Discovery Box1 Chronicles 5:2
Context5:2 Though Judah was the strongest among his brothers and a leader descended from him, 1 the right of the firstborn belonged to Joseph.)
Genesis 49:8-10
Context49:8 Judah, 2 your brothers will praise you.
Your hand will be on the neck of your enemies,
your father’s sons will bow down before you.
49:9 You are a lion’s cub, Judah,
from the prey, my son, you have gone up.
He crouches and lies down like a lion;
like a lioness – who will rouse him?
49:10 The scepter will not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, 3
until he comes to whom it belongs; 4
the nations will obey him. 5
Psalms 60:7
Context60:7 Gilead belongs to me,
as does Manasseh! 6
Ephraim is my helmet, 7
Judah my royal scepter. 8
Psalms 108:8
Context108:8 Gilead belongs to me,
as does Manasseh! 9
Ephraim is my helmet, 10
Judah my royal scepter. 11
Hebrews 7:14
Context7:14 For it is clear that our Lord is descended from Judah, yet Moses said nothing about priests in connection with that tribe.
[5:2] 1 tn Heb “and [one] for a leader [was] from him.” This probably refers to the Davidic king.
[49:8] 2 sn There is a wordplay here; the name Judah (יְהוּדָה, yÿhudah) sounds in Hebrew like the verb translated praise (יוֹדוּךָ, yodukha). The wordplay serves to draw attention to the statement as having special significance.
[49:10] 3 tn Or perhaps “from his descendants,” taking the expression “from between his feet” as a euphemism referring to the genitals. In this case the phrase refers by metonymy to those who come forth from his genitals, i.e., his descendants.
[49:10] 4 tn The Hebrew form שִׁילֹה (shiloh) is a major interpretive problem. There are at least four major options (with many variations and less likely alternatives): (1) Some prefer to leave the text as it is, reading “Shiloh” and understanding it as the place where the ark rested for a while in the time of the Judges. (2) By repointing the text others arrive at the translation “until the [or “his”] ruler comes,” a reference to a Davidic ruler or the Messiah. (3) Another possibility that does not require emendation of the consonantal text, but only repointing, is “until tribute is brought to him” (so NEB, JPS, NRSV), which has the advantage of providing good parallelism with the following line, “the nations will obey him.” (4) The interpretation followed in the present translation, “to whom it [belongs]” (so RSV, NIV, REB), is based on the ancient versions. Again, this would refer to the Davidic dynasty or, ultimately, to the Messiah.
[49:10] 5 tn “and to him [will be] the obedience of the nations.” For discussion of this verse see J. Blenkinsopp, “The Oracle of Judah and the Messianic Entry,” JBL 80 (1961): 55-64; and E. M. Good, “The ‘Blessing’ on Judah,” JBL 82 (1963): 427-32.
[60:7] 6 sn Gilead was located east of the Jordan. Half of the tribe of Manasseh lived east of the Jordan in the region of Bashan.
[60:7] 7 tn Heb “the protection of my head.”
[60:7] 8 sn Judah, like Ephraim, was the other major tribe west of the Jordan. The Davidic king, symbolized here by the royal scepter, came from this tribe.
[108:8] 9 tn Gilead was located east of the Jordan River. Half of the tribe of Manasseh lived east of the Jordan in the region of Bashan.
[108:8] 10 tn Heb “the protection of my head.”
[108:8] 11 sn Judah, like Ephraim, was the other major tribe west of the Jordan River. The Davidic king, symbolized here by the royal scepter, came from this tribe.
