Gather yourselves together — Let them all be sent for to see their father die, and to hear his dying words. "Twas a comfort to Jacob, now he was dying, to see all his children about him tho' he had sometimes thought himself bereaved: 'twas of use to them to attend him in his last moments, that they... [ Continue Reading ]
Hearken to Israel your father — Let Israel that has prevailed with God, prevail with you.... [ Continue Reading ]
Reuben thou art my first — born — Jacob here puts upon him the ornaments of the birth — right, that he and all his brethren might see what he had forfeited and in that might see the evil of his sin. As the first — born he was his father's joy, being the beginning of his strength. To him belonged the... [ Continue Reading ]
Thou shalt not excel — A being thou shalt have as a tribe, but not an excellency. No judge, prophet, or prince, are found of that tribe, nor any person of renown only Dathan and Abiram, who were noted for their impious rebellion. That tribe, as not aiming to excel, chose a settlement on the other si... [ Continue Reading ]
Simeon and Levi are brethren — Brethren in disposition, but unlike their father: they were passionate and revengeful, fierce and wilful; their swords, that should have been only weapons of defence, were (as the margin reads it) weapons of violence, to do wrong to others, not to save themselves from... [ Continue Reading ]
They slew a man — Shechem himself, and many others; and to effect that, they digged down a wall, broke the houses to plunder them, and murder the inhabitants. O my soul, come not thou into their secret — Hereby he professeth not only his abhorrence of such practices in general, but his innocency par... [ Continue Reading ]
Cursed be their anger — Not their persons. We ought always in the expressions of our zeal carefully to distinguish between the sinner and the sin, so as not to love or bless the sin for the sake of the person, nor to hate or curse the person for the sake of the sin. I will divide them — The Levites... [ Continue Reading ]
Judah's name signifies praise, in allusion to which he saith, Thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise, God was praised for him, Genesis 29:35, praised by him, and praised in him; and therefore his brethren shall praise him. Thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies — This was fulfilled in Da... [ Continue Reading ]
Judah is a lion's whelp — The lion is the king of beasts, the terror of the forest when he roars; when he seizeth his prey, none can resist him; when he goes up from the prey, none dares pursue him to revenge it. By this it is foretold that the tribe of Judah should become very formidable, and shoul... [ Continue Reading ]
The sceptre shall not depart from Judah till Shiloh come — Jacob here foretels, (1.) That the sceptre should come into the tribe of Judah, which was fulfilled in David, on whose family the crown was entailed. (2.) That Shiloh should be of this tribe; that seed in whom the earth should be blessed. Th... [ Continue Reading ]
Zebulon shall dwell at the haven of the sea — This was fulfilled, when 2 or 300 years after, the land of Canaan was divided by lot, and the border of Zebulon went up towards the sea, Joshua 19:11.... [ Continue Reading ]
Issachar is a strong ass, couching down between two burdens — The men of that tribe shall be strong and industrious, fit for and inclined to labour, particularly the toil of husbandry, like the ass that patiently carries his burden. Issachar submitted to two burdens, tillage and tribute.... [ Continue Reading ]
Dan shall judge his people — Though Dan was one of the sons of the concubines, yet he shall be a tribe governed by judges of his own as well as other tribes; and shall by art and policy, and surprise, gain advantages against his enemies, like a serpent suddenly biting the heel of the traveller.... [ Continue Reading ]
I have waited for thy salvation, Lord — If he must break off here, and his breath will not serve him to finish what he intended, with these words he pours out his soul into the bosom of his God, and even breaths it out. The pious ejaculations of a warm and lively devotion, though sometimes they mayb... [ Continue Reading ]
Concerning Gad, he alludes to his name, which signifies a troop, foresees the character of that tribe, that it should be a warlike tribe; and so we find, 1 Chronicles 12:8, the Gadites were men of war fit for the battle. He foresees, that the situation of that tribe on the other side Jordan would ex... [ Continue Reading ]
Concerning Asher, he foretells, That it should be a rich tribe, replenished not only with bread for necessity, but with fatness, with dainties, royal dainties, and these exported out of Asher, to other tribes, perhaps to other lands. The God of nature has provided for us not only necessaries but dai... [ Continue Reading ]
Naphtali is a hind let loose — Those of this tribe were, as the loosen'd hind, zealous for their liberty, and yet affable and courteous, their language refined, and they complaisant, giving goodly words. Among God's Israel there is to be found a great variety of dispositions, yet all contributing to... [ Continue Reading ]
Joseph is a fruitful bough, or young tree, for God had made him fruitful in the land of his affliction, as branches of a vine, or other spreading plant, running over the wall.... [ Continue Reading ]
The archer have sorely grieved him — Tho' he now lived at ease and in honour, Jacob minds him of the difficulties he had formerly waded through. He had many enemies here called archers, being skilful to do mischief; they hated him, they shot their poisonous darts at him. His brethren were spiteful t... [ Continue Reading ]
But his bow abode in strength — His faith did not fail; he kept his ground, and came off conqueror. The arms of his hands were made strong — That is, his other graces did their part, his wisdom, courage, patience, which are better than weapons of war: By the hands of the mighty God — Who was therefo... [ Continue Reading ]
Even by the God of thy father Jacob, who shall help thee — Our experiences of God's power and goodness in strengthning us hitherto, are encouragements still to hope for help from him. He that has helped us, will. And by the Almighty, who shall bless thee; and he only blesseth indeed. Observe the ble... [ Continue Reading ]
Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf — It is plain, Jacob was guided in what he said by a spirit of prophecy, and not by natural affection, else he would have spoken with more tenderness of his beloved son Benjamin, concerning whom he only foretells, that his posterity should be a warlike tribe, strong an... [ Continue Reading ]
I am to be gathered unto my people — Though death separate us from our children, and our people in this world, it gathers us to our fathers, and to our people in the other world. Perhaps Jacob useth this expression concerning death, as a reason why his sons should bury him in Canaan, for (saith he)... [ Continue Reading ]
And when Jacob had made an end of commanding of his sons — He addressed himself to his dying work. He put himself into a posture for dying; having sat upon the bed — side to bless his sons, the spirit of prophecy bringing fresh oil to his expiring lamp, when that work was done, he gathered up his fe... [ Continue Reading ]