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According to the record in Genesis, the human race began with Adam and continued with Abel, Enosh, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Eventually, Jacob became the father of a house that was chosen by God. This house, the house of Jacob (46:27), was composed of Jacob’s twelve sons. Later these twelve sons became the twelve tribes of the nation of Israel.
The mature, strong, and weighty Jacob called his sons together when he was dying and said, “Gather yourselves together that I may tell you what will happen to you in the last days” (49:1). This indicates that Genesis 49 contains an important prophecy. In fact, this portion of the Word can be said to be the deepest prophecy in the Bible. Jacob’s words to his twelve sons are “what their father spoke to them when he blessed them; he blessed them, each one according to his blessing” (v. 28). Although this chapter is a prophecy, it is a prophecy saturated with blessing.
The prophecies with blessing uttered by Jacob are poetry. We need to use allegories and signs in order to probe into the depths of their meaning because the poetic language is significant and descriptive.
The prophecies in Genesis 49 are the conclusion of the book of Genesis. They are also the basis of the remainder of the Old Testament and the New Testament. This chapter of the Bible is a very rich seed that undergoes a marvelous development in the rest of the Scriptures. The prophecies in Genesis 49 are not only related to Jacob’s twelve sons. They are also closely related to the experience of the New Testament believers because the house of Israel typifies the church, and the church is God’s house today.
Jacob’s first six prophecies concern Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Zebulun, and Issachar—the sons born of Leah, Jacob’s proper wife. The last six concern Dan, Gad, Asher, and Naphtali—the sons born of Bilhah and Zilpah, Jacob’s two female servants—and also Joseph and Benjamin—the sons born of Rachel, Jacob’s beloved wife. In this lesson we will look at Jacob’s first six prophecies with blessing.
Jacob first prophesied concerning his eldest son, Reuben. In verse 3 Jacob said, “Reuben, you are my firstborn, / My might and the firstfruits of my vigor, / Preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power.” However, because Reuben was corrupted and defiled, in his prophecy with blessing Jacob specifically changed Reuben’s status by birth as the firstborn.
Because Reuben was boiling over with lust, he went up to his father’s bed and defiled his father’s couch. Hence, Jacob said that he would not have the preeminence (v. 4). The preeminence of Reuben’s birthright was taken away.
Before Jacob prophesied concerning Reuben in Genesis 49, he had already given the birthright to Joseph (48:5-6). In verse 5 Jacob said to Joseph, “Now your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine, as Reuben and Simeon are.”
The birthright is composed of the double portion of the land, the kingship, and the priesthood. As the firstborn, Reuben should have inherited all three blessings. However, due to his defilement, the double portion of the land was given to Joseph (48:22; cf. Josh. 16—17). In Genesis 48:22 Jacob said to Joseph, “I have given to you one portion more than your brothers, which I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow.” Joseph received the double portion of the land, one for Ephraim and the other for Manasseh. Eventually, this prophecy was fulfilled in Joshua 16 and 17. When the children of Israel divided the land by lot, Joseph, who fled from the defilement of lust (Gen. 39:7-12), received the double portion of the land; but Reuben, who indulged in the defilement of lust, lost the right to the double portion of the land. This allotment was not accomplished through human maneuvering but through the sovereignty of God for the fulfillment of Jacob’s prophecy. Moreover, the kingship of Reuben’s original birthright was given to Judah (1 Chron. 5:2), and the priesthood was given to Levi (Deut. 33:8-10).
Jacob considered Simeon and Levi as companions when he spoke concerning them. Jacob said, “Simeon and Levi are brothers; / Weapons of violence are their swords. / Come not into their council, O my soul; / Be not united with their assembly, O my glory; / For in their anger they slew men, / And in their self-will they hamstrung oxen” (Gen. 49:5-6). Glory in verse 6 refers to the spirit. Jacob was greatly shocked by what Simeon and Levi did in Genesis 34. Jacob had never been so frightened in his whole life. Simeon’s and Levi’s disposition left a deep impression in Jacob’s spirit that he could not forget. Therefore, although Jacob loved them, he could not give them any blessing. Instead, he cursed their fierce anger and cruel wrath (49:7).
Jacob was frightened by Simeon’s and Levi’s cruel disposition. Therefore, Jacob would not allow them to dwell together. Rather, he exercised judgment over them in his prophecy, dividing them in Jacob and scattering them in Israel (v. 7). In this way, they would not be able to behave cruelly according to their disposition. According to the record in Joshua, Simeon was eventually scattered among the people of Judah (19:1, 9), and Levi was scattered among the people of Israel (ch. 21). Through the casting of lots, Jacob’s prophecies concerning them were fulfilled.
Although Jacob prophesied that Levi would be scattered in Israel, the descendants of Levi were blessed because of Levi’s faithfulness and absoluteness to God (Exo. 32:26-28), and their scattering also became a blessing to the children of Israel. In Numbers 35:2 Jehovah said to Moses, “Command the children of Israel to give to the Levites some of the inheritance of their possession, cities to dwell in; and you shall give to the Levites pasture lands around their cities.” The selection of these cities was by lot. Altogether, the Levites were given forty-eight cities (v. 6). Under God’s sovereignty, out of these forty-eight cities six were to be cities of refuge (Josh. 20:7-9). Three were on the east side of the Jordan, and three were on the west side. Anyone among the people of Israel who killed a person by mistake could easily flee to one of these cities of refuge. Therefore, the scattering of Levi according to the curse became a blessing. The scattered Levites brought God’s refuge to people who sinned. Thus, in ancient times it was a blessing to have some Levites in your city or in your territory (Judg. 17:7-13).
Concerning Judah, Jacob prophesied: “Judah, your brothers will praise you; / Your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; / Your father’s sons will bow down before you” (Gen. 49:8). This means that Judah’s brothers would praise him and worship him for his victory. From among Jacob’s twelve sons, Christ came out of Judah. Because Christ came out of Judah, He belongs to Judah. In Revelation 5:5 Christ is called the Lion of the tribe of Judah. Therefore, in prophesying about his son Judah, Jacob was actually prophesying that Christ would be praised, that His hand would be placed on the neck of His enemies, and that His brothers would bow down before Him.
Genesis 49:9 says, “Judah is a young lion; / From the prey, my son, you have gone up. / He couches, he stretches out like a lion, / And like a lioness.” When a lion goes after prey, he descends from his dwelling place in the mountain. While he waits to seize his prey, he crouches. After he has taken his prey, he brings it up the mountain with him. Thus, the phrase from the prey, my son, you have gone up means that the lion has gone up the mountain to devour his prey. After eating the prey, the lion no longer crouches. Instead, he couches; that is, he lies down. This indicates that after swallowing his prey, he is satisfied and lies down to rest.
When Christ was waiting for His prey, He was a young lion crouching. After seizing His prey, He brought His captives to the heavens. This is according to Ephesians 4:8, which says, “Having ascended to the height, He led captive those taken captive.” This train of captives was Christ’s prey. After enjoying the prey He captured, Christ is satisfied and is now resting on the throne in the heavens.
Genesis 49:10 says, “The scepter will not depart from Judah, / Nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, / Until Shiloh comes, / And to Him shall be the obedience of the peoples.” The scepter denotes the scepter of the kingship, or the kingdom. Psalm 45:6 says, “The scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Your kingdom.” The scepter, a symbol of the kingdom, refers to the kingly authority of Christ. Thus, the scepter in Genesis 49:10 refers to Christ’s kingdom, Christ’s kingship. The scepter never departing from Judah means that the kingship will never depart from Christ.
Hebrew poetry is written in pairs. Hence, “the ruler’s staff” in Genesis 49:10 is synonymous with “the scepter.” Undoubtedly, the ruler here is Christ. The Hebrew word translated “ruler” in this verse means “lawgiver.” Christ is the One who gives the law, for He has the staff and the scepter.
This verse says that the ruler’s staff will not depart from “between his feet.” The phrase between his feet is a poetic term denoting seed or posterity. Thus, it refers to Judah’s descendants. This means that the tribe of Judah will always have kings. According to 1 Chronicles 5:2 Judah has the kingship, and rulers come out of his posterity.
This authority will continue until Shiloh comes. The word Shiloh means “peace bringer.” Most Bible teachers agree that Shiloh refers to Christ in His second coming. When Christ comes the second time, He will come as the Prince of peace, as the One who brings peace. At that time, the whole earth will be filled with peace.
Genesis 49:10 also says, “To Him shall be the obedience of the peoples.” The peoples are the nations. At the second coming of Christ, all the nations will submit to Him and obey Him. Isaiah 2:2-3 and 11:10 indicate that from the beginning of the millennium, at the Lord’s second coming, all the nations will obey Christ. They will come to Him to receive God’s instructions.
Genesis 49:11 speaks of “binding his foal to the vine, / And his donkey’s colt to the choice vine, / He washes his garment in wine, / And his robe in the blood of grapes.” In the Bible a donkey signifies a person who labors very hard, especially in the matter of transportation. Even the Lord Jesus rode upon a donkey into the city of Jerusalem (Matt. 21:5, 7). Although a donkey is usually used for labor in travel, the donkey in Genesis 49:11 is not laboring; it is bound to the vine. This signifies that labor was over, that the destination had been reached, and that rest had begun. Any donkey used for long journeys would certainly enjoy being bound to a fruitful vine full of vegetation.
Verse 11 also speaks of wine, which is the produce of the vine and signifies the riches of the harvest. The second part of verse 11 says, “He washes his garment in wine, / And his robe in the blood of grapes.” This indicates that there is an abundance of wine such that people not only drink it but can even wash their clothes in it. This truly shows the end of labor and the beginning of rest in the enjoyment of the riches. When the donkeys can enjoy rest, it is no longer a time for sowing seed but a time for reaping the harvest. Thus, this verse is a poetic description of the millennium, the coming age of the thousand years. In this coming age labor will cease, and instead of labor there will be rest. There will be the rich enjoyment of an abundant harvest.
Verse 12 says, “Dark are his eyes with wine, / And white are his teeth with milk.” Along with the wine, there is milk. The source of wine is the vineyards, and the source of milk is the sheepfolds spoken of in verse 14. Milk signifies the nourishment of life that satisfies us. The calcium contained in milk produces healthy white teeth. When the millennium comes and the donkeys are bound and labor is over, the produce of the rich harvest will be so adequate that people will have eyes that are red with wine and teeth that are strong and white.
After Judah, Jacob spoke of Zebulun. Genesis 49:13 says, “Zebulun will dwell at the shore of the sea, / And he will be a shore for ships.” The fulfillment of this verse is in Matthew 4:15, which says, “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles.” The Lord Jesus began His ministry of preaching the gospel of the kingdom from Galilee. Not only so, after His resurrection He met with the disciples again in Galilee and said to them, “Go therefore and disciple all the nations” (28:7, 16, 19). Acts 1:11 reveals that the first preachers of the gospel were men of Galilee. In verse 8 the Lord told the Galileans, “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” According to allegorical interpretation, Acts 1:8 is the fulfillment of Jacob’s prophecy. Zebulun will dwell at the shore of the sea, and he will be a shore for ships to ship out the gospel of the kingdom.
Jacob also prophesied that Zebulun’s flank, his border, would be toward Sidon (Gen 49:13). Sidon was a heathen city outside the Holy Land. It was located on the sea, and from it the sea traffic went to the uttermost part of the earth. The early preachers all sailed from the Holy Land to Asia Minor and then across the Aegean Sea to Greece, Rome, and Spain. The apostle Paul took a ship from the Holy Land and sailed first to Sidon and eventually to Rome (Acts 27:3; 28:14). The history of preaching the gospel to the Gentile world in Acts fulfills the prophecy that Zebulun’s “flank will be toward Sidon.”
Genesis 49:14 says, “Issachar is a strong donkey, / Couching between the sheepfolds.” In biblical interpretation this verse is linked to the foal and the colt in verse 11. The colt in verse 11 is tied to the rich harvest. Hence, in verse 14 the strong donkey is couching, resting. Issachar is not working. He is couching. He is lying down and resting between the sheepfolds.
Verse 15 says, “He saw a resting place that was good / And the land that was pleasant, / And he bowed his shoulder to bear, / And became a task-worker to bring tribute.” Issachar, the strong donkey, is resting and enjoying the pleasant, rich land. He also bows his shoulder to bear burdens, and thus he becomes a servant under taskwork. This means that he serves in order to have something to offer to the Lord. Hence, this verse speaks of him being “a task-worker to bring tribute.” God’s people do not labor as hard-working donkeys. Rather, they rest as strong donkeys. While they are resting, they enjoy the riches of Christ. Through the enjoyment of these riches, they become willing to bow their shoulder, take up a burden, and serve for tribute rendered to the King. This will be completely fulfilled in the millennium.
Jacob’s speaking before his death in Genesis 49 can be said to be the deepest prophecy in the Bible. It is also Jacob’s blessing of his twelve sons. These prophecies are the conclusion of the book of Genesis and are developed in the remainder of the Old Testament and in the New Testament. Jacob’s prophecies are not related only to his twelve sons; they are also closely related to the experience of the New Testament believers.
The first six sons mentioned in Jacob’s prophecies are Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Zebulun, and Issachar—the sons born of Leah, Jacob’s proper wife. The last six sons mentioned are Dan, Gad, Asher, and Naphtali—the sons born of Bilhah and Zilpah, Jacob’s two female servants—and also Joseph and Benjamin—the sons born of Rachel, Jacob’s beloved wife. By birth Reuben was the firstborn, but because he was corrupted and defiled, Jacob prophesied that he would not have the preeminence. The preeminence of his birthright was taken away from him. Eventually, the double portion of the land was given to Joseph, the kingship was given to Judah, and the priesthood was given to Levi. Simeon and Levi received no blessing because of their cruelty. Rather, they were cursed and scattered in Israel. However, the scattering of Levi became a blessing to the children of Israel. Judah was to be praised and worshipped by his brothers. He was a young lion conquering the enemies and a lion and lioness resting in conquest. The scepter would not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until Shiloh, the “peace-bringer,” comes, and to Him would be the obedience of the peoples. Judah would also be rich in wine and milk; his labor would be over, and his rest in rich enjoyment would begin. Zebulun would dwell at the shore of the sea and would be a shore for ships to ship out the gospel of the kingdom. His flank would be toward Sidon, indicating that the gospel would spread to the Gentile world. Issachar was a strong donkey, couching between the sheepfolds. He would enjoy rest in the rich land and become a task-worker to bring tribute. This indicates that God’s people will rest while enjoying the riches of Christ.
