The First Book of Moses: Genesis

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- Chapter 49 -

Then Jacob called his sons, and he said to them: “Gather together, so that I may announce what will happen to you in the last days.(a)

Gather together and listen, O sons of Jacob. Listen to Israel, your father.

Reuben, my firstborn, you are my strength and the beginning of my sorrow: first in gifts, greater in authority.(b)

You are being poured out like water, may you not increase. For you climbed onto your father’s bed, and you defiled his resting place.(c)

The brothers Simeon and Levi: vessels of iniquity waging war.

Let not my soul go by their counsel, nor my glory be within their meeting. For in their fury they killed a man, and in their self-will they undermined a wall.(d)

Cursed be their fury, because it was obstinate, and their indignation, because it was harsh. I will divide them in Jacob, and I will scatter them in Israel.

Judah, your brothers will praise you. Your hand will be at the necks of your enemies; the sons of your father will reverence you.

Judah is a lion’s young. You have gone up to the prey, my son. While resting, you have lain like a lion. And just like a lioness, who would rouse him?(e)

The scepter from Judah and the leader from his thigh will not be taken away, until he who will be sent arrives, and he will be the expectation of Gentiles.

Tying his young colt to the vineyard, and his donkey, O my son, to the vine, he will wash his robe in wine, and his cloak in the blood of the grape.

His eyes are more beautiful than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk.

Zebulun will live at the seashore and by the outpost of ships, reaching as far as Sidon.

Issachar will be a strong donkey, reclining between the borders.

He saw that rest would be good, and that the land was excellent. And so he bent his shoulder to carry, and he became a servant under tribute.

Dan will judge his people just like any other tribe in Israel.(f)

Let Dan be a snake in the way, a viper in the path, biting the hooves of horses, so that his rider may fall backward.(g)

I will wait for your salvation, O Lord.

Gad, being girded, will fight before him. And he himself will be girded backward.(h)

Asher: his bread will be fat, and he will provide delicacies to the kings.

Naphtali is a stag sent forth, offering words of eloquent beauty.

Joseph is a growing son, a growing son and stately to behold; the daughters run back and forth on the wall.(i)

But those who held darts, provoked him, and they contend with him, and they envied him.

His bow sits in strength, and the bands of his arms and hands have been let loose by the hands of the mighty one of Jacob. From there he went forth as a pastor, the stone of Israel.(j)

The God of your father will be your helper, and the Almighty will bless you with the blessings of heaven above, with the blessings of the abyss that lies beneath, with the blessings of the breasts and of the womb.

The blessings of your father are strengthened by the blessings of his fathers, until the desire of the hills of eternity shall arrive. May they be at the head of Joseph, and at the summit of the Nazarite, among his brothers.(k)

(l)

(m)

Benjamin is a ravenous wolf, in the morning he will eat the prey, and in the evening he will divide the spoil.”

All these are the twelve tribes of Israel. These things their father spoke to them, and he blessed each one with their proper blessings.

The Death of Jacob

And he instructed them, saying: “I am being gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the double cave, which is in the field of Ephron the Hittite,(n)

opposite Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought, along with its field, from Ephron the Hittite, as a possession for burial.

There they buried him, with his wife Sarah.” And there Isaac was buried with his wife Rebekah. There also Leah lies preserved.

And having finished these commands by which he instructed his sons, he drew his feet onto the bed, and he passed away. And he was gathered to his people.

Footnotes

(a)49:1 This passage is the eschatological discourse of Jacob. It describes the state of the twelve parts of the one Catholic Church prior to the Return of Christ. Currently, the Church as two parts, east and west. After the unification of all the Christian Churches in one Catholic Church, there will be seven parts within the one Church. Much later, these seven will become twelve parts of one Church, like the twelve tribes of Israel. It is these twelve tribes of the future Church that Jacob describes on his death bed.(Conte)

(b)49:3 My strength, etc:He calls him his strength, as being born whilst his father was in his full strength and vigour: he calls him the beginning of his sorrow, because cares and sorrows usually come on with the birth of children. Excelling in gifts, etc., because the firstborn had a title to a double portion, and to have the command over his brethren, which Ruben forfeited by his sin; being poured out as water, that is, spilt and lost.(Challoner)

(c)49:4 may you not increase:This was not meant by way of a curse or imprecation; but by way of a prophecy foretelling that the tribe of Ruben should not inherit the pre-eminences usually annexed to the first birthright, viz., the double portion, the being prince or lord over the other brethren, and the priesthood: of which the double portion was given to Joseph, the princely office to Juda, and the priesthood to Levi.(Challoner)

(d)49:6 Slew a man:viz., Sichem the son of Hemor, with all his people, Gen. 34.; mystically and prophetically it alludes to Christ, whom their posterity, viz., the priests and the scribes, put to death.(Challoner)

(e)49:9 A lion’s whelp, etc:This blessing of Juda foretells the strength of his tribe, the fertility of his inheritance; and principally that the sceptre and legislative power should not be utterly taken away from his race till about the time of the coming of Christ: as in effect it never was: which is a demonstration against the modern Jews, that the Messiah is long since come; for the sceptre has long since been utterly taken away from Juda.(Challoner)

(f)49:16 Dan shall judge, etc:This was verified in Samson, who was of the tribe of Dan, and began to deliver Israel. Judges. 13:5. But as this deliverance was but temporal and very imperfect, the holy patriarch (ver. 18) aspires after another kind of deliverer, saying: I will look for thy salvation, O Lord.(Challoner)

(g)49:17 A ‘cerastes’ is a type of viper found in Africa, very poisonous and with a horn-like protuberance above each eye.(Conte)

(h)49:19 Gad being girded, etc:It seems to allude to the tribe of Gad; when after they had received for their lot the land of Galaad, they marched in arms before the rest of the Israelites, to the conquest of the land of Chanaan: from whence they afterwards returned loaded with spoils. See Jos. 4. and 12.(Challoner)

(i)49:22 Run to and fro, etc:To behold his beauty; whilst his envious brethren turned their darts against him, etc.(Challoner)

(j)49:24 His bow rested upon the strong, etc:That is, upon God, who was his strength: who also loosed his bands, and brought him out of prison to be the pastor, that is, the feeder and ruler of Egypt, and the stone, that is, the rock and support of Israel.(Challoner)

(k)49:26 The blessings of thy father, etc:That is, thy father’s blessings are made more prevalent and effectual in thy regard, by the additional strength they receive from his inheriting the blessings of his progenitors Abraham and Isaac.(Challoner)

(l)49:26 The desire of the everlasting hills, etc:These blessings all looked forward towards Christ, called the desire of the everlasting hills, as being longed for, as it were, by the whole creation. Mystically, the patriarchs and prophets are called the everlasting hills, by reason of the eminence of their wisdom and holiness.(Challoner)

(m)49:26 The Nazarite:This word signifies one separated; and agrees to Joseph, as being separated from, and more eminent than, his brethren. As the ancient Nazarites were so called from their being set aside for God, and vowed to him.(Challoner)

(n)49:29 To be gathered to my people:That is, I am going to die, and so to follow my ancestors that are gone before me, and to join their company in another world.(Challoner)

Jacob called to his sons, and said: “Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which will happen to you in the days to come.

Assemble yourselves, and hear, you sons of Jacob. Listen to Israel, your father.

“Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, excelling in dignity, and excelling in power.

Boiling over like water, you shall not excel, because you went up to your father’s bed, then defiled it. He went up to my couch.

“Simeon and Levi are brothers. Their swords are weapons of violence.

My soul, don’t come into their council. My glory, don’t be united to their assembly; for in their anger they killed men. In their self-will they hamstrung cattle.

Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel. I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.

“Judah, your brothers will praise you. Your hand will be on the neck of your enemies. Your father’s sons will bow down before you.

Judah is a lion’s cub. From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down, he crouched as a lion, as a lioness. Who will rouse him up?

The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs. The obedience of the peoples will be to him.

Binding his foal to the vine, his donkey’s colt to the choice vine, he has washed his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes.

His eyes will be red with wine, his teeth white with milk.

“Zebulun will dwell at the haven of the sea. He will be for a haven of ships. His border will be on Sidon.

“Issachar is a strong donkey, lying down between the saddlebags.

He saw a resting place, that it was good, the land, that it was pleasant. He bows his shoulder to the burden, and becomes a servant doing forced labor.

“Dan will judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel.

Dan will be a serpent on the trail, an adder in the path, that bites the horse’s heels, so that his rider falls backward.

I have waited for your salvation, LORD.

“A troop will press on Gad, but he will press on their heel.

“Asher’s food will be rich. He will produce royal dainties.

“Naphtali is a doe set free, who bears beautiful fawns.

“Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine by a spring. His branches run over the wall.

The archers have severely grieved him, shot at him, and persecuted him:

But his bow remained strong. The arms of his hands were made strong, by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, (from there is the shepherd, the stone of Israel),

even by the God of your father, who will help you, by the Almighty, who will bless you, with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lies below, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb.

The blessings of your father have prevailed above the blessings of my ancestors, above the boundaries of the ancient hills. They will be on the head of Joseph, on the crown of the head of him who is separated from his brothers.

“Benjamin is a ravenous wolf. In the morning he will devour the prey. At evening he will divide the plunder.”

All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father spoke to them, and blessed them. He blessed everyone according to his own blessing.

The Death of Jacob

He instructed them, and said to them, “I am to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite,

in the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite as a burial place.

There they buried Abraham and Sarah, his wife. There they buried Isaac and Rebekah, his wife, and there I buried Leah:

the field and the cave that is therein, which was purchased from the children of Heth.”

When Jacob finished charging his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, breathed his last breath, and was gathered to his people.