Jacob’s Prophecies Concerning His Sons

The final phase of Jacob’s life is one in which he is physically weak and near the point of death.  However, instead of focusing on his own weakness, he is able to give a blessing to those around him.  He becomes an instrument of the Lord’s blessings for future generations.

God promised Jacob:  “I will go down with thee into Egypt; and I will also surely bring thee up again” (Gen. 46:4).  The blessings of Abraham are in the land of Canaan not Egypt.  The result of the Egyptian bondage (Exod. 1:8-14) is that the people of God dwelt in Egypt rather than in Canaan.  Therefore, when he is near death, Jacob demands a promise from his son Joseph to bury him in Canaan.  “If now I have found grace in thy sight” he said to his son, “[put] thy hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me…carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their buryingplace” (Gen. 47:29-30).

Joseph promised that he would not bury his father in Egypt, but Jacob insisted, “Swear unto me.”  The placing of one’s hand under another’s thigh was a way of making an oath.  The same was witnessed when Abraham required an oath from his servant who was sent to Haran to find a wife for Isaac (24:9).  Jacob wanted to be certain that circumstances would not prevent Joseph from leaving Egypt, so he insisted that his son make an oath that would bind him.  Later, Joseph went to Pharaoh and said, “my father made me swear” (50:5) and Pharaoh allowed him to leave the country and bury his father in Canaan.

Jacob worshipped God realizing that He will fulfill His promise through Joseph.  God’s promise of the land is important to him, even though it is only for now his final resting-place (1 Chron. 16:13-18).  Jacob now called for his sons, sensing he is near death, and the twelve of them gather around his bed.  “Gather yourselves together,” said Jacob, “that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days” (Gen. 49:1).  He then prophesied concerning his twelve sons.

Reuben (49:3-4) is the firstborn.  By virtue of his position as the firstborn of Jacob, he should have had preeminence over his brothers and the double portion of the inheritance which was given to Joseph (48:5-6, 22; 1 Chron. 5:1-2), but these were taken from Reuben because of his precariousness.  He lost his birthright and place of honor as a result of incest with Jacob’s concubine.  One does not read of an immediate punishment at the time when the sin originally occurred (Gen. 35:22).  However, the sin did have progressive consequences, not only for Reuben, but also for his descendents.  As a result, Reuben would not have the character to lead the tribes.

Simeon and Levi are addressed next.  Anger and cruelty is their legacy, and as a result of their character they would be “scattered.”  The tribe of Simeon is eventually unified into the tribe of Judah.  The tribe of Levi is never given land of their own.  They are given cities to occupy, which are scattered throughout the land of Israel.  Their inheritance is the tithe, rather than land (Numb. 18:22-23).

The most extensive prophecies given by Jacob involve Judah and Joseph.  They are the two leaders among the brothers, and the sons whose tribes, Judah and Ephraim, are destined to be the dominant tribes in the Promised Land.  Ephraim will be prominent in the north, but will eventually break off to become the Northern Kingdom.  The Northern Kingdom fell into idolatry, and God’s judgment of their sin is exile by Assyria.  Following the reign of Solomon, the Northern Kingdom had a total of 20 kings and not one of them was credited as being a godly man.

The Southern Kingdom, Judah, witnessed periods of apostasy and revival; from its 20 kings, only approximately half of them were said to have “done right before the Lord.”  Even among the half of the 20 kings, there was a serious deterioration as their reign progressed and there is an apostasy from the Lord in their latter years.  It is not clear whether those men were really children of God or they simply did right in obeying the law of God in the first part of their reign and then manifested their apostate character later in life.  Nevertheless, the Southern Kingdom was judged by God also by being exiled to Babylon.  After the Babylonian captivity, the Southern Kingdom returned to their land to rebuild the Temple.

Judah was characterized as a lion’s cub, that is, a lioness who crouches (“who shall rouse him up?”).  He is a powerful tribe.  Judah would not only rule over his brothers in the days to come, but he would also overcome his enemies (Gen. 49:8).  His military might is compared to the strength of a lion (49:9).  The preeminence that was taken from Reuben is given to his younger brother, Judah.

Genesis 49:10 (“the sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be”) has been a difficult passage to translate in its full context.  For instance, the KJV translates the third line, “until Shiloh come.”  The NASB translates in the same way.  There is good reason to render the verse as the NIV does, “until he comes to whom it belongs.”  Victor P. Hamilton noted this problem of translation, “This line has provoked more difference of opinion among Hebraists than perhaps any other in the entire book of Genesis” [Victor P. Hamilton, Genesis 18-50, NICOT (Grand Rapids:  Eerdmans, 1995), 654].  Hamilton translated it “until he possesses that which belongs to him.”  The meaning of Genesis 49:10 seems to be on the kingship that will remain in Judah’s clan until the king comes who can rightfully claim it.  Obviously, many interpret the rightful king to be none other than “the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David” (Rev. 5:5).  “Shiloh” can refer to a specific place, as it is elsewhere in the Old Testament (cf. Josh. 18:1, 8, 9; 1 Sam. 1:13).  In this passage, it is best to understand it as being a faint hint of the person of the Messiah.  The Targum Onkelos offered this interpretation also:  “until the Messiah comes, whose is the kingdom, and him shall the nations obey.”

Zebulun is promised a seaborne trade.  His tribe would border on the Mediterranean Sea and the city of Sidon.  Issachar’s tribe would be characterized by forced labor.  Instead of using his ability to work for himself, Issachar would work for food and rest among the Canaanites.  This was the opposite of what the relationship should have been.

Dan is to help the other tribes against their enemies.  Dan was “a serpent by the way.”  The image is of his vindication.  He would be one of the smaller tribes, but would be a victorious tribe over others.  Jacob was now halfway through the prophecies concerning his sons.  Having prophesied concerning Dan, Jacob declared, “I have waited for thy salvation, O LORD” (Gen. 49:18).  This is obviously an expression that the hope of the nation does not lie in the sons of Jacob; rather hope is in the God who has borne Jacob along throughout his sojourn.  Salvation surely will not come from his sons but from God.  Salvation will not come from within, but from without.  This is the substance of Jacob’s words here.

Marauding bands will raid Gad, but he will “overcome at the last.”  Asher would be very productive and fruitful in his labors.  He would take his abundance and deliver it unto the court.  This would indicate that the food was more of a delicacy rather than ordinary and plain food.  Naphtali would be swift in battle.  His tribe would be a mountainous people.  The prophecy of Naphtali’s future is one of unhindered freedom and increase.  While the NASV translates verse 21 to read “words” in the second line, it seems preferable to render it more naturally, “fawns,” as in the KJV.

Joseph is given the longest prophecy.  There are images of fruitful vines and steady bows drawing upon “the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel) even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee” (49:24-25).  “They shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren” (49:26).  The final verse acknowledged Joseph as the leader and the one who is preeminent among his brothers.

Benjamin received the twelfth blessing:  “he shall ravin as a wolf:  in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil” (49:27).  He is prophesied to have success that he will divide with others. Jacob then gave final instructions concerning his burial place.  “When Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons,” the Scripture records, “he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered unto his people” (49:33).  He, who had been blessed by God, had now finished blessing his twelve sons who are with him at the end of his life.

All the sons of Jacob were blessed in that they were to be a part of the nation of Israel.  All Jacob’s sons would enter into the land of Canaan and have an inheritance there.  According to the prophecies, some would certainly receive a greater blessing than others would.  However, even those who were rebuked by Jacob were blessed.  The application is obvious.  One’s future is not independent of the past but is a direct extension of it.

The quality of the blessing for Reuben, Simeon, and Levi were based upon the sins that they had committed in the past.  On the other hand, Joseph had been betrayed by his brethren, but had remained faithful to his Lord (49:23-24).  Some of the sons found their blessings related to the name they had been given at their birth.  For instance, Judah’s name is derived from the Hebrew root, “to praise” (29:35).  He is now prophesied to be praised by his brothers (49:8).  Dan whose name is the participle meaning “to judge” (30:6), is foretold that he would “judge his people” (49:16).  As already stated, prophecy is not isolated from history; it is a direct extension of it that carries on into the future.

For the twelve sons of Jacob, their character would not only affect their own future, but also their generations after them.  The sons of Jacob would learn the same lesson that Jacob had learned.  Truly, present actions have an impact on the future.  For example, Jacob’s cunning was witnessed in his two sons, Simeon and Levi.  The prophecies of Jacob reminded his sons that who they are now is going to shape what the nation will be in years to come.  If they lived godly lives, this would be a blessing to coming generations.  If they forsook God then the nation would experience the judgment of God.  This pattern is exemplified in the blessing and cursing of Deuteronomy 28-30.

All of the prophecies of Jacob concerning his sons are either fulfilled or will be fulfilled in the future plan of God for Israel.  One must not assume that the prophecies of God for the nation are not to be fulfilled in a literal capacity just as they were given to the original recipients.  To the descendants of the twelve sons of Jacob, the prophecies were both a warning of forsaking God and also an expression of hope for faithfulness to God.  The words of warning and hope find significance only through the grace that God provided which would keep them from sin as they sought to honor Him.  The warning of sin and its consequences should drive mankind from sin to the Messiah.  For it is only in Him that salvation would come.  The sons of Jacob (like Jacob himself) must declare also, “I have waited for thy salvation, O Lord.”