49:23 The archers will attack him, 4
they will shoot at him and oppose him.
49:24 But his bow will remain steady,
and his hands 5 will be skillful;
because of the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob,
because of 6 the Shepherd, the Rock 7 of Israel,
49:1 Jacob called for his sons and said, “Gather together so I can tell you 8 what will happen to you in the future. 9
2:1 The heavens and the earth 10 were completed with everything that was in them. 11
1:3 He is like 12 a tree planted by flowing streams; 13
it 14 yields 15 its fruit at the proper time, 16
and its leaves never fall off. 17
He succeeds in everything he attempts. 18
37:3 Trust in the Lord and do what is right!
Settle in the land and maintain your integrity! 19
37:4 Then you will take delight in the Lord, 20
and he will answer your prayers. 21
37:5 Commit your future to the Lord! 22
Trust in him, and he will act on your behalf. 23
37:6 He will vindicate you in broad daylight,
and publicly defend your just cause. 24
37:7 Wait patiently for the Lord! 25
Wait confidently 26 for him!
Do not fret over the apparent success of a sinner, 27
a man who carries out wicked schemes!
37:8 Do not be angry and frustrated! 28
Do not fret! That only leads to trouble!
37:9 Wicked men 29 will be wiped out, 30
but those who rely on the Lord are the ones who will possess the land. 31
37:10 Evil men will soon disappear; 32
you will stare at the spot where they once were, but they will be gone. 33
37:11 But the oppressed will possess the land
and enjoy great prosperity. 34
43:2 When you pass through the waters, I am with you;
when you pass 35 through the streams, they will not overwhelm you.
When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned;
the flames will not harm 36 you.
1 tn Heb “and he was a prosperous man.” This does not mean that Joseph became wealthy, but that he was successful in what he was doing, or making progress in his situation (see 24:21).
2 tn Heb “and he was.”
3 tn The Hebrew text adds “in his hand,” a phrase not included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
4 tn The verb forms in vv. 23-24 are used in a rhetorical manner, describing future events as if they had already taken place.
5 tn Heb “the arms of his hands.”
6 tn Heb “from there,” but the phrase should be revocalized and read “from [i.e., because of] the name of.”
7 tn Or “Stone.”
8 tn After the imperative, the cohortative with prefixed vav (ו) indicates purpose/result.
9 tn The expression “in the future” (אַחֲרִית הַיָּמִים, ’akharit hayyamim, “in the end of days”) is found most frequently in prophetic passages; it may refer to the end of the age, the eschaton, or to the distant future. The contents of some of the sayings in this chapter stretch from the immediate circumstances to the time of the settlement in the land to the coming of Messiah. There is a great deal of literature on this chapter, including among others C. Armerding, “The Last Words of Jacob: Genesis 49,” BSac 112 (1955): 320-28; H. Pehlke, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Genesis 49:1-28” (Th.D. dissertation, Dallas Theological Seminary, 1985); and B. Vawter, “The Canaanite Background of Genesis 49,” CBQ 17 (1955): 1-18.
10 tn See the note on the phrase “the heavens and the earth” in 1:1.
11 tn Heb “and all the host of them.” Here the “host” refers to all the entities and creatures that God created to populate the world.
12 tn The Hebrew perfect verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive here carries the same characteristic force as the imperfect in the preceding verse. According to the psalmist, the one who studies and obeys God’s commands typically prospers.
13 tn Heb “channels of water.”
14 tn Heb “which.”
15 tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal forms in v. 3 draw attention to the typical nature of the actions/states they describe.
16 tn Heb “in its season.”
17 tn Or “fade”; “wither.”
18 tn Heb “and all which he does prospers”; or “and all which he does he causes to prosper.” (The simile of the tree does not extend to this line.) It is not certain if the Hiphil verbal form (יַצְלִיחַ, yatsliakh) is intransitive-exhibitive (“prospers”) or causative (“causes to prosper”) here. If the verb is intransitive, then כֹּל (kol, “all, everything”) is the subject. If the verb is causative, then the godly individual or the Lord himself is the subject and כֹּל is the object. The wording is reminiscent of Josh 1:8, where the Lord tells Joshua: “This law scroll must not leave your lips! You must memorize it day and night so you can carefully obey all that is written in it. Then you will prosper (literally, “cause your way to prosper”) and be successful.”
19 tn Heb “tend integrity.” The verb רָעָה (ra’ah, “tend, shepherd”) is probably used here in the sense of “watch over, guard.” The noun אֱמוּנָה (’emunah, “faithfulness, honesty, integrity”) is understood as the direct object of the verb, though it could be taken as an adverbial accusative, “[feed] securely,” if the audience is likened to a flock of sheep.
20 tn Following the imperatives of v. 3 the prefixed verbal forms with vav (ו) in v. 4 indicate result. Faith and obedience (v. 3) will bring divine blessing (v. 4).
21 tn Or “and he will give you what you desire most.” Heb “and he will grant to you the requests of your heart.”
22 tn Heb “roll your way upon the
23 tn Heb “he will act.” Verse 6 explains what is meant; the
24 tn Heb “and he will bring out like light your vindication, and your just cause like noonday.”
25 tn Heb “Be quiet before the
26 tc The Hebrew text has וְהִתְחוֹלֵל (vÿhitkholel, Hitpolel of חִיל, khil, “writhe with fear, suffer”) but this idea fits awkwardly here. The text should be changed to וְתוֹחֵל (vÿtokhel; Hiphil of יָחַל, yakhal, “wait”). It appears that the Hebrew text is the product of dittography: (1) the initial וה (vav-he) is accidentally repeated from the preceding word (יְהוָה, yÿhvah) and (2) the final lamed (ל) is accidentally repeated (note the preceding lamed and the initial lamed on the following form, לו).
27 tn Heb “over one who causes his way to be successful.”
28 tn Heb “Refrain from anger! Abandon rage!”
29 tn Heb “for evil men.” The conjunction כִּי (ki, “for”) relates to the exhortations in v. 8; there is no reason to be frustrated, for the evildoers will be punished in due time.
30 tn Or “cut off, removed.”
31 tn Heb “and those who wait on the
32 tn Heb “and yet, a little, there will be no wicked [one].”
33 tn Heb “and you will carefully look upon his place, but he will not be [there].” The singular is used here in a representative sense; the typical evildoer is in view.
34 tn Heb “and they will take delight in (see v. 4) abundance of peace.”
35 tn The verb is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
36 tn Heb “burn” (so NASB); NAB, NRSV, NLT “consume”; NIV “set you ablaze.”