Genesis 49

       At the close of his life, Jacob calls together his sons in order to speak blessing, rebuke, and prophecy.
 
       Verse 1: “…that which shall befall you in the last days.” (Numbers 24:14, Deuteronomy 4:30, Isaiah 2:2, 39:6, Jeremiah 23:20, Hebrews 1:2, Revelation 1:19) Much of what Israel says in this chapter is dual prophecy: some of it will be fulfilled after the exodus from Egypt, when the children of Israel will finally enter the promised land to fulfill God’s directive to possess it; other parts of Jacob’s prophecy have not even yet been fulfilled in our present day, especially his prediction and blessing for Judah. (See the illustration at the end of this chapter for a breakdown of each son according to the order of his blessing and his symbol.)
 
       Reuben (v.3-4): Israel acknowledges his place as the firstborn, but then proclaims a judgment of the denial of the birthright because of Reuben’s sin with Bilhah. (Genesis 35:22, Deuteronomy 27:20, 1 Chronicles 5:1) Note from my study Bible: “The phrase “unstable as water” literally means “a boiling over” of water, a vivid metaphor for unstable emotions. (Judges 9:4, Zephaniah 3:4)” In other words, Reuben could not control his lust and his pride, and it cost him his birthright. Like Esau, he gave in to the weakness of his flesh and made a foolish, impulsive decision that had long term, permanent consequences.
 
        Simeon and Levi (v.5-7): These verses are Israel’s commentary on the incident with Dinah and Shechem from chapter 34. Simeon and Levi, consumed with rage and a desire for vengeance, slew all the men of the city, plundered it, and took captive the women and children, all without even consulting their father first. Not only that, they lured Shechem and the men of the city into a false agreement, deceiving them in order to weaken them so that they could easily be slaughtered. Much like Reuben, these men could not control their passions, allowing their emotions rather than the wisdom of their father to guide them. (Proverbs 6:16-19, 16:32, 25:28)

         Judah (v.8-12): The second longest blessing and prophecy of all the sons, Judah (Deuteronomy 33:7) is compared to a lion’s cub who has just killed his prey. (v.9) The wording in verse 8 is an echo of Isaac’s blessing of Jacob (Genesis 27:29) as well as Joseph’s dreams from chapter 37. (Psalm 18:40) A scepter is a rod or staff representing kingship and authority (Numbers 24:17, Jeremiah 30:21, Matthew 1:3, 2:6, Luke 3:33, Revelation 5:5), indicating that Judah’s descendant would be the Messiah, the one to whom all nations of the earth would bow. (v.10) This verse is referring to Christ’s return at the end of the Tribulation when He will establish his millennial kingdom as further described in verses 11 and 12.
         It will be a time of great wealth and prosperity, when the land will give forth abundance and the animals will not harm the crops, indicating global peace for all nations. The description of Shiloh in verse 12, which is another name for the Messiah, is a Jewish idiom describing the exact opposite effects of famine and a poor diet, as was being experienced by the people of the lands outside Egypt of the present time. According to my Moody Bible commentary, “This picture (v.12) stands in contrast to the jaundiced yellowing of the whites of one’s eyes often present in those suffering from famine and/or malnutrition, along with the attendant yellowing of the teeth that also results from, among other things, a poor diet and old age.” In other words, the future King, the descendant of the line of Judah, would be robust, healthy and strong, as will be His people in that future kingdom.
 
      The remaining blessings and prophecies are brief – and somewhat cryptic – and will most likely be fulfilled in the millennial kingdom. However, many of the character traits for each of his sons that Jacob lists here will bear out in their descendants according to the various roles that each tribe assumes in the new nation that God establishes after the exodus from Egypt. (For example, Samson was one of the judges from the tribe of Dan, whose name means, “God has judged me”.) There are several cross references in these verses for each of the remaining sons, so I will simply list those instead of trying to parse out some meaning from the blessings themselves. As mentioned before, see the illustration at the end of this chapter for a breakdown of each son and his symbol of blessing.
 
        Zebulun (v.13): Genesis 10:19, Deuteronomy 33:18-19, Joshua 11:8, 19:10-11
          Issachar (v.14-15): 1 Samuel 10:9, 1 Chronicles 12:32
       Dan (v.16-18): Genesis 30:6, Deuteronomy 33:22, Judges 18:26-27
         Gad (v.19): Genesis 30:11, Deuteronomy 33:20, 1 Chronicles 5:18
         Asher (v.20): Deuteronomy 33:24, Joshua 19:24
         Naphtali (v.21): Deuteronomy 33:23
 
       Joseph (v.22-26): Israel summarizes Joseph’s life, describing him as a fruitful tree planted by a well (v.22) whom “…the mighty God of Jacob…” sustained and strengthened, despite all the wrongs committed against him by his brothers (v.24). (This was also echoed by Joseph in the naming of his sons.) There is also references to Joseph being a shepherd and the stone of Israel (v.24) which David, Isaiah, and Peter would also use of Jesus Christ, and which Christ also referenced when speaking of Himself during his ministry. For convenience sake, I have grouped all the cross references in these 5 verses together in the list below.
         (Genesis 28:13, 32:9, 35:3, 37:4, 24, 43:23, 50:17, Deuteronomy 33:13-16, Job 29:20, Psalm 23:1, 37:15, 80:1, 118:13, 22, 132:2, 5, Isaiah 1:24, 28:16, 49:26, Habakkuk 3:6, Matthew 21:42, Mark 12:10, Luke 20:17, Acts 4:11, 1 Peter 2:6)
     Though not stated explicitly here, the double portion of inheritance that Jacob mentioned to Joseph in verse 22 of the previous chapter is that it will be Joseph’s two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, that will each father a tribe of the future nation of Israel. That is also what is meant here in verses 25 and 26 when Israel talks of the abundance of blessings that “…shall be on the head of Joseph…”. God would reward Joseph tenfold for all his years of unwavering faithfulness, trust and obedience in and to Him.
 
         Benjamin (v.27): Numbers 23:24, Judges 20:21, 25, Esther 8:11, Psalm 80:2, Ezekiel 39:10, Zechariah 14:1
        
         Verses 29-33: Jacob’s last charge to his sons is that they bury him in the cave of Machpelah alongside Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah and Leah. (v.30-31) After these words Jacob yields up the ghost and is gathered unto his people. (v.33)