Genesis 49:4-7

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Genesis 49:4

Verse 4 4.Unstable as water. He shows that the honor which had not a good conscience for its keeper, was not firm but evanescent; and thus he rejects Reuben from the primogeniture. He declares the cause, lest Reuben should complain that he was punished when innocent: for it was also of great consequence, in this affair, that he should be convinced of his fault, lest his punishment should not be attended with profit. We now see Jacob, having laid carnal affection aside, executing the office of a... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Genesis 49:5

Verse 5 5.Simeon and Levi are brethren. He condemns the massacre of the city of Shechem by his two sons Simon and Levi, and denounces the punishment of so great a crime. Whence we learn how hateful cruelty is to God, seeing that the blood of man is precious in his sight. For it is as if he would cite to his own tribunal those two men, and would demand vengeance on them, when they thought they had already escaped. It may, however, be asked, whether pardon had not been granted to them long ago;... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Genesis 49:7

Verse 7 7.Cursed be their anger. What I have said must be kept in mind; namely, that we are divinely admonished by the mouth of the holy prophet, to keep at a distance from all wicked counsels. Jacob pronounces a woe upon their fury. Why is this, unless that others may learn to put a restraint upon themselves, and to be on their guard against such cruelty? However, (as I have already observed,) it will not suffice to preserve our hands pure, unless we are far removed from all association with... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 49:1-33

The patriarchal blessing, or the last words of Jacob, I. THE SONS OF LEAH . 1. The blessing on Reuben . 2. The blessings on Simeon and Levi . It is only by a species of irony that the words pronounced on the authors of the Shechem massacre can be styled a blessing. 3. The blessing upon Judah . Recalling probably the part which his fourth son had played with reference to Benjamin, Jacob fervently declares that Judah should be— 4. The blessing on Zebulun .... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 49:1-33

Last words. Jacob's benediction on his sons was a prophetic treasure, to be kept in store by future generations, and a foundation on which much faith could afterwards be built.. It has been called "the last full bloom of patriarchal prophecy and theocratic promise." The central point, the blessing on the royal tribe of Judah. The corresponding eminence being given to Joseph. The Israel blessing to the one, the Jacob blessing to the other. In each case we distinguish— 1. The earthly... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 49:3-4

Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power :—Jacob's patriarchal benediction takes the form of an elevated poem, or sublime religious hymn, exhibiting the well-known classes of parallelism, the synthetic the antithetic, and the synonymous, not alone in its separate clauses, but sometimes also in its stanzas or verses. As was perhaps to be expected, it begins with Reuben, who is characterized by a... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 49:5-7

Simeon and Levi are brethren (not in parentage alone, but also in their deeds; e.g. their massacre of the Shechemites ( Genesis 34:25 ), to which undoubtedly the next words allude); instruments of cruelty are in their habitations— literally, instruments of violence their מְכֵדֹת , a ἅπαξ λεγόμ. which has been variously rendered read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Genesis 49:1-33

- Jacob Blesses His Sons5. מכרה mekêrāh, “weapon;” related: כיר kārar or כרה kārāh dig. “Device, design?” related: מכר mākar “sell,” in Arabic “take counsel. Habitation.”10. מחקק mechoqēq, “lawgiver, judge, dispenser of laws.” This word occurs in six other places - Numbers 21:18; Deuteronomy 33:21; Jud. Deuteronomy 5:14; Psalms 60:9; Psalms 108:9; Isaiah 33:22; in five of which it clearly denotes ruler, or judge. The meaning “sceptre” is therefore doubtful. שׁילה shı̂ylôh, Shiloh, a... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Genesis 49:3-4

Genesis 49:3-4 . Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might Begotten in the prime and vigour of my days; the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power Such were the prerogatives of the birthright, which he would have enjoyed had he not forfeited and fallen from them by his sin; dignity above his brethren, and considerable power over them. Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel As water is prone to flow, and still tends downward to an inferior situation, so Reuben should fall from... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Genesis 49:5

Genesis 49:5. Simeon and Levi are brethren In disposition, but unlike their father: they were passionate and revengeful, fierce and wilful; instruments of cruelty are in their inhabitations, or, as מכרתיהם mecherotheihem rather signifies, their counsels, or compacts, alluding to their treacherous agreement with the Shechemites: their swords, which should have been only weapons of defence, were (as the margin reads it) weapons of violence, to do wrong to others, not to save... read more

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