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.

49:5. Simeon and Levi brethren: vessels of iniquity waging war.

49:6. Let not my soul go into their counsel, nor my glory be in their
assembly: because in their fury they slew a man, and in their self-will
they undermined a wall.

Slew a man,. . .viz., Sichem the son of Hemor, with all his people, Gen.
34.; mystically and prophetically it alludes to Christ, whom their
posterity, viz., the priests and the scribes, put to death.

49:7. Cursed be their fury, because it was stubborn: and their wrath,
because it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and will scatter
them in Israel.

49:8. Juda, thee shall thy brethren praise: thy hand shall be on the
necks of thy enemies; the sons of thy father shall bow down to thee.

49:9. Juda is a lion's whelp: to the prey, my son, thou art gone up:
resting thou hast couched as a lion, and as a lioness, who shall rouse
him?

A lion's whelp, etc. . .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.

49:10. The sceptre shall not be taken away from Juda, nor a ruler from
his thigh, till he come that is to be sent, and he shall be the
expectation of nations.

49:11. Tying his foal to the vineyard, and his ass, O my son, to the
vine. He shall wash his robe in wine, and his garment in the blood of
the grape.

49:12. His eyes are more beautiful than wine, and his teeth whiter than
milk.

49:13. Zabulon shall dwell on the seashore, and in the road of ships,
reaching as far as Sidon.

49:14. Issachar shall be a strong ass, lying down between the borders.

49:15. He saw rest that it was good: and the land that it was
excellent: and he bowed his shoulder to carry, and became a servant
under tribute.

49:16. Dan shall judge his people like another tribe in Israel.

Dan shall judge, etc. . .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.

49:17. Let Dan be a snake in the way, a serpent in the path, that
biteth the horse's heels, that his rider may fall backward.

49:18. I will look for thy salvation, O Lord.

49:19. Gad, being girded, shall fight before him: and he himself shall
be girded backward.

Gad being girded, etc. . .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.

49:20. Aser, his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield dainties to
kings.

49:21. Nephthali, a hart let loose, and giving words of beauty.

49:22. Joseph is a growing son, a growing son and comely to behold: the
daughters run to and fro upon the wall;

Run to and fro, etc. . .To behold his beauty; whilst his envious
brethren turned their darts against him, etc.

49:23. But they that held darts, provoked him, and quarrelled with him,
and envied him.

49:24. His bow rested upon the strong, and the bands of his arms and
his hands were loosed, by the hands of the mighty one of Jacob: thence
he came forth a pastor, the stone of Israel.

His bow rested upon the strong, etc. . .That is, upon God, who was his
strength: who also loosed his bands, and brought him out of prison to
be the pastor, that is, the feeder and ruler of Egypt, and the stone,
that is, the rock and support of Israel.



<< previous page | next page >>

Jump to page: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 | 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 55 | 56 | 57 | 58 | 59 | 60 | 61 | 62 | 63 | 64 | 65 | 66 | 67 | 68 | 69 | 70 | 71 | 72 | 73 | 74 | 75 | 76 | 77 | 78 | 79 | 80 | 81 | 82 | 83 | 84 | 85 | 86 | 87 | 88 | 89 |