NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible | Page 97
Genesis 49:33 | 101
49:20 n Ge 30:13;
Dt 33:24
49:21 o Ge 30:8;
Dt 33:23
49:22 p Ge 30:24;
Dt 33:13‑17
49:23 q Ge 37:24
49:24 r Ps 18:34
s Ps 132:2, 5; Isa 1:24;
41:10 t Isa 28:16
49:25 u Ge 28:13
v Ge 27:28
49:26 w Dt 33:15‑16
49:27 x Ge 35:18;
Jdg 20:12‑13
49:29 y Ge 50:16
z Ge 25:8 a Ge 15:15;
47:30; 50:13
49:30 b Ge 23:9
c Ge 23:20
49:31 d Ge 25:9
e Ge 23:19 f Ge 35:29
49:33 g ver 29;
Ge 25:8; Ac 7:15
20 “Asher’s n food will be rich;
he will provide delicacies fit for a king.
21 “Naphtali o is a doe set free
that bears beautiful fawns. a
22 “Joseph p is a fruitful vine,
a fruitful vine near a spring,
whose branches climb over a wall. b
23 With bitterness archers attacked him;
they shot at him with hostility. q
24 But his bow remained steady,
his strong arms r stayed c limber,
because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob, s
because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel, t
25 because of your father’s God, u who helps you,
because of the Almighty, d who blesses you
with blessings of the skies above,
blessings of the deep springs below, v
blessings of the breast and womb.
26 Your father’s blessings are greater
than the blessings of the ancient mountains,
e the bounty of the age-old hills.
than
Let all these rest on the head of Joseph,
on the brow of the prince among f his brothers. w
27 “Benjamin x is a ravenous wolf;
in the morning he devours the prey,
in the evening he divides the plunder.”
28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them when
he b
lessed them, giving each the blessing appropriate to him.
The Death of Jacob
29 Then he gave them t hese instructions: y “I am about to be gathered to my people. z
Bury me with my fathers a in the cave in the f ield of Ephron the Hittite, 30 the cave in the
field of Machpelah, b near Mamre in Canaan, which Abraham bought along with the f ield c
as a burial place from E
phron the Hittite. 31 There Abraham d and his wife Sarah e were bur
ied, there Isaac and his wife Rebekah f were buried, and there I buried Leah. 32 The field and
the cave in it were bought from the Hittites. g ”
33 When Jacob had finished giving instructions to his sons, he drew his feet up into the
bed, breathed his last and was gathered to his people. g
a 21 Or
free; / he utters beautiful words b 22 Or Joseph is a wild colt, / a wild colt near a spring, / a wild donkey on a
terraced hill c 23,24 Or archers will attack . . . will shoot . . . will remain . . . will stay d 25 Hebrew Shaddai e 26 Or
of my progenitors, / as great as f 26 Or of the one separated from g 32 Or the descendants of Heth
49:20 By settling along the coastal plain of
Akko (Josh 19:24 – 31), the tribe of Asher will
prosper through both agriculture and mari-
time trade.
49:21 Naphtali. Jacob’s brief remarks about
Naphtali suggest that the tribe will flourish.
They later settle in the fertile region of Up-
per Galilee.
49:22 – 26 Jacob’s blessing of Joseph con-
trasts sharply with those immediately preced-
ing it. While similar in length to the blessing
given to Judah (vv. 8 – 12), Joseph’s blessing is
marked by a series of references to God, all
affirming how God has protected and blessed
Joseph abundantly. The frequent mention of
blessing underlines the privileged position
that Joseph has among Jacob’s sons. Jacob’s
remarks suggest that Joseph’s descendants
will enjoy blessings that go beyond what his
ancestors Abraham and Isaac experienced.
49:26 the prince among his brothers. The He-
brew word translated “prince” is nāzîr, a term
associated with the concept of Nazirite (one
set apart from others; see second NIV text
note; see also Num 6:1 – 21). The use of nāzîr
in conjunction wi th Joseph may shed light on
Matthew’s remark concerning Jesus being a
Nazarene (Matt 2:23).
49:27 Benjamin. The tribe, like a “ravenous
wolf,” will be known for its aggressive power
(1 Chr 8:1,40; 12:2).
49:28 Jacob intends his blessings to be ap-
propriate to the nature of each son. He clearly
associates the tribes descended from Judah
and Joseph with leadership within the na-
tion of Israel. This reflects not only how
chs. 37 – 50 portray Joseph and Judah, but it
also anticipates how the tribes of Judah and
Ephraim later take responsibility for leading
the nation of Israel. While leadership is ini-
tially linked to Ephraim, eventually the tribe
of Judah, through the Davidic dynasty, takes
on prime responsibility for kingship within
Israel (see Ps 78:67 – 72).
49:29 — 50:14 The Death of Jacob. With the
death of Jacob, the book of Genesis moves
toward a conclusion. Although Jacob dies in
Egypt, he is confident that the future of his
descendants lies in Canaan. For this reason,
he requests that he be buried there.
49:29 – 32 cave in the field of Ephron . . .
bought from the Hittites. Abraham purchased
this cave near Hebron (ch. 23), and both he
and Isaac were buried there (v. 31; 25:8 – 10;
35:27 – 29). Jacob requests that he too be
buried in the same tomb, having previously
laid Leah to rest there (recorded only here in
Genesis). Burying the patriarchs in Canaan un-
derlines their claim to the land. Jacob’s desire
to be placed alongside his relatives reflects
his belief that God will be true to his prom-
ise to give the land of Canaan to Abraham’s
descendants.
49:33 gathered to his people. Often de-
scribes an individual’s death (e.g., 25:8,17;
35:29; Num 27:13). It possibly indicates belief
in an afterlife when family members will be
reunited.