8 Judah! thou -- thy brethren praise thee! Thy hand `is' on the neck of thine enemies, Sons of thy father bow themselves to thee.
for Judah hath been mighty over his brother, and for leader above him, and the birthright `is' to Joseph.
for `it is' evident that out of Judah hath arisen our Lord, in regard to which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood.
And this `is' for Judah; and he saith: -- Hear, O Jehovah, the voice of Judah, And unto his people do Thou bring him in; His hand hath striven for him, And an help from his adversaries art Thou.
And she conceiveth again, and beareth a son, and saith this time, `I praise Jehovah;' therefore hath she called his name Judah; and she ceaseth from bearing.
and gathereth all Judah and Benjamin, and the sojourners with them out of Ephraim, and Manasseh, and out of Simeon -- for they have fallen unto him from Israel in abundance, in their seeing that Jehovah his God `is' with him.
And these `are' their numbers, for the house of their fathers: Of Judah, heads of thousands, Adnah the head, and with him mighty ones of valour, three hundred chiefs. And at his hand `is' Jehohanan the head, and with him two hundred and eighty chiefs. And at his hand `is' Amasiah son of Zichri, who is willingly offering himself to Jehovah, and with him two hundred chiefs, mighty of valour.
As to mine enemies -- Thou hast given to me the neck, As to those hating me -- I cut them off. They cry, and there is no saviour, On Jehovah, and He doth not answer them. And I beat them as dust before wind, As mire of the streets I empty them out. Thou dost deliver me From the strivings of the people, Thou placest me for a head of nations, A people I have not known do serve me.
To the Overseer with stringed instruments. -- A Psalm of Asaph. -- A Song. In Judah `is' God known, in Israel His name `is' great.
And He chooseth the tribe of Judah, With mount Zion that He loved, And buildeth His sanctuary as a high place, Like the earth, He founded it to the age. And He fixeth on David His servant, And taketh him from the folds of a flock, From behind suckling ones He hath brought him in, To rule over Jacob His people, And over Israel His inheritance.
To the increase of the princely power, And of peace, there is no end, On the throne of David, and on his kingdom, To establish it, and to support it, In judgment and in righteousness, Henceforth, even unto the age, The zeal of Jehovah of Hosts doth this.
In the seeing for thee of a vain thing, In the divining for thee of a lie, To put thee on the necks of the wounded of the wicked, whose day hath come, In the time of the iniquity of the end.
as to the rest, expecting till He may place his enemies `as' his footstool,
and one of the elders saith to me, `Weep not; lo, overcome did the Lion, who is of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, to open the scroll, and to loose the seven seals of it;
And they rise and go up to Beth-El, and ask of God, and the sons of Israel say, `Who doth go up for us at the commencement to battle with the sons of Benjamin?' and Jehovah saith, `Judah -- at the commencement.'
and Joseph is the ruler over the land, he who is selling to all the people of the land, and Joseph's brethren come and bow themselves to him -- face to the earth.
And Judah cometh nigh unto him, and saith, `O, my lord, let thy servant speak, I pray thee, a word in the ears of my lord, and let not thine anger burn against thy servant -- for thou art as Pharaoh. My lord hath asked his servants, saying, Have ye a father or brother? and we say unto my lord, We have a father, an aged one, and a child of old age, a little one; and his brother died, and he is left alone of his mother, and his father hath loved him. `And thou sayest unto thy servants, Bring him down unto me, and I set mine eye upon him; and we say unto my lord, The youth is not able to leave his father, when he hath left his father, then he hath died; and thou sayest unto thy servants, If your young brother come not down with you, ye add not to see my face. `And it cometh to pass, that we have come up unto thy servant my father, that we declare to him the words of my lord; and our father saith, Turn back, buy for us a little food, and we say, We are not able to go down; if our young brother is with us, then we have gone down; for we are not able to see the man's face, and our young brother not with us. `And thy servant my father saith unto us, Ye -- ye have known that two did my wife bare to me, and the one goeth out from me, and I say, Surely he is torn -- torn! and I have not seen him since; when ye have taken also this from my presence, and mischief hath met him, then ye have brought down my grey hairs with evil to sheol. `And now, at my coming in unto thy servant my father, and the youth not with us (and his soul is bound up in his soul), then it hath come to pass when he seeth that the youth is not, that he hath died, and thy servants have brought down the grey hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to sheol; for thy servant obtained the youth by surety from my father, saying, If I bring him not in unto thee -- then I have sinned against my father all the days. `And now, let thy servant, I pray thee, abide instead of the youth a servant to my lord, and the youth goeth up with his brethren, for how do I go up unto my father, and the youth not with me? lest I look on the evil which doth find my father.'
And sons of Judah: Er, and Onan, and Shelah, and Pharez, and Zarah, (and Er and Onan die in the land of Canaan.) And sons of Pharez are Hezron and Hamul.
their numbered ones, for the tribe of Judah, `are' four and seventy thousand and six hundred.
These `are' families of Judah, by their numbered ones, six and seventy thousand and five hundred.
And it cometh to pass, when they bring out these kings unto Joshua, that Joshua calleth unto every man of Israel, and saith unto the captains of the men of war, who have gone with him, `Draw near, set your feet on the necks of these kings;' and they draw near, and set their feet on their necks.
And it cometh to pass, after the death of Joshua, that the sons of Israel ask at Jehovah, saying, `Who doth go up for us unto the Canaanite, at the commencement, to fight against it?' And Jehovah saith, `Judah doth go up; lo, I have given the land into his hand.'
that, lo, we are binding bundles in the midst of the field, and lo, my bundle hath arisen, and hath also stood up, and lo, your bundles are round about, and bow themselves to my bundle.' And his brethren say to him, `Dost thou certainly reign over us? dost thou certainly rule over us?' and they add still more to hate him, for his dreams, and for his words. And he dreameth yet another dream, and recounteth it to his brethren, and saith, `Lo, I have dreamed a dream again, and lo, the sun and the moon, and eleven stars, are bowing themselves to me.' And he recounteth unto his father, and unto his brethren; and his father pusheth against him, and saith to him, `What `is' this dream which thou hast dreamt? do we certainly come -- I, and thy mother, and thy brethren -- to bow ourselves to thee, to the earth?'
And all the elders of Israel come unto the king, to Hebron, and king David maketh with them a covenant in Hebron before Jehovah, and they anoint David for king over Israel.
and Joab giveth the account of the inspection of the people unto the king, and Israel is eight hundred thousand men of valour, drawing sword, and the men of Judah five hundred thousand men.
And king Solomon is king over all Israel, and these `are' the heads whom he hath: Azariah son of Zadok `is' the priest; Elihoreph and Ahiah sons of Shisha `are' scribes; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud `is' remembrancer; and Benaiah son of Jehoiada `is' over the host; and Zadok and Abiathar `are' priests; and Azariah son of Nathan `is' over the officers; and Zabud son of Nathan `is' minister, friend of the king; And Ahishar `is' over the household, and Adoniram son of Abda `is' over the tribute. And Solomon hath twelve officers over all Israel, and they have sustained the king and his household -- a month in the year is on each one for sustenance; and these `are' their names: Ben-Hur in the hill-country of Ephraim; Ben-Dekar in Makaz, and Shaalbim, and Beth-Shemesh, and Elon-Beth-Hanan. Ben-Hesed `is' in Aruboth, hath Sochoh and all the land of Hepher; Ben-Abinadab `hath' all the elevation of Dor, Taphath daughter of Solomon became his wife. Baana Ben-Ahilud `hath' Taanach and Megiddo, and all Beth-Shean, which `is' by Zartanah beneath Jezreel, from Beth-Shean unto Abel-Meholah, unto beyond Jokneam. Ben-Geber, in Ramoth-Gilead, hath the small towns of Jair son of Manasseh, which `are' in Gilead; he hath a portion of Argob that `is' in Bashan, sixty great cities `with' wall and brazen bar. Ahinadab son of Iddo `hath' Mahanaim. Ahimaaz `is' in Naphtali; he also hath taken Basemath daughter of Solomon for a wife. Baanah Ben-Hushai `is' in Asher, and in Aloth. Jehoshaphat Ben-Paruah `is' in Issachar. Shimei Ben-Elah `is' in Benjamin. Geber Ben-Uri `is' in the land of Gilead, the land of Sihon king of the Amorite, and of Og king of Bashan: and one officer who `is' in the land. Judah and Israel `are' many, as the sand that `is' by the sea for multitude, eating and drinking and rejoicing. And Solomon hath been ruling over all the kingdoms, from the River `to' the land of the Philistines and unto the border of Egypt: they are bringing nigh a present, and serving Solomon, all days of his life. And the provision of Solomon for one day is thirty cors of flour, and sixty cors of meal; ten fat oxen, and twenty feeding oxen, and a hundred sheep, apart from hart, and roe, and fallow-deer, and fatted beasts of the stalls, for he is ruling over all beyond the river, from Tiphsah and unto Gaza, over all the kings beyond the river, and he hath peace from all his servants round about. And Judah dwelleth -- and Israel -- in confidence, each under his vine, and under his fig-tree, from Dan even unto Beer-Sheba, all the days of Solomon. And Solomon hath forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen. And these officers have sustained king Solomon and every one drawing near unto the table of king Solomon, each `in' his month; they let nothing be lacking. And the barley and the straw, for horses and for dromedaries, they bring in unto the place where they are, each according to his ordinance. And God giveth wisdom to Solomon, and understanding, very much, and breadth of heart, as the sand that `is' on the edge of the sea; and the wisdom of Solomon is greater than the wisdom of any of the sons of the east, and than all the wisdom of Egypt; and he is wiser than all men, than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Chalcol, and Darda, sons of Mahol, and his name is in all the nations round about. And he speaketh three thousand similes, and his songs `are' five, and the chief one; and he speaketh concerning the trees, from the cedar that `is' in Lebanon, even unto the hyssop that is coming out in the wall, and he speaketh concerning the cattle, and concerning the fowl, and concerning the creeping things, and concerning the fishes, and there come out of all the peoples to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all kings of the earth who have heard of his wisdom.
And these `are' those coming in unto David to Ziklag, while shut up because of Saul son of Kish, and they `are' among the mighty ones, helping the battle, armed with bow, right and left handed, with stones, and with arrows, with bows, of the brethren of Saul, of Benjamin. The head `is' Ahiezer, and Joash, sons of Shemaab the Gibeathite, and Jeziel, and Pelet, sons of Azmaveth, and Berachah, and Jehu the Antothite, and Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty one among the thirty, and over the thirty, and Jeremiah, and Jahaziel, and Johanan, and Josabad the Gederathite. Eluzai, and Jerimoth, and Bealiah, and Shemariah, and Shephatiah the Haruphite; Elkanah, and Jesiah, and Azareel, and Joezer, and Jashobeam the Korhites, and Joelah, and Zebadiah, sons of Jeroham of Gedor. And of the Gadite there have been separated unto David, to the fortress, to the wilderness, mighty of valour, men of the host for battle, setting in array target and buckler, and their faces the face of the lion, and as roes on the mountains for speed: Ezer the head, Obadiah the second, Eliab the third, Mishmannah the fourth, Jeremiah the fifth, Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh, Johanan the eighth, Elzabad the ninth, Jeremiah the tenth, Machbannai the eleventh. These `are' of the sons of Gad, heads of the host, one of a hundred `is' the least, and the greatest, of a thousand; these `are' they who have passed over the Jordan in the first month, -- and it is full over all its banks -- and cause all `they of' the valley to flee to the east and to the west. And there come of the sons of Benjamin and Judah unto the stronghold to David, and David goeth out before them, and answereth and saith to them, `If for peace ye have come in unto me, to help me, I have a heart to unite with you; and if to betray me to mine adversaries -- without violence in my hands -- the God of our fathers doth see and reprove.' And the Spirit hath clothed Amasai, head of the captains: `To thee, O David, and with thee, O son of Jesse -- peace! peace to thee, and peace to thy helper, for thy God hath helped thee;' and David receiveth them, and putteth them among the heads of the troop. And of Manasseh there have fallen unto David in his coming with the Philistines against Israel to battle -- and they helped them not, for by counsel the princes of the Philistines sent him away, saying, `With our heads he doth fall unto his master Saul.' -- In his going unto Ziglag there have fallen unto him of Manasseh, Adnah, and Jozabad, and Jediael, and Michael, and Jozabad, and Elihu, and Zillthai, heads of the thousands that `are' of Manasseh; and they have helped with David over the troop, for mighty of valour `are' all of them, and they are captains in the host, for at that time, day by day, they come in unto David to help him, till it is a great camp, like a camp of God. And these `are' the numbers of the head, of the armed men of the host; they have come in unto David to Hebron to turn round the kingdom of Saul unto him, according to the mouth of Jehovah. The sons of Judah, bearing target and spear, `are' six thousand and eight hundred, armed ones of the host. Of the sons of Simeon, mighty ones of valour for the host, `are' seven thousand and a hundred. Of the sons of Levi `are' four thousand and six hundred; and Jehoiada `is' the leader of the Aaronite, and with him `are' three thousand and seven hundred, and Zadok, a young man, mighty of valour, and of the house of his father `are' twenty and two heads. And of the sons of Benjamin, brethren of Saul, `are' three thousand, and hitherto their greater part are keeping the charge of the house of Saul. And of the sons of Ephraim `are' twenty thousand and eight hundred, mighty of valour, men of name, according to the house of their fathers. And of the half of the tribe of Manasseh `are' eighteen thousand, who have been defined by name, to come in to cause David to reign. And of the sons of Issachar, having understanding for the times, to know what Israel should do; their heads `are' two hundred, and all their brethren `are' at their command. Of Zebulun, going forth to the host, arranging battle with all instruments of battle, `are' fifty thousand, and keeping rank without a double heart. And of Naphtali, a thousand heads, and with them, with target and spear, `are' thirty and seven thousand. And of the Danite, arranging battle, `are' twenty and eight thousand and six hundred. And of Asher, going forth to the host, to arrange battle, `are' forty thousand. And from beyond the Jordan, of the Reubenite, and of the Gadite, and of the half of the tribe of Manasseh, with all instruments of the host for battle, `are' a hundred and twenty thousand. All these `are' men of war, keeping rank -- with a perfect heart they have come to Hebron, to cause David to reign over all Israel, and also all the rest of Israel `are' of one heart, to cause David to reign, and they are there, with David, three days, eating and drinking, for their brethren have prepared for them. And also those near unto them, unto Issachar, and Zebulun, and Naphtali, are bringing in bread on asses, and on camels, and on mules, and on oxen -- food of fine flour, fig-cakes and grape-cakes, and wine, and oil, and oxen, and sheep, in abundance, for joy `is' in Israel.
and in every city and city targets and spears, and strengtheneth them very greatly; and he hath Judah and Benjamin. And the priests, and the Levites, that `are' in all Israel, have stationed themselves by him, out of all their border, for the Levites have left their suburbs and their possession, and they come to Judah and to Jerusalem, for Jeroboam and his sons have cast them off from acting as priests to Jehovah, and he establisheth to him priests for high places, and for goats, and for calves, that he made -- and after them, out of all the tribes of Israel, those giving their heart to seek Jehovah, God of Israel, have come in to Jerusalem to sacrifice to Jehovah, God of their father. And they strengthen the kingdom of Judah, and strengthen Rehoboam son of Solomon, for three years, because they walked in the way of David and Solomon for three years.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Genesis 49
Commentary on Genesis 49 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 49
Ge 49:1-33. Patriarchal Blessing.
1. Jacob called unto his sons—It is not to the sayings of the dying saint, so much as of the inspired prophet, that attention is called in this chapter. Under the immediate influence of the Holy Spirit he pronounced his prophetic benediction and described the condition of their respective descendants in the last days, or future times.
Ge 49:3, 4. Reuben forfeited by his crime the rights and honors of primogeniture. His posterity never made any figure; no judge, prophet, nor ruler, sprang from this tribe.
Ge 49:5-7. Simeon and Levi were associate in wickedness, and the same prediction would be equally applicable to both their tribes. Levi had cities allotted to them (Jos 21:1-45) in every tribe. On account of their zeal against idolatry, they were honorably "divided in Jacob"; whereas the tribe of Simeon, which was guilty of the grossest idolatry and the vices inseparable from it, were ignominiously "scattered."
Ge 49:8-12. Judah—A high pre-eminence is destined to this tribe (Nu 10:14; Jud 1:2). Besides the honor of giving name to the Promised Land, David, and a greater than David—the Messiah—sprang from it. Chief among the tribes, "it grew up from a lion's whelp"—that is, a little power—till it became "an old lion"—that is, calm and quiet, yet still formidable.
10. until Shiloh come—Shiloh—this obscure word is variously interpreted to mean "the sent" (Joh 17:3), "the seed" (Isa 11:1), the "peaceable or prosperous one" (Eph 2:14)—that is, the Messiah (Isa 11:10; Ro 15:12); and when He should come, "the tribe of Judah should no longer boast either an independent king or a judge of their own" [Calvin]. The Jews have been for eighteen centuries without a ruler and without a judge since Shiloh came, and "to Him the gathering of the people has been."
Ge 49:13. Zebulun was to have its lot on the seacoast, close to Zidon, and to engage, like that state, in maritime pursuits and commerce.
Ge 49:14, 15. Issachar—
14. a strong ass couching down between two burdens—that is, it was to be active, patient, given to agricultural labors. It was established in lower Galilee—a "good land," settling down in the midst of the Canaanites, where, for the sake of quiet, they "bowed their shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute."
Ge 49:16-18. Dan—though the son of a secondary wife, was to be "as one of the tribes of Israel."
17. Dan—"a judge."
a serpent … an adder—A serpent, an adder, implies subtlety and stratagem; such was pre-eminently the character of Samson, the most illustrious of its judges.
Ge 49:19. Gad—This tribe should be often attacked and wasted by hostile powers on their borders (Jud 10:8; Jer 49:1). But they were generally victorious in the close of their wars.
Ge 49:20. Asher—"Blessed." Its allotment was the seacoast between Tyre and Carmel, a district fertile in the production of the finest corn and oil in all Palestine.
Ge 49:21. Naphtali—The best rendering we know is this, "Naphtali is a deer roaming at liberty; he shooteth forth goodly branches," or majestic antlers [Taylor, Scripture Illustrations], and the meaning of the prophecy seems to be that the tribe of Naphtali would be located in a territory so fertile and peaceable, that, feeding on the richest pasture, he would spread out, like a deer, branching antlers.
Ge 49:22-26. Joseph—
22. a fruitful bough, &c.—denotes the extraordinary increase of that tribe (compare Nu 1:33-35; Jos 17:17; De 33:17). The patriarch describes him as attacked by envy, revenge, temptation, ingratitude; yet still, by the grace of God, he triumphed over all opposition, so that he became the sustainer of Israel; and then he proceeds to shower blessings of every kind upon the head of this favorite son. The history of the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh shows how fully these blessings were realized.
Ge 49:27-33. Benjamin
27. shall ravin like a wolf—This tribe in its early history spent its energies in petty or inglorious warfare and especially in the violent and unjust contest (Jud 19:1-20:48), in which it engaged with the other tribes, when, notwithstanding two victories, it was almost exterminated.
28. all these are the twelve tribes of Israel—or ancestors. Jacob's prophetic words obviously refer not so much to the sons as to the tribes of Israel.
29. he charged them—The charge had already been given and solemnly undertaken (Ge 47:31). But in mentioning his wishes now and rehearsing all the circumstances connected with the purchase of Machpelah, he wished to declare, with his latest breath, before all his family, that he died in the same faith as Abraham.
33. when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons—It is probable that he was supernaturally strengthened for this last momentous office of the patriarch, and that when the divine afflatus ceased, his exhausted powers giving way, he yielded up the ghost, and was gathered unto his people.