Genesis 49:26

26. Enduring mountains… everlasting hills This version adheres strictly to the natural meaning of the words, sustains the parallelism, and seems, therefore, much preferable to the more common reading, blessings of my progenitors unto the bounds of the everlasting hills . To sustain this latter we must derive הורי from הרה , and use it in a sense which has no parallel or support elsewhere in Hebrew; and also use תאוה in a sense which it nowhere else has . The parallel passage (Deuteronomy 33:15-16) is also against this interpretation. The blessings of the mountains, and the desire (or desirable things) of the hills, poetically denote all natural beauties, products, health-fulness and defences which one might desire in a pleasant land; and the thought here is, that Jacob’s blessing pronounced on Joseph surpasses all such blessings of the hills.

They shall be for the head They are destined to the head, or shall come upon the head, of Joseph; allusion to the custom of putting the hand upon one’s head in blessing. The consecrated נזיר, the Nazir, the separated one . From this root we have the word Nazarite, one consecrated and set apart by some sacred vow . Joseph was the separated one among his brothers .