Gen. 48-50: “Jacob Blesses Each Of His Sons, Dies & Is Buried / Joseph Dies & Is Buried”

By

Jim Bomkamp

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1. INTRO:

1.1. In our last study, we looked at Genesis 45:9-47:31.

1.1.1. We saw how that Joseph relocated his father and brothers and their families to the country of Egypt so that he might be able to be near them and provide for all of their needs during the five more years of famine that he knew were coming upon the land.

1.2. In our story today, we are going to look at Genesis 48-50.

1.2.1. Survey questions:

1.2.1.1.Were there 12 tribes of Israel, yes or not?

1.2.1.1.1.No, they total 13 though they are always listed as being 12.

1.2.1.2.The tribes are comprised of biological sons of Jacob, yes or no?

1.2.1.2.1.No, they are sons of Jacob and Joseph.

1.2.1.3.Manasseh and Ephraim are sons of Jacob, yes or no?

1.2.1.3.1.Yes, because Jacob adopts them.

1.2.2. The blessings given to each of his sons by Jacob has been called one of the most difficult passages in the scriptures.

1.2.3. I want to ask the question of whether the blessing each brother inherited was based purely upon what he had done before this time, or whether it simply was the result of what Jacob knew the future held for their tribe? I think that if you look at each brother and his blessing that there is some of each. Benjamin’s blessing, for instance, does not seem to reflect the man he was but rather what his descendants would do.

1.2.4. I think that it is also the case that even these brothers who receive a curse for a blessing probably had changed in character a lot since they had done the things that deserved their particular blessing. This reminds me of the fact that the rewards for believers at the Bema Seat of Judgment will not be based upon our potential, nor upon our good intentions, but instead upon our actual deeds that we have performed in this life.

1.2.5. We will see here in this study that Jacob adopts Joseph’s two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, to be his own so that he can then give Joseph a double blessing and confer the firstborn birthright from Reuben to Joseph.

1.2.6. We see in this study that Jacob is a prophet, for he prophetically gives a blessing to each of his sons, one which is appropriate to their character. The blessing also pertains to what shall happen in their future.

1.2.7. We will see that the scriptures reveal that Jacob’s blessing to each of his sons came to pass just as he stated prophetically that they would happen. The fact that we can see these prophesies actually fulfilled encourages our faith in the Lord.

1.2.8. We will see that Jacob dies and that Joseph gets Pharaoh’s permission and takes a big entourage with him to Canaan and buries Jacob.

1.2.9. We will see that Joseph dies and that before he dies that he makes his brothers promise that they will take his bones up out of Egypt to Canaan after he dies.

2. VS 48:1-6 - “¹ Now it came about after these things that Joseph was told, “Behold, your father is sick.” So he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim with him. ² When it was told to Jacob, “Behold, your son Joseph has come to you,” Israel collected his strength and sat up in the bed. ³ Then Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me, ⁴ and He said to me, ‘Behold, I will make you fruitful and numerous, and I will make you a company of peoples, and will give this land to your descendants after you for an everlasting possession.’ ⁵ “Now your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, as Reuben and Simeon are. ⁶ “But your offspring that have been born after them shall be yours; they shall be called by the names of their brothers in their inheritance.” - Joseph heard that his father was near the point of death so he took his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim and came to him, and when Jacob heard they were with him he sat up in bed and then prepared to bless Joseph’s two sons, telling him that they now are his

2.1. Though Jacob had thought he was near death many years earlier, everyone near him now knew that he was near death. Word came to Joseph that his father Jacob was dying, so he brought to him his sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, who had been born to him in Egypt.

2.2. Joseph evidently knew that just as happened with Isaac before his death, that his father Jacob would want to bless his sons before he died. Joseph therefore came bringing his sons with him so that they might be blessed and then see and learn from this patriarchal blessing what would be pronounced upon each of them. Probably Jacob had told Joseph ahead of time that he would pronounce a blessing on each of Joseph’s sons.

2.3. Jacob blesses Joseph, through his sons, first because Joseph had been the son who had been most faithful to the Lord, and also his favorite. Reuben had been the firstborn son but because he slept with his father’s concubine he had lost his eldest son’s birthright. Jacob has determined to give the birthright now to Joseph. By giving a blessing to each of Joseph’s sons Jacob was giving to Joseph the status of the firstborn, because this was a double blessing.

2.4. 1 Chronicles 5:1 confirms that at this time Jacob was conferring the birthright to Joseph, “¹ Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel (for he was the firstborn, but because he defiled his father’s bed, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph the son of Israel; so that he is not enrolled in the genealogy according to the birthright.”.

2.5. Jacob adopts Manasseh and Ephraim as his own as he makes this blessing on them, for he says here, ‘they shall be mine.’

2.6. Jacob also tells Joseph that he may have other children after these two, but any of those shall belong to Joseph. Further, Jacob tells Joseph that any future children that he may have will be named as being of the tribe of either Manasseh or Ephraim.

3. VS 48:7-12 - “⁷ “Now as for me, when I came from Paddan, Rachel died, to my sorrow, in the land of Canaan on the journey, when there was still some distance to go to Ephrath; and I buried her there on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).” ⁸ When Israel saw Joseph’s sons, he said, “Who are these?” ⁹ Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons, whom God has given me here.” So he said, “Bring them to me, please, that I may bless them.” ¹⁰ Now the eyes of Israel were so dim from age that he could not see. Then Joseph brought them close to him, and he kissed them and embraced them. ¹¹ Israel said to Joseph, “I never expected to see your face, and behold, God has let me see your children as well.” ¹² Then Joseph took them from his knees, and bowed with his face to the ground.” - Jacob recounts for Joseph how that Joseph’s mother Rachel died on the journey to Canaan, and then he asked who the ones with Joseph were, and Joseph says that they are his sons, Jacob then had them brought near so that he could bless them

3.1. Rachel had been the love of Joseph’s life, and it was with Rachel that Joseph had sons in Joseph and Benjamin. Jacob had never really wanted any other wife than Rachel, and it was only because of trickery that he had ended up marrying Leah and having sons to her and her maid Zilpah. So, in a sense it was only appropriate that Joseph be given the status of firstborn for in Jacob’s mind Joseph was his firstborn since he hadn’t planned on sons from any other woman, and Joseph was Rachel’s firstborn.

3.2. Jacob is almost blind at this point, so he cannot recognize his grandsons, Manasseh and Ephraim. In the seventeen years that Jacob had now lived in Egypt he had surely spent quite a bit of time with these grandsons of his.

3.3. Joseph had been married now for 26 six years, having married Asenath when he was age 30, therefore Manasseh and Ephraim were young men at this point in time not young boys.

3.4. The boys, Manasseh and Ephraim, were positioned by Joseph’s knees so he Joseph took them from there to his father to bless.

3.5. Jacob is overcome with emotion as he realizes that he is blessing the grandsons born of his son whom he had thought was dead for so many years. God’s faithfulness and kindness in allowing him to bless them in this way overwhelmed Jacob.

3.6. Notice here that though Joseph was exalted over all of Egypt, and even though he had had dreams when just a youth that his brothers and even father and mother would bow before him, that he now is bowing before his father as his father will now pronounce this blessing. Since Joseph bows before his father here, does this contradict the dream that he had when a youth and the sun, moon, and stars all bowed before him, with the sun and moon symbolizing his father and mother?

3.6.1. Some have speculated that the second dream of Joseph’s when he was a youth in which even the sun and moon bowed before him, was of his own imagination since he is bowing before his father here. This idea would then have only the first dream truly be inspired of God.

3.6.2. Since we know that Joseph serves as a type of Christ in the scriptures, Joseph’s bowing before his father though could symbolize in type the humility of God who humbles Himself even to His creatures, just as the incarnation of Christ suggests and pictures.

4. VS 48:13-20 - “¹³ Joseph took them both, 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 But Israel stretched 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, although Manasseh was the firstborn. ¹⁵ He blessed Joseph, and said, “The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, The God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day, ¹⁶ The angel who has redeemed me from all evil, Bless the lads; And may my name live on in them, And the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; And may they grow into 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 grasped his father’s hand to remove it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. ¹⁸ Joseph said to his father, “Not so, my father, for this one is the firstborn. Place your right hand on his head.” ¹⁹ But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know; he also will become a people and he also will be great. However, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations. ²⁰ He blessed them that day, saying, “By you Israel will pronounce blessing, saying, ‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh!’ ” Thus he put Ephraim before Manasseh.”” - Joseph brings Manasseh towards Jacob’s right hand and Ephraim towards Jacob’s left hand, as Jacob begins to pray and then pronounce the blessing upon these sons of Joseph he first crosses his hands and places his right hand on Ephraim and the left hand on Manasseh, and when Joseph tries to move Jacob’s hands and correct him Jacob tells him that he knows what he is doing and that the younger shall be greater than the older

4.1. There are a couple of first mentions here in this passage:

4.1.1. In verse 15 is the first mention of the Lord being the ‘shepherd’ of His people. Jacob says that God ‘has been my shepherd all my life to this day.’

4.1.2. In verse 16 is the first mention of the Lord being the “redeemer” of His people. Jacob says that God ‘has redeemed me from all evil.’ This Hebrew word that is used for ‘redeemer’ is “Goel.” This same word shall be used later in the Old Testament for the “Kinsmen Redeemer.”

4.2. Jacob chose to give the greater blessing to Ephraim than to Manasseh, and though it is not always the case, there are many instances found in scripture in which the Lord refused to pick the older son for His purposes, including:

4.2.1. Isaac and Ishmael.

4.2.2. Jacob and Esau.

4.2.3. Joseph and Reuben

4.2.4. Ephraim and Manasseh.

4.3. The Lord looks upon people’s hearts when He chooses and calls, not the things that we as humans look upon.

4.4. Jacob was being led by the Lord on this day and he knew the future for each of the sons which he blesses.

4.5. When we look at Old Testament stories we can see that this blessing did in fact take effect for Ephraim achieved superiority or dominance over Manasseh when the northern and southern kingdoms split and Jeremiah built Schechem and lived there (1 Kings 12:19, 25).

5. VS 48:21-22 - “²¹ Then Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am about to die, but God will be with you, and bring you back to the land of your fathers. ²² “I give you one portion more than your brothers, which I took from the hand of the Amorite with my sword and my bow.”” - Jacob tells Joseph that the Lord will be with him after Jacob dies, and that the Lord will bring him back to the land of Canaan, and, that He had been given a double portion more than his brothers

5.1. The word that Jacob gives to Joseph to bring him back to ‘the land of your fathers’ is one which really applied to all of the sons of Jacob. Jacob knew that the Lord had committed to bring the sons of Jacob up out of Egypt.

5.2. In 1 Chronicles 5:1, we read confirmation of the fact that at this time the Lord was conferring the firstborn status from Reuben to Joseph: “¹ Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel (for he was the firstborn, but because he defiled his father’s bed, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph the son of Israel; so that he is not enrolled in the genealogy according to the birthright.”

6. VS 49:1-2 - “¹ Then Jacob summoned his sons and said, “Assemble yourselves that I may tell you what will befall you in the days to come. ² “Gather together and hear, O sons of Jacob; And listen to Israel your father.” - Jacob summonses his sons to himself so that he might be able to give each of them a blessing

6.1. It is not known if the rest of the sons of Jacob had come to his side at the same time that Joseph and his sons came to him and received their blessing. If they did not come at this time, they were now summoned to his side. I think the latter is more likely.

6.2. Notice that as he informs his sons that he will give them a blessing that Jacob is called ‘Israel.’ Performing this blessing will require faith so this is most likely why he is called ‘Israel’ at this time, rather than “Jacob.”

7. VS 49:3-4 - “³ “Reuben, you are my firstborn; My might and the beginning of my strength, Preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power. ⁴ “Uncontrolled as water, you shall not have preeminence, Because you went up to your father’s bed; Then you defiled it—he went up to my couch.” - Jacob pronounces a prophetic blessing on his eldest son Reuben

7.1. This blessing given to Reuben by his father Jacob has nothing good in it for Reuben. Though Jacob did not say anything at the time that Reuben went up and slept with Bilhah, Rachel’s maid, he remembered it and determined that Reuben’s blessing be based upon the consequences of his very rebellious and sinful act.

7.2. Reuben had once been the pride and joy of his father, the embodiment of his hopes, being his firstborn, however he had never fulfilled his father’s hopes and expectations.

7.3. Jacob basically tells Reuben that great responsibility was given to him, for he was ‘preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power,’ however he was disqualified for he did not take that responsibility of birthright soberly and seriously, and thus he was ‘uncontrolled as water.’ Reuben was undisciplined.

7.4. Jacob says here that ‘defiled’ his father’s bed.

7.5. But, Jacob says here that in the future that Reuben will ‘not have preeminence.’ Henry Morris has written the following about Reuben, “In the history of Israel, the tribe of Reuben never furnished a leader of any kind for the nation as a whole. In the later journeys to the promised land, the Reubenites were the first tribe to ask for a place to settle, not waiting to cross the Jordan with the others (Numbers 32). They participated in the erection of an unauthorized place of worship (Joshua 22:10-34). During the later wars with the Canaanites, in the days of Deborah and Barak, the tribe of Reuben failed to answer the call to arms (Judges 5:15, 16). Jacob’s prophecy concerning Reuben has continued to be fulfilled ever since. Never has Reuben excelled in anything.”

8. VS 49:5-7 - “⁵ “Simeon and Levi are brothers; Their swords are implements of violence. ⁶ “Let my soul not enter into their council; Let not my glory be united with their assembly; Because in their anger they slew men, And in their self-will they lamed oxen. ⁷ “Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce; And their wrath, for it is cruel. I will disperse them in Jacob, And scatter them in Israel.” - Jacob now blesses his sons, Simeon and Levi, stating that both of them shall be scattered in Israel

8.1. Simeon and Levi were given the same blessing and fate by their father because of their joining together and carrying out the treacherous plot to murder all of the males in the city of Schechem. This occurred after their sister Dinah was raped by Hamor, a prince of the city, and Hamor’s father came and asked permission for his son to be able to marry Dinah. The sons of Jacob deceived the men of Schechem into believing that if they were circumcised that Hamor could marry Dinah and that the people of the city could intermarry with them. However, on the third day after their circumcision when the men were in pain Simeon and Levi came upon them and slew all of the males, going from house to house.

8.2. In Simeon and Levi going house to house slaying all of the males of Schechem they not only brought shame upon their father, they also made the family hideous in the sight of the Canaanites, causing Jacob to become fearful of attack by the peoples. This then led to the family having to move from the area of Schechem.

8.3. Simeon and Levi were controlled by their fierce ‘anger’ and cruel wrath, and by their ‘self-will.’

8.4. Like Reuben, the blessing for Simeon and Levi is actually a curse. The Lord speaks through Jacob and states that He ‘will disperse them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel.’

8.5. Henry Morris states the following about the fulfillment of Simeon’s prophecy: “Simeon was given an inheritance “within the inheritance of the children of Judah” (Joshua 19:1), but some of the sons of Simeon were captured and dwelled in some of the lands of the Edomites and Amelekites, outside of Canaan (1 Chronicles 4:39-43). In the days of the divided kingdom, many of the Simeonites left Israel to join Judah (II Chronicles 15:9). Apparently they were eventually either mostly assimilated by Judah or scattered outside of Israel altogether, and little is heard of them after the days of King Asa.”

8.6. Levi became the priests in Israel, and even Moses himself came from the tribe of Levi, however the Levites were not allowed to have their own territory within the land of Canaan. This was part of the curse that was placed upon them because of the actions of Simeon and Levi.

9. VS 49:8-12 - “⁸ “Judah, your brothers shall praise you; Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; Your father’s sons shall bow down to you. ⁹ “Judah is a lion’s whelp; From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He couches, he lies down as a lion, And as a lion, who dares rouse him up? ¹⁰ “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes, And to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. ¹¹ “He ties his foal to the vine, And his donkey’s colt to the choice vine; He washes his garments in wine, And his robes in the blood of grapes. ¹² “His eyes are dull from wine, And his teeth white from milk.” - Jacob pronounces the blessing upon Judah, and his blessing supersedes even that of Joseph, for he says that his ‘father’s sons shall bow down to you,’ and then he goes on to say that ‘the scepter shall not depart from Judah until Shiloh comes’

9.1. Judah had made some serious mistakes when he was younger. After his first two sons had been slain by the Lord, he had not given his third son to Tamar, the wife of the first son slain, as he had promised. Then, later he visited a prostitute not realizing that it was Tamar, and the result was that she conceived and gave birth to twin sons, one of whom, Pharez, would be the line through whom the Messiah would come.

9.2. Judah’s excellence gradually began to come to light after this event with Tamar, and after Jacob had initially sent his sons to Egypt to buy grain. Judah from then one was the leader of all of his brothers. But, when Judah offered to give his life for the life of his brother Benjamin, his worth and excellence even exceeded anything that Joseph had done. This act revealed why he should be the one through whom the Messiah would descend.

9.3. When the nation was united, the kings all came through Judah. Then, in the divided kingdom the kings of the south were all descended from Judah. Judah became so central in Israel that after the separation of the northern and southern kingdoms, and then the return of the southern kingdom after Babylonian exile, Israel is referred to as “Judea.” This was all in fulfillment of what is written here about the scepter not departing from Judah until Shiloh comes.

9.4. This word translated ‘Shiloh’ here means “the peaceful one.’ There is a very isolated and insignificant city on the north side of Bethel of this name (Judges 21:19), however the city was probably named after the coming One prophesied of here by this name. The name ‘Shiloh´ here speaks of a man and is a Messianic reference. Due to the word’s primary inference being “peace,” the prophet Isaiah is believed by many to have been inspired to write of the coming Messiah prince whose Name would be “Prince of Peace” : ⁶ For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

9.5. Note here that the scepter would not depart until Shiloh comes. Jesus Christ came and after He came there would be no more kings descended from Judah to rule over the land of Israel. However, Jesus Christ is “the lion of the tribe of Judah,” and it is He who is forever the King of kings and Lord of lords.

9.6. The blessing of prosperity for Judah is prophesied with these words: ‘He ties his foal to the vine, And his donkey’s colt to the choice vine; He washes his garments in wine, And his robes in the blood of grapes. ¹² “His eyes are dull from wine, And his teeth white from milk.’

10. VS 49:13 - “¹³ “Zebulun will dwell at the seashore; And he shall be a haven for ships, And his flank shall be toward Sidon.” – Jacob pronounces a blessing upon his son Zebulun

10.1. There are no stories written about this man in the Old Testament. The only thing we no about him involves this blessing.

10.2. This blessing involves where the tribe will live. Joshua 19:11 tells us the area of land that was allocated to Zebulun after the land of Canaan was conquered, “¹¹ Then their border went up to the west and to Maralah, it then touched Dabbesheth and reached to the brook that is before Jokneam.”

10.3. The precise borders of the territory allotted to Zebulun are difficult to ascertain though it is usually considered to be the land between the Mediterranean Ocean and the Sea of Galilee. Matthew 4:13 indicates that the city of Capernaum on the northwest coast of the Sea of Galilee was in the territory of Zebulun.

11. VS 49:14-15 - “¹⁴ “Issachar is a strong donkey, Lying down between the sheepfolds. ¹⁵ “When he saw that a resting place was good And that the land was pleasant, He bowed his shoulder to bear burdens, And became a slave at forced labor.” - Jacob pronounces a blessing on his son Issachar

11.1. There are also no stories written in the Old Testament about this man Issachar, so the only thing we know about him is confined to this blessing.

11.2. The meaning of this blessing on Issachar is a bit difficult to decipher. Henry Morris interprets this blessing as follows: “The meaning seems to be that Issachar was strong, but docile and lazy. He would enjoy the good land assigned him but would not strive for it. Therefore, eventually he would be pressed into servitude and the mere bearing of burdens for his masters. Historically, Issachar had rich lands and rich crops, which attracted marauders and captors.”

12. VS 49:16-18 - “¹⁶ “Dan shall judge his people, As one of the tribes of Israel. ¹⁷ “Dan shall be a serpent in the way, A horned snake in the path, That bites the horse’s heels, So that his rider falls backward. ¹⁸ “For Your salvation I wait, O Lord.” - Jacob pronounces a blessing on his son Dan

12.1. Dan would be a small and insignificant tribe in Israel yet a formidable foe to Israel’s enemies, kind of like a poisonous viper that waits along ones path and strikes one walking or the heels of a horse causing its rider to fall off.

12.2. Most commentators believe this reference to the snake, coupled with the appeal to God waiting upon His salvation, anticipates also that Dan would be the tribe that did so much to lead the children of Israel astray from the Lord and into idolatry.

12.2.1.The sons of Dan set up a graven image made by a man named Micah in Judges 18:30-31: “³⁰ The sons of Dan set up for themselves the graven image; and Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, he and his sons were priests to the tribe of the Danites until the day of the captivity of the land. ³¹ So they set up for themselves Micah’s graven image which he had made, all the time that the house of God was at Shiloh.”

12.2.2.It was also the Danites who made the two golden calves that led the northern tribe into idolatry in 1 Kings 12:28-30: ²⁸ So the king consulted, and made two golden calves, and he said to them, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem; behold your gods, O Israel, that brought you up from the land of Egypt.” ²⁹ He set one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. ³⁰ Now this thing became a sin, for the people went to worship before the one as far as Dan.

12.2.3.In Revelation 7:4-8 we read about the 144,000 Jewish evangelists who will be used by the Lord during the 7 year tribulation, and it is interesting that in that list the tribe of Dan is not mentioned. This is probably due to the idolatry that they brought into Israel.

13. VS 49:19 - “¹⁹ “As for Gad, raiders shall raid him, But he will raid at their heels.” - Jacob pronounces a blessing on his son Gad

13.1. The tribe of Gad took their inheritance on the east side of the Jordan River near the sons of Ammon, and there they were vulnerable to attack. However, Jacob foretells that they would be skillful fighters and able to repel raiders who would attack them.

13.2. There are a few verses that indicate how this prophecy was fulfilled later in the tribe of Gad, including:

13.2.1.1 Chronicles 5:18, “¹⁸ The sons of Reuben and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh, consisting of valiant men, men who bore shield and sword and shot with bow and were skillful in battle, were 44,760, who went to war.”

13.2.2.1 Chronicles 12:8, “⁸ From the Gadites there came over to David in the stronghold in the wilderness, mighty men of valor, men trained for war, who could handle shield and spear, and whose faces were like the faces of lions, and they were as swift as the gazelles on the mountains.”.

14. VS 49:20 - “²⁰ “As for Asher, his food shall be rich, And he will yield royal dainties.” - Jacob pronounces a blessing on his son Asher

14.1. Rich foods and delicacies are prophesied for Asher in his future.

14.2. Joshua 19:24-31 tells us of the territory that was allotted to Asher after the children of Israel conquered the land of Canaan, “²⁴ Now the fifth lot fell to the tribe of the sons of Asher according to their families. ²⁵ Their territory was Helkath and Hali and Beten and Achshaph, ²⁶ and Allammelech and Amad and Mishal; and it reached to Carmel on the west and to Shihor-libnath. ²⁷ It turned toward the east to Beth-dagon and reached to Zebulun, and to the valley of Iphtahel northward to Beth-emek and Neiel; then it proceeded on north to Cabul, ²⁸ and Ebron and Rehob and Hammon and Kanah, as far as Great Sidon. ²⁹ The border turned to Ramah and to the fortified city of Tyre; then the border turned to Hosah, and it ended at the sea by the region of Achzib. ³⁰ Included also were Ummah, and Aphek and Rehob; twenty-two cities with their villages. ³¹ This was the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Asher according to their families, these cities with their villages.”

14.3. They as a tribe were supposed to go and take possession of their land after being given it, but they failed to even conquer the people in the Tyre-Sideon region and thus became insignificant in Israel. They may have been influenced by the paganism of the Phoenicians also.

15. VS 49:21 - “²¹ “Naphtali is a doe let loose, He gives beautiful words.” - Jacob pronounces a blessing on his son Naphtali

15.1. Deer run very fast, and Naphtali would be known for being very swift of foot in battle. They also would be known for literature and/or speech that would be beautiful.

15.2. In Judges 4, the judge Barak, along with Deborah conquered Jabin and Sisera of the Canaanites, was of the tribe of Naphtali. The Song of Deborah that was composed after this victory may likely have fulfilled this prophecy (Judges 5).

16. VS 49:22-26 - “²² “Joseph is a fruitful bough, A fruitful bough by a spring; Its branches run over a wall. ²³ “The archers bitterly attacked him, And shot at him and harassed him; ²⁴ But his bow remained firm, And his arms were agile, From the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob (From there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel), ²⁵ From the God of your father who helps you, And by the Almighty who blesses you With blessings of heaven above, Blessings of the deep that lies beneath, Blessings of the breasts and of the womb. ²⁶ “The blessings of your father Have surpassed the blessings of my ancestors Up to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills; May they be on the head of Joseph, And on the crown of the head of the one distinguished among his brothers.” - Jacob pronounces a blessing on his son Joseph, one which distinguishes Jacob above his brothers because of how Joseph handled the adversity that he experienced

16.1. Joseph’s sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, had already obtained separate blessings from Jacob, however now Joseph will get yet another blessing. This blessing will be fulfilled in those two sons.

16.2. Joseph and Judah received the greatest of the blessings, for they would be the preeminent of the brothers in the future.

16.3. There are several metaphors used here which reveal the future greatness and preeminence of Joseph:

16.3.1.He will be ‘a fruitful bough by a spring.’

16.3.2.His ‘branches run over a wall.’

16.3.3.He will have ‘blessings of heaven above.’

16.3.4.He will have ‘blessings of the breasts and of the womb.’

16.3.5.The blessings will ‘be on the head of Joseph.’

16.3.6.He will be ‘distinguished among his brothers.’

16.4. The character of Joseph was tested and proven by the way that he dealt with each of his adversities (being sold into slavery by his brothers, being falsely accused of rape and thrown into jail, spending 13 years in an Egyptian jail for a crime he did not commit): ‘The archers bitterly attacked him and shot at him and harassed him, but his bow remained firm and his arms were agile.’ Because Joseph passed every test and let the Lord purify his character through them, he was blessed with such preeminence among his brothers.

16.5. Joseph was always found faithful to the Lord and handled every responsibility entrusted him with the utmost of diligence and care. Thus he was always given much responsibility by those he served under.

17. VS 49:27 - “²⁷ “Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; In the morning he devours the prey, And in the evening he divides the spoil.”” - Jacob pronounces a blessing on his son Benjamin

17.1. Benjamin was the youngest of the boys and after Jacob lost Joseph, when his brothers sold him into slavery, Benjamin became his father’s favorite son. We saw this when Jacob initially refused to allow Benjamin to go with his brothers to Egypt to buy grain. In light of these things it is surprising that Jacob pronounced such a blessing upon Blessing.

17.2. Perhaps Benjamin’s blessing should be looked at as both a blessing and a warning.

17.2.1.The blessing here is that he would “devour the prey” and that he would “divide the spoil.”

17.2.2.The warning could then be that if he were not careful that he would end up being ‘a ravenous wolf,’ or be a destructive and murderous man.

18. VS 49:28 - “²⁸ All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them. He blessed them, every one with the blessing appropriate to him.” - We are told that to each of his sons that Jacob gave the ‘blessing appropriate to him’

18.1. Notice here that it said that each of these blessings given by Jacob are ‘appropriate’ to the respective son.

18.2. It is interesting that the blessings do not deal with each man’s potential but rather by his actions. This reminds me of the judgment of believers in Christ that is coming in the future (see 1 Corinthians 3). This judgment will be a judgment for rewards of a person’s works. It too will not be according to a person’s potential but rather to the reality of their life’s works.

19. VS 49:29-33 - “²⁹ Then he charged them and said to them, “I am about to be gathered to my people; bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, ³⁰ in the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought along with the field from Ephron the Hittite for a burial site. ³¹ “There they buried Abraham and his wife Sarah, there they buried Isaac and his wife Rebekah, and there I buried Leah— ³² the field and the cave that is in it, purchased from the sons of Heth.” ³³ When Jacob finished charging his sons, he drew his feet into the bed and breathed his last, and was gathered to his people.” - Telling his sons that he was going to be gathered to his people, Jacob charged his sons to bury him in the cave of Machpelah which Abraham originally bought from Ephron the Hittite for burying his wife Sarah

19.1. Jacob held onto his promise from the Lord for the land of Canaan as he was dying by charging them to bury him there, in the very cave his grandfather, Abraham, had bought from a Hittite for burying his wife Sarah. This cave was the cave where the Patriarchs and their wives were buried: Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, and Jacob and Leah.

19.2. Notice here that we see that Jacob went to Abraham’s bosom after he passed away, for it says that after he breathed his last that he ‘was gathered to his people.’

20. VS 50:1-3 - “¹ Then Joseph fell on his father’s face, and wept over him and kissed him. ² Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Israel. ³ Now forty days were required for it, for such is the period required for embalming. And the Egyptians wept for him seventy days.” - When Jacob breathed his last Joseph fell on him and wept over him, and then Jacob was embalmed over forty days, and the grieved for seventy days

20.1. This verse indicates a couple of very details concerning the Egyptian culture of Joseph’s day.

20.1.1.The embalming of a person after death required 40 days to complete.

20.1.1.1.The physicians prepared a person’s body so that it would not undergo decay, and thus they thought that they would be preserving the body for posterity and the afterlife.

20.1.2.The grieving of a loved one would typically last a period of 70 days.

20.2. Joseph was so beloved by the Egyptian people that they ‘wept for him seventy days.’

21. VS 50:4-13 - “⁴ When the days of mourning for him were past, Joseph spoke to the household of Pharaoh, saying, “If now I have found favor in your sight, please speak to Pharaoh, saying, ⁵ ‘My father made me swear, saying, “Behold, I am about to die; in my grave which I dug for myself in the land of Canaan, there you shall bury me.” Now therefore, please let me go up and bury my father; then I will return.’ ” ⁶ Pharaoh said, “Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear.” ⁷ So Joseph went up to bury his father, and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his household and all the elders of the land of Egypt, ⁸ and all the household of Joseph and his brothers and his father’s household; they left only their little ones and their flocks and their herds in the land of Goshen. ⁹ There also went up with him both chariots and horsemen; and it was a very great company. ¹⁰ When they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, they lamented there with a very great and sorrowful lamentation; and he observed seven days mourning for his father. ¹¹ Now when the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, “This is a grievous mourning for the Egyptians.” Therefore it was named Abel-mizraim, which is beyond the Jordan. ¹² Thus his sons did for him as he had charged them; ¹³ for his sons carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre, which Abraham had bought along with the field for a burial site from Ephron the Hittite.” - Joseph gains permission to go and bury his father in the land of Canaan and then goes with a large entourage comprised of family and government representatives and buries him

21.1. Joseph obtained permission of Pharaoh to leave Egypt and fulfill the oath he had promised to his father of burying him in the land of Canaan in the cave of Macpelah Abraham had purchased from a Hittite man. Pharaoh’s permission probably had a lot to do with the fact that Joseph promised to return to Egypt from his trip.

21.2. The party that Joseph took with him to go and to bury Jacob included all of the family except the little ones who were left behind. Joseph also took with him ‘chariots and horsemen’ and also ‘a very great company.’

21.3. Once the great company got to the burial site, ‘they lamented there with a very great and sorrowful lamentation.’ They did these things for ‘seven days’ as they were ‘mourning for his father.’

21.4. The Canaanites of the land were very impressed with this seven days of mourning that the great company made for Jacob. They even called the place ‘Abel-mizraim’ because of this great and grievous mourning for Jacob, which means “meadow of Egypt.’

22. VS 50:14-21 - “¹⁴ After he had buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, he and his brothers, and all who had gone up with him to bury his father. ¹⁵ When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph bears a grudge against us and pays us back in full for all the wrong which we did to him!” ¹⁶ So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, “Your father charged before he died, saying, ¹⁷ ‘Thus you shall say to Joseph, “Please forgive, I beg you, the transgression of your brothers and their sin, for they did you wrong.” ’ And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” And Joseph wept when they spoke to him. ¹⁸ Then his brothers also came and fell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your servants.” ¹⁹ But Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in God’s place? ²⁰ “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive. ²¹ “So therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.” So he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.” - Joseph and his family and entourage returned to Egypt, and then Joseph’s brothers who were afraid that now that their father was dead that he would retaliate against them, come to him and tell him that their father had asked him to forgive the sin of his brothers against, then Joseph comforts them telling them that he has no plans to harm them

22.1. This story is very interesting and reveals the humanity of Joseph’s brothers. Joseph’s brothers were concerned that after their father were dead that they would now endure the wrath of their brother Joseph, and that his reconciliation with them was done just for the sake of their father, and not because Joseph truly had forgiven them for selling him into slavery.

22.2. The brothers tell Joseph that their father had charged them to tell him after he had died that he was to forgive his brothers for what they had done to him. Evidently, the brothers made this story up and told Joseph this simply out of their fear.

22.3. Joseph weeps when he hears this from his brothers. They hadn’t understood the fact that he had completely forgiven them and held no grudge. Joseph tells them that they have nothing to worry about and that though they had done what they had done to him to bring about harm that Joseph knew that the Lord had allowed it to happen to bring about good, to ‘preserve many people alive.’ We read then that Joseph ‘comforted them and spoke kindly to them.’

22.4. It is interesting that this is the first admission by the brothers that what they had done to their brother Joseph was ‘sin.’

23. VS 50:22-26 - “²² Now Joseph stayed in Egypt, he and his father’s household, and Joseph lived one hundred and ten years. ²³ Joseph saw the third generation of Ephraim’s sons; also the sons of Machir, the son of Manasseh, were born on Joseph’s knees. ²⁴ Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die, but God will surely take care of you and bring you up from this land to the land which He promised on oath to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob.” ²⁵ Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, “God will surely take care of you, and you shall carry my bones up from here.” ²⁶ So Joseph died at the age of one hundred and ten years; and he was embalmed and placed in a coffin in Egypt.” - Joseph stayed in Egypt and lived to the age of 110 years old, and he made the sons of Israel swear that when he died that they would take his bones out of Egypt to the land of Canaan for permanent burial

23.1. Joseph lived a long and prosperous life, living to the age of 110. He also was even able to see the ‘third generation of Ephraim’s sons’ and also ‘the sons of Machir, the son of Manasseh.’

23.2. Joseph made his brothers promise that after he had died and the children of Israel were leaving Egypt, that they would bring out with them the ‘bones’ of Joseph.

23.3. We don’t know how many years that Joseph ruled in Egypt but he was placed second in command over all Egypt when he was only 30 years old, so he could have reigned for 80 years in Egypt.

23.4. When Joseph died he too was embalmed.

24. CONCLUSIONS:

24.1. .

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