Numbers 2:5-6

2:5 Those who will be camping next to them ¹  are the tribe of Issachar. The leader of the people of Issachar is Nethanel son of Zuar. 2:6 Those numbered in his division are 54,400.

Numbers 23:23-25

23:23 For there is no spell against ²  Jacob,

nor is there any divination against Israel.

At this time ³  it must be said ⁴  of Jacob

and of Israel, ‘Look at ⁵  what God has done!’

23:24 Indeed, the people will rise up like a lioness,

and like a lion raises himself up;

they will not lie down until they eat their ⁶  prey,

and drink the blood of the slain.” ⁷ 

Balaam Relocates Yet Again

23:25 Balak said to Balaam, “Neither curse them at all ⁸  nor bless them at all!” ⁹ 

Genesis 30:18

30:18 Then Leah said, “God has granted me a reward ¹⁰  because I gave my servant to my husband as a wife.” ¹¹  So she named him Issachar. ¹² 

Genesis 46:13

46:13 The sons of Issachar:

Tola, Puah, ¹³  Jashub, ¹⁴  and Shimron.

Genesis 49:14-15

49:14 Issachar is a strong-boned donkey

lying down between two saddlebags.

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

and the pleasant land,

he will bend his shoulder to the burden

and become a slave laborer. ¹⁶ 

[2:5]  ¹ tn Heb “by him” [i.e., Judah].

[23:23]  ² tn Or “in Jacob.” But given the context the meaning “against” is preferable. The words describe two techniques of consulting God; the first has to do with observing omens in general (“enchantments”), and the second with casting lots or arrows of the like (“divinations” [Ezek 21:26]). See N. H. Snaith, Leviticus and Numbers (NCB), 295-96.

[23:23]  ³ tn The form is the preposition “like, as” and the word for “time” – according to the time, about this time, now.

[23:23]  ⁴ tn The Niphal imperfect here carries the nuance of obligation – one has to say in amazement that God has done something marvelous or “it must be said.”

[23:23]  ⁵ tn The words “look at” are not in the Hebrew text but have been added in the translation for clarity.

[23:24]  ⁶ tn The pronoun “their” has been supplied for clarity; it is not present in the Hebrew text.

[23:24]  ⁷ sn The oracle compares Israel first to a lion, or better, lioness, because she does the tracking and hunting of food while the lion moves up and down roaring and distracting the prey. But the lion is also the traditional emblem of Judah, Dan and Gad, as well as the symbol of royalty. So this also supports the motif of royalty as well as power for Israel.

[23:25]  ⁸ tn The verb is preceded by the infinitive absolute: “you shall by no means curse” or “do not curse them at all.” He brought him to curse, and when he tried to curse there was a blessing. Balak can only say it would be better not to bother.

[23:25]  ⁹ tn The same construction now works with “nor bless them at all.” The two together form a merism – “don’t say anything.” He does not want them blessed, so Balaam is not to do that, but the curse isn’t working either.

[30:18]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “God has given my reward.”

[30:18]  ¹¹ tn The words “as a wife” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied for clarity (cf. v. 9).

[30:18]  ¹² sn The name Issachar (יְשָּׁשכָר, yishakhar) appears to mean “man of reward” or possibly “there is reward.” The name plays on the word used in the statement made earlier in the verse. The Hebrew noun translated “reward” is derived from the same root as the name Issachar. The irony is that Rachel thought the mandrakes would work for her, and she was willing to trade one night for them. But in that one night Leah became pregnant.

[46:13]  ¹³ tc The MT reads “Puvah” (cf. Num 26:23); the Samaritan Pentateuch and Syriac read “Puah” (cf. 1 Chr 7:1).

[46:13]  ¹⁴ tc The MT reads “Iob,” but the Samaritan Pentateuch and some LXX mss read “Jashub” (see Num 26:24; 1 Chr 7:1).

[49:15]  ¹⁵ 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]  ¹⁶ 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.