Jacob knew that he was about to die but before he died he wanted to set a few things straight. Jacob called Joseph and asked him to not bury him in Egypt but to take and bury his body in the burial place of his fathers, in Hebron. Jacob requested that Joseph place his hand underneath his thigh when he made this promise. This is a similar scenario to when Abraham asked his servant to promise him regarding getting a wife for Isaac and asked him to place his hand underneath his thigh and swear to him. Joseph agreed and swore to his father that he would do as he said (Gen. 47:28-31).
The Blessing of Ephraim and Manasseh
In these final days of Jacob’s life, Joseph took his sons to receive a blessing from their grandfather. Jacob took Joseph’s sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, and blessed them as his own in place of Reuben and Simeon (Gen. 48:5). When Jacob blessed Joseph’s sons he crossed his hands, placing his right hand on Ephraim, the younger son, and his left hand on Manasseh, the firstborn son, and blessed the younger above the firstborn. This event shadowed his own blessing which he received from his father Isaac. Jacob was the younger twin of his brother Esau but it was Jacob who received the blessing of the firstborn, not Esau.
When Jacob blessed Ephraim and Manasseh he blessed them in the name of their father Joseph and gave them the blessing of the patriarchs (Gen. 48:5-16). It was a unique blessing as Jacob was actually blessing all three men (Joseph, Ephraim, and Manasseh) at the same time. It would seem that the lineage of the promised seed would naturally flow through Joseph and Ephraim as a result of this promise, however, Providence would guide the line of the Messiah.
The Blessing of the Twelve Sons
Although Jacob had everything in order before he died and had passed on his blessing to Joseph and his sons, Jacob was prompted to bless all twelve of his sons. Jacob called to his sons and said: “Assemble yourselves that I may tell you what will befall you in the days to come” (Gen. 49:1). Jacob realized that his time was short and that this was the last opportunity he would have to say what he needed to say. He then called his sons together to bless them and speak words of prophecy over them regarding what would happen to them in days to come.
The majority of the verses of Genesis chapter forty-nine are a poetic depiction for each of Jacob’s sons, which are both historical and prophetic. Jacob took each of his twelve sons one by one and spoke into their lives according to how they have lived their lives and what their outcome would be, beginning with the oldest, Reuben, and ending with the youngest, Benjamin. Because of the poetic nature of the words of these blessings it is sometimes difficult to discern the exact meaning that Jacob (or the Holy Spirit) was trying to convey and if what was being referred to was simply for that son, for the tribe which each son would represent, or regarding something else altogether.
The phrase “in the days to come” as mentioned in Genesis 49:1 has a very prophetic connotation in Hebrew. This Hebrew phrase is “באחרית הימים” – “be’acharit hayamim” which is literally translated as “at the end of days” or “in the last days.” Again it is difficult to know exactly what Jacob (or the Holy Spirit) meant by using this term here in reference to the tailored blessings which he gave for each of his sons.
The phrase “באחרית הימים” – “be’acharit hayamim” – “in the last days” is generally used in the Bible to refer to “the end of days,” meaning the time period of the coming of the Messiah and the fulfillment of God’s plans on earth (Isaiah 2:2. Jer. 23:20. Ezek. 38:16. Hosea 3:5. Micah 4:1. Daniel 10:14), however, it can also refer to something which will occur in the near future (Deut. 31:29). We can see both uses in the verses at hand.
Reuben
Jacob began his blessing with Reuben and Jacob was short and to the point. He reminded Reuben that he was his firstborn and should have been the first among his brothers, however, he forfeited his right by defiling his father’s bed. Jacob told Reuben that he would not have preeminence as he should have had as the oldest (Gen. 49:3-4).
Simeon & Levi
Jacob then addressed Simeon and Levi and cursed their anger when they slaughtered the men of Shechem. Jacob declared that they would both be dispersed and scattered in Israel (Gen. 49:6-7).
Judah
After giving three very negative proclamations to his first three sons Jacob began to speak into the life of his son Judah. I can almost hear the change in Jacob’s voice as he went from cursing the anger of Simeon and Levi to blessing Judah with words worthy of a firstborn son.
Jacob began his blessing of Judah with these words, “Judah, your brothers shall praise you;” (Gen. 49:8). The first three sons had given their father reason enough to withhold his full blessing but Jacob proclaimed that Judah would receive praise from his brothers: “יהודה אתה יודוך אחיך” – “Yehudah ata yoduha achiha.” Jacob made a play on words with the name Judah. The word for Judah and praise are the same root word: “ידה” – “yadah.” Jacob was telling Judah that he was living up to his name and it would be returned to him for good.
As Jacob continued to bless Judah, I find it interesting to note how many similarities there are between the statements that Jacob made about Judah and the actual life of Joseph. Jacob declared the following blessings about Judah:
- “your father’s sons will bow down to you” (Gen. 49:8). Joseph dreamed that his brothers would bow down to him and they did.
- “The scepter shall not depart from Judah,” (Gen. 49:10). Jacob was declaring that Judah would be a ruler and that rulers would come from Judah. Joseph was the ruler of Egypt.
- “And to him shall be the obedience of the peoples” (Gen. 49:10). Many nations came to Egypt and submitted to Joseph’s authority as lord of the land.
- “He washes his garments in wine, and his robes in the blood of grapes” (Gen. 49:11). This statement is probably referring to the richness of the territory of the tribe of Judah, being so bountiful in grapes that they would be able to wash their clothes in the wine of the grapes. However, there is also the connection to Joseph; Joseph’s robe was washed in blood when his brothers deceived their father.
I believe that Jacob was making a comparison of the life of Joseph to Judah. In the natural Joseph was the leader of his brothers, he received their praise, he had the obedience of the peoples, and his robe was washed in blood. Jacob had also blessed Joseph and his sons with the blessing of the firstborn (Genesis 48). Everything seemed to point to Joseph being the leader and that the line of the Messiah would continue through him, however, Jacob was then prophesying, whether knowingly or not, that the Messiah would come from Judah.
In the midst of Jacob blessing Judah we read the following verse in context:“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” (Gen. 49:10). Jacob is making a very clear declaration that a majestic ruler would come from Judah and adds the phrase “until Shiloh comes” right in the middle of this sentence. What or who is “שילה” – “Shiloh?” We don’t know exactly what or who “shiloh” is referring to in this verse, however, it is commonly understood to be connected to the Messiah in Jewish resources. There are various explanations of what this phrase means.
Until Shiloh Comes
Onkelos, a highly respected Jewish translation of the Torah, translates this phrase “until Shiloh comes” as “until the Messiah comes,” interpreting the word “shiloh” as “The Messiah” and leaving no doubt who “shiloh” is referring to. Others believe that this phrase is referring to the place “Shiloh” which was the residence of the Tabernacle during the times of the judges (Joshua 18:1). The only difference is that the place “Shiloh” is spelled slightly different, “שלה,” without a “yod.” There are also those who believe that the final letter of the word “shiloh” contained the letter “vav” instead of the letter “hey” which would make the word possessive, meaning “belonging to him” and referring to the Messiah. Still others believe that “shiloh” is referring to an embryo or fetus (Irwin, Jonas. Onkelos on the Torah. Genesis. p. 336). The word for “embryo” or “fetus” in Hebrew is “שליל” – “she’lil.”
Although we don’t know exactly what the word “shiloh” means we do know that all of the above definitions hold true for Yeshua: He came as the fulfillment of the long awaited Messiah, His coming brought the presence of God to earth, He was the possession of the Father as God’s Son, and He came into the world as an embryo through the miraculous conception of the virgin Mary:
The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God. – Luke 1:30-35
I always wondered about the reference to the word Shiloh….it never really made sense in my head until now. Thanks
You are very welcome. God’s Word is amazing with the mystery that is within it.
Daniel