Reuben, Simeon, and Levi
Study note
Jacob calls his sons together to tell them what will happen in the days to come. He begins with Reuben, the firstborn, who should have received the greatest honor. But because Reuben slept with his father's concubine Bilhah, he is described as 'unsteady as water' and loses the rights of the firstborn. Simeon and Levi are addressed together because of their violent attack on the city of Shechem after their sister Dinah was violated. Jacob curses their fierce anger and says they will be scattered among the tribes of Israel rather than receiving their own territory.
1 Jacob called all his sons together and said, "Gather around me. I want to tell you what lies ahead for each of you in the future." 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.
2 "Come close and listen, sons of Jacob. Pay attention to what your father Israel has to say." Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father.
3 "Reuben, you are my oldest son, my firstborn. You are the first proof of my strength. You should have been the greatest in honor and the most powerful." Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power:
4 "But you are as wild and unpredictable as a flood, so you will not hold the top position. You lost that place when you climbed into your father's bed and dishonored it by being with his concubine." 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.
5 "Simeon and Levi are two of a kind. They have used their swords to do terrible things." Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations.
6 "I want nothing to do with their secret plans. I refuse to be part of their schemes. When they got angry, they murdered people, and just for fun, they injured cattle." O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall.
7 "Their anger deserves to be cursed because it is so violent! Their rage deserves to be cursed because it is so heartless! I will break them apart and scatter them all across the land of Israel." 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 Israel.
Judah's Blessing
Study note
Judah receives the most important blessing. Jacob declares that Judah's brothers will praise him and his enemies will submit to him. Judah is compared to a young lion — powerful and fearless. The key prophecy is that the royal scepter will not depart from Judah until 'Shiloh' comes, a term understood as a reference to the coming Messiah, the ultimate ruler. The imagery of abundance — vines, wine, and milk — describes the future prosperity of Judah's territory. From Judah's line would come King David and eventually Jesus Christ.
8 "Judah, your brothers will cheer for you. You will have your enemies by the throat. Your own brothers will bow down before you." Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father's children shall bow down before thee.
9 "Judah, you are like a young lion coming home after catching its prey. He lies down and stretches out like a great lion -- and nobody is brave enough to disturb him." Judah is a lion's whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?
10 "The right to rule will never leave Judah's family. Leaders will always come from his line, until the one it truly belongs to arrives. Then all the nations will follow him." 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.
11 "His land will be so rich that he ties his donkey to a grapevine and his young donkey to the very best branch. He washes his clothes in wine and his robes in grape juice." 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 will be darker than wine, and his teeth will be whiter than milk." His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.
Zebulun Through Naphtali
Study note
Jacob gives shorter blessings to the next several sons. Zebulun will live by the seashore and become a haven for ships. Issachar is compared to a strong donkey content to serve in exchange for good land. Dan will judge his own people and is compared to a snake that strikes from unexpected places. Jacob pauses to cry out, 'I wait for your salvation, O Lord!' Gad will be attacked by raiders but will fight back and overcome in the end. Asher will produce rich food fit for a king. Naphtali is compared to a deer set free who speaks beautiful words.
13 "Zebulun will make his home along the coast of the sea. His shore will be a safe place for ships to dock, and his land will stretch all the way toward Sidon." 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.
14 "Issachar is like a sturdy donkey resting between two heavy loads." Issachar is a strong ass couching down between two burdens:
15 "When he sees what a good place he has to rest and how beautiful the land is, he will gladly put his shoulder to the work. He will accept hard labor." 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.
16 "Dan will stand up for his people and judge them fairly, just like any other tribe of Israel." Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel.
17 "Dan will be like a snake hiding beside the road, like a viper lying along the path. It strikes the horse's ankles, and the rider tumbles off backward." 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.
18 "Lord, I look to you for rescue." I have waited for thy salvation, O LORD.
19 "Gad will be attacked by raiders, but he will turn around and chase them right back." Gad, a troop shall overcome him: but he shall overcome at the last.
20 "Asher's land will grow wonderful food. He will produce meals that are good enough for royalty." Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal dainties.
21 "Naphtali is like a deer running free, and he speaks beautiful words." Naphtali is a hind let loose: he giveth goodly words.
Joseph and Benjamin
Study note
Joseph receives one of the longest and richest blessings. He is compared to a fruitful vine near a spring whose branches climb over the wall. Though archers attacked him and treated him harshly — a reference to his brothers selling him and his years of suffering — his bow remained strong because of the Mighty God of Jacob. Jacob piles blessing upon blessing on Joseph: blessings from heaven above, blessings from the deep below, and blessings of family. Joseph's blessings are said to be greater than the blessings of the ancient mountains. Benjamin is described as a fierce wolf that devours prey in the morning and divides spoil in the evening, pointing to the future warrior nature of his tribe.
22 "Joseph is like a healthy vine planted near a stream of water. His branches spread out and climb right over the wall." Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall:
23 "Enemies attacked him without mercy. Archers shot at him and made his life miserable." The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him:
24 "But his bow never shook, and his arms stayed strong and steady. This happened because of the power of the Mighty One of Jacob, because of the Shepherd and Rock of Israel." 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 Israel:)
25 "This blessing comes from the God of your father, who helps you. It comes from the Almighty, who pours out good things on you. He sends blessings that fall like rain from the sky above. He sends blessings that rise up from the deep waters below. He gives the blessing of many children." Even by the God of thy father, who shall 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 "Your father's blessings are bigger than the oldest mountains, higher than the tallest hills. May all of these blessings rest on Joseph's head, on the one who was set apart from his brothers." 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.
27 "Benjamin is like a hungry wolf. In the morning he hunts and eats his catch, and at night he shares what is left over." Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf: in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil.
Jacob's Death
Study note
After blessing all twelve sons, Jacob gives final instructions about his burial. He wants to be buried in the cave of Machpelah, near Mamre in Canaan, the same cave Abraham bought as a burial place. Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, and Leah are all buried there. After he finishes speaking, Jacob pulls his feet up into the bed, breathes his last, and is gathered to his people. This marks the end of the patriarch era. Jacob's blessings would shape the identity and destiny of each of Israel's twelve tribes for centuries to come.
28 These are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father told each of them when he gave them his blessing. Every son received the specific blessing that was meant for him. All these are the twelve tribes of Israel: and this is it that their father spake unto them, and blessed them; every one according to his blessing he blessed them.
29 Then Jacob gave his sons one final command. He said, "I am about to die and join my ancestors. Bury me with my fathers in the cave that sits in the field of Ephron the Hittite." 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 "That cave is in the field of Machpelah, close to Mamre in the land of Canaan. Abraham bought the field and the cave from Ephron the Hittite to use as a family burial place." In the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field of Ephron the Hittite for a possession of a buryingplace.
31 "Abraham and his wife Sarah are buried there. Isaac and his wife Rebekah are buried there too. And that is where I buried Leah." There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah.
32 "The field and the cave inside it were officially purchased from the Hittite people." The purchase of the field and of the cave that is therein was from the children of Heth.
33 When Jacob had finished telling his sons everything he wanted to say, he lay back in his bed, took his final breath, and died. He joined his ancestors who had gone before him. 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.