Genesis 48:15-16 - Exposition

And he blessed Joseph ( i.e. in his sons), and said, God ,—literally, the Elohim . The use of Elohim in a passage ( Genesis 48:15-19 ) which is undoubtedly Jehovistic in its import, and is by advanced critics (Davidson, Colenso) assigned to that writer, has been explained (Hengstenberg) as an indication that " the great spiritual Sun, Jehovah, was at that time," viz; at the entrance of the captivity, "concealed behind a cloud from the chosen race;" but, without resorting to any such doubtful hypothesis, it is sufficient to observe that Jacob practically identities the Elohim spoken of with Jehovah, while by using the former expression he conveys the thought that the blessing about to be pronounced proceeded forth, not from Deity in general, but from the particular Elohim who had graciously manifested himself in the manner after described— before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk ,—(cf. Genesis 17:1 ; Genesis 24:40 ) the God here referred to was one who had "a face," or manifested presence; in other words, was Jehovah— the God which fed me —literally, the Elohim shepherding me (cf. Psalms 23:1 ; Psalms 28:9 )— all my life long— literally, from as yet (sc. I was), i.e. from the beginning of my existence, ἐξ νεότητος ( LXX .)— unto this day, the Angel —the Maleach here spoken of cannot possibly be a creature, since he is explicitly identified with Elohim, but must have been the Jehovah Angel with whom Jacob wrestled at the ford of Jabbok ( Genesis 2:23 ). The reading of the Samaritan codex, הַמֶּלֶךְ , the king, is open to suspicion— which redeemed me from all evil ,—literally, the (sc. angel) redeeming me ; the first use of the term goel, from גָּאַל , to buy back or redeem (Gesenius), to separate or untie (Furst), or to stain as with blood, hence to be stained or polluted, as one who suffers a kinsman's blood to go unavenged, hence to remove the stain of blood by taking vengeance on the murderer (Taylor Lewis). Applied under the law to the next of kin (Le Genesis 25:25 ; Genesis 27:13 , Genesis 27:15 , Genesis 27:19 , &c; &c.;), it is also used of God redeeming men, and especially Israel, from captivity ( Exodus 6:6 ; Isaiah 43:1 ). In this sense it was employed by Jacob (cf. Genesis 48:16 with Genesis 49:18 ) and by Job ( Job 19:21 ) to describe the Divine Rescuer who had delivered them from ill both temporal and spiritual, and who was to complete his emancipating work by ultimately ransoming them from the power of the grave. The Goel to whom both Jacob and Job looked forward, and of whom both Moses and the prophets testified, was Christ ( Galatians 3:11 ; Titus 2:14 ; 1 Peter 1:18 )— bless the lads . The singular verb suggests to Luther the reflection that the writer " conjungit in uno opere benedicendi tres personas, Deum Patrem, Deum Pastorem, et Angelum, " from which he draws the obvious conclusion, " aunt igitur hi tres unus Deus et unus benedictor ." And let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac ;—literally, and my name and the name of my fathers shall be named in them, i.e. they shall be counted my sons and the children of my ancestors, though born of thee (Calvin, Rosenmüller, Lawson, Murphy, Wordsworth, and others); or, May this name be preserved by them, and the race of Abraham propagated by them? may the fathers and I live in them! (Gerlach, Kalisch); or, what seems more appropriate than either, May the grace and salvation enjoyed by my fathers and myself be renewed in them! (Keil, Lange)— and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth . The original conveys the sense of swarming like the fishes of the sea, the ἀπαξ λεγόμενον, דָּגָה (from which comes the term דָּג , a fish, from being so wonderfully prolific), signifying to cover over with a multitude (vide Gesenius, 'Lexicon,' sub voce ).