The Book of
Genesis 49
33 verses≈ 5 min5 peopleBSB
Images are artistic interpretations.
Tap any post to go deeper
In this chapter
Where we are
- 1–11BeginningsCreation, fall, flood, Babel
- 12–24AbrahamThe call and the promise
- 25–36Isaac and JacobThe promise passed on
- 37–50JosephGod meant it for goodChapter 49
Jacob Blesses His Sons
Then Jacob called for his sons and said, “Gather around so that I can tell you what will happen to you in the days to come:
Come together and listen, O sons of Jacob;
listen to your father Israel.
Tap to go deeper: meaning, history and related Scripture
Jacob
Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might,
and the beginning of my strength,
excelling in honor,
excelling in power.
Uncontrolled as the waters,
you will no longer excel,
because you went up to your father’s bed,
onto my couch, and defiled it.
Simeon and Levi are brothers;
their swords are weapons of violence.
May I never enter their council;
may I never join their assembly.
For they kill men in their anger,
and hamstring oxen on a whim.
Cursed be their anger, for it is strong,
and their wrath, for it is cruel!
I will disperse them in Jacob
and scatter them in Israel.
The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes and the allegiance of the nations is his.
Genesis 49:10
He ties his donkey to the vine, his colt to the choicest branch.
Genesis 49:11
Pray
The King from Judah
Jacob looked far down the years to a ruler from Judah: “The scepter will not depart from Judah,” and one day “the allegiance of the nations is his.” Christians see that promise kept in Jesus, born of Judah’s line. Pray that His rule would come in your own life first, and then that people from every nation would gladly give Him their allegiance.
Jacob
Zebulun shall dwell by the seashore
and become a harbor for ships;
his border shall extend to Sidon.
Issachar is a strong donkey,
lying down between the sheepfolds.
He saw that his resting place was good
and that his land was pleasant,
so he bent his shoulder to the burden
and submitted to labor as a servant.
Dan shall provide justice for his people
as one of the tribes of Israel.
He will be a snake by the road,
a viper in the path
that bites the horse’s heels
so that its rider tumbles backward.
I await Your salvation, O LORD.
Genesis 49:18
Gad will be attacked by raiders,
but he will attack their heels.
Asher’s food will be rich;
he shall provide royal delicacies.
Naphtali is a doe set free
that bears beautiful fawns.
Joseph is a fruitful vine—
a fruitful vine by a spring,
whose branches scale the wall.
The archers attacked him with bitterness;
they aimed at him in hostility.
Yet he steadied his bow,
and his strong arms were tempered
by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob,
in the name of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,
by the God of your father who helps you,
and by the Almighty who blesses you,
with blessings of the heavens above,
with blessings of the depths below,
with blessings of the breasts and womb.
The blessings of your father have surpassed
the blessings of the ancient mountains
and the bounty of the everlasting hills.
May they rest on the head of Joseph,
on the brow of the prince of his brothers.
0:42
Narrated by Bob Souer · BSB audio, public domain
Jacob
Benjamin is a ravenous wolf;
in the morning he devours the prey,
in the evening he divides the plunder.”
These are the tribes of Israel, twelve in all, and this was what their father said to them. He blessed them, and he blessed each one with a suitable blessing.
Who will lead?
Whiteboard
Reuben was the firstborn, but he lost his place, and Simeon and Levi, next in line, were set aside for their violence. So the rule falls to Leah’s fourth son: “The scepter will not depart from Judah.” Joseph receives the richest blessing, on “the prince of his brothers.” As 1 Chronicles 5:1–2 later puts it, the birthright went to Joseph’s sons, but the ruler came from Judah.
Reflect
Not the last word
Jacob’s words are honest. Reuben hears “you will no longer excel,” and Simeon and Levi hear “Cursed be their anger.” Yet Judah, who once sold his own brother, hears “your brothers shall praise you.” Your worst choices are real, but in God’s hands they need not be the last word over your life. Where do you need His grace to write a different ending? Write it down.
The Death of Jacob
Jacob
Then Jacob instructed them, “I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite. The cave is in the field of Machpelah near Mamre, in the land of Canaan. This is the field Abraham purchased from Ephron the Hittite as a burial site.
There Abraham and his wife Sarah are buried, there Isaac and his wife Rebekah are buried, and there I buried Leah. The field and the cave that is in it were purchased from the Hittites.”
When Jacob had finished instructing his sons, he pulled his feet into the bed and breathed his last, and he was gathered to his people.
Question
Quick question
One of Jacob’s blessings looks furthest ahead of all.
Which son did Jacob say the scepter would never depart from?
You’ve experienced
Genesis 49
0 of 50 chapters read
A verse to carry with you
The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes and the allegiance of the nations is his.
Genesis 49:10
or swipe left