Genesis 49:1-33

Jacob Blesses his Twelve Sons

It is generally considered that in its present form, this chapter gives us indeed the last utterances of the dying patriarch respecting the future of his sons, but with additions and developments of a later date. As it stands we have not the broken utterances of a dying man, but an elaborate piece of work full of word-plays and metaphors (see on Genesis 49:8; Genesis 49:13; Genesis 49:16), and of those parallelisms in the vv. which are the chief feature of Hebrew poetry (cp. Genesis 49:11; Genesis 49:15; Genesis 49:22; Genesis 49:25). It is in fact a poem, in which the fortunes of the tribes, which are impersonated by their ancestors, are delineated as they were at one special period, viz. after the Conquest of Canaan, when their territories had been finally settled, and their political importance or weakness had become recognised. Judah and, perhaps, Joseph are alluded to as ruling tribes (Genesis 49:10; Genesis 49:26). No reference is made to the times of the exodus or the captivity, but only to the beginnings of the monarchy; and it was probably during this period that the original Blessing was developed in its present poetical form. This conclusion is strengthened when we find the word 'Israel' used of the nation, not of the person, and also that facts happening after the Conquest of Canaan are alluded to as past events: cp. Genesis 49:14; Genesis 49:15. It is also significant that many definite political and geographical details are given, in a way which is inconsistent with the general character of the predictions of the Hebrew prophets on such matters. With the Blessing of Jacob should be compared that of Moses in Deuteronomy 33 and notes there.