Genesis 49:1: “Then Jacob called for his sons and said: “Gather around so I can tell you what will happen to you in days to come.”
It did not take very long for the sad news to spread that the old patriarch was on his deathbed. The following afternoon Jacob’s sons assembled in the tent of their father. Nobody spoke and many had tears in their eyes.
Then Jacob spoke up and said: “Come closer and gather around my bed so you can hear me better. God has put many things on my heart, things that concern your future children and children’s children.”
He turned to Reuben, his firstborn and said: “It pains me to say this, but you have disappointed me. You are my firstborn, the first sign of my strength, and yet you have forfeited your privileged status in this family when you slept with Bilhah, my concubine.” Reuben’s face turned ashen at the mention of Bilhah’s name.
Jacob addressed Simeon and Levi with the same candor and said: “You two brothers have blood on your hands. Your cruelty and lack of mercy will not be forgotten. You killed the entire male population of Shechem to avenge your sister’s rape. Cursed be your anger, so fierce! You will be scattered in the land of Canaan. Since you cannot be trusted, no territory will be assigned to you.” Levi’s face was flushed with anger while Simeon looked profoundly sad.
Next Jacob turned to Judah. He smiled at him as he prophesied [Genesis 49:8-12]:
“Judah, your brothers will praise you;
your hand will be on the neck of your enemies;
your father’s sons will bow down to you.
You are a lion’s cub, Judah;
you return from the prey, my son.
Like a lion he crouches and lies down,
like a lioness—who dares to rouse him?
The scepter will not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
until he to whom it belongs shall come
and the obedience of the nations shall be his.
He will tether his donkey to a vine,
his colt to the choicest branch;
he will wash his garments in wine,
his robes in the blood of grapes.
His eyes will be darker than wine,
his teeth whiter than milk.”
Judah was a bit shell-shocked as he was trying to digest what he had just heard. “Kings will come from my tribe?” Judah wondered, “I’m not sure what to make of this. And who is this mysterious person to whom even foreign nations shall bow?”
Meanwhile Jacob had addressed Leah’s youngest sons, Zebulun and Issachar and predicted Zebulun’s territory to be by the seashore with its borders extending to Sidon. Issachar’s sovereignty on the other hand would quickly subside after submitting to forced labor.
Jacob paused and gathered up his strength to address the elephant in the room – Dan and Gad – who had conspired against Joseph according to Judah’s and Benjamin’s reports. The Spirit of the Lord stirred in Jacob’s heart and he prophesied to Dan [Genesis 49:16-17]
“Dan will provide justice for his people
as one of the tribes of Israel.
Dan will be a snake by the roadside,
a viper along the path,
that bites the horse’s heels
so that its rider tumbles backward.”
Dan looked a bit confused as he walked through the prediction in his mind. His hunger for justice was recommended by the Lord, but Dan did not like to be compared to a snake.
Jacob tried to catch his breath, albeit with little success. He yearned to be free from his shackles – his many responsibilities and his struggling body. “My Redeemer lives, he sighed, “I’m looking forward to my deliverance!” He closed his eyes for a brief moment before he carried on. He looked Gad in the eye and said [Genesis 48:19]:
“Gad will be attacked by a band of raiders, but he will attack them at their heels.”
Gad did not know what to think. Obviously, both he and Dan were seen as snakes. Quite honestly, he felt picked on. He had always felt at a disadvantage because he wasn’t the son of Leah or Rachel. But, after listening to the predictions of the remaining concubines’ sons, Gad had to admit that Asher and Naphtali fared much better than he.
Jacob prophesied over Asher [Genesis 49:20]:
“Asher’s food will be rich; he will provide delicacies fit for a king.”
To Naphtali Jacob said [Genesis 49:21]:
“Naphtali is a doe set free that bears beautiful fawns.”
Then Jacob turned to Joseph and Benjamin, the sons of Rachel. In his tender address Joseph received the kind of blessing that was naturally reserved for the firstborn [Genesis 49:26]:
“Your father’s blessings are greater
than the blessings of the ancient mountains,
than the bounty of the age-old hills.
Let all these rest on the head of Joseph,
on the brow of the prince among his brothers.”
Grief-stricken, Joseph hung on every word his father uttered.
Lastly, Benjamin, the youngest of the twelve brothers, received his blessing [Genesis 49:27]:
“Benjamin is a ravenous wolf;
in the morning he devours the prey,
in the evening he divides the plunder.”
Benjamin took the comparison to a wolf as a compliment and smiled.
Jacob looked at his sons who were by his bedside. He sensed their conflicting emotions and wondered whether he was the best father that he could have been. But there was no time left for reminiscing. He felt his end drawing near and it was time to submit his last will. “My sons, he said, “I am about to die. Please bury me with my forefathers in the tomb Abraham purchased from Ephron the Hittite.”
Unanimously his sons promised Jacob that he would be buried in the cave of Machpelah, just as he had requested. And after everything was said and done Jacob drew his feet up into the bed and breathed his last.