9

10

11

Judah is a lion's whelp.

From the prey, my son, thou art gone up.
He bowed himself, he lay down, as a lion,
And as a lioness; who shall rouse him!

The sceptre will not depart from Judah,
Nor the ruler's staff from between his feet,
Until Shiloh come;

And to him belongs the obedience of the peoples.

Binding his foal to the vine,

And his ass's colt to the choice vine;

He laves his clothes in wine,

And his raiment in the blood of grapes.

V. 9. A lion's whelp. Such he appears now, in his yet undeveloped strength. But to the prophetic glance he next appears as the full-grown lion, or as the still more dreaded lioness guarding her young.

From the prey, etc. In the mixed metaphor that follows is a vivid picture of this dread of the shepherd, familiar to the shepherd life of Palestine in Jacob's time.* Compare ch. 37: 33. From the plains, where he seeks his food, he has gone up to his mountain den.† Gorged with his prey, he has stretched himself down for rest. Who so bold, as will venture to rouse him! The shepherd, whose fold he has robbed, dares not follow him to his lair.

V. 10. Shall not depart from Judah. Shall not pass from him to another, is the meaning. So general an expression should be taken in its obvious general import; namely, that Judah should retain the supremacy among the tribes of Israel, and should yield it to no other. This is verified in its history. For notwithstanding the revolt of the ten tribes, and the seventy years of captivity, it (and it alone) maintained its nationality to the coming of the Messiah, at which time it still had its own national institutions and laws. At the captivity, the nationality of the rival kingdom of the revolted tribes ceased, and was known no more; that of Judah continued to the coming of the Messiah, and soon after ceased forever.

Ruler's staff between his feet; as often represented in ancient sculptures. Shiloh; meaning, Peaceful, or Maker of peace. Compare Prince of peace, in Isaiah 9: 6. That this refers to the Messiah, was held by the oldest Jewish interpreters, and there is no sufficient ground for dissenting from their opinion.‡

To him; referring either to the nearest subject, Shiloh, the most obvious grammatical reference, or to Judah the leading subject of the sentence. In the former case, the word peoples is to be taken in its widest sense. In the latter, it has its more usual meaning, namely the tribes of Israel; and the reference is to the most brilliant period of Judah's supremacy, when all were united under the sway of David and Solomon.

VV. 11, 12. A poetic image of affluence and ease.

Binding his foal to the vine; as one whose life is passed in the rich luxuriance of the vineyard; who, when he dismounts, ties his beast to the vine-stock, among the choicest vines.

Laves his clothes in wine; either a poetic hyperbole,§ implying that wine is as abundant as water; or a reference to the actual bathing of the garments, in treading the wine-press. Compare Isaiah 63: 2.

The blood of grapes; poetically for wine, as in Deut. 32 : 14.

*As it continued to be long afterward. Compare Judges 14: 5; 1 Sam. 17: 34; 2 Sam. 23 20; 1 Kings 13: 24; 20: 36; 2 Kings 17: 25.

† Compare Cant. 4: 8.

The discussion of the subject may be found in the philological notes.

§ Compare a similar one in Job 29:6;

When my steps were bathed in milk,

And the rock poured out by me streams of oil.

12 Dark are the eyes with wine,
And white the teeth with milk.

13

14

Zebulon will dwell by the sea-coasts,
And he will be a coast for ships;
And his flank will be upon Zidon.
Issachar is a bony ass,

Crouching down among the folds.
15 And he saw that rest was good,
And that the land was pleasant;
And he bowed his shoulder to bear,
And became a tributary servant.

16

Dan will judge his people,

As one of the tribes of Israel.

17 Dan shall be a serpent by the way,

Dark are the eyes, etc. Darkly flashing, is meant, the first effect of a moderate draught of
wine. Wine and milk. Compare Cant. 5:1; Isaiah 55: 1.

V. 13. Zebulon. See Josh. 19: 10-16, and compare Deut. 33: 19.

Will dwell; an allusion to the name Zebulon, which (from another Hebrew word) means
dwelling. Ch. 30: 17-21, note, third paragraph.

By the sea-coasts. According to Josephus,* their territory extended from the sea of Galilee
to the Mediterranean.†

Upon Zidon; that is, Phoenicia, the name standing as the representative of the whole coun-
try. Compare Josh. 13: 6; Judges 18: 7.

It will be observed that Zebulon is not mentioned in his proper place, which, in the order of
birth of Jacob's sons, would be after Issachar (ch. 30:17-20). In this order they are men-
tioned also in the blessing of Moses, Deut. 33: 18.

VV. 14, 15. A bony ass; one of powerful frame, and capable of great endurance. The
tribe was famed for its vigorous participation in the early wars for the possession of Palestine.
See Judges 5:15. What is said here refers to the subsequent history of the tribe, enjoying, in
luxurious ease, the abundance of its fertile fields and rich pasturage.

Became a tributary servant; rendering service, by payment of tribute; preferring to pur-
chase safety and ease, rather than assert his rightful independence. In this condition of a
hireling there may be a reference to the meaning (reward, hire) of the name Issachar (ch.
30: 17-21, note, second paragraph). ·

VV. 16, 17. Will judge; alluding to the meaning of the name Dan (ch. 30: 6, note, second
paragraph). There is probably reference here to the most noted of the Judges of Israel, fur-
nished by the tribe of Dan (Judges chs. 13-16).

His people. By this is meant the people of the twelve tribes, as in Deut. 33: 7.

As one of the tribes of Israel. Being the first here mentioned of the sons by the maid-servants
(Bilhah and Zilpah, ch. 30: 4-6, 9-13), it is expressly said that he shall rank, notwithstanding
his birth, as one of the tribes of the chosen people, and entitled to its highest honors. This
was the more pertinent here, as Ishmael, son of the handmaid, was excluded from the inherit-
ance of the promised seed (ch. 21: 10-12).

Shall be. He here uses the more authoritative form, sometimes employed in prophetic
declarations of the future.

* Antiquities, v., 1, 22; Jewish War, iii., 3, 1.

† Compare, in the blessing of Moses, Deut. 33: 18, 19, "they shall suck the abundance of the
seas."

"The strong-boned he-ass,' the large animal used for burdens and field work, not the
lighter and swifter she-ass for riding."-Smith's Bible Dictionary, art. Issachar, fifth paragraph.

Horned viper; a venomous serpent, found in western Asia, Arabia, and northern Africa. It buries itself in the hot sand, which it resembles in color so as to be hardly distinguishable, and attacks animals passing by, springing two or three feet, and holding firmly to its victim.

It is the image of an insidious and deadly foe; and the application is not difficult to trace in the history of the tribe.

V. 18. I wait, etc. Anticipating the struggles of his posterity for the possession of the promised land, the Patriarch breathes this prayer for divine help on their behalf.*

V. 19. A troop; alluding to the name Gad, nearly related in form to the Hebrew word for "troop." Compare the note on ch. 30: 11.

Upon the heel; of the flying foe, is meant. He will put his enemy to flight, and will closely press him in pursuit.

For the fortunes of this tribe, compare Joshua 13: 24-28; Judges 10: 8, 17, 18, and 11: 4-33; 1 Chron. 5: 18-22. Compare Deut. 33: 20, 21, and 1 Chron. 12 : 8-15.

V. 20. Out of Asher (put here for his territory) is fatness, the richest fruits of the soil; of such is his food, dainties fit for the royal table. Compare Deut. 33: 24, properly: "Let him be the accepted among his brethren, and dip his foot in oil." See Job 29: 6.

For the territory assigned to the tribe of Asher (meaning happy, ch. 30: 13, note), see Josh. 19: 24-31. It was among the richest portions of Palestine.

V. 21. Hind, the female deer; or possibly the wild she-goat of the mountains, these two animals not being accurately distinguished in Hebrew.

Compare Hab. 3: 19, gallant and freedom

A hind let loose; bounding away unrestrained, and roaming at will. "He will make my feet like hinds'." It is an expressive image of the loving mountaineer.† Fleetness of foot is mentioned as the trait of a warrior (2 Sam. 2: 18), 'light of foot as the wild roe."

Utters brilliant words. Both characterizations of the tribe were illustrated in the gallant bearing of Barak of Kedesh-Naphtali (Judges 4 : 6) and his ten thousand followers, and the commemorative song of triumph in which he took part (Judges 5:1).

V. 22. The comparison is with a luxuriant vine, planted by a perennial spring. Of this

* 66 He connects this utterance immediately with the tribe of Dan, which had many conflicts with the Amorites and Philistines, for whom they were no match, but were obliged to make up their lack of strength by cunning, showing clearly how much Israel must rely on higher aid."Knobel, die Genesis erklärt, 2te Aufl., p. 370.

†Their home was in the "Mount of Naphtali" in the north, corresponding to the "Mount of Ephraim" in central, and the "Mount of Judah" in southern Palestine (Josh. 20 : 7).

"The history of the tribe is indeed too little known to enable us to show how Naphtali has specially distinguished himself by brilliant words,' which seems to intimate that he was to be peculiarly the poet (or orator) tribe of Israel; but it may at least remind one of the fact, that the song of Deborah (Judges, ch. 5) is introduced as the song of Deborah and of Barak the Naphtalite."-Delitzsch, Commentar über die Genesis, 3te Ausg., p. 599.

'It scarcely admits any other reference than to poetic gifts."-Tuch, über die Genesis, p. 585.

23

A fruitful bough by a spring,
The branches running over the wall.
And archers sorely grieved him,
And shot at, and persecuted him.
24 And his bow abode in strength;

And strong were the arms of his hands,

From the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob,
From thence, the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel;
25 From the God of thy father, and he will help thee,
And from the Almighty,—and he will bless thee,
With blessings of the heavens above,

Blessings of the abyss that lies under,

Blessings of the breasts and of the womb.

26 The blessings of thy father prevail,
Above the blessings of the eternal mountains,
The delight of the everlasting hills.

They shall be for the head of Joseph,

And for the crown of him that was separated from his brethren.

Joseph is "a fruitful bough," its "branches running over the wall," spreading beyond the limits of the inclosure. The allusion is to the exuberant fruitfulness of the house of Joseph (compare the name Ephraim, ch. 41 : 51, 52, and note), and its wide extension in his posterity. VV. 23, 24. The image changes; the mind of the Patriarch reverting to former days and the earlier fortunes of Joseph. He is here the object of hatred and violence, under the image of a champion beset by deadly foes, and sustained in the unequal contest by divine support.*

From thence, the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel. This is an emphatic repetition of the thought in the preceding line; the "Mighty One of Jacob" represented here as the "Shepherd, the Stone of Israel;" the Shepherd, as being his overseer, director, and guardian; the Stone, as an image of firmness and strength. Compare "Rock of Israel," in 2 Sam. 23 : 3, and Isaiah 30 : 29 (properly, "the Rock of Israel").

V. 25. The abyss that lies under; the "waters beneath the earth" (Deut. 5 : 8), supposed to be the source of the springs that water its surface. Compare Deut. 8: 7, properly, "and of depths (abysses) issuing forth in valley and in mountain."

V. 26. Prevail above (have a power and efficacy that exceeds) the blessings of the eternal mountains, in value and in perpetuity.

Blessings of the eternal mountains-delight of the everlasting hills. Compare, in Isaiah 35: 2, "the glory of Lebanon,' ," "the excellency of Carmel and Sharon."

That was separated from his brethren. This may mean, that was violently severed from them by their own vindictive and cruel act; or that, in the providence of God, was separated from his kindred, by being raised to official rank and power far above them all.

The former seems the more probable meaning. All this wealth of blessing is in reserve for

* Against this view it has been urged, by Knobel, Delitzsch, Keil, Lange, and others, that this image is unsuited to the case of Joseph; and they interpret these verses as referring to the subsequent fortunes of Joseph's posterity. But the image seems to be appropriate, as explained in the text, and strikingly illustrative. A good man, unjustly persecuted and oppressed, and through divine aid made to triumph over his enemies, may properly be represented as a champion aggressively assailed, and sustained against the assault.

27

Benjamin will raven as a wolf;

In the morning he will devour the prey,

And at evening he will divide the spoil.

28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel. And this is what their father spoke to them, and blessed them each according to his blessing he blessed them.

29

And he commanded them, and said to them: I am to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers, in 30 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 of Ephron the Hittite, for a possession of a 31 burying-place; there they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and 32 there I buried Leah; the possession of a field, and the cave that is therein, from the sons of Heth.

33

And Jacob made an end of commanding his sons; and he gathered up his feet into the bed, and he expired, and was gathered to his people.

him who was treacherously and cruelly severed from home and kindred, and sold into the hand of strangers. There is comparatively little force in the other view.

There is here a fullness of paternal feeling, a richness and prodigality of blessing, such as would naturally be poured forth on the lost and recovered child of the object of early love, and child of old age. These natural affections, under divine guidance, often become, as here, the fittest instruments for the expression of the divine will.

V. 27. The tribe was distinguished for military spirit and prowess. See Judges 20: 15, 16; 2 Chron. 14: 8. The verse describes the fierce military spirit, sometimes amounting to ferocity, displayed in the history of the tribe. See, for example, Judges, ch. 20, vv. 12 and following, and compare 2 Sam. 2: 15, 16.

Morning-evening. His time is spent in war and plunder; the morning in devouring the prey (routing and destroying the enemy), the evening in dividing the spoils. Or the language may express the vigor and rapidity of his conquests. The morning and the evening witness his victory and the division of the spoils.

VV. 28-33. Jacob's charge respecting his burial; his death.

V. 28. According to his blessing; such as he was entitled to, and received.

V. 29. I am to be gathered to my people. See v. 33, and ch. 25 : 8, note, second paragraph.

V. 30. See ch. 23: 17, 18. Cave, etc.; ch. 23: 7-9, note, third paragraph.

Possession of a burying-place; ch. 23: 3, 4, note, end of second paragraph.

V. 31. There they buried Abraham (ch. 25 : 9, 10); and Sarah (ch. 23:19). They buried Isaac (ch. 35: 29). Rebekah-Leah. There is no statement given elsewhere respecting their burial. V. 32. The possession of a field, etc. These words are connected, in grammatical construction, with the last two clauses in v. 30, thus: "which Abraham bought with the field of Ephron the Hittite, for a possession of a burying-place-the possession of a field, and the cave that is therein, from the sons of Heth."

V. 33. Gathered to his people. See ch. 25: 8, and note, second paragraph.