_A.M. 2315. B.C. 1689._ Jacob is here upon his death-bed making his will: what he said here he could not say when he would, but as the Spirit gave him utterance, who chose this time, that divine strength might be perfected in his weakness. The twelve sons of Jacob were in their day men of renown; b... [ Continue Reading ]
_Gather yourselves together_ It was his will that they should all be sent for to see their father die, and to hear his dying words. It would be a comfort to him, who had sometimes thought himself bereaved, to see all his children about him when he was dying, and he hoped it would be a blessing to th... [ Continue Reading ]
_Hearken, unto Israel your father_ This chapter calls for our strictest attention, for it contains a number of predictions which were to be fulfilled at distant periods, through a long succession of ages; things depending upon so many various circumstances, upon such remote causes, so hid to all hum... [ Continue Reading ]
_Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might_ Begotten in the prime and vigour of my days; _the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power_ Such were the prerogatives of the birthright, which he would have enjoyed had he not forfeited and fallen from them by his sin; dignity above his brethren,... [ Continue Reading ]
_Simeon and Levi are brethren_ In disposition, but unlike their father: they were passionate and revengeful, fierce and wilful; _instruments of cruelty are in their inhabitations_, or, as מכרתיהם _mecherotheihem_ rather signifies, _their counsels_, or _compacts_, alluding to their treacherous agreem... [ Continue Reading ]
_My soul, come not thou into their secret_ Their cursed plot hatched in secret: far be it from me to approve of their secret designs. And let not _mine honour_ Or good name, be stained by being associated with theirs. Thus he signifies to all posterity that that bloody enterprise was undertaken with... [ Continue Reading ]
_Cursed be their anger_ Not their persons. We ought always, in the expressions of our zeal, carefully to distinguish between the sinner and the sin, so as not to love or bless the sin for the sake of the person, nor to hate or curse the person for the sake of the sin. _I will divide them_ The Levite... [ Continue Reading ]
_Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise_ As thy name signifies _praise_, and God was praised for thee, (Genesis 29:35,) and shall be praised by and in thee, so shalt thou have praise and honour from thy brethren. The tribe of Judah led the van through the wilderness, Numbers 10:14, and, i... [ Continue Reading ]
_Judah is a lion's whelp_, &c. The lion is the king of beasts, the terror of the forest when he roars; when he _seizeth his prey_, none can resist him; when he _goes up from the prey_, none dares pursue him to revenge it. By this it was foretold that the tribe of Judah should become very formidable,... [ Continue Reading ]
_The sceptre_ The dominion or government, which is expressed by this word, because it was an ensign of government. It is true, the word שׁבשׂ, _shebet_, here used, also signifies a _rod_, or _staff_ of any kind, and particularly the _rod_ or _staff_ which belonged to each tribe, as an ensign of its... [ Continue Reading ]
_Binding his foal unto the vine_ It is here foretold that the tribe of Judah should inhabit a fruitful land, and especially that it should abound with milk and wine: that vines should be so common and so strong that they should tie their asses to them, and so fruitful that they should load their ass... [ Continue Reading ]
_Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea_ This was fulfilled, when, two or three hundred years after, the land of Canaan was divided by lot, and the “border of Zebulun went up toward the sea,” Joshua 19:11.... [ Continue Reading ]
_Issachar is a strong ass, couching down between two burdens_ The men of that tribe shall be strong and industrious, fit for and inclined to labour, particularly the toil of husbandry; like _the ass_ that patiently carries his burden. Issachar submitted to _two burdens_, tillage and tribute.... [ Continue Reading ]
_Dan shall judge his people_ Jacob alludes to the name _Dan_, which signifies to _judge_, or _judging._ Onkelos, a famous Jewish rabbi of the first century, and the author of a _Targum_ or paraphrase in the Chaldee language on the books of Moses, the most simple and the most esteemed of all the _Tar... [ Continue Reading ]
_An adder_, שׁפיפון _shepipon_ A cerastes, probably, or kind of horned serpent, of a subtle nature, which, according to Pliny, hides its whole body in the sand, showing only its horns to catch birds. This is intended to signify the subtlety of that tribe, which should conquer its enemies more by cra... [ Continue Reading ]
_I have waited for thy salvation, O Lord_ These words may be considered in two lights; 1st, As connected with the preceding prophecy concerning Dan, according to the explanation given in the last note. Under a foresight of their dishonourable, perfidious, and serpent-like conduct, and the general id... [ Continue Reading ]
Concerning _Gad_, he alludes to his name, which signifies _a troop_, foresees the character of that tribe, that it should be a warlike tribe; and so we find, 1 Chronicles 12:8, the _Gadites_ were _men of war fit for the battle._ He foresees that the situation of that tribe on the other side Jordan w... [ Continue Reading ]
_Out of Asher his bread shall be fat_ This implies that it should be a rich tribe, replenished not only with _bread_ for necessity, but with _fatness_, with _dainties, royal dainties_, and these exported _out of Asher_ to other tribes, perhaps to other lands. The God of nature has provided for us no... [ Continue Reading ]
_Naphtali is a hind let loose_ Those of this tribe were, as the _loosened_ hind, zealous for their liberty, and yet affable and courteous, their language refined, and they complaisant, _giving goodly words._ Among God's _Israel_ there is to be found a great _variety_ of dispositions, yet all contrib... [ Continue Reading ]
_Joseph is a fruitful bough_ Shooting forth two luxuriant stems or branches, the two numerous tribes which proceeded from his sons; _by a well_ Or fountain, or water-course, where plants grow fastest. Thus David compares a godly man to “a tree planted by the rivers of waters:” _Whose branches run ov... [ Continue Reading ]
_The archers have sorely grieved him_ Though he now lived in ease and in honour, Jacob reminds him of the difficulties he had formerly waded through. He had had many enemies, here called _archers_, being skilful to do mischief; they _hated him_, they _shot_ their poisonous darts _at him._ His brethr... [ Continue Reading ]
_But his bow abode in strength_ His faith did not fail; he kept his ground, and came off conqueror. The _arms of his hands were made strong_ That is, his _other graces_ did their part, his wisdom, courage, patience, which are better than weapons of war: _by the hands of the mighty God_ Who was there... [ Continue Reading ]
_Even by the God of thy father_ Jacob, _who shall help thee _ Our experiences of God's power and goodness, in strengthening us hitherto, are encouragements still to hope for _help_ from him. He that _has_ helped us, will. _And by the Almighty, who shall bless thee_ And he only _blesseth indeed._ Obs... [ Continue Reading ]
_Benjamin shall raven as a wolf_ It is plain Jacob was guided in what he said by a spirit of prophecy, and not by natural affection, else he would have spoken with more tenderness of his beloved son Benjamin, concerning whom he only foretels that his posterity should be a warlike tribe, strong and d... [ Continue Reading ]
_I am to be gathered unto my people_ Though death separate us from our children, and our people in this world, it _gathers_ us to _our fathers_ and to _our people_ in the other world. Perhaps Jacob useth this expression concerning death, as a reason why his sons should bury him in Canaan: For (he sa... [ Continue Reading ]
_And when Jacob had made an end of commanding of his sons _ He put himself in a posture for dying; having sat upon the bed-side to _bless his sons_, the spirit of prophecy bringing fresh oil to his expiring lamp, when that work was done, he _gathered up his feet into the bed_ That he might lie along... [ Continue Reading ]