The story of Joseph and the family of Jacob goes down to Egypt continued
4. Jacob’s death bed prophecy over his sons, the burial and mourning of Jacob.
5. The conclusion of the story of Joseph with Joseph reassuring his brothers that he bears them no ill will as they feared he would seek revenge upon them. He told them that what they did to him for harm God turned it into good.
6. Joseph also told his brothers that God will surely visit them to bring them back to the land He promised to their forefathers and to carry his bones from Egypt to that land Genesis 50:24-25.
3. Jacob and his family come down to Egypt
⦁ Pharaoh hears of the reunion between Joseph and his brothers and tells Joseph to send for his father and to have his brothers take the best of the land with wagons to bring his father and their wives and children down to Egypt
Genesis 45:16-28
16 When the report was heard in Pharaoh's house that Joseph's brothers had come, it pleased Pharaoh and his servants well.
17 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, Tell your brothers this: Load your animals and return to the land of Canaan,
18 And get your father and your households and come to me. And I will give you the best in the land of Egypt and you will live on the fat of the land.
19 You therefore command them, saying, You do this: take wagons from the land of Egypt for your little ones and for your wives, and bring your father and come.
20 Also do not look with regret or concern upon your goods, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.
21 And the sons of Israel did so; and Joseph gave them wagons, as the order of Pharaoh permitted, and gave them provisions for the journey.
22 To each of them he gave changes of raiment, but to Benjamin he gave 300 pieces of silver and five changes of raiment.
23 And to his father he sent as follows: ten donkeys loaded with the good things of Egypt, and ten she-donkeys laden with grain, bread, and nourishing food and provision for his father [to supply all who were with him] on the way.
24 So he sent his brothers away, and they departed, and he said to them, See that you do not disagree (get excited, quarrel) along the road.
25 So they went up out of Egypt and came into the land of Canaan to Jacob their father,
26 And they said to him, Joseph is still alive! And he is governor over all the land of Egypt! And Jacob's heart began to stop beating and [he almost] fainted, for he did not believe them.
27 But when they told him all the words of Joseph which he had said to them, and when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived [and warmth and life returned].
28 And Israel said, It is enough! Joseph my son is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.
3a God speaks to Jacob the number of persons who goes down to Egypt and Jacob meets with Joseph at last.
⦁ God appears to Jacob and tells him that He will be with him when he goes down to Egypt and that He will bring him and his family back up from Egypt again. Also while they are there in Egypt God will make of them a great nation.
⦁ This chapter lists the names of Jacob’s sons and their children. It will be four generations later that they will come up out of Egypt under the leadership of Moses the future descendant of Levi.
⦁ There is a touching scene of the reunion between Joseph and Jacob who haven’t seen each other for more than twenty years.
Genesis 46:1-30
1 SO ISRAEL made his journey with all that he had and came to Beersheba [a place hallowed by sacred memories] and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.
2 And God spoke to Israel in visions of the night, and said, Jacob! Jacob! And he said, Here am I.
3 And He said, I am God, the God of your father; do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will there make of you a great nation.
4 I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you [your people Israel] up again; and Joseph will put his hand upon your eyes [when they are about to close in death].
5 So Jacob arose and set out from Beersheba, and Israel's sons conveyed their father, their little ones, and their wives in the wagons that Pharaoh had sent to carry him.
6 And they took their cattle and the gains which they had acquired in the land of Canaan and came into Egypt, Jacob and all his offspring with him:
7 His sons and his sons' sons with him, his daughters and his sons' daughters--all his offspring he brought with him into Egypt.
8 And these are the names of the descendants of Israel who came into Egypt, Jacob and his sons: Reuben, Jacob's firstborn.
9 And the sons of Reuben: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.
10 The sons of Simeon: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman.
11 The sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
12 The sons of Judah: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah; but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. And the sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul.
13 The sons of Issachar: Tola, Puvah, Iob, and Shimron.
14 The sons of Zebulun: Sered, Elon, and Jahleel.
15 These are the sons of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob in Padan-aram, together with his daughter Dinah. All of his sons and his daughters numbered thirty-three.
16 The sons of Gad: Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli.
17 The sons of Asher: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, and Serah their sister. And the sons of Beriah: Heber and Malchiel.
18 These are the sons of Zilpah, [the maid] whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter. And these she bore to Jacob--sixteen persons all told.
19 The sons of Rachel, Jacob's wife: Joseph and Benjamin.
20 And to Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, whom Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, bore to him.
21 And the sons of Benjamin: Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard.
22 These are the sons of Rachel, who were born to Jacob--fourteen persons in all.
23 The son of Dan: Hushim.
24 The sons of Naphtali: Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem.
25 These are the sons of Bilhah, [the maid] whom Laban gave to Rachel his daughter. And she bore these to Jacob--seven persons in all.
26 All the persons who came with Jacob into Egypt--who were his own offspring, not counting the wives of Jacob's sons--were sixty-six persons all told.
27 And the sons of Joseph, who were born to him in Egypt, were two persons. All the persons of the house of Jacob [including Joseph and Jacob himself], who came into Egypt, were seventy.
28 And he sent Judah before him to Joseph, to direct him to Goshen and meet him there; and they came into the land of Goshen.
29 Then Joseph made ready his chariot and went up to meet Israel his father in Goshen; and he presented himself and gave distinct evidence of himself to him [that he was Joseph], and [each] fell on the [other's] neck and wept on his neck a good while.
30 And Israel said to Joseph, Now let me die, since I have seen your face [and know] that you are still alive.
3b Jacob appears before Pharaoh and blesses him
Genesis 47:7-12
7 Then Joseph brought in Jacob his father and presented him before Pharaoh; and Jacob blessed Pharaoh.
8 And Pharaoh asked Jacob, How old are you?
9 Jacob said to Pharaoh, The days of the years of my pilgrimage are 130 years; few and evil have the days of the years of my life been, and they have [a]not attained to those of the life of my fathers in their pilgrimage.
10 And Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out from his presence.
11 Joseph settled his father and brethren and gave them a possession in Egypt in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses (Goshen), as Pharaoh commanded.
12 And Joseph supplied his father and his brethren and all his father's household with food, according to [the needs of] their families.
3c Jacob makes Joseph swear an oath to him that he will not be buried in Egypt but in the land of his fathers.
Genesis 47:27-31
27 And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they gained possessions there and grew and multiplied exceedingly.
28 And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years; so Jacob reached the age of 147 years.
29 When the time drew near that Israel must die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, If now I have found favor in your sight, put your hand under my thigh and [promise to] deal loyally and faithfully with me. Do not bury me, I beg of you, in Egypt,
30 But let me lie with my fathers; you shall carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burying place. And [Joseph] said, I will do as you have directed.
31 Then Jacob said, Swear to me [that you will do it]. And he swore to him. And Israel bowed himself upon the head of the bed.
3d Jacob adopts Joseph’s two sons to be his and blesses them.
I won’t add any comments because the footnotes to this passage says it all.
Genesis 48:1-22
1 SOME TIME after these things occurred, someone told Joseph, Behold, your father is sick. And he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim [and went to Goshen].
2 When Jacob was told, Your son Joseph has come to you, Israel collected his strength and sat up on the bed.
3 And Jacob said to Joseph, God Almighty appeared to me at Luz [Bethel] in the land of Canaan and blessed me
4 And said to me, Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make you a multitude of people and will give this land to your descendants after you as an everlasting possession.
5 And now your two sons, [Ephraim and Manasseh], who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine. [I am adopting them, and now] as Reuben and Simeon, [they] shall be mine.
6 But other sons who may be born after them shall be your own; and they shall be called after the names of these [two] brothers and reckoned as belonging to them [when they come] into their inheritance.
7 And as for me, when I came from Padan, Rachel died at my side in the land of Canaan on the way, when yet there was but a little way to come to Ephrath; and I buried her there on the way to Ephrath, that is, Bethlehem.
8 When Israel [almost blind] saw Joseph's sons, he said, Who are these?
9 And Joseph said to his father, They are my sons, whom God has given me in this place. And he said, Bring them to me, I pray you, that I may bless them.
10 Now Israel's eyes were dim from age, so that he could not see. And Joseph brought them near to him, and he kissed and embraced them.
11 Israel said to Joseph, I had not thought that I would see your face, but see, God has shown me your offspring also.
12 Then Joseph took [the boys] from [his father's embrace] and he bowed [before him] with his face to the earth.
13 Then Joseph took both [boys], Ephraim with his right hand toward Israel's left, and Manasseh with his left hand toward Israel's right, and brought them close to him.
14 And Israel reached out his right hand and laid it on the head of Ephraim, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh's head, crossing his hands intentionally, for Manasseh was the firstborn.
15 Then [Jacob] blessed Joseph and said, God [Himself ], before Whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac lived and walked habitually, God [Himself ], Who has [been my Shepherd and has led and] fed me from the time I came into being until this day,
16 The redeeming Angel [that is, the Angel the Redeemer--not a created being but the Lord Himself] Who has redeemed me continually from every evil, bless the lads! And let my name be perpetuated in them [may they be worthy of having their names coupled with mine], and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them become a multitude in the midst of the earth.
17 When Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on Ephraim's head, it displeased him; and he held up his father's hand to move it to Manasseh's head.
18 And Joseph said, Not so, my father, for this is the firstborn; put your right hand upon his head.
19 But his father refused and said, I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people and shall be great; but his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his off spring shall become a multitude of nations.
20 And he blessed them that day, saying, By you shall Israel bless [one another], saying, May God make you like Ephraim and like Manasseh. And he set Ephraim before Manasseh.
21 And Israel said to Joseph, Behold, I [am about to] die, but God will be with you and bring you again to the land of your fathers.
22 Moreover, I have given to you [Joseph] one portion [Shechem, one mountain slope] more than any of your brethren, which I took [reclaiming it] out of the hand of the Amorites with my sword and with my bow.
Footnotes:
Genesis 48:14 God acts independently of the claims of priority based on time of birth when He chooses men. He too "crossed His hands" in the case of Seth whom He chose over Cain; of Shem over Japheth; of Isaac over Ishmael; of Jacob over Esau; of Judah and Joseph over Reuben; of Moses over Aaron; of David over all his brothers; and of Mary over Martha.
Genesis 48:16 The "Angel of the Lord" is here identified as Christ Himself.
Genesis 48:19 This prophecy begins to be fulfilled "from the days of the judges onward, as the tribe of Ephraim in power and compass so increased that it became the head of the northern ten tribes, and its name became of like significance with that of Israel; although, in the time of Moses, Manasseh still outnumbered Ephraim by 20,000" (Karl F. Keil and F. Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament). Joshua, whom Israel so long regarded as their ruler, was an Ephraimite. The ark of the covenant was placed in Shiloh in the territory of Ephraim, which increased the tribe's prestige. How could Jacob have prophesied Ephraim's supremacy so positively except by divine inspiration?
3e Further notes on Jacob's adoption of Joseph's two sons and his making them as his two elder sons
Genesis 48:3-6
3 And Jacob said to Joseph, God Almighty appeared to me at Luz [Bethel] in the land of Canaan and blessed me
4 And said to me, Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make you a multitude of people and will give this land to your descendants after you as an everlasting possession.
5 And now your two sons, [Ephraim and Manasseh], who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine. [I am adopting them, and now] as Reuben and Simeon, [they] shall be mine.
6 But other sons who may be born after them shall be your own; and they shall be called after the names of these [two] brothers and reckoned as belonging to them [when they come] into their inheritance.
- In regards to Ephraim and Manasseh we tend to forget the two sons of Joseph were adopted by Jacob to be his sons and they were to be as though they were his first born sons.
- By doing this Jacob had passed right over Reuben and Simeon as first born sons or heirs to the birthright and blessing of the first born.
- I will deal with the birthright and blessing of the first born in point 4.
- Often Israel is called Ephraim as well so the youngest son of Joseph became a great people.
- In fact for the first few hundred years when Israel was settling into the Promised Land the tribe of Ephraim was the key or leading tribe as seen in the footnotes above.
- It was the tribe in which the tent/ tabernacle of the Lord with the Ark of the Covenant dwelt for a number of years during the time of judges right up to when Samuel was serving Eli. Samuel went onto become the last judge of Israel before there were kings to rule over Israel.
Short side note on the Ark going from Shiloh to Jerusalem from the tribe of Ephraim to the tribe of Judah.
- During the days of Eli God had the Ark captured by the Philistines then for over 80 years it was housed in the house of Abinadab. You can read about this in 1 Samuel chapters 1-6.
- There it stayed until the time of King David and when he captured Jerusalem.
- Jerusalem is also called the city of David.
2 Samuel 5:6-9
6 And the king and his men went to Jerusalem unto the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land: which spake unto David, saying, Except thou take away the blind and the lame, thou shalt not come in hither: thinking, David cannot come in hither.
7 Nevertheless David took the strong hold of Zion: the same is the city of David.
8 And David said on that day, Whosoever getteth up to the gutter, and smiteth the Jebusites, and the lame and the blind that are hated of David's soul, he shall be chief and captain. Wherefore they said, The blind and the lame shall not come into the house.
9 So David dwelt in the fort, and called it the city of David. And David built round about from Millo and inward.
- So the Ark of the Lord passed from Shiloh to Jerusalem from the tribe of Ephraim to the tribe of Judah.
- This is important to remember for in point 4 Jacob prophesies over his sons and of Judah he says the sceptre of Judah shall remain until Shiloh comes and Shiloh is Jesus and also the place that the Lord would choose to put His name for all of Israel to worship Him is Jerusalem.
- I have spoken on this in other blog posts the importance of Jerusalem to God so will not go further into this here.
1 Samuel 7:1
1 And the men of Kirjathjearim came, and fetched up the ark of the Lord, and brought it into the house of Abinadab in the hill, and sanctified Eleazar his son to keep the ark of the Lord.
2 Samuel 6:1-17
1 Again, David gathered together all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand.
2 And David arose, and went with all the people that were with him from Baale of Judah, to bring up from thence the ark of God, whose name is called by the name of the Lord of hosts that dwelleth between the cherubims.
3 And they set the ark of God upon a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab that was in Gibeah: and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drave the new cart.
4 And they brought it out of the house of Abinadab which was at Gibeah, accompanying the ark of God: and Ahio went before the ark.
5 And David and all the house of Israel played before the Lord on all manner of instruments made of fir wood, even on harps, and on psalteries, and on timbrels, and on cornets, and on cymbals.
6 And when they came to Nachon's threshingfloor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it.
7 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God.
8 And David was displeased, because the Lord had made a breach upon Uzzah: and he called the name of the place Perezuzzah to this day.
9 And David was afraid of the Lord that day, and said, How shall the ark of the Lord come to me?
10 So David would not remove the ark of the Lord unto him into the city of David: but David carried it aside into the house of Obededom the Gittite.
11 And the ark of the Lord continued in the house of Obededom the Gittite three months: and the Lord blessed Obededom, and all his household.
12 And it was told king David, saying, The Lord hath blessed the house of Obededom, and all that pertaineth unto him, because of the ark of God. So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obededom into the city of David with gladness.
13 And it was so, that when they that bare the ark of the Lord had gone six paces, he sacrificed oxen and fatlings.
14 And David danced before the Lord with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod.
15 So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet.
16 And as the ark of the Lord came into the city of David, Michal Saul's daughter looked through a window, and saw king David leaping and dancing before the Lord; and she despised him in her heart.
17 And they brought in the ark of the Lord, and set it in his place, in the midst of the tabernacle that David had pitched for it: and David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord.
The role of Benjamin in connection to Judah in the nation of Israel
The role of Benjamin in connection to Judah in the nation of Israel
- As I had mentioned above Shiloh was abandoned as the chief place for worship of the Lord until the time of King David even during the time of King Saul there was no clear place of fixed worship.
- Even Benjamin had a role to play in ruling Israel through King Saul. For King Saul was from the tribe of Benjamin.
20 And when Samuel had caused all the tribes of Israel to come near, the tribe of Benjamin was taken.
21 When he had caused the tribe of Benjamin to come near by their families, the family of Matri was taken, and Saul the son of Kish was taken: and when they sought him, he could not be found.
22 Therefore they enquired of the Lord further, if the man should yet come thither. And the Lord answered, Behold he hath hid himself among the stuff.
23 And they ran and fetched him thence: and when he stood among the people, he was higher than any of the people from his shoulders and upward.
24 And Samuel said to all the people, See ye him whom the Lord hath chosen, that there is none like him among all the people? And all the people shouted, and said, God save the king.
1 Samuel 11:14-15
14 Then said Samuel to the people, Come, and let us go to Gilgal, and renew the kingdom there.
15 And all the people went to Gilgal; and there they made Saul king before the Lord in Gilgal; and there they sacrificed sacrifices of peace offerings before the Lord; and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.
- The reason why there is a connectedness between Benjamin and Judah is this, when the sons of Jacob went down to Egypt the second time to buy food.
- Judah took responsibility for Benjamin to look after him so that he could bring him back safely to Jacob.
8 And Judah said unto Israel his father, Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go; that we may live, and not die, both we, and thou, and also our little ones.
9 I will be surety for him; of my hand shalt thou require him: if I bring him not unto thee, and set him before thee, then let me bear the blame for ever:
- When the land of Israel was divided up under Joshua both the tribe of Judah and Benjamin had a share in the city of Jerusalem as their inheritance.
- I am only giving the verses showing how both Judah and Benjamin have a share in Jerusalem.
28 And Zelah, Eleph, and Jebusi, which is Jerusalem, Gibeath, and Kirjath; fourteen cities with their villages. This is the inheritance of the children of Benjamin according to their families.
Joshua 15:8, 63
8 And the border went up by the valley of the son of Hinnom unto the south side of the Jebusite; the same is Jerusalem: and the border went up to the top of the mountain that lieth before the valley of Hinnom westward, which is at the end of the valley of the giants northward:
63 As for the Jebusites the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the children of Judah could not drive them out; but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Judah at Jerusalem unto this day.
- So the tribe of Benjamin ruled Israel through Saul until David was born and could grow into manhood and maturity. Then when the time was right God had David rule over Israel and Judah.
- One day Jesus who is the chief descendant of David will rule from Jerusalem as her civil/ political leader as a king and rule spiritually as a priest a priest king.
- For that is who he is a Priest King after the order of Melchizedek. He will be called by a new name the Lord our righteousness
Jeremiah 23:5-6
5 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.
6 In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, The Lord Our Righteousness.
4. Jacob’s Prophesies over his sons and death of Jacob.
⦁ Jacob prophesied over his sons and foretells what each one will become.
The main focus is on the tribe of Judah that he will be the head of the tribes; this is the tribe of the Messiah, because of the wicked deeds his three older sons had done Jacob by passes them and makes Judah the head tribe as the first born.
⦁ Remember Reuben slept with his father’s secondary wife Rachel’s maid Genesis 35:22.
Both Simeon and Levi through deception weakened a town and violently went up against honorable people Genesis 33;18-34:31.
None of these three sons were suitable to lead the tribes of Israel.
⦁ Judah proved responsible and was willing to be accountable to his father and take care of Benjamin his younger brother to make sure that he will return safely to his father Jacob once more.
He even was the one to confess their guilt to Joseph. So he became the ruling tribe but this was in the distant future.
⦁ However the blessing of the first born passes to the two sons of Joseph who were adopted by Jacob as his as though they were his natural born sons, they become the two half tribes of Israel Ephraim and Manasseh.
⦁ Though Judah inherited the birthright, Joseph inherited the blessings of the first born.
Yet they come back to God anyway through Yeshua who is the first born of the Father and inherits all the blessings of Father.
He is our sufficiency for it is by and through Yeshua we are blessed in heavenly places and we inherit when He comes into His inheritance but most importantly He is our inheritance.
⦁ Genesis 49 and accompanying footnotes with cross references to the passage.
Genesis 49:1-33
1 AND JACOB called for his sons and said, Gather yourselves together [around me], that I may tell you what shall befall you in the latter or last days.
2 Gather yourselves together and hear, you sons of Jacob; and hearken to Israel your father.
3 Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, the beginning (the firstfruits) of my manly strength and vigor; [your birthright gave you] the preeminence in dignity and the preeminence in power.
4 But unstable and boiling over like water, you shall not excel and have the preeminence [of the firstborn], because you went to your father's bed; you defiled it--he went to my couch!
5 Simeon and Levi are brothers [equally headstrong, deceitful, vindictive, and cruel]; their swords are weapons of violence.
6 O my soul, come not into their secret council; unto their assembly let not my honor be united [for I knew nothing of their plot], because in their anger they slew men [an honored man, Shechem, and the Shechemites], and in their self-will they disabled oxen.
7 Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce, and their wrath, for it was cruel. I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel.
8 Judah, you are the one whom your brothers shall praise; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father's sons shall bow down to you.
9 Judah, a lion's cub! With the prey, my son, you have gone high up [the mountain]. He stooped down, he crouched like a lion, and like a lioness--who dares provoke and rouse him?
10 The scepter or leadership shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until Shiloh [the Messiah, the Peaceful One] comes to Whom it belongs, and to Him shall be the obedience of the people
11 Binding His foal to the vine and His donkey's colt to the choice vine, He washes His garments in wine and His clothes in the blood of grapes. Cross reference Isaiah 63:1-61. Revelation 19:11-16.
12 His eyes are darker and more sparkling than wine, and His teeth whiter than milk.
13 Zebulun shall live toward the seashore, and he shall be a haven and a landing place for ships; and his border shall be toward Sidon.
14 Issachar is a strong-boned donkey crouching down between the sheepfolds.
15 And he saw that rest was good and that the land was pleasant; and he bowed his shoulder to bear [his burdens] and became a servant to tribute [subjected to forced labor].
16 Dan shall judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel.
17 Dan shall be a serpent by the way, a horned snake in the path, that bites at the horse's heels, so that his rider falls backward.
18 I wait for Your salvation, O Lord.
19 Gad--a raiding troop shall raid him, but he shall raid at their heels and assault them [victoriously].
20 Asher's food [supply] shall be rich and fat, and he shall yield and deliver royal delights.
21 Naphtali is a hind let loose which yields lovely fawns.
22 Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a well (spring or fountain), whose branches run over the wall.
23 Skilled archers have bitterly attacked and sorely worried him; they have shot at him and persecuted him.
24 But his bow remained strong and steady and rested in the Strength that does not fail him, for the arms of his hands were made strong and active by the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob, by the name of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,
25 By the God of your father, Who will help you, and by the Almighty, Who will bless you with blessings of the heavens above, blessings lying in the deep beneath, blessings of the breasts and of the womb.
26 The blessings of your father [on you] are greater than the blessings of my forefathers [Abraham and Isaac on me] and are as lasting as the bounties of the eternal hills; they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him who was the consecrated one and the one separated from his brethren and [the one who] is prince among them.
27 Benjamin is a ravenous wolf, in the morning devouring the prey and at night dividing the spoil.
28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them as he blessed them, blessing each one according to the blessing suited to him.
29 He charged them and said to them, I am to be gathered to my [departed] people; bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite,
30 In the cave in the field at Machpelah, east of Mamre in the land of Canaan, that Abraham bought, along with the field of Ephron the Hittite, to possess as a cemetery.
31 There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife, there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah.
32 The purchase of the field and the cave that is in it was from the sons of Heth.
33 When Jacob had finished commanding his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed and breathed his last and was gathered to his [departed] people.
Footnotes:
Genesis 49:1 See Deut. 33, where Moses blesses the same tribes in a similar prophetic way.
Genesis 49:3 Reuben was the eldest of Jacob's twelve sons and therefore entitled to the birthright, which would make him successor to his father as head of the family or tribe and inheritor of a double portion of his father's estate. But Reuben forfeited all this by his conduct with Bilhah, his father's concubine (Gen. 35:22). By adopting Joseph's two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, and giving each of them a portion of the inheritance, Jacob virtually gave Joseph Reuben's extra portion of the land. And Judah became the tribal leader in Reuben's place (Gen. 49:8-10).
Genesis 49:4 The whole fertile territory once occupied by the tribe of Reuben has long since been deserted by its settled inhabitants and given up to the nomad tribes of the desert. Reuben did "not excel," and even before Jacob's death he had lost his "preeminence of the firstborn" (John D. Davis, A Dictionary of the Bible).
Genesis 49:7 This was literally fulfilled. Levi got no inheritance except 48 towns scattered throughout different parts of Canaan. As to Simeon, they were originally given only a few towns and villages in Judah's lot (Josh. 19:1). Afterward, needing more room, they formed colonies in districts which they conquered from the Idumeans and the Amalekites I Chron 4:39, 40. (Adam Clarke, The Holy Bible with A Commentary).
Genesis 49:27 The tribe of Benjamin is fitly compared to a ravenous wolf because of the rude courage and ferocity which they invariably displayed, particularly in their war with the other tribes, in which they killed more men than all of their own numbers combined (Adam Clarke, The Holy Bible with A Commentary). The tribe was absorbed by the tribe of Judah and is not mentioned after the return from the Babylonian captivity, except in connection with its former land or as the source of some individual person. Ehud, Saul, Jonathan, and the apostle Paul were Benjamites.
Cross references:
Genesis 49:4 : Gen 35:22
Genesis 49:5 : Gen 34:25-29
Genesis 49:9 : Rev 5:5
Genesis 49:10 : Num versionAMP" 24:17; Ps 60:7
Genesis 49:11 : Isa 63:1-3; ;Zech9:9;Rev19:11-16
Genesis 49:24 : Gen 48:15;
Genesis 49:30 : Gen 23:17-20
- Joseph ordered the Egyptian physicians to embalm Jacob.
- Jacob was greatly honored by the Egyptians in his death, they mourned for him for seventy days as one would mourn for royalty.
- Even Pharoah honored Jacob and allowed Joseph to go up and bury his father and along with him went the nobles of Egypt.
- A very great company from the nobles and elders of Egypt went up with Joseph to bury his father along with his brothers. They made such a mourning for him when they arrived in the land of Canaan they made such a mourning for Jacob that even the Canaanites took notice of it.
- Truly the one who was once a supplanter a swindler God honored Jacob in his death. For he was buried as a Prince a man worthy of honor and respect was mourned in his passing.
- He truly was one who contended with God and man and prevailed he lived up to his name Israel.
- This was the man who was to found the nation of Israel and His sons were to go on to multiply and become a great number of people in the land of Egypt
1 THEN JOSEPH fell upon his father's face and wept over him and kissed him.
2 And Joseph ordered his servants the physicians to embalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Israel.
3 Then forty days were devoted [to this purpose] for him, for that is the customary number of days required for those who are embalmed. And the Egyptians wept and bemoaned him [as they would for royalty] for seventy days.
4 And when the days of his weeping and deep grief were past, Joseph said to [the nobles of] the house of Pharaoh, If now I have found grace in your eyes, speak, I pray you, to Pharaoh [for Joseph was dressed in mourning and could not do so himself], saying,
5 My father made me swear, saying, I am about to die; in my tomb which I hewed out for myself in the land of Canaan, there you shall bury me. So now let me go up, I pray you, and bury my father, and I will come again.
6 And Pharaoh said, Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear.
7 And Joseph went up [to Canaan] to bury his father; and with him went all the officials of Pharaoh--the nobles of his court, and the elders of his house and all the nobles and elders of the land of Egypt--
8 And all the household of Joseph and his brethren and his father's household. Only their little ones and their flocks and herds they left in the land of Goshen.
9 And there went with [Joseph] both chariots and horsemen; and it was a very great company.
10 And they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond [west of] the Jordan, and there they mourned with a great lamentation and extreme demonstrations of sorrow [according to Egyptian custom]; and [Joseph] made a mourning for his father seven days.
11 When the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning at the floor of Atad, they said, This is a grievous mourning for the Egyptians. Therefore the place was called Abel-mizraim [mourning of Egypt]; it is west of the Jordan.
12 Thus [Jacob's] sons did for him as he had commanded them.
13 For his sons carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, east of Mamre, which Abraham bought, along with the field, for a possession as a burying place from Ephron the Hittite.
14 After he had buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, he and his brethren and all who had gone up with him.
5 Joseph’s brothers appeal to Joseph not to ill treat them
- Joseph’s brothers were so concerned that after their father's Jacob’s death Joseph would get revenge on his brothers for what they did to him in selling him into slavery.
- They were prepared to be his slaves but Joseph was very gracious and did not hold unforgiveness in his heart towards his brothers he had forgiven them.
- For he said that his brothers thought to do evil against him, the Lord turned it into good as he told his brothers that he was not in the place of God to take revenge on them and that God had sent him ahead of them to preserve life.
- Joseph gave the best of the land of Egypt to his family and he gave them food whereas the Egyptians had to sell themselves and their animals to get food off Joseph.
- Likewise too at the end God will look after those who are His by feeding them through raising up people to prepare places of refuge for people to run to during the Great Tribulation,
- These places of refuge will be like little sanctuaries in the nations and they will be used by God to hide His Jewish people who will make up the remnant in Him. Some will be believers in Yeshua and some will become believers at His return.
- Some may be Christians on the run. God will have store houses prepared for the time of the Great Tribulation during the time of the false peace. During this time people can get things done before severe persecution comes upon the Christians and Jews.
- So too Jesus when handed over by the Jewish religious leaders to Pontius Pilate to be put to death He didn’t hold unforgiveness towards His people or those Romans putting Him on the cross.
- He prayed for them and for all humanity for His Father to forgive them for they knew not what they are doing in putting Him to death.
- God sent His Son to earth to preserve life by His atoning death.
Luke 23:33-34
33 And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.
34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.
- Likewise God sent Joseph to Egypt to preserve the life of Jacob and his brothers through giving them food so that they will become a numerous people out of whom will come the Messiah of the whole world.
15 When Joseph's brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, Perhaps now Joseph will hate us and will pay us back for all the evil we did to him.
16 And they sent a messenger to Joseph, saying, Your father commanded before he died, saying,
17 So shall you say to Joseph: Forgive (take up and away all resentment and all claim to requital concerning), I pray you now, the trespass of your brothers and their sin, for they did evil to you. Now, we pray you, forgive the trespass of the servants of your father's God. And Joseph wept when they spoke thus to him.
18 Then his brothers went and fell down before him, saying, See, we are your servants (your slaves)!
19 And Joseph said to them, Fear not; for am I in the place of God? [Vengeance is His, not mine.]
20 As for you, you thought evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring about that many people should be kept alive, as they are this day.
21 Now therefore, do not be afraid. I will provide for and support you and your little ones. And he comforted them [imparting cheer, hope, strength] and spoke to their hearts [kindly].
22 Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he and his father's household. And Joseph lived 110 years.
23 And Joseph saw Ephraim's children of the third generation; the children also of Machir son of Manasseh were brought up on Joseph's knees.
6. Joseph before his death takes an oath from his brothers that he will be buried in Canaan in the cave of his fathers.
Reiterates the promise that God will bring them up from Egypt back to land He promised to give to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Genesis 50:24-26
24 And Joseph said to his brethren, I am going to die. But God will surely visit you and bring you out of this land to the land He swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob [to give you].
25 And Joseph took an oath from the sons of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and you will carry up my bones from here.
26 So Joseph died, being 110 years old; and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.
Footnotes:
Genesis 50:26 Joseph's body remained in Egypt until the exodus to the promised land of Canaan about 200 years later. Its final resting-place was Shechem, near Samaria, "in the parcel of ground which Jacob bought from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem" (Josh. 24:32).
Joshua 24:32
32 And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt, buried they in Shechem, in a parcel of ground which Jacob bought of the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for an hundred pieces of silver: and it became the inheritance of the children of Joseph.
Here is a reference to the burial of Jacob and Joseph in Acts 7.
Acts 7:15-16
15 And Jacob went down into Egypt, where he himself died, as did [also] our forefathers;
16 And their bodies [Jacob's and Joseph's] were taken back to Shechem and laid in the tomb which Abraham had purchased for a sum of [silver] money from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.
- Here is the end of Part B section 2 on the life of Joseph.
- Before I continue on with the life of Moses.
- I will do another news flash because there has been a lot of interesting things going on since I last put in a news flash a couple of weeks ago.
