1 And Jacob called unto his sons and said, “Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days.

2 “Gather yourselves together and hear, ye sons of Jacob, and hearken unto Israel your father:

3 “Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power.

4 Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel, because thou wentest up to thy father’s bed; then defiledst thou it; he went up to my couch.

5 “Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations.

6 O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honor, be not thou united; for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they dug down a wall.

7 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.

8 “Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise; thy hand shall be on the neck of thine enemies; thy father’s children shall bow down before thee.

9 Judah is a lion’s whelp; from the prey, my son, thou art gone up. He stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?

10 The scepter 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.

11 Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass’s colt unto the choice vine, he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes.

12 His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.

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

14 “Issachar is a strong ass, couching down between two burdens.

15 And he saw that rest was good, and the land that it was pleasant, and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant to tribute.

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

17 Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse’s heels, so that his rider shall fall backward.

18 I have waited for Thy salvation, O Lord!

19 “Gad, a troop shall overcome him; but he shall overcome at the last.

20 “Out of Asher, his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal dainties.

21 “Naphtali is a hind let loose; he giveth goodly words.

22 “Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well, whose branches run over the wall.

23 The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him.

24 But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob, from thence is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel,

25 even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee, and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts and of the womb.

26 The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills; they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.

27 “Benjamin shall raven as a wolf; in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil.”

28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is it that their father spoke unto them and blessed them; every one according to his blessing he blessed them.

29 And he charged them and said unto them, “I am to be gathered unto my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite,

30 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 of Ephron the Hittite for a possession as a burying place.

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

32 The purchase of the field and of the cave that is therein was from the children of Heth.”

33 And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered unto his people.

And Iacob called vnto his sonnes, and said, Gather your selues together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last dayes.

2Gather your selues together, and heare ye sonnes of Iacob, and hearken vnto Israel your father.

3 Reuben, thou art my first borne, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellencie of dignitie, and the excellencie of power:

4Unstable as water, thou shalt not excell, because thou wentest vp to thy fathers bed: then defiledst thou it. He went vp to my couche.

5 Simeon and Leui are brethren, instruments of crueltie are in their habitations.

6O my soule, come not thou into their secret: vnto their assembly mine honour be not thou vnited: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfe will they digged downe a wall.

7Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruell: I will diuide them in Iacob, and scatter them in Israel.

8 Iudah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the necke of thine enemies, thy fathers children shall bow downe before thee.

9Iudah is a Lyons whelpe: from the pray my sonne thou art gone vp: he stouped downe, hee couched as a Lyon, and as an old Lyon: who shall rouse him vp?

10The scepter shall not depart from Iudah, nor a Law-giuer from betweene his feete, vntill Shiloh come: and vnto him shall the gathering of the people be:

11Binding his foale vnto the vine, and his asses colt vnto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes.

12His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milke.

13 Zebulun shall dwell at the hauen of the sea, and hee shall be for an Hauen of ships: and his border shall be vnto Zidon.

14 Issachar is a strong asse, couching downe betweene two burdens.

15And he saw that rest was good, and the land that it was pleasant: and bowed his shoulder to beare, and became a seruant vnto tribute.

16 Dan shall iudge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel.

17Dan shalbe a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heeles, so that his rider shall fall backward.

18I haue waited for thy saluation, O LORD.

19 Gad, a troupe shall ouercome him: but he shall ouercome at the last.

20 Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall yeeld royall dainties.

21 Naphtali is a hinde let loose: He giueth goodly words.

22 Ioseph is a fruitfull bough, euen a fruitfull bough by a well, whose branches runne ouer the wall.

23The archers haue sorely grieued him, and shot at him, and hated him.

24But his bow abode in strength, and the armes of his hands were made strong, by the hands of the mighty God of Iacob: from thence is the Sheapheard, the stone of Israel,

25Euen by the God of thy father who shall helpe thee, and by the Almightie, who shall blesse thee with blessings of heauen aboue, blessings of the deepe that lyeth vnder, blessings of the breasts and of the wombe.

26The blessings of thy father haue preuailed aboue the blessings of my progenitors: vnto the vtmost bound of the euerlasting hils, they shall bee on the head of Ioseph, and on the crowne of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.

27 Beniamin shall rauine as a wolfe: In the morning hee shall deuoure the pray, and at night he shall diuide the spoile.

28 All these are the twelue tribes of Israel, and this is it that their father spake vnto them, and blessed them: euery one according to his blessing he blessed them.

29And hee charged them and said vnto them, I am to bee gathered vnto my people: burie me with my fathers, in the caue that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite,

30In the caue that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field of Ephron the Hittite, for a possession of a burying place.

31(There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife, there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah.)

32The purchase of the field and of the caue that is therein, was from the children of Heth.

33And when Iacob had made an end of commanding his sonnes, he gathered vp his feete into the bed, and yeelded vp the ghost, and was gathered vnto his people.

I == Num 24:14 ; Deut 4:30 ; 33:1 ; Isa 2:2 ; 39:6 ; Jer 23:20 ; Dan 2:28-29 ; Amos 3:7 ; Acts 2:17 ; Heb 1:2

II == Ps 34:11

III == Gen 29:32 ; Deut 21:17 ; Ps 78:51

 

IV == Gen 35:22

 

 

 

V == Gen 29:33-34 ; 34:25

 

VI == Gen 34:26

 

 

VII == Gen 27:29 ; 29:35 ; Deut 33:7 ; 1st Chr 5:2 ; Ps 18:40

 

 

 

 

IX == Num 23:24 ; 24:9 ; Hos 5:14 ; Rev 5:5

 

 

X == Deut 28:57 ; Ps 60:7 ; 108:8 ; Isa 2:2 11:1 , 10 ; 55:4-5 60:1 ; Zech 10:11

 

 

 

 

 

XIII == Deut 33:18-19

 

XVI == Deut 33:22

 

 

XVIII == Ps 25:5 ; 119:166 , 174

 

 

XXIII == Gen 37:4 , 24 , 28 ; 30:20 ; 42:21 ; Ps 118:13

XXIV == Gen 45:11 ; 47:12 ; 50:21 ; Job 29:20 ; Ps 37:15 ; 80:1 ; 132:2 , 5 ; Isa 28:16

XXV == Gen 17:1 ; 28:13 , 21 ; 35:3 , 11 ; 73:23 ; Deut 33:13

 

XXVI == Deut 33:15-16 ; Hab 3:6

 

 

 

XXVII == Num 23:24 ; Judg 20:21 , 25 ; Ezek 22:25 , 27

 

 

 

XXIX == Gen 45:15 ; 25:8 ; 47:30 ; 50:13 ; 2nd Sam 19:37

 

XXX == Gen 23:16

 

 

XXXI Gen 23:19 ; 25:9 ; 35:29

 

 

 

XXXIII == Gen 49:29

1 Jacob called his sons and said: "Gather around, that I may tell you what is to happen to you in days to come.

2 "Assemble and listen, sons of Jacob, listen to Israel, your father.

3 "You, Reuben, my first-born, my strength and the first fruit of my manhood, excelling in rank and excelling in power!

4 Unruly as water, you shall no longer excel, for you climbed into your father's bed and defiled my couch to my sorrow.

5 "Simeon and Levi, brothers indeed, weapons of violence are their knives.

6 Let not my soul enter their council, or my spirit be joined with their company; For in their fury they slew men, in their willfulness they maimed oxen.

7 Cursed be their fury so fierce, and their rage so cruel! I will scatter them in Jacob, disperse them throughout Israel.

8 "You, Judah, shall your brothers praise  - your hand on the neck of your enemies; the sons of your father shall bow down to you.

9 Judah, like a lion's whelp, you have grown up on prey, my son. He crouches like a lion recumbent, the king of beasts - who would dare rouse him?

10 The scepter shall never depart from Judah, or the mace from between his legs, While tribute is brought to him, and he receives the people's homage.

11 He tethers his donkey to the vine, his purebred ass to the choicest stem. In wine he washes his garments his robe in the blood of grapes.

12 His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth are whiter than milk.

13 "Zebulun shall dwell by the seashore (This means a shore for ships), and his flank shall be based on Sidon.

14 "Issachar is a rawboned ass, crouching between the saddlebags.

15 When he saw how good a settled life was, and how pleasant the country, He bent his shoulder to the burden and became a toiling serf.

16 "Dan shall achieve justice for his kindred like any other tribe of Israel.

17 Let Dan be a serpent by the roadside, a horned viper by the path, That bites the horse's heel, so that the rider tumbles backward.

18 "(I long for your deliverance, O LORD!)

19 "Gad shall be raided by raiders, but he shall raid at their heels.

20 "Asher's produce is rich, and he shall furnish dainties for kings.

21 "Naphtali is a hind let loose which brings forth lovely fawns.

22 "Joseph is a wild colt ,a wild colt by a spring, a wild ass on a hillside.

23 Harrying and attacking, the archers opposed him;

24 But each one's bow remained stiff, as their arms were unsteady, By the power of the Mighty One of Jacob, because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,

25 The God of your father, who helps you, God Almighty, who blesses you, With the blessings of the heavens above, the blessings of the abyss that crouches below, The blessings of breasts and womb,

26 the blessings of fresh grain and blossoms, The blessings of the everlasting mountains, the delights of the eternal hills. May they rest on the head of Joseph, on the brow of the prince among his brothers.

27 "Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; mornings he devours the prey, and evenings he distributes the spoils."

28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said about them, as he bade them farewell and gave to each of them an appropriate message.

29 Then he gave them this charge: "Since I am about to be taken to my kindred, bury me with my fathers in the cave that lies in the field of Ephron the Hittite,

30 the cave in the field of Machpelah, facing on Mamre, in the land of Canaan, the field that Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite for a burial ground.

31 There Abraham and his wife Sarah are buried, and so are Isaac and his wife Rebekah, and there, too, I buried Leah - 

32 the field and the cave in it that had been purchased from the Hittites."

33 When Jacob had finished giving these instructions to his sons, he drew his feet into the bed, breathed his last, and was taken to his kindred.

 

v 1,2. This is not as some people gather their children to hear their dying wishes. These are actually prophetic statements that have proven to be true or will yet come to pass in the “last days”.

v 3,4. He begins with praise for Reuben’s potential, but quickly reminds him of his immoral act of Gen. 35:22. Firstborn privilege of double portion went to Joseph, 48:5. Priestly responsibility went to Levi, and leadership (king line) went to Judah. My strength: 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. Grow thou not:

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.

v 5-7. Even forgiven sin leaves it’s mark as seen in the first three sons. (A father had his son drive a nail in a post each time he sinned, and pull one out each time he did right. The son observed , “But the nails leave holes in the post.”) Simeon and Levi not only killed a man, but all the males of Shechem in their cruel, ruthless revenge for their sister, Gen. 34:25-29. Levites were given cities in all the tribes. Simeon shared Judah’s land and was finally assimilated by Judah and others.
King James translators erred in choice of words in verse 6. “Digged” should have been translated houghed or disabled, as it is many times. “Wall should have been translated ox, cow or cattle, as it is more times, thus speaking of how the cattle were ruthlessly disabled. Though many men were killed, “man” is used, because Shechem was a prince, an important man, and his father was ruler of the city.

V9 An ancient symbol for royalty was a lion.

v 8-12. The scepter is the symbol of power, and was laid between his feet during court. Judah is to have power like a young lion and be richly blessed. Shiloh has been accepted as the coming of Messiah from early days of Israel’s history. See Ezekiel 21:27 and fulfillment in Rev. 5:2, 9-12. A lion's whelp: This blessing of Juda foretelleth 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.

v13. Zebulun portion in the northern part of the land next to the Mediterranean Sea gave him an opportunity to be a haven for ships. Believers have an opportunity to present Christ as a haven in the sea of life of unsaved.v 14,15. Issachar was physically strong, but did not have the ambition to achieve his potential, and was content to carry the burden for others. Raiders took advantage of his tribe many times. Believers should not be content with the easy life, but seek a fruitful, useful life for the Lord.

Dan shall judge: 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.

A strong donkey with a heavy burden pictured forced labor in the ancient world.

v 17,18. Dan had great potential to live up to his name, judge Israel. Samson was a Danite, but Dan is a treacherous serpent. He was the first to draw Israel into idolatry. Dan is not listed in Rev. 4-8, but will be in the millennium. After much fleshly effort, Jacob now realizes that salvation comes from God alone.

v 19. ( Gad means "attack") Gad was hard pressed and subject to raids, due to their location, but will be ultimately victorious. Believers are to be overcomers, 1 John 5:4 and 1 Cor. 9:25-27.Gad being girded: 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.

v 20. Asher’s territory was one of the most fruitful in Israel, originally in fruits and olive oil, and more recently oil wells. God wants happy Christians, Jn. 10:10, to have life, and more abundantly. Prov. 10:22, the blessing of the Lord maketh rich.

v 21. Naphtali inhabited high mountainous area NW of Sea of Galilee and was thus an energetic, free and active people. He also spoke well, as in the Song of Deborah and Barak. Believers are to be active in giving forth the word of Christ v 22-26. This portion explains the meeting with Joseph in chapter 48, and why he was not a tribe among the twelve tribes, but two tribes, Ephraim and Manasseh. In Rev. 7:6,8 Ephraim is called Joseph and Manasseh is separate. In this overwhelming blessing to Joseph, Jacob is not showing partiality, but illustrating that the grace of God is freely given to whoever He desires. V 24 shows that God has the tender care of a shepherd and the stability of a rock. This if the first mention of God as Shepherd. Run to and fro: To behold his beauty; whilst his envious brethren turned their darts against him, etc. Joseph was promised material blessings, and Ephraim and Manasseh had great leaders, but Judah was promised both material and spiritual blessings.

The blessings of thy father: 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.

The desire of the everlasting hills: 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.

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.

v 27. Though the smallest of the tribes, Benjamin was like a wolf in being the most war like and cruel, yet victorious. He had leaders such as Ehud, Saul, and Paul, and had seven hundred chosen men left-handed; every one could sling stones at an hair breadth, and not miss. In Judges 20 and 21, all Benjamin fought till only 600 were left.

v 28-32 To be gathered to my people: Before he died, Jacob gave a final command to return his body to the family owned burying place in Canaan, a reminder that they should eventually return. He was not just gathered to his people in death, but in hope of resurrection.