Discovery BoxGenesis 49:13-18
Context49:13 Zebulun will live 1 by the haven of the sea
and become a haven for ships;
his border will extend to Sidon. 2
49:14 Issachar is a strong-boned donkey
lying down between two saddlebags.
49:15 When he sees 3 a good resting place,
and the pleasant land,
he will bend his shoulder to the burden
and become a slave laborer. 4
49:16 Dan 5 will judge 6 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. 7
[49:13] 1 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] 2 map For location see Map1 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.
[49:15] 3 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] 4 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] 5 sn The name Dan (דָּן, dan) means “judge” and forms a wordplay with the following verb.
[49:17] 7 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] 9 sn I wait for your deliverance, O
