Genesis 49:24

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Genesis 49:22-24

"Joseph is a fruitful bough, A fruitful bough by a fountain; And his branches run over the wall. The archers have sorely grieved him, And shot at him, and persecuted him: But his bow abode in strength, And the arms of his hands were made strong, By the arms of the Mighty One of Jacob (From thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel)."Both from the length of this blessing as well as from the content of it, one gets the impression that Jacob still had excessive fondness for Joseph; and we must... read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Genesis 49:24

Genesis 49:24. But his bow, &c.— In pursuance of the metaphor, which considers his enemies as archers, Joseph himself is represented as armed with a bow, which is said to have abode in strength, to have proved firm; signifying that he sustained all their shocks with unbroken fortitude and resolution, like a tough bow, which, though long employed in battle, neither breaks nor becomes more flexible. The next words seem to justify this exposition: And the arms of his hands were made strong, by... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Genesis 49:1-28

14. Jacob’s blessing of his sons 49:1-28Having blessed Pharaoh (Genesis 47:7-10) and Ephraim and Manasseh (Genesis 48:15-20), Jacob next blessed all 12 of his sons and foretold what would become of each of them and their descendants. He disqualified Reuben, Simeon, and Levi from leadership and gave that blessing to Judah. He granted the double portion to Joseph. This chapter is the last one in Genesis that gives the destinies of the family members of Abraham’s chosen line. It contains... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Genesis 49:22-26

Joseph’s blessing was especially abundant. The two tribes that bore his sons’ names would see the fulfillment of it even though during his lifetime Joseph had faced much opposition. Judah received the leadership of the tribes, but Joseph obtained the double portion of the birthright (cf. 1 Chronicles 5:2).Jacob’s names for God in this blessing are noteworthy: "the Mighty One of Jacob" (cf. Isaiah 1:24; et al.), "the Shepherd" (Genesis 48:15), and "the Stone of Israel" (cf. Deuteronomy 32:4;... read more

John Dummelow

John Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible - Genesis 49:1-33

Jacob Blesses his Twelve SonsIt is generally considered that in its present form, this chapter gives us indeed the last utterances of the dying patriarch respecting the future of his sons, but with additions and developments of a later date. As it stands we have not the broken utterances of a dying man, but an elaborate piece of work full of word-plays and metaphors (see on Genesis 49:8, Genesis 49:13, Genesis 49:16), and of those parallelisms in the vv. which are the chief feature of Hebrew... read more

Charles John Ellicott

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Genesis 49:22-26

(22-26) Joseph.—The blessing of Joseph is, in many particulars, the most remarkable of them all. Jacob throughout it seems struggling with himself, and anxious to bestow more than was in his power. Joseph was his dearest son, the child of his chief and most beloved wife; he was, too, the saviour of Israel’s family, and the actual ruler of Egypt; and his father had even bestowed upon him the portion of the firstborn in giving him two tribes, and to the rest but one. Nevertheless, he cannot... read more

Charles John Ellicott

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Genesis 49:24

(24) His bow abode in strength.—The word for strength is highly poetical. It means that which goes on for ever, like the flowing streams or the eternal hills. In spite of all the machinations of his enemies, the bow of Joseph remained constant and enduring in its might.Were made strong.—The Hebrew word is difficult, but more probably means, were pliant, supple, such as the arms of an archer ought to be.From thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel.—The Jewish commentators understand “from... read more

William Nicoll

Expositor's Dictionary of Texts - Genesis 49:1-33

Genesis 49:4 The verse which Ruskin once, in a mood of depression, thought was most suitable for his own epitaph. 'The public men of the times which followed the Restoration were by no means deficient in courage or ability; and some kinds of talent appear to have been developed amongst them to a remarkable degree.... Their power of reading things of high import, in signs which to others were invisible or unintelligible, resembled magic. But the curse of Reuben was upon them all: "Unstable as... read more

William Nicoll

Expositor's Bible Commentary - Genesis 49:1-33

THE BLESSINGS OF THE TRIBESGenesis 48:1-22; Genesis 49:1-33JACOB’S blessing of his sons marks the close of the patriarchal dispensation. Henceforth the channel of God’s blessing to man does not consist of one person only, but of a people or nation. It is still one seed, as Paul reminds us, a unit that God will bless, but this unit is now no longer a single person-as Abraham, Isaac, or Jacob-but one people, composed of several parts, and yet one whole: equally representative of Christ, as the... read more

Arno Clemens Gaebelein

Arno Gaebelein's Annotated Bible - Genesis 49:1-27

CHAPTER 49 Jacob’s Prophecy 1. The call of Jacob: “Gather yourselves together” (Genesis 49:1-2 ) 2. The prophecy concerning his sons (Genesis 49:3-27 ) Reuben (Genesis 49:3-4 ) Simeon and Levi (Genesis 49:5-7 ) Judah (Genesis 49:8-12 ) Zebulun (Genesis 49:13 ) Issachar (Genesis 49:14-15 ) Dan (Genesis 49:16-18 ) Gad (Genesis 49:19 ) Asher (Genesis 49:20 ) Naphtali (Genesis 49:21 ) Joseph and Benjamin (Genesis 49:22-27 ) The last words of Jacob to his sons are often... read more