Genesis 49:1

The Blessing of Jacob

49:1 Jacob called for his sons and said, “Gather together so I can tell you ¹  what will happen to you in the future. ² 

Isaiah 2:2

2:2 In the future ³ 

the mountain of the Lord’s temple will endure ⁴ 

as the most important of mountains,

and will be the most prominent of hills. ⁵ 

All the nations will stream to it,

Micah 4:1

Better Days Ahead for Jerusalem

4:1 In the future ⁶  the Lord’s Temple Mount will be the most important mountain of all; ⁷ 

it will be more prominent than other hills. ⁸ 

People will stream to it.

Acts 2:17

2:17 ‘And in the last days ⁹  it will be,’ God says,

‘that I will pour out my Spirit on all people, ¹⁰ 

and your sons and your daughters will prophesy,

and your young men will see visions,

and your old men will dream dreams.

Acts 2:2

2:2 Suddenly ¹¹  a sound ¹²  like a violent wind blowing ¹³  came from heaven ¹⁴  and filled the entire house where they were sitting.

Acts 3:3

3:3 When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple courts, ¹⁵  he asked them for money. ¹⁶ 

[49:1]  ¹ tn After the imperative, the cohortative with prefixed vav (ו) indicates purpose/result.

[49:1]  ² 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.

[2:2]  ³ tn Heb “in the end of the days.” This phrase may refer generally to the future, or more technically to the final period of history. See BDB 31 s.v. ַאחֲרִית. The verse begins with a verb that functions as a “discourse particle” and is not translated. In numerous places throughout the OT, the “to be” verb with a prefixed conjunction (וְהָיָה [vÿhayah] and וַיְהִי [vayÿhi]) occurs in this fashion to introduce a circumstantial clause and does not require translation.

[2:2]  ⁴ tn Or “be established” (KJV, NIV, NRSV).

[2:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “as the chief of the mountains, and will be lifted up above the hills.” The image of Mount Zion being elevated above other mountains and hills pictures the prominence it will attain in the future.

[4:1]  ⁶ tn Heb “at the end of days.”

[4:1]  ⁷ tn Heb “will be established as the head of the mountains.”

[4:1]  ⁸ tn Heb “it will be lifted up above the hills.”

[2:17]  ⁹ sn The phrase in the last days is not quoted from Joel, but represents Peter’s interpretive explanation of the current events as falling “in the last days.”

[2:17]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “on all flesh.”

[2:2]  ¹¹ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated for stylistic reasons. It occurs as part of the formula καὶ ἐγένετο (kai egeneto) which is often left untranslated in Luke-Acts because it is redundant in contemporary English. Here it is possible (and indeed necessary) to translate ἐγένετο as “came” so that the initial clause of the English translation contains a verb; nevertheless the translation of the conjunction καί is not necessary.

[2:2]  ¹² tn Or “a noise.”

[2:2]  ¹³ tn While φέρω (ferw) generally refers to movement from one place to another with the possible implication of causing the movement of other objects, in Acts 2:2 φέρομαι (feromai) should probably be understood in a more idiomatic sense of “blowing” since it is combined with the noun for wind (πνοή, pnoh).

[2:2]  ¹⁴ tn Or “from the sky.” The Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated “sky” or “heaven” depending on the context.

[3:3]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “the temple.” This is actually a reference to the courts surrounding the temple proper, and has been translated accordingly.

[3:3]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “alms.” See the note on the word “money” in the previous verse.