Genesis 49:10-24

49:10 The scepter will not depart from Judah,

nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, ¹ 

until he comes to whom it belongs; ² 

the nations will obey him. ³ 

49:11 Binding his foal to the vine,

and his colt to the choicest vine,

he will wash ⁴  his garments in wine,

his robes in the blood of grapes.

49:12 His eyes will be dark from wine,

and his teeth white from milk. ⁵ 

49:13 Zebulun will live ⁶  by the haven of the sea

and become a haven for ships;

his border will extend to Sidon. ⁷ 

49:14 Issachar is a strong-boned donkey

lying down between two saddlebags.

49:15 When he sees ⁸  a good resting place,

and the pleasant land,

he will bend his shoulder to the burden

and become a slave laborer. ⁹ 

49:16 Dan ¹⁰  will judge ¹¹  his people

as one of the tribes of Israel.

49:17 May Dan be a snake beside the road,

a viper by the path,

that bites the heels of the horse

so that its rider falls backward. ¹² 

49:18 I wait for your deliverance, O Lord. ¹³ 

49:19 Gad will be raided by marauding bands,

but he will attack them at their heels. ¹⁴ 

49:20 Asher’s ¹⁵  food will be rich, ¹⁶ 

and he will provide delicacies ¹⁷  to royalty.

49:21 Naphtali is a free running doe, ¹⁸ 

he speaks delightful words. ¹⁹ 

49:22 Joseph is a fruitful bough, ²⁰ 

a fruitful bough near a spring

whose branches ²¹  climb over the wall.

49:23 The archers will attack him, ²² 

they will shoot at him and oppose him.

49:24 But his bow will remain steady,

and his hands ²³  will be skillful;

because of the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob,

because of ²⁴  the Shepherd, the Rock ²⁵  of Israel,

[49:10]  ¹ 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]  ² 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]  ³ 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.

[49:11]  ⁴ tn The perfect verbal form is used rhetorically, describing coming events as though they have already taken place.

[49:12]  ⁷ tn Some translate these as comparatives, “darker than wine…whiter than milk,” and so a reference to his appearance (so NEB, NIV, NRSV). But if it is in the age of abundance, symbolized by wine and milk, then the dark (i.e., red or perhaps dull) eyes would be from drinking wine, and the white teeth from drinking milk.

[49:13]  ¹⁰ tn The verb שָׁכַן (shakhan) means “to settle,” but not necessarily as a permanent dwelling place. The tribal settlements by the sea would have been temporary and not the tribe’s territory.

[49:13]  ¹¹ map For location see Map1 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.

[49:15]  ¹³ tn The verb forms in this verse (“sees,” “will bend,” and “[will] become”) are preterite; they is used in a rhetorical manner, describing the future as if it had already transpired.

[49:15]  ¹⁴ sn The oracle shows that the tribe of Issachar will be willing to trade liberty for the material things of life. Issachar would work (become a slave laborer) for the Canaanites, a reversal of the oracle on Canaan. See C. M. Carmichael, “Some Sayings in Genesis 49,” JBL 88 (1969): 435-44; and S. Gevirtz, “The Issachar Oracle in the Testament of Jacob,” ErIsr 12 (1975): 104-12.

[49:16]  ¹⁶ sn The name Dan (דָּן, dan) means “judge” and forms a wordplay with the following verb.

[49:16]  ¹⁷ tn Or “govern.”

[49:17]  ¹⁹ sn The comparison of the tribe of Dan to a venomous serpent is meant to say that Dan, though small, would be potent, gaining victory through its skill and shrewdness. Jewish commentators have linked the image in part with Samson. That link at least illustrates the point: Though a minority tribe, Dan would gain the upper hand over others.

[49:18]  ²² sn I wait for your deliverance, O Lord. As Jacob sees the conflicts that lie ahead for Dan and Gad (see v. 19), he offers a brief prayer for their security.

[49:19]  ²⁵ tc Heb “heel.” The MT has suffered from misdivision at this point. The initial mem on the first word in the next verse should probably be taken as a plural ending on the word “heel.”

[49:20]  ²⁸ tc Heb “from Asher,” but the initial mem (מ) of the MT should probably be moved to the end of the preceding verse and taken as a plural ending on “heel.”

[49:20]  ²⁹ tn The Hebrew word translated “rich,” when applied to products of the ground, means abundant in quantity and quality.

[49:20]  ³⁰ tn The word translated “delicacies” refers to foods that were delightful, the kind fit for a king.

[49:21]  ³¹ tn Heb “a doe set free.”

[49:21]  ³² tn Heb “the one who gives words of beauty.” The deer imagery probably does not continue into this line; Naphtali is the likely antecedent of the substantival participle, which is masculine, not feminine, in form. If the animal imagery is retained from the preceding line, the image of a talking deer is preposterous. For this reason some read the second line “the one who bears beautiful fawns,” interpreting אִמְרֵי (’imre) as a reference to young animals, not words (see HALOT 67 s.v. *אִמֵּר).

[49:22]  ³⁴ tn The Hebrew text appears to mean “[is] a son of fruitfulness.” The second word is an active participle, feminine singular, from the verb פָּרָה (parah, “to be fruitful”). The translation “bough” is employed for בֵּן (ben, elsewhere typically “son”) because Joseph is pictured as a healthy and fruitful vine growing by the wall. But there are difficulties with this interpretation. The word “son” nowhere else refers to a plant and the noun translated “branches” (Heb “daughters”) in the third line is a plural form whereas its verb is singular. In the other oracles of Gen 49 an animal is used for comparison and not a plant, leading some to translate the opening phrase בֵּן פָּרָה (ben parah, “fruitful bough”) as “wild donkey” (JPS, NAB). Various other interpretations involving more radical emendation of the text have also been offered.

[49:22]  ³⁵ tn Heb “daughters.”

[49:23]  ³⁷ tn The verb forms in vv. 23-24 are used in a rhetorical manner, describing future events as if they had already taken place.

[49:24]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “the arms of his hands.”

[49:24]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “from there,” but the phrase should be revocalized and read “from [i.e., because of] the name of.”

[49:24]  ⁴² tn Or “Stone.”