Genesis 49:13 - Exposition

Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea ;—not παρ ὅρμον πλοίων ( LXX .), in statione navium (Vulgate), but to, or at, or beside, the. shore (from the idea of being washed by the waters of the ocean) of the waters, i.e. of the Galilean and Mediterranean seas— and he shall be for an haven of ships ;—literally, and he to, at, or on, a shore of ships, i.e. a shore where ships are unloaded ( so . shall dwell), the words being a repetition of the previous thought, with only the expansion, suggested by the term ships, that Zebulun's calling should be in the direction of commerce;— and his border shall be unto Zidon —literally, and his side, or hinder part (sc. shall be, or extend), towards, rather than unto,— usque ad (Vulgate), ἕως ( LXX .) ,—Zidon, since the territory subsequently allotted to Zebulun neither actually touched the Mediterranean, nor reached to Zidon—a circumstance that may be noted as an indirect hint that this prophecy was not spoken, or even first written, after the occupation of the land.