Genesis 49
A Blueprint for a Nation

Genesis 49

Israel’s Prophecy concerning His Sons

1 Then Jacob summoned his sons and said, “Assemble yourselves that I may tell you what will befall you in the days to come. 2 “Gather together and hear, O sons of Jacob; And listen to Israel your father.

3 “Reuben, you are my firstborn; My might and the beginning of my strength, Preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power. 4 “Uncontrolled as water, you shall not have preeminence, Because you went up to your father’s bed; Then you defiled it—he went up to my couch.

5 “Simeon and Levi are brothers; Their swords are implements of violence. 6 “Let my soul not enter into their council; Let not my glory be united with their assembly; Because in their anger they slew men, And in their self-will they lamed oxen. 7 “Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce; And their wrath, for it is cruel. I will disperse them in Jacob, And scatter them in Israel.

8 “Judah, your brothers shall praise you; Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; Your father’s sons shall bow down to you. 9 “Judah is a lion’s whelp; From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He couches, he lies down as a lion, And as a lion, who dares rouse him up? 10 “The scepter shall 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. 11 “He ties his foal to the vine, And his donkey’s colt to the choice vine; He washes his garments in wine, And his robes in the blood of grapes. 12 “His eyes are dull from wine, And his teeth white from milk.

13 “Zebulun will dwell at the seashore; And he shall be a haven for ships, And his flank shall be toward Sidon.

14 “Issachar is a strong donkey, Lying down between the sheepfolds. 15 “When he saw that a resting place was good And that the land was pleasant, He bowed his shoulder to bear burdens, And became a slave at forced labor.

16 “Dan shall judge his people, As one of the tribes of Israel. 17 “Dan shall be a serpent in the way, A horned snake in the path, That bites the horse’s heels, So that his rider falls backward. 18 “For Your salvation I wait, O LORD.

19 “As for Gad, raiders shall raid him, But he will raid at their heels.

20 “As for Asher, his food shall be rich, And he will yield royal dainties.

21 “Naphtali is a doe let loose, He gives beautiful words.

22 “Joseph is a fruitful bough, A fruitful bough by a spring; Its branches run over a wall. 23 “The archers bitterly attacked him, And shot at him and harassed him; 24 But his bow remained firm, And his arms were agile, From the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob (From there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel), 25 From the God of your father who helps you, And by the Almighty who blesses you With blessings of heaven above, Blessings of the deep that lies beneath, Blessings of the breasts and of the womb. 26 “The blessings of your father Have surpassed the blessings of my ancestors Up to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills; May they be on the head of Joseph, And on the crown of the head of the one distinguished among his brothers.

27 “Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; In the morning he devours the prey, And in the evening he divides the spoil.”

28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them. He blessed them, every one with the blessing appropriate to him. 29 Then he charged them and said to them, “I am about to be gathered to my people; bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, 30 in the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought along with the field from Ephron the Hittite for a burial site. 31 “There they buried Abraham and his wife Sarah, there they buried Isaac and his wife Rebekah, and there I buried Leah— 32 the field and the cave that is in it, purchased from the sons of Heth.” 33 When Jacob finished charging his sons, he drew his feet into the bed and breathed his last, and was gathered to his people.

Unpacking Genesis 49

Now, we come to Genesis 49, an extremely important chapter to the overall message of God. You might wonder why I’d say this if you have just read this passage.

The previous 48 chapters were to get us to the 49th. Like the final chapter in a good book, this chapter pulls together the various plotlines of what we have been reading about. This chapter shows that the Book of Genesis is not so much about the dawn of creation, but the genesis (beginning) of a people called by God out of this world, miraculously directed by Him so that they would be a nation founded upon His work and dedicated to His glory.

Genesis 49 takes place about 17 years after Jacob and his family came to Egypt. Jacob is near death and about to give his sons his final blessings. These blessings form a “blueprint” for the future nation that his descendants will one day establish.

As we look at these blessings, we notice that Jacob calls himself “Israel” in verse 2. The Lord changed Jacob’s name to “Israel” back in Genesis 32:28. Calling himself “Israel” indicates that Jacob is now fully on board with God’s plan for himself and his descendants. Thus, this passage could also be understood as an admonition for his sons to continue the mission and work to establish this new nation.

Jacob’s blessings begin with Reuben in verse 3. Reuben was Jacob’s firstborn and should have had all the rights and privileges of the firstborn. In fact, Jacob tells him in verse 3, “Reuben, you are my firstborn; My might and the beginning of my strength, Preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power.”

There is good reason to describe Reuben in such terms. Back in Genesis 37, Jacob’s other sons wanted to kill Joseph, but Reuben defended Joseph and convinced his brothers to throw Joseph into a pit. That moment of leadership preserved Joseph’s life and resulted in their eventual preservation during the famine.

Although this opening blessing of Reuben starts off well, these words highlight the virtues Reuben has squandered. In verse 4, Jacob reminds Reuben of the time he went up to Jacob’s “couch.” Jacob is referring to Reuben's affair with Jacob’s concubine, Bilhah, in Genesis 35:22. That affair meant Reuben forfeited his privileged status as the family's firstborn.

Here’s why this matters: Reuben’s “firstborn” privileges were given to Joseph! We can see this clearly stated in 1st Chronicles 5:1, “Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel (for he was the firstborn, but because he defiled his father’s bed, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph the son of Israel; so that he is not enrolled in the genealogy according to the birthright. Though Judah prevailed over his brothers, and from him came the leader, yet the birthright belonged to Joseph)….” So, we can see that Reuben’s birthright was given to Joseph.

Reuben’s descendants would never have preeminence. That role had been forfeited. Throughout Israel’s history, the tribe of Reuben was relatively insignificant. Regarding the land divisions of Joshua 13:8, Reuben’s descendants received one of the least valuable territories. Later, when the Lord began to bring about Israel’s defeat in 2nd Kings 10:32-33, the tribe of Reuben is listed as the first to fall. Even in the New Testament, Reuben’s name is only mentioned once. So, in this future nation, the tribe of Reuben would be very insignificant.

Let’s go on to Jacob’s prophecy about Simeon and Levi in verses 5-7. Unfortunately, their story isn’t great, either. Jacob recognizes Simeon and Levi were two courageous brothers. However, their courage resulted in cruelty and treachery. In verse 6, Jacob refers to an event from Genesis 34 where Simeon and Levi led an ungodly form of vigilante justice to uphold their sister’s honor and killed all Shechem's men.

Their skewed sense of justice might inspire future descendants to emulate such vigilantism. So, rather than commending their cruelty, Jacob curses it and says they will be “dispersed” and “scattered” in verse 7. This pronouncement essentially defangs these two tribes. Later, when the land was divided up in the Book of Joshua, the tribe of Simeon was given a land allocation that was basically an “island” surrounded by the tribe of Judah. Over time, they eventually faded into irrelevance.

The tribe of Levi was scattered differently. They became the “Priests and Levites” of Israel and didn’t have any tribal inheritance. Joshua 13:33 says they did not have a specific land inheritance because “the God of Israel” was “their inheritance.” This tribe produced some of Israel’s greatest leaders, such as Moses, Aaron, Ezra, and John the Baptist. Clearly, God’s redemptive purposes can bring good even out of man’s evil.

The next set of verses covers the most important prophecies in this chapter and show us who will lead this future nation. Verses 8 to 12 say, “Judah, your brothers shall praise you; Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; Your father’s sons shall bow down to you. Judah is a lion’s whelp; From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He couches, he lies down as a lion, And as a lion, who dares rouse him up? The scepter shall 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. He ties his foal to the vine, And his donkey’s colt to the choice vine; He washes his garments in wine, And his robes in the blood of grapes. His eyes are dull from wine, And his teeth white from milk.”

This blessing has several elements to it. For one thing, Judah’s name sounds like a Hebrew word for “praise” (yadah). In verse 8, Jacob says, “Judah, your brothers shall praise you.” Why would Judah’s brothers praise him? Verse 8 continues by saying that Judah will be praised because he will defeat his enemies, and his father’s sons will bow to him.

Jacob’s prophecy is stunning on several levels. For one thing, Judah wasn’t perfect. For another thing, he wasn’t even the firstborn. Besides, the firstborn status was transferred to Joseph! Joseph was the one who dreamt his brothers would bow down to him! So, if anything, you’d think that “Joseph” would be the tribe that would produce the kings of Israel. Yet, that was not the plan of God. Israel’s kings would come from the tribe of Judah.

Verse 9 compares Judah to a lion. The lion is the king of beasts. The lion is symbolic of a noble, courageous warrior. Who came from the line of Judah and is also called a lion? Jesus! Revelation 5:5 says, “…behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome….” Judah’s descendant Jesus will be the One who conquers and the One to whom every nation will bow.

Notice, however, verse 10 says, “…to Him shall be the obedience of the peoples” [emphasis added]. This gives us an important window into the nature of this coming King. His rule will extend beyond the 12 tribes of Jacob and will include people from throughout the world! Paul looked forward to that day when he wrote, “…at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord...” (Philippians 2:10-11) What a glorious day that will be!

This is the last of the three great promises in the Book of Genesis about the coming Messiah. The first was in Genesis 3:15 when God promised a deliverer to destroy Satan. The second promise was in Genesis 22:18 when God said through Him (Abraham’s “Seed”), all the nations of the world would be blessed. The third prophecy tells us He will rule His people and that all people of the earth will eventually bow down to Him. These prophecies will be fulfilled in Jesus. Therefore, not only are they vitally important for the nation of Israel, but for us as well.

Going on, let’s quickly cover the final sets of Jacob’s prophecies. In verses 13 to 15, Jacob says Zebulun and Issachar will have supportive roles in the future kingdom. He warns Issachar that a lazy demeanor may lead to his enslavement. Jacob also prophesizes various roles for Dan, Gad, Asher, and Naphtali, including judges, warriors, cooks, and those who “speak delightful words.” These prophecies underscore the fact that although these men were born to concubines, they will have equal status in the new kingdom.

Jacob’s prophecies concerning Joseph are also very important. Verses 22 to 26 indicate that rather than having a single territory in the future kingdom, Joseph’s descendants will have two, those of Ephraim and Manasseh. These two territories mean Joseph’s descendants will receive a double inheritance in this new nation.

Jacob had already indicated this truth to Joseph when he blessed Joseph and his sons in a private ceremony in Genesis 48:8-22. In that passage, Jacob crossed his hands when he laid them on Manasseh and Ephraim’s heads, indicating the descendants of the younger son, Ephraim, would have a more dominant role in the future kingdom. Indeed, the tribe of Ephraim would become more numerous than Manasseh (Num 2:18-21), and at times the name “Ephraim” even became synonymous with the entire Northern Kingdom (cf. Hos. 4:17, Zech. 9:10).

Finally, Jacob’s prophecy to Benjamin lets him know that he is no longer the baby in the family. He and his descendants fully belong among the people of Israel.

So those are Jacob’s prophecies regarding his sons. As we reflect upon them, we need to see that these blessings form the blueprint for a future life after Egypt, where all their descendants will live together in the Promised Land.

In verses 1, 7, 16, and 24, Jacob speaks of this nation as though it already existed. These amazing statements were made centuries before any of their descendants would possess this land! Jacob confidently laid out these blueprints for the land allocations, kings, judges, the kinds of battles and struggles, and Israel’s eventual global reign.

To make this point even clearer, Jacob’s final words in this chapter describe where he wants to be buried. In verses 29 to 32, Jacob tells his sons to bury him in the same cave as Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, and Leah. Although Jacob will die in Egypt, he wants to be buried in the land his descendants will one day possess! His sons fulfilled this wish in Genesis 50:13-14.

So, this final chapter in our study lifts our gaze to the future kingdom, which we, ourselves, look forward to as the spiritual descendants of Abraham who bow to Jesus and are citizens of His eternal kingdom.

For now, we are like Jacob’s sons living in Egypt. We live and die as sojourners in a foreign land. We fix our eyes on the kingdom God will one day establish. Like Jacob, may His kingdom be our focus.

Study and Discussion Questions

Listening to the Key Chapters Podcast on this chapter provides further insights into the following questions.

1. Read through Genesis 49 and circle the names of each son of Jacob. Then underline each basic description that Jacob gives concerning his sons. Which statements sound positive? Which ones do not sound positive? What kind of impact do you think these words would have had on future generations?

2. The study opens with how the book of Genesis is ultimately about the “genesis” of this new nation dedicated to God. As we close out our study in the book of Genesis, we have seen the Lord use very imperfect people. What does this show us about how God can use imperfect people today? How has God used you, even in your imperfections, to further His kingdom?

3. In verse 2, the Lord refers to Jacob as “Israel.” The name “Israel” means “contends/struggles with God.” God gave Jacob this name back in Genesis 32. What is the significance of Jacob referring to himself as “Israel” in this passage?

4. Although Reuben had moments of strength and dignity, he also had episodes of serious weakness. According to the study, what were some long-term consequences of his moral failures? Along those lines, according to 1st Chronicles 5:1, who was Reuben’s birthright given to? Why?

5. Simeon and Levi also suffered long-term consequences for their sins committed back in Genesis 34 when they defended their sister’s honor by killing all the men of Shechem. Later on, what were the land allocations for the tribes of Simeon and Levi? What did this suggest as to why their sin would cause them to lose their land promise among the sons of Israel?

6. Why was it so surprising that Judah would receive such a prophecy in Genesis 49:8-12? How was this prophecy later fulfilled in passages such as Judges 1:2 and later in the kings, and ultimately in the life of Jesus?

7. The prophecy about Judah in Genesis 49:8-12 is the last of the three great prophecies of the Messiah. The other two are Genesis 3:15 and 22:18. What did these other prophecies foretell about the Messiah?

8. The study concluded by saying that these prophecies in Genesis 49 form a blueprint for the nation of Israel. From reading these prophecies, how would you characterize what this nation was to look like?

9. The nation prophesied in this passage would one day come to an earthly end and give way to the nation of the Messiah. In what ways will the Messianic kingdom be different from the kingdom that Jacob outlines here?

10. Genesis 49 is a concluding chapter to the Book of Genesis. In many ways, it is the climax, and Genesis 50 is like an epilogue. In your own words, how would you describe the events that have led from Genesis 1 to Genesis 49?

This study has been written by Pastor Russ Brewer and is part of a Bible study guidebook entitled, The Key Chapters of Genesis, available on Amazon. The teaching of Pastor Russ can be heard on his daily podcast, The Key Chapters of the Bible, available on all podcast platforms and at www.keychapters.org.