Prophetic Blessings to the Twelve Tribes of Israel

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Genesis 49:1) And Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you what shall befall you in the last days:"

Jacob called his sons to him in order to tell them what would happen "in the last days" which may have been their last days, which would have been future events for them now; or he may have meant the time of the coming of the Messiah, about whom he would also prophesy.

(2) "Come together, and hear, you sons of Jacob,
And listen to Israel your father."

According to Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible, and obviously understood by the translators of some of the newer versions of the Bible, the prophetic declarations of Jacob were delivered in poetic form, and I will transcribe them in that verse form.  Jacob repeated his call to his sons, this time in his poetic prophecy, obviously by inspiration of God's Holy Spirit.

(3) “Reuben, you are my firstborn,
My might and the beginning of my strength,
The excellency of dignity and the excellency of power.
(4) Unstable as water, you shall not excel,
Because you went up to your father’s bed;
Then you defiled it;
He went up to my couch."

Jacob began by addressing his firstborn Reuben, the beginning of his strength, conceived in Jacob's full strength, and the first in his family to whom belonged excellent dignity, power, and authority, as the firstborn son.  However, he was "pachaz" as water.  The KJV translators translated this word as "unstable", but it actually meant something stronger, like an ebullition, a boiling or frothing of emotion or unbridled lust.  For this reason, most specifically because his unbridled lust led him to his father's bed, he would not excel; he would not have the excellency of power traditionally given the firstborn.

(5) “Simeon and Levi are brothers;
Instruments of cruelty are in their dwelling place.
(6) O my soul, come not into their council;
My honor, be not united with them,
For in their anger they slew a man,
And in their self-will they dug 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 Israel."

Simeon and Levi were obviously brothers, but Jacob meant they were of like temperament and actions; they were both cruel.  Jacob wanted nothing to do with their counsels or conspiracies.  In their rash and cruel anger, they killed a man; in fact, they cruelly killed a whole city of men through deceit after gaining their trust, and dug down walls and houses to plunder the city after murdering its inhabitants.  Jacob cursed their anger.  John Wesley in his Notes on the Whole Bible, pointed out that Jacob cursed their sin of anger, not the sinning sons themselves.  Jacob said he would divide them; in fact, the Levites were scattered throughout all the tribes, and the Simeonites had only a few settlements within Judah's lot.

(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."

Jacob had a good deal to say about Judah.  He began by saying that he would be highly esteemed by his brothers; in fact, his name meant "praised" or "celebrated".  Judah's hand would be on the neck of his enemies which was a picture of enemies trying to flee from him, but not able to escape his grasp, yielding to his overwhelming power.  The statement was prophetic and David (from the line of Judah) said pretty much the same thing in Psalm 18:40, but it was in the past tense as fulfilled prophecy.  Judah's father's descendants would bow down before him, and certainly the greatest kings came from the line of Judah--David, Solomon, and the King of kings, Jesus Christ.

(9) "Judah is a lion’s whelp;
From the prey, my son, you have gone up.
He stooped down, he couched as a lion,
And as an old lion, who shall rouse him?"

It appears that Jacob spoke of the stages of a lion's growth and development.  The lion was the king of beasts, very formidable, and none could resist his strength.  Judah began as a lion's cub and then was described as a lion full-grown and in full strength.  Note that the full-grown lion was not described as a rampant lion always raging, but as one that went up from his prey and sat couchant satisfied with his power and success.  Interestingly, I always thought the word translated as "couched" above was meant to be "crouched"; even many of the newer translations such as NIV, NLT, and ESV, translated it that way.  I suppose the words are actually very similar, but I believe that "crouch" usually gives the image of an animal ready to pounce, whereas "couch" signifies one at rest, as if reclined on a couch.  It was from reading the old commentaries that I saw the word defined as "couchant", and that signifies a lion lying down with his head up--he's ready, watchful, and satisfied.  Although he is at rest, he is still a mighty and fierce lion, and who would dare to rouse him?  This description of the lion may have been a prophetic description of the coming Messiah, the Lion of Judah.  He is the King of all and the strongest of all; His ferocity to His adversaries is known, but He is not a raging lion; He is One who took the prey from the mighty and ascended on high to sit at the right hand of God at rest, but who would dare to rouse Him up?

(10) "The scepter shall not depart from Judah,
Nor a lawgiver from between his feet,
Until Shiloh comes;
And to Him shall the gathering of the people be."

The scepter did not depart from Judah; the king's scepter was given to David who was from the tribe of Judah, and the scepter continued in that tribe until the Messiah came.  There would always be a scepter bearer or a lawgiver or a governor or such, in the line of Judah until Shiloh came, which is understood to be the Messiah.  "Shiloh" meant "tranquil" or "peaceful".  Practically all the early writers considered Shiloh to be another name for the Messiah, the Prince of Peace, but as it is used this way only once in scripture (all other references are to a place called Shiloh), there are some who suggest it is not to be capitalized and used as a proper name.  Whether the scepter would not depart from the line of Judah until peace came between God and man, when by Christ's blood men were reconciled to God, or whether it would not depart until Shiloh the person Himself came to reconcile men to God, the meaning is the same.

"And to Him shall the gathering of the people be" surely can only mean Jesus Christ, the Messiah.  The scepter would not depart until He came, and all nations of men would come to Him.  Actually the word translated as "gathering" has a stronger sense and is translated as "obey" in Proverbs 30:17.  More than just gather to Him, people will follow Him and obey His word.

(11) "Binding his foal 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."

There are two schools of thought among Biblical scholars about the meaning of this, and I have to believe, as usually is the case with God's prophetic messages, that both meanings were intended.  First, the land of Judah would be most abundant with vineyards, a picture of plenty.  The vines would be so strong and plenty that one could tie his foal or even a donkey's colt to a vine and even if the animal destroyed it, it would not matter, because the land was so full of them.  Grapes and wine would be so plentiful a man could wash his clothes in them, if he so desired.

It could be that abundance and plenty were meant by the lines above, but the particular words used would seem to make it a prophetic verse of the coming Messiah.  He is the true vine, offered first to the Jews, and then to the Gentiles, which might be represented by the donkey's colt because of their impurity and ignorance of spiritual things.  When He took upon Himself the punishment for all our sins, the blood would have been as copious as water, drenching His garments; and surely, being washed in the blood of grapes brings forth an image of being washed in the blood of Christ.

(12) "His eyes shall be red with wine,
And his teeth white with milk."

Once again, this may be a picture of abundance; Judah would be abounding in wine and milk.  It again may also signify Christ, red with blood, yet pure as snow.  A description in Revelation 1:14, describes Him with hair as white as snow and eyes as a flame of fire; there the red eyes may denote the light of Christ, or it might be the fire of His wrath and fury against His enemies.  Could the lines hint to the foal or donkey's colt (Jew or Gentile) being washed in the blood and then made white?  It is often hard to know the exact meaning of prophetic symbols, but one can certainly see in them that the line of Judah would have abundance and would bring the pure sinless Lion of Judah who would ultimately wash our sins away with His blood and make us pure before God.

(13) “Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea;
And he shall be a haven for ships,
And his border shall be at Zidon."

Zebulun's name meant "dwelling", and Jacob began his son's blessing by foretelling where his tribe would dwell.  Matthew Henry in his Commentary on the Whole Bible, related beautifully the fulfillment of this prophecy when the land of Canaan was divided by lot, and Zebulun's posterity had their lot upon the seacoast.  "Had they chosen their lot themselves, or Joshua appointed it, we might have supposed it done with design to make Jacob's words good; but, being done by lot, it appears that it was divinely disposed, and Jacob divinely inspired."  The tribe of Zebulun would dwell on the seacoast and would be a haven for ships, and the border reached to Phoenicia, of which Zidon was the chief city.  Albert Barnes in his Notes on the Bible, pointed out something I had not seen--Zebulun was placed before Issachar, who was older, "because the latter sank into a subordinate position."

(14) “Issachar is a strong donkey,
Couching down between two burdens;
(15) And he saw that rest was good,
And that the land was pleasant;
And he bowed his shoulder to bear,
And became a servant to tribute."

Actually, the literal translation was that Issachar was "an ass of bone", which meant one of strength.  He rested between two sacks, one on either side of the donkey's body, the image of a pack donkey lying down, whether wearied or overloaded, with its burden on its back.  He felt that rest in a pleasant land was good, and rather than struggle and fight for independence on the seas, in the courts, or in war, he was content to be a bearer of burdens.  He contentedly bowed his shoulders to bear the toil of plowing, sowing, and reaping, and worked the land.  I have read that he was a payer in tribute in that this tribe chose to pay more tribute than others in order to stay at home and work the fields rather than go forth to war.

It was interesting to contrast Matthew Henry's view of Issachar with that of Albert Barnes.  Matthew Henry seemed to praise the virtue of bowing the shoulder to bear burdens:  "Many are the pleasures of a country life, abundantly sufficient to balance the inconveniences of it, if we can but persuade ourselves to think so, Issachar, in prospect of advantage, bowed his shoulders to bear: let us, with an eye of faith, see the heavenly rest to be good, and that land of promise to be pleasant; and this will make our present services easy, and encourage us to bow our shoulder to them."

Albert Barnes was the one who pointed out that Zebulun was placed before Issachar, perhaps because he did fight for a higher honor.  Mr. Barnes also made the point that Issachar was "thus a hireling by disposition as well as by name," and he referenced Genesis 30:18, when Leah named her son Issachar, because she said that God had given her her wages, or her hire.

Perhaps both commentaries are true.  Perhaps the honor is greater to those who strive and fight harder for the things of God, but there is reward to those who accept their position in life, working hard and honorably where they are, with "an eye of faith" looking to Christ as Lord.

(16) “Dan shall judge his people
As one of the tribes of Israel.
(17) Dan shall be a serpent by the way,
An adder in the path,
That bites the horse’s heels
So that its rider shall fall backward."

Dan, whose name meant "judge", although he was the firstborn son of Leah's maid, was promised equal rule with the tribes that came from Rachel and Leah, Jacob's wives.  Dan's tribe would be sly and cunning as the serpent that attacks by surprise, like an adder in the ruts of the road that bites the horses unaware and makes them throw their riders.  They would rule more by craft and surprise like the serpent than by ferocity as of a lion.  This was definitely seen in the actions of Samson who came from this tribe.

(18) "I have waited for your salvation, O LORD!"

This line of Jacob's appears to be from his own anguish and is a pause in the prophecies.  Whether it is because of his own breathless fatigue or from what he sees in prophecy for his posterity, he breaks to call out a prayer to God.

(19) “Gad, a troop shall overcome him,
But he shall overcome at last."

Once again, Jacob alluded to the meaning of his son's name in his prophecy.  "Gad" meant "troop", and Jacob prophesied that the tribe of Gad would be a warlike troop which at times would be overcome, but would overcome in the end.  In 1 Chronicles 12:8, the Gadites were indeed described as men of might and men of war fit for the battle.

(20) “Out of Asher his bread shall be rich,
And he shall yield royal dainties."

Asher's name meant "happy" or "blessed", and the tribe of Asher would be blessed with not only plenty of food from their own land, but it would be all sorts of fine food fit for a king.

(21) “Naphtali is a deer let loose;
He gives beautiful words."

Naphtali's name meant "wrestling", but the prophetic blessing indicated a prevailing "deer let loose".  There doesn't appear to be an exact fulfillment detailed in scripture of how this tribe once wrestled and then prevailed, so perhaps we weren't made privy to it, or else with the blessing Naphtali was set loose.  Dr. John Gill explained the nature of the tribe of Naphtali:  a deer let loose giving beautiful words "describes the genius, disposition, and manners of the tribe, who were kind and loving, swift and expeditious in their affairs; lovers of liberty, well spoken persons, humane, affable, courteous, of a good address and pleasing language".

I also love these words by Matthew Henry:  "Among God's Israel there is to be found a great variety of dispositions, contrary to each other, yet all contributing to the beauty and strength of the body, Judah like a lion, Issachar like an ass, Dan like a serpent, Naphtali like a hind. Let not those of different tempers and gifts censure one another, nor envy one another, any more than those of different statures and complexions."  It is a reminder of the same thing that the Apostle Paul told us in 1 Corinthians, chapter 12, that the body is made up of many members and all are important to the body as a whole.

(22) “Joseph is a fruitful bough,
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 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)."

I believe the first part of Jacob's blessing to Joseph was a description of his son's life to that point.  Joseph thrived and was fruitful in the land of his affliction.  Even though his many enemies hated him and tried to do harm to him, his faith remained strong, and he prevailed because of God who blessed him and carried him through his trials.  Joseph became like a shepherd feeding his family and like a stone supporting and upholding it.  I have to believe "from there" or "out of there", as it also may be translated, has to refer to Christ, our Shepherd and Rock.  Joseph's life has been described as a picture of Christ, with his own people betraying him and his rising up in position to save his people, and this might have been Jacob's prophetic reference to that.

(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.
(26) The blessings of your father
Have prevailed above the blessings of my ancestors,
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."

The same God of his father Jacob will help Joseph and will bless him with an abundance of blessings.  Jacob may have acknowledged that he felt his own blessings had exceeded those of his fathers, which I believe is a wonderful thankful spirit, or he may have meant that the blessings he himself as Joseph's father would bestow on Joseph, would be greater than any of his fathers before him.  Either way, these excellent blessings would now be on Joseph who had been shunned by his brothers.

(27) “Benjamin shall be ravenous as a wolf;
In the morning he shall devour the prey,
And at night he shall divide the spoil.”

Albert Barnes pointed out that Jacob obviously spoke these words by the spirit of prophecy because he would have surely spoken with more affection and tenderness about his youngest son, Benjamin.  The tribe of Benjamin would be a warlike tribe whose members would enrich themselves with the spoils of their enemies. 

(28) All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father spoke to them, and blessed them; he blessed each one according to his own blessing.

Each of the sons named above became one of the twelve tribes of Israel.  In fact, there were thirteen tribes at first, since Joseph had a double portion with two tribes from his two sons springing from him.  However, the tribe of Levi had no part in the land of Canaan, which was divided into twelve parts.  All the sons and tribes were considered to have been blessed by Jacob; even though Reuben, Simeon, and Levi, may have seemed to be cursed rather than blessed, they all had a part in the blessing of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as it related to the promised land.

(29) And he charged 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, (30) 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 as a possession for a burial place. (31) 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 that is there were purchased from the children of Heth.”

After Jacob blessed his sons, he told them he was dying, being gathered to his people, and he renewed the charge he had already given to Joseph, that they were to bury him with his fathers.  He told them specifically where he was to be buried, in the cave in the field of Machpelah, which Abraham had bought from Ephron the Hittite as a burial place for Sarah.  By that time, Sarah, Abraham, Isaac, Rebekah, and Leah, had all been buried there.  Rachel, of course, had died on the way to Bethlehem, and was buried there where she died.

(33) And when Jacob had finished commanding his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed and breathed his last, and was gathered to his people.

Jacob had probably been sitting upright on the side of his bed to bless his sons, and he then pulled his feet back into his bed, and then in a lying position, breathed his last.  Jacob had obviously been strengthened by the Holy Spirit of God to give all the blessings to his sons, and upon completion, he resigned his spirit to the hand of God, and died peacefully.