Genesis 49:3-4

Context

49:3 Reuben, you are my firstborn,

my might and the beginning of my strength,

outstanding in dignity, outstanding in power.

49:4 You are destructive¹ like water and will not excel,²

for you got on your father’s bed,³

then you defiled it – he got on my couch!⁴

Genesis 49:8

Context

49:8 Judah,⁵ your brothers will praise you.

Your hand will be on the neck of your enemies,

your father’s sons will bow down before you.

Numbers 32:31-32

Context
32:31 Then the Gadites and the Reubenites answered, “Your servants will do what the Lord has spoken.⁶ 32:32 We will cross armed in the Lord’s presence into the land of Canaan, and then the possession of our inheritance that we inherit will be ours on this side of the Jordan River.”⁷

Joshua 22:1-9

Context

Joshua Sends Home the Eastern Tribes

22:1 Then Joshua summoned the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh 22:2 and told them: “You have carried out all the instructions of Moses the Lord’s servant, and you have obeyed all I have told you.⁸ 22:3 You have not abandoned your fellow Israelites⁹ this entire time,¹⁰ right up to this very day. You have completed the task given you by the Lord your God.¹¹ 22:4 Now the Lord your God has made your fellow Israelites secure,¹² just as he promised them. So now you may turn around and go to your homes¹³ in your own land¹⁴ which Moses the Lord’s servant assigned to you east of the Jordan. 22:5 But carefully obey the commands and instructions Moses the Lord’s servant gave you. Love¹⁵ the Lord your God, follow all his instructions,¹⁶ obey¹⁷ his commands, be loyal to him,¹⁸ and serve him with all your heart and being!”¹⁹

22:6 Joshua rewarded²⁰ them and sent them on their way; they returned to their homes.²¹ 22:7 (Now to one half-tribe of Manasseh, Moses had assigned land in Bashan; and to the other half Joshua had assigned land on the west side of the Jordan with their fellow Israelites.) When Joshua sent them home,²² he rewarded²³ them, 22:8 saying, “Take home²⁴ great wealth, a lot of cattle,²⁵ silver, gold, bronze, iron, and a lot of²⁶ clothing. Divide up the goods captured from your enemies with your brothers.” 22:9 So the Reubenites, Gadites, and half-tribe of Manasseh left the Israelites in Shiloh in the land of Canaan and headed home to their own land in Gilead,²⁷ which they acquired by the Lord’s command through Moses.

[49:4] ¹tn The Hebrew noun פַּחַז (pakhaz) only occurs here in the OT. A related verb occurs twice in the prophets (Jer 23:32; Zeph 3:4) for false prophets inventing their messages, and once in Judges for unscrupulous men bribed to murder (Judg 9:4). It would describe Reuben as being “frothy, boiling, turbulent” as water. The LXX has “run riot,” the Vulgate has “poured out,” and Tg. Onq. has “you followed your own direction.” It is a reference to Reuben’s misconduct in Gen 35, but the simile and the rare word invite some speculation. H. Pehlke suggests “destructive like water,” for Reuben acted with pride and presumption; see his “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Genesis 49:1-28” (Th.D. dissertation, Dallas Theological Seminary, 1985).

[49:4] ²tn Heb “Do not excel!” The Hiphil of the verb יָתַר (yatar) has this meaning only here. The negated jussive is rhetorical here. Rather than being a command, it anticipates what will transpire. The prophecy says that because of the character of the ancestor, the tribe of Reuben would not have the character to lead (see 1 Chr 5:1).

[49:4] ³sn This is a euphemism for having sexual intercourse with Jacob’s wives (see Gen 35:22).

[49:4] ⁴tn The last verb is third masculine singular, as if for the first time Jacob told the brothers, or let them know that he knew. For a discussion of this passage see S. Gevirtz, “The Reprimand of Reuben,” JNES 30 (1971): 87-98.

[49:8] ⁵sn 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.

[32:31] ⁶tn Heb “that which the Lord has spoken to your servants, thus we will do.”

[32:32] ⁷tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[22:2] ⁸tn Heb “You have kept all which Moses, the Lord’s servant, commanded you, and you have listened to my voice, to all which I commanded you.”

[22:3] ⁹tn Heb “your brothers” (also in vv. 4, 7), but this does not refer to siblings or necessarily even to relatives. It refers to the Israelites of the remaining tribes.

[22:3] ¹⁰tn Heb “these many days.”

[22:3] ¹¹tn Heb “you have kept the charge of the command of the Lord your God.”

[22:4] ¹²tn Heb “has given rest to your brothers.”

[22:4] ¹³tn Heb “tents.”

[22:4] ¹⁴tn Heb “the land of your possession.”

[22:5] ¹⁵tn Heb “But be very careful to do the commandment and the law which Moses, the Lord’s servant, commanded you, to love.”

[22:5] ¹⁶tn Heb “walk in all his paths.”

[22:5] ¹⁷tn Or “keep.”

[22:5] ¹⁸tn Heb “hug him.”

[22:5] ¹⁹tn Or “soul.”

[22:6] ²⁰tn Heb “blessed.” However, see v. 8, where rewards are given.

[22:6] ²¹tn Heb “and they went to their tents.”

[22:7] ²²tn Heb “to their tents.”

[22:7] ²³tn Heb “blessed.”

[22:8] ²⁴tn Heb “return to your tents with.”

[22:8] ²⁵tn Heb “very many cattle.”

[22:8] ²⁶tn Heb “very much clothing.”

[22:9] ²⁷tn Heb “returned and went from the sons of Israel, from Shiloh which is in the land of Canaan, to go to the land of Gilead, to the land of their possession.”