CHAP. XLIX.* _Jacob, being about to die, blesseth his sons, and foretelleth what shall happen to each of them hereafter. He giveth them charge concerning his funeral, and dieth._ _Before Christ 1688._ * I feel it my duty, in my annotations on this important chapter, as well as on some other part... [ Continue Reading ]
CALLED— Jacob, sensible that his last hour drew near, and having made an end of blessing Joseph's two sons, as is related at length in the preceding chapter, now calls all his sons together, that he may take his farewel of them. _THAT WHICH SHALL BEFALL YOU_— We have in Scripture many instances of f... [ Continue Reading ]
GATHER YOURSELVES TOGETHER— Jacob received a double blessing, spiritual and temporal, the promise of the land of Canaan, and the promise of the seed in which all the nations of the earth should be blessed; which promises were first made to Abraham, then repeated to Isaac, and afterward confirmed to... [ Continue Reading ]
REUBEN, &C.— Dr. Durell observes on this prophecy, that in the former part "Jacob dwells on the circumstance of Reuben's primogeniture, and, by the affectionate manner in which he expresses himself, seems to be concerned that his eldest son was to reap no advantage from it; he then, by opposing his... [ Continue Reading ]
UNSTABLE AS WATER— _Thou hast been unstable as the waters,_ Durell renders it, following the Samaritan reading, which according to his judgment connects better with the preceding verse. _SHALT NOT EXCEL_— The Chaldee paraphrase has it: Thou wast to have had three parts, viz. the birth-right, the ki... [ Continue Reading ]
SIMEON AND LEVI ARE BRETHREN— That is, fellows in wickedness. אחים _achim,_ rendered _brethren,_ is used for persons of the same turn of mind. See Proverbs 18:9; Proverbs 18:24. Jacob intimates that these his sons were not nearer related in blood than in their cruel disposition, which had manifested... [ Continue Reading ]
O MY SOUL, COME NOT THOU, &C.— Or, _into their secret my soul entered not._ But our translation is much more emphatic. Jacob, by this pathetic exclamation, testifies the higher detestation of his sons' barbarity. _Their secret,_ means their wicked designs, which are called their secret, because such... [ Continue Reading ]
CURSED— The excessive anger and resentment here mentioned may be justly said to have produced cursed effects, and, in consequence, the curse which immediately follows. Job pours this execration not upon their persons, far less upon their posterity, but upon their boisterous passion; as much as to sa... [ Continue Reading ]
JUDAH— Jacob, having disinherited, in part, his three eldest sons, on account of their crimes, comes now to his fourth, who, according to the ancient and established law among nations, had the best right to succeed to what they had forfeited. He takes occasion to observe in the beginning of the disc... [ Continue Reading ]
JUDAH IS A LION'S WHELP— The common interpretation given to this verse is, that it is an allegorical repetition, or illustration by similes of the former: the warlike Judah being compared to _a lion,_ and his enemies to _a lion's prey:_ in which sense a gradation is observed, Judah being compared fi... [ Continue Reading ]
THE SCEPTRE, &C.— We shall not attempt to enter into the various expositions which have been given of this celebrated passage, but shall content ourselves with laying before the reader a few of those which appear to us the clearest and most unexceptionable. I. _The sceptre, i.e._. the power of gove... [ Continue Reading ]
BINDING HIS FOAL UNTO THE VINE, &C.— In the 8th and 9th verses the pre-eminence and military power of Judah is predicted; in the 10th, the continuance of that power till a certain period; and in these two verses, the fertility of the land which Judah should inherit, and wherein he should exercise th... [ Continue Reading ]
ZEBULUN SHALL DWELL AT THE HAVEN OF THE SEA— As Jacob mentions his sons according to seniority, in regard to their respective mothers, this would have been, according to that method, Issachar's place. Though it may not be thought necessary to assign a reason why Zebulun has here, in Deuteronomy 33:1... [ Continue Reading ]
ISSACHAR IS A STRONG ASS— Heb. _An ass of bone, i.e._. brawny, strong, robust. Jacob having compared Judah to a lion, to denote his courage and valour, compares Issachar to an ass, to give us an idea of his strength, his patience, and assiduity in the labours of the field: asses were highly esteemed... [ Continue Reading ]
HE SAW THAT REST WAS GOOD— _He saw the resting-place, that it was good,_ as Durell renders it, after the Samaritan: and he justly observes, that the original word signifying both _rest_ and a _resting-place,_ the latter appears more suitable here, as it is explained by _land_ in the next clause. The... [ Continue Reading ]
DAN SHALL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE— From the six sons of Leah, Jacob passes to those of Bilhah, Rachel's maid. He begins with intimating, that the sons of the handmaids shall have the same privilege with those of the mistresses, and be heads and judges of their own tribes. Accordingly, alluding to the name... [ Continue Reading ]
DAN SHALL BE A SERPENT— The next word points out a particular kind of serpent: the Vulgate takes it for the _cerastes,_ a kind of _horned_ serpent, of a very subtle nature, which, Pliny says, hides its whole body in the sand, shewing only its horns as a bait to catch the birds: and this translation... [ Continue Reading ]
I HAVE WAITED FOR THY SALVATION, O LORD— Various have been the reasons assigned by commentators, for the introduction of this ejaculation. Some suppose, that the good old patriarch's spirits growing faint, he sighed for a happy deliverance out of this world. Some, that, referring to Samson in the fo... [ Continue Reading ]
GAD, A TROOP SHALL OVERCOME HIM— Jacob, alluding to the name of Gad, which signifies _a troop,_ foretels that this tribe should have many enemies to struggle with, who should sometimes get the better of them; but that in time they, by the Divine aid, should prove victorious over all opposition. Dure... [ Continue Reading ]
OUT OF ASHER, &C.— _The meat of Asher shall be fat,_ is Durell's rendering; who observes, that this patriarch (whose name implies _happiness_) had the satisfaction to hear his father declare, in the clearest manner, that his posterity would enjoy the greatest plenty. The paraphrase of the authors of... [ Continue Reading ]
NAPHTALI IS A HIND, &C.— Our translation of this passage is generally esteemed faulty; for it is difficult to make out any connection between a _hind let loose,_ and _giving goodly words;_ the interpretation therefore of Bochart is more generally approved: _Naphtali is a well-spread tree or oak, whi... [ Continue Reading ]
JOSEPH— The four last were the sons of the two handmaids; from whom Jacob passes with a seeming joy to those of his beloved Rachel; and Joseph, whose turn came next, heard his blessing pronounced in the most sublime and endearing terms. This difficult verse is differently interpreted. 1st, Those who... [ Continue Reading ]
THE ARCHERS, &C.— Most commentators allow, that by archers here must be understood Joseph's brethren, who hated him and sold him into AEgypt; his mistress, who tempted and falsely accused him; and his master, who put him in prison; but chiefly his brethren, who shot at him the arrows of malice, envy... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT HIS BOW, &C.— In pursuance of the metaphor, which considers his enemies as archers, Joseph himself is represented as armed with a bow, which is said to have _abode in strength,_ to have proved firm; signifying that he sustained all their shocks with unbroken fortitude and resolution, like a toug... [ Continue Reading ]
WHO SHALL BLESS THEE WITH BLESSINGS OF HEAVEN— Jacob, having mentioned the wonderful effects of GOD's providence towards Joseph himself in the preceding verses, rapidly passes on, without any perceptible stop, to the blessings which the same Providence reserved for his posterity; _blessings of heave... [ Continue Reading ]
THE BLESSINGS OF THY FATHER, &C.— This verse is variously rendered. The common interpretation given is this; thy father's blessings, or prayers, in thy behalf, are more ample, prevalent, and comprehensive, than the blessings of My progenitors in behalf of Me; and these blessings shall be, or, may th... [ Continue Reading ]
BENJAMIN— After so remarkable a benediction had been bestowed on Joseph, Benjamin, who was also tenderly loved of his father, might reasonably have expected to have heard that some great blessing was reserved for him likewise. But, though his lot was one of the very best, yet he had not the satisfac... [ Continue Reading ]
ALL THESE ARE THE TWELVE TRIBES OF ISRAEL— Bishop Sherlock observes (Diss. 3: on prophecy) 1st, That what is commonly called Jacob's blessing his sons, may be as well called Jacob's appointment of twelve rulers, or princes, to govern the house of Israel: for, that this form of government took place... [ Continue Reading ]
HE GATHERED UP HIS FEET INTO THE BED— Jacob sat upon the bed's side, with his feet upon the ground, while he pronounced these blessings; the Spirit of God having supported him during the time, in this posture. But having now nothing further to add, he drew his feet into the bed, and, leaning his hea... [ Continue Reading ]