Judges 16:28), but the tribe in general appears not to have been entirely
destitute of the treacherous and formidable characteristics here depicted (Judges 18:27).
"It is certainly observable that the first
introduction of idolatry in
the tribe of Dan (Judges 18.), and that in the numbering of the tribes in Revelation 7.
the name of Dan is omitted. From these or other causes many of the Fathers (Irenaeus,
Ambrose, Augustine, Theodoret)
were led to believe that Antichrist should
spring
from the tribe of Dan" ('Speaker's Commentary'). I have waited for thy salvation,
O Lord. To discover in this beautiful and tender ejaculation of the dying patriarch
an apprehensive sigh lest his strength should be exhausted before his benediction
was completed (Tuch), or a prayer that God might speedily effect his painless
dissolution (Hengstenberg), or a device for dividing his benedictions, and
separating the group of
seizing its hidden spirit. It is doubtful if even the usual interpretation, that Jacob
here expresses his hope and expectation that God would help and succor his
descendants (Calvin, Rosenmüller, Keil, Kalisch, Murphy, and others), exhausts its
rich significance. That, speaking
in their name, he does anticipate the deliverance
of Jehovah" In thy help do I hope, O Jehovah! - is apparent; but nothing surely can
be more natural than to suppose that the dying patriarch, at the moment when he
was formally transmitting to his children the theocratic blessing, had his thoughts
lifted up towards that great salvation, of which all these material and temporal
benedictions pronounced upon his sons were but the shadows and the types,
and of which perhaps he had been incidentally reminded by the mention of the
biting serpent, to which he had just likened Dan ('Speaker's Commentary').
It is noticeable that this is the first occurrence of the term salvation (יְשׁוּעָח,
from the root יָשַׁע, unused in Kal, to be roomy or spacious, hence in the Hiphil
to set free or deliver).
God’s Salvation (v. 18)
Ø
from evil,
Ø
succor against foes,
Ø
victory over sin and
death.
God of the believer. The
salvation of the gospel is God’s in its original
conception and proclamation, in
its subsequent procurement and donation,
in its ultimate development and
consummation.
believing, and waiting, and
hoping.
Ø
“He that believeth shall be saved.” (Mark
16:16)
Ø
“The Lord loveth them that hope
in his mercy.” (Psalm 147:11)
Ø
“It is good for a man both to hope, and to quietly wait for
the salvation of the Lord.” (Lamentations 3:27)
A Dying Saint’s Exercise (v. 18)
object of worship.
dwell on GOD’S SALVATION in:
Ø
its origin,
Ø
its greatness, and
Ø
its freeness.
expectation of future
good, and presupposes faith as its
ground-work
and support.
19 “Gad, a troop shall overcome him: but he shall
overcome at the last.”
The threefold alliteration of the original, which is lost in the received translation,
may be thus expressed: "Gad - a press presses him, but he presses the heel' (Keil);
or, "troops shall troop on him, but he shall troop on their retreat' ('Speaker's
Commentary'). The language refers to attacks of nomadic tribes which would
harass and annoy the Gadites, but which they would successfully repel.
20 “Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, and he
shall yield royal dainties.”
Literally, dainties of, or for, the king. The first clause may be otherwise rendered:
Of Asher the bread shall be fat (Kalisch); fat shall be his bread (Murphy); Out of
Asher (cometh) fat his bread (Keil). The import of the blessing is that Asher should
possess a specially productive soil.
21 “Naphtali is a hind let loose: he giveth goodly words.” The Septuagint, followed
by Dathe, Michaelis, Ewald, Bohlen, and others, read, Naphtali is a tall terebinth, that
putteth forth beautiful boughs; but the word אַיָלָה signifies a hind or gazelle, and is
here employed, along with the qualifying epithet שְּׁלֻחָה, let loose, running freely
(Keil), or graceful (Kalisch), to depict Naphtali as a beautiful and agile warrior.
In the appended clause he is represented as possessing in addition the capacity
of "giving words of beauty," in which may be detected an allusion to the
development in eloquence and song which afterwards took place in that
northern tribe (Judges 4:6-9; 5:1-31).
22 “Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful
bough by a well; whose branches
run over the
wall: 23
The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him,
and hated him. 24 But his
bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands
were made strong by
the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is
the shepherd, the
stone of
help thee; and by the
Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven
above, blessings of
the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts,
and of
the womb. 26 The
blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings
of my progenitors
unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall
be on the head of
Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was
separate from his
brethren.” Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough
by a well; whose branches run over the wall - literally, son of a fruit tree, Joseph;
son of a fruit tree at the well; daughters run (each one of them: vide Gesenius,
'Grammar,' § 146, 4) over the wall. The structure of the clauses, the order of the
words, the repetition of the thoughts, supply a glimpse into the fond emotion
with which the aged prophet approached the blessing of his beloved son Joseph.
Under the image of a fruit tree, probably a vine, as in Psalm 80, planted by a well,
whence it draws forth necessary moisture, and, sending forth its young twigs or
offshoots over the supporting walls, he pictures the fruitfulness and prosperity
which should afterwards attend the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, as the
twofold representative of Joseph, with perhaps a backward glance at the service
which Joseph had performed in
produce of the land for the salvation of his family and
people. The archers have
sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him - literally, they provoked him,
and shot at, and laid snares for him, masters of arrows, though Kalisch translates וָרֹבוּ,
and they assembled in multitudes, which yields a sense sufficiently clear. It is
sometimes alleged (Keil, Lange, 'Speaker's Commentary') that the words contain
no allusion to the personal history of Joseph, but solely to the later fortunes of the
tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh; but even if they do point to the subsequent
hostilities which Joseph's descendants should incur (Joshua 17:16-18; Judges 12:4-6),
it is almost morally certain that the image of the shooting archers which he selects
to depict their adversaries was suggested to his mind by the early lot of his beloved
son (Calvin, Rosenmüller, Kalisch, Gerlach, Murphy, and
others). But his bow
abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the
hands of
the mighty God of Jacob. Notwithstanding the multitudinous and fierce assaults
which had been made on Joseph, he had risen superior to his adversaries; his bow
had continued firm and unbroken (compare I Samuel 2:4; Job 12:19; 33:19), and
his arms had been rendered active and flexible - neither ἐξελύθη τὰ νεῦρα
βραχιόνων
χειρὸς αὐτῶν
– exeluthae ta neura brachionon cheiros auton – gave up
the bow string
of their arms (Septuagint), dissoluta sunt vincula brachiorum et manuum (Vulgate),
as if Joseph s enemies were the subjects referred to; nor, "Therefore gold was placed
upon his arms (Onkelos, Raehi, and others), referring to the gift of Pharaoh's ring –
by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, i.e. God, who had proved Himself to be
Jacob's Mighty One by the powerful protection vouchsafed to His servant The title
here ascribed to God occurs afterwards in Isaiah 1:24. From
thence is the shepherd,
the stone of
time of Joseph's exaltation he became the shepherd (who sustained) and the stone
of (i.e. the rock which supported)
of Jacob, Joseph received strength to become the shepherd
and stone of
(Pererius, Ainsworth, Lawson, Patrick, and others), in which capacity he served as
a prefiguration
of the
Good Shepherd who was also to become the Rock or
Foundation of His Church (Calvin, Pererius, Candiish, &c.); but if the clause is
rather co-ordinate with that which precedes and that which follows, as the
introductory particle מִן
appears to suggest, then the words "shepherd
and stone
of
were made strong from the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, from there (i.e.
from there where is, or from Him who is) the Shepherd, the
Stone of
(Keil, Kalisch,
Murphy, Gerlach, Lange, et alii). Even by the God of thy father,
who shall help thee (literally, from the (led of thy father, and he shall help thee,
i.e. who shall help thee); and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee - literally,
and with (the aid of) the Almighty, and He shall bless thee. It is unnecessary to
change וְאֵת into וְאֵל (Septuagint, Vulgate, Samaritan, Syriac, Ewald), or to insert
מִן before אֵת, as thus, מֵאֵת (Knobel, Rosenmüller, Kalisch), since אֵת may be
understood here, as in ch. 4:1; 5:24, in the sense of helpful communion (Keil) –
with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings
of the breasts, and of the womb. "From the God of Jacob, and by the help of the
Almighty, should the rain and dew of heaven (ch.27:28), and fountains and brooks
which spring from the great deep or the abyss of the earth, pour their fertilizing
waters over Joseph's land, so that everything that had womb and breast should
become pregnant, bring forth and suckle" (Keil). The blessings of thy father have
prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound
of the
everlasting hills. The meaning is, according to this rendering, which some adopt
(the Targums, Vulgate, Syriac, Saadias, Rosenmüller, Lange, Murphy, et alii),
that the blessings which Jacob pronounced upon Joseph surpassed those which
he himself had received from Abraham and Isaac, either as far as the primary
mountains towered above the earth (Keil, Murphy), or, while exceeding the
benedictions of his ancestors, those now delivered by himself would last while
the hills endured (Rosenmüller, 'Speaker's Commentary'). But the words may
be otherwise rendered: "The blessings of thy father prevail over, are mightier
than the blessings of the mountains of eternity, the delight, or glory, or loveliness
of the hills of eternity (Septuagint, Dathe, Michaelis, Gesenius, Bohlen, Kalisch,
Gerlach, and others); and in favor of this may be adduced the beautiful parallelism
between the last two clauses, which the received translation
overlooks. They shall
be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was
separate
from his brethren - literally, of him, the separated (from nazar, to separate) from
his brethren (Onkelos, Rashi, Rosenmüller, Keil, and others), though by some
different renderings are preferred, as, e.g., the crowned among his brethren
(Septuagint, Syriac, Targum of Jerusalem, Kimchi, Kalisch, Gerlach), taking nazir
to signify he who wears the nezer, or royal diadem.
The Separated One, or Joseph a Type of
Christ (v. 26)
Joseph was separated from his brethren:
his other sons. So was Christ the
only-begotten and well-beloved Son of
the Father.
evil report that he heard
circulating about his brethren, thus proving that he
had no sympathy with their
wicked ways. So Christ was “holy, harmless,
undefiled, and
separate from Sinners.” (Hebrews 7:26)
above his brethren in being made
the recipient of dreams, and the
depositary, as it were, of
Divine secrets. And Christ received not the Spirit
by measure, so that
of Him it could be said, No man knoweth the
Father but
the Son.....and he
to whomsoever the Son will reveal Him! (Matthew 11:27)
(Make sure you know Him today! - CY – 2019)
given over to death by his
brethren. So was Christ not only despised and
rejected by his
brethren, but separated from all
mankind in the character of
His sufferings and death. (Isaiah 53:3)
exalted to be a Prince, and a SAVIOR FOR ALL
MANKIND!
27 “Benjamin shall ravin as
a wolf (literally, a wolf, he shall tear in pieces):
in the morning he
shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil.”
The prediction alludes to the warlike character of the tribe of Benjamin, which was
manifested in Ehud the judge
(Judges 3:15), and Saul the king of
11:6-11; 14:13, 15, 47-48), who both sprang from Rachel's younger son.
28 “All these are the twelve tribes of
unto them, and
blessed them; every one according to his blessing he blessed them.”
The underlying thought is that in blessing his sons Jacob was really blessing the future
tribes and every one received his own appropriate benediction.
29 “And he charged them, and said unto them, I am to
be gathered unto my
people: bury me with
my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron
the
Hittite, 30 In the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre,
in the
for a possession of a
buryingplace. 31 There
they buried Abraham and Sarah his
wife; there they
buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried
Leah.”
And he charged them, and said unto them, I am to be gathered unto my people
(see on ch. 15:15): bury me with my fathers – thus laying on them the injunction
he had previously, with the super-added solemnity of an oath, laid on Joseph
(ch. 47:29-31) - in
the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite,
in the cave
that is in the field of Machpelah, which is
before Mamre, in the
which Abraham bought with the field of Ephron
the
Hittite for a possession of
a burying-place (see ch. 23:16-20). Jacob had learned from his father and had
carefully preserved all the details relating to the purchase of their family sepulcher.
There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac
and Rebekah
his wife; and there I buried Leah. From this it would appear that Leah had not
descended into
32 “The purchase of the field and of the cave that is
therein was from the children
of Heth. 33 And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his
sons, he gathered
up his feet into the bed(having on the arrival of Joseph strengthened himself and sat up
upon the bed, probably with his feet overhanging its edge) , and yielded up the ghost,
and was gathered unto
his people.” (See on ch. 25:8; 35:29).
The Patriarchal Blessing, or the Last Words
of Jacob
(vs. 1-33)
Ø
The blessing on Reuben.
o
A declaration
of Reuben s natural precedence, as the first-born in
Jacob’s
family, the beginning of Jacob’s strength, and therefore the
legitimate
heir of Jacob’s house.
o
A
proclamation of Reuben’s deposition from this honorable position:
“Boiling
as water, thou shalt not have the precedence,” i.e. the
birthright
is taken from thee, and assigned to another.
o
A
statement of Reuben’s sin, as the reason of this forfeiture of
the
firstborn’s
place: “because thou wentest up to thy father’s bed:
then
defiledst thou it; he went up to my couch.”
Ø The blessings
on Simeon and Levi.
It is only by a species
of irony that
the words
pronounced on the authors of the Shechem massacre can
be
styled a
blessing.
o
The patriarch
expresses his abhorrence of their atrocious wickedness,
describing them
with a refined sarcasm as brethren, confederates
in sin
as wel as the offspring of common parents, characterizing
their swords,
or their
compacts, or their rage, or their machinations, according to the
translation
adopted, as instruments of violence, and shudderingly
recoiling from
the least association with two such reckless murderers,
who in their
wrathful fury spared neither man nor beast: “Man they
slew,
and ox they houghed.”
o
He
pronounces a solemn curse upon their sin. Not upon themselves, it
is noticeable,
but upon their deed, meaning that while God might
mercifully
pardon transgressors such as they had been, he could not
do otherwise
than reveal His wrath against appalling wickedness like
theirs.
o
He
allots to them a punishment appropriate to their offence: “I will
divide
them in Jacob, and scatter them in
Ø The blessing upon Judah. Recalling probably the part which his
fourth
son had played
with reference to Benjamin, Jacob fervently declares that
o
The
admiration of his brethren: “
brethren shall praise;” and “thy
father’s children shall bow down
unto thee.”
o
The
terror of his foes: “thy hand shall be in the neck of thine
enemies;” “
o
The ancestor of the Messiah, whose character he defines by the term
depart
from Judah, nor a lawgiver (or ruler s staff) from between
his
feet, until
“unto
him shall the gathering of the people be.”
o
The
possessor of a prosperous domain, whose vine-trees should be
abundant, and
whose pasture grounds should be fertile.
Ø The blessing on Zebulun. With allusion to the import of his name,
Jacob
prophesies
that Leah s sixth son should be the ancestor of a flourishing
community
devoted to commercial pursuits, with a territory reaching
towards
the sea-coast, where ships should come to load and unload their
cargoes of
merchandise.
Ø The
blessing on Issachar. The last mentioned son of Leah, though
the
fifth in
the order of birth, the patriarch predicts should develop into a
powerful and
sagacious tribe, capable of great exertion and warlike
achievements,
but addicted to pastoral pursuits, and so fond of luxuriant
repose,
that for the sake of resting among his sheepfolds and in his fat
meadows he
should be willing to fulfill the mute anticipation of his name,
and render
tribute to his more heroic brethren.
Ø
The blessing on Dan. Dan was the firstborn of Bilhah,
the maid of
Rachel; and concerning him the
patriarch announces —
o
That
though the child of a secondary wife, his descendants should
attain to
the position of an independent and self-governing tribe” —
o
That
if not as a tribe, yet as individuals, and if not permanently, yet
occasionally,
they should manifest the qualities of sudden, unexpected,
and even
treacherous attack that were so remarkably characteristic of
the horned
serpent;
o
That
he should enjoy, in all the perils to which he might in future be
exposed, the
gracious succor of Jehovah — a thought which appears
to elevate the
speaker’s soul to the contemplation of another and
higher
keeper, who was yet to come to heal the fatal bite of that
great serpent
the Devil, who had injected his mortal virus into the race.
Ø
The blessing on Gad. The firstborn of Zilpah, Leah’s
handmaid, obtains
the next place in the order of
the sons, and concerning him it is declared
with a threefold play upon his
name, which signifies a troop, that:
o
He will be sore
pressed on every side by troops of marauding
foes; but that;
o
He will in the end prove
himself to be victorious over the
fiercest and the boldest.
Ø
The blessing on Asher. The happy one should be the occupier of a
territory exceeding fertile, and
capable of yielding rich and dainty
fruits for royal tables.
Ø
The blessing on Naphtali. Naphtali was Bilhah’s
child, which Rachel
named in honor of her triumphant
wrestling or contending with her sister;
and for him were reserved the
gifts of a graceful exterior, agile
movements, and attractive speech
both in eloquence and song.
Ø The blessing on Joseph. With a fullness and tenderness of
paternal
emotion like
that with which already he had spoken of
patriarch
declares the fortunes of Joseph, setting forth;
o
The
general prosperity that awaited him, representing him as the son
(or offshoot)
of a fruit-tree planted by a well, and rushing up into such
luxuriance of
growth that its branches (or daughters) overhung the
walls that gave
it support;
o
The
severe adversity to which in early years he had been exposed, and
of which in
future his descendants should have experience, comparing
him to one whom
the archers shot at and hated, and fiercely persecuted;
o
The
heavenly succor which had enabled him to overcome his bitter
trials, and
which would yet advance his children to safety, viz., the
assistance of the
mighty God of Jacob, the Shepherd and Stone of
Israel,
the God of his fathers Abraham and Isaac;
o
The
wealth of Benediction that should descend upon the head of him
who had been
separated from his brethren, viz.:
§
blessings
of heaven above,
§
blessings
of the deep that lieth under,
§
blessings
of the breasts and of the womb,
§
blessings
that should surpass those bestowed on
any of his
progenitors, or,
according to
the more correct rendering, that should outlast the
everlasting
hills.
Ø The blessing on Benjamin. Though latest born of Jacob’s family, he
should not be
the least important,, but should show himself possessed of a
warlike and
adventurous disposition, causing him with eagerness and
animation to
take the field against the foe, and to desist not from battle till
he could lead
back his legions as rejoicing conquerors, enriched with the
spoils of
glorious victory.
1. That God is the Great Arbiter of human destiny.
2. That each man’s sphere in life, as well as each nation’s
place on earth, is
adapted to his or its peculiar character.
3. That though fore-appointed and fore-known, the destinies of
men and
nations are freely wrought out by
themselves. And:
4. That in
becomes last, and the last first.
Last Words (vs. 1-33)
Jacob’s benediction on his sons was a prophetic treasure,
to be kept in
store by future generations, and a foundation on which much
faith could
afterwards be built.. It has been called “the last full
bloom of patriarchal
prophecy and theocratic promise.” The central point, the
blessing on the
royal tribe of
The
we distinguish:
1. The earthly
basis of the blessing in the tribe itself.
2. The nearest fulfillments
of it in the temporal history.
3. The symbolical
import pointing to a remoter fulfillment.
We may compare the many dying scenes of the Bible with
this; as the last
words of Isaac, Moses, Joshua, Samuel, David, Simeon,
Stephen, Paul,
Peter, and the apocalyptic
visions of John. Compare especially the song of
Moses (Deuteronomy 32:1-43), and the prophecy
of Balaam (Numbers 22).
It seems possible that the beautiful exclamation, v. 18, I have waited for thy
salvation, O Lord,” wasintended to form a kind of
middle point, separating
the groups of blessings into one of seven, and another of
five. The first group
has a Messianic character, the second a wider,
cosmopolitan. In the first,
Judah, the royal tribe,
represents the theocracy. In the second, Joseph, the link of
connection between
becoming the universal kingdom, from thence is the
shepherd, the stone of
1. It comes out of sinful human nature.
2. It is developed by the grace of God in human history.
3. It stands upon
the Divine order of the twelve tribes, the
revealed truth,
and the Divinely sanctioned religions life and
institutions.
4. The essential element
in the history, is the Messiah coming out o/Judah,
the shepherd of
tried man, the blessed one.
5. The
Jacob has handed on his blessing to his heirs, he gathers
up his feet into the
bed, yields up the ghost, and is gathered to his people.
When the carnal
shall be fulfilled, then there shall be no more concern
with the earthly
pilgrimage. “The blessings prevail unto the utmost bound of
the everlasting
hills.”
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