Genesis Chapter 49

GENESIS 

CHAPTER 

49

1. Then Jacob called his sons, and said: "Gather around, that I may tell you what will happen to you in days to come. 2 Assemble and hear, O sons of Jacob; listen to Israel your father.

(Genesis chapter 49 verses 1 to 2)

During his final moments Jacob beckoned on his sons to gather around him so that he could share with them what God had shared with him about their future and what was to become of it. God does, not only make us aware of our strengths and weakness. He want  us to be happy and prosperous in our life on both a material and spiritual level so that we can share with others whatever He gives to us. Therefore we always try to utilize our strengths and to turn our weakness into assets so that we always be an upgraded tool in God's hand.

3 Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might and the first fruits of my vigor, excelling in rank and excelling in power.

(Genesis chapter 49 verse 3)

Jacob starts with Reuben since he was his first born child child and therefore the eldest among his sons. We can observe that although Jacob was of an age his mental stability remained intact in the sense that he still respected his customs and traditions. When reflecting the first born is very similar in character traits to the parents. Jacob is confirming at this early stage of time what psychology took years to stumble on. What we can learn is that we are to place our focus on the positive. When sharing with his sons Jacob started by portraying on the positive traits of his sons and not on the negative traits. From a spiritual perspective God is a positive force and not a negative one. All goodness has its roots in God therefore all the goodness that we have is not ours but is given to us by God. As humans and matter it is not natural to us to have inclinations to goodness because our human nature is self-centered and egotistical which was an asset given to us by God in order to ensure our survival when living amongst other animals. However this has become what is called individualism which due to human intervention has become the cancer of our society on a global level.

When referring to Reuben Jacob focussed on the issues of rank and power. On reflecting in the New Testament Jesus also refers to this issue. He says that the first will become the last, meaning that we are to be humble like Jesus and not seek to be proud and mighty. Moreover as humans we have no power if it was not given to us by God as found also in the dialogue between Jesus and Pontious  Pilate at the time when Jesus was being interrogated at the time of His passion. Jesus held the belief that the weak become the strong and that he humbles the mighty and empowers the humble in order to restore a perfect world order and balance. Moreover power is to be used and not abused as it is being done today.

4. Unstable as water, you shall no longer excel because you went up onto your father's bed; then you defiled it - you went up onto my couch!

(Genesis chapter 49 verse 4)

With reference to Reuben he is described as being an unstable person in the sense that at times Reuben stands in favour of justice but on the other hand he is not totally reliable as in the case when Reuben went against the will of his father and had intercourse with Bilhal who was Rachel's maid. On reflecting this act had had a negative impact on Jacob, who on his death bed still recollected such a negative act. Moreover if Jacob as head of household had been hurt by this sinful act, how much would God be hurt when considering the many acts of lust such as masturbation and other illicit or immoral acts of sexual intercourse carried out throughout the world.  

5. Simeon and Levi are brothers; weapons of violence are their swords. 6 May I never come into their council; may I not be joined to their company - for in their anger they killed men, and at their whim they hamstrung oxen. 7 Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce, and their wrath, for it is cruel! I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.

(Genesis chapter 49 verses 5 to 7)

In contrast to our previous comment that Jacob accentuated on the positive aspects of his sons, we now find him highlighting the negative aspects and character traits of Simeon and Levi. They are describes as being a symbol of violence. Moreover Jacob focusses on his sons uncontrollable anger that led to the slaughter of both men and creatures. This highlights our great need to pray God to give us more control over our emotions in order to reduce the chance that our feelings of anger will become a threat both for ourselves and for others.

On reflecting on the given verses the message is that we are to be aware of ourselves so that we may not be unstable both in our thoughts and in our actions. This unstableness may also be reflected on a spiritual level. Those of us who experience such instability may have serious doubts on a spiritual level and may even go against God's will when doing His will may go against our own wishes values and beliefs. Moreover this unstableness can cause us to lose control over our selves so much that our negative emotions may get the better of us.

8 Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father's sons shall bow down before you.

(Genesis chapter 49 verse 8)

In his address to Judah commented that he would be praised by his brothers who one day would bow before him. Moreover worldly praise is different from the praise that is approved by God. Jacob says that Judah would be praised for his accomplishments against his enemies for his 'hand shall be on the neck of his enemies; on reflecting if God or somebody else was to praise us in the sense of highlighting our good points on which of these would the focus be. This would be an appropriate time to reflect on ourselves during this quiet time and on finding the answer to this question praise God for the positive aspects and gifts that He has given us for our own good and for that of others. 

We can continue to reflect that our focus is not only to be on ourselves in the sense of focusing on our achievements but those achievement are to be offered back to God, for all our skills and goodness has its source in Him. Therefore we are to foster an attitude of thanksgiving to God.

9 Judah is a lion's whelp; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He crouches down, he stretches out like a lion, like a lioness - who dares rouse him up?10. The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and the obedience of the peoples is his.

(Genesis chapter 49 verses 9 to 10)

Moreover Jacob continues to comment positively on Judah. I can only wonder what his brothers may have felt on hearing their father shower their brother with such praise.  The metaphor used by Jacob is that of a lion's cub who is fearless and strong like a lion and that nobody would even think of subjecting him by their orders. On the other hand Judah is described as being a born ruler and that people would respect and obey him. In the face of his enemies Jesus was also fearless. He faced Satan under many forms and spoke openly the truth which His Father sent Him to proclaim to us. Although Jesus was challenged by the opposition nobody could take the sceptre from Him for He is the King of Kings forever. 

11. Binding his foal to the vine and his donkey's colt to the choice vine, he washes his garments in wine and his robe in the blood of grapes; 12. his eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk.

(Genesis chapter 49 verses 11 to 12)

Moreover Jacob continues to comment that Judah would become a very rich and powerful person. The images used by the biblical author in order to project this luxury and wealth are choice vine, washes his garments in wine which signifies the abundance of such a rich resource that would be plentiful enough to consume in abundance so much that Judah's eyes would darken due to the effect of the consumption of wine. Although God is not against our becoming rich, famous and powerful, He still would have a word of praise for us if we were humble and obedient to His Holy Will.

13. Zebulun shall settle at the shore of the sea; he shall be a haven for ships, and his border shall be at Sidon.

(Genesis chapter 49 verse 13)

Jacob refers to his other son Zebulun, whom he describes as being as person of peace who offers shelter and security to others.  God is also the base of our life he not only looks after us but also gives a meaning to our life by becoming the path of life in which we travel on our way to our salvation. When we are young it is important to have that safe and secure base on which to turn to especially  when we start experimenting with our selves and our environment in order to make our first steps and may even fall time and time again. Having a safe base to return to softens the injury of the fall. With God it is the same. He has been nurturing us before we were born and is always waiting for us with arms, outstretched in order to give us the necessary comfort and support especially during our down and moments of depression. God is our comfort in times of trouble and our sweet and loving father all year round.

14. Issachar is a strong donkey, lying down between the sheepfolds 15. he saw that a resting place was good, and that the land was pleasant; so he bowed his shoulder to the burden, and became a slave at forced labor.

(Genesis chapter 49 verses 14 to 15)

Issachar is compared to a donkey, which has negative connotations that of being lazy, however although this donkey is lazy he has the potential to succeed because he is a strong donkey. However it seems that Issachar is easily pleased.On finding the satisfactory conditions he becomes the passive workaholic and becomes a slave to his occupation. This is something that we are to be aware of. When God does not have an active place in our lives, life becomes boring, doing the same thing one day after another is a real bore, however God is the spark of life which gives us the extra speed boost to go on. God gives new meaning to our lives, thus what we do we do not do specifically for the money or to please our employer but to please God ,who is our main provider.

16. Dan shall judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel. 17. Dan shall be a snake by the roadside, a viper along the path that bites the horse's heels so that its rider falls backward.

(Genesis chapter 49 verses 16 to 17)

Jacob now refers to his son Dan. Dan is portrayed as being a future leader of the tribes of Israel. As a leader Dan is compared to the viper who, is skilled at finding the weak point of his victim and attacking his prey and claiming a victory over his enemy. On reflecting these qualities can be attributed to the Devil who is also intelligent and is able to catch us by surprise by attacking us where we are most weak. On reflecting  everybody has ones weak spot. Typical examples could be a person's background such as having a mother or father who deserted the family, or a parent who abuses alcohol or who had spent time in prison, other examples could be personal weaknesses such as stuttering or being physically unable to procreate amongst others, however our greatest deficiency is our tendency to sin against God and our fellow persons. On reflecting now is the perfect time to stop and reflect on our strengths and our weaknesses and thank God for them, for He is able to change our weaknesses into assets at any time for our own good.


18. I wait for your salvation, O LORD, 19, Gad shall be raided by raiders, but he shall raid at their heels.

(Genesis chapter 49 verses 18 to 19)


Gad is also described as being a good raider or attacker of his enemies. Gad would be attacked but, he would also be given the faculty to defend oneself.  God does not want us to be door mats or victims and let everybody walk over us. God gave us human dignity to defend ourselves without harming others. Therefore it is our duty to defend ourselves bothy physically and spiritually against the forces of evil both within us and around us.


20. Asher's food shall be rich, and he shall provide royal delicacies.

(Genesis chapter 49 verse 20)


Asher would have good food or material benefits, however on the other hand he would not be selfish but provide from the goods that God bestowed on him. This reflects the positive quality of generosity and kindness.


21. Naphtali is a doe let loose that bears lovely fawns.

(Genesis chapter 49 verse 21)

Naphtali is described as being a doe that bears lovely fawns. For some reason Jacob is comparing Naphtali who is a male to a female by using the analogy of the doe. However like the doe Naphtali would produce positive qualities and good deeds or offspring would come out of him. If a human is said to have been a source that generates goodness, how more can God generate. (I mean he created you and me!) Amongst natural beauty we also partake spiritual beauty which is far better than physical beauty that deteriorates with age and eventually comes to and end, but spiritual beauty lasts forever.

22. Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a spring; his branches run over the wall.

(Genesis chapter 49 verse 22)

Jacob describes Joseph as being a strong a productive person as in the analogy of the bough. Moreover the bough is found by a spring that means it is always watered, God is our life giving source as in the analogy of the spring. If we spread our roots away from our source of life we can easily die because we do not have our required vitamins to live. Moreover Joseph's branches would reach over the wall, which means grow so much that they cross borders and spread into other peoples territories. This could mean that Joseph's offspring would increase so much that they would spread far and wide in the world.

23. The archers fiercely attacked him; they shot at him and pressed him hard. 24. Yet his bow remained taut, and his arms were made agile by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, by the name of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel, 25. 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 beneath, blessings of the breasts and of the womb. 26. The blessings of your father are stronger than the blessings of the eternal mountains, the bounties of the everlasting hills; may they be on the head of Joseph, on the brow of him who was set apart from his brothers.

(Genesis chapter 49 verses 23 to 26)

Jacob then continues by adding that although Joseph would experience tribulations, God would always be with him and would assist him in his needs. Jacob granted God's blessings to fall on Joseph with an intensity that was beyond all blessings. Such blessings would be special because Joseph had faced many tribulations such as being separated from his brothers.

27. Benjamin is a ravenous wolf, in the morning devouring the prey, and at evening dividing the spoil."

(Genesis chapter 49 verse 27)

According to Jacob Benjamin would be very strong and powerful. He is described as being wise and productive, however Benjamin would also be generous and divide the spoils of his prey amongst others. 

28. All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them, blessing each one of them with a suitable blessing.

(Genesis chapter 49 verse 28)

As God has promised Abraham and his descendants God would make a nation out of Abraham's descendants that would grow as much as the sand of the beach and the stars in the sky. The mentioned children of Jacob would become, twelve tribes of Israel meaning Jacob. On reflecting each given blessing matched the character traits of each of Jacob's sons, so that God's plan for our salvation could continue to unfold.

29. Then he charged them, saying to them, "I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my ancestors - in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite, 30. in the cave in the field at Machpelah, near Mamre, in the land of Canaan, in the field that Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite as a burial site. 31 There Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried; there Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried; and there I buried Leah 32 the field and the cave that is in it were purchased from the Hittites."

(Genesis chapter 49 verses 29 to 32)

Upon having blessed all his sons, Jacob reveals to them that his end was near and that soon enough he would die and be reunited with his ancestors. Moreover Jacob showed the wish to be buried in the same place meaning in the cave that Abraham had bought from Machpelah the Hittite. With reference to this cave and field which has now become a holy shrine please click on the following link: ;Cave of Machpelah

33. When Jacob ended his charge to his sons, he drew up his feet into the bed, breathed his last, and was gathered to his people.

(Genesis chapter 49 verse 33)

Upon fulfilling his duty and knowing that his is end was near drew his feet into the bed and breathed his last breath and peacefully relaxed so that his soul  could be reunited with that of God and that of his ancestors. and was gathered by his family.

Mr.Devain Ajit Pawar who compiled this chapter would like to end this chapter with the following prayer:

Thank you God for being the base of my life and helping me in the different stages of my life. Thank you for introducing me to the Micallef family whom have been a good friends, supporters and a source of motivation in  the spreading Your Word through this blog as they have given me a chance to contribute in the blog. I pray that you keep them happy and safe as you have kept me. Thank you for having helped us in compiling and editing this chapter which along with chapter 50 brings us to the end of the book of Genesis.Thank you God for all your love and support and also for your guidance because without your guidance it would have been impossible to finish all the Chapters of the book of Genesis and more to come

Thank You God