Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Genesis 49:15
And he saw that rest [was] good, and the land that [it was] pleasant; and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute.
15. a resting place ] Better, as R.V. marg., rest. “Rest,” as opposed to the wandering life of nomads. Cf. Deu 12:9; Psa 95:11.
pleasant ] Vulg. optima. LXX = “fat,” possibly following a slightly different reading.
bowed his shoulder ] Issachar was ready to kneel, and bear any heavy burden, for the sake of a quiet life in a fertile land.
a servant under taskwork ] Cf. Jos 16:10, “became servants to do taskwork.” Issachar is reproached for being ready to undertake forced labour, and so to acknowledge the Canaanites as his overlords. The phrase is the regular one for becoming tributary; cf. Deu 20:11; Jdg 1:30; Isa 31:8. In all probability there is a play upon the name “Issachar” and its derivation in the sense of “a man of hire,” sh and schar; cf. Gen 30:18. LXX, apparently seeking to mitigate the severity of the reproach, = “became a labourer.” Targ. Onk. “he will subdue the provinces of the peoples, destroy their inhabitants, and those who are left among them shall be servants unto him and bringers of tribute.”
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 15. He saw that rest] The inland portion that was assigned to him between the other tribes. He inclined his shoulder to the load; the Chaldee paraphrast gives this a widely different turn to that given it by most commentators: “He saw his portion that it was good, and the land that it was fruitful; and he shall subdue the provinces of the people, and drive out their inhabitants, and those who are left shall be his servants, and his tributaries.” Grotius understands it nearly in the same way. The pusillanimity which is generally attributed to this tribe certainly does not agree with the view in which they are exhibited in Scripture. In the song of Deborah this tribe is praised for the powerful assistance which it then afforded, Jdg 5:15. And in 1Ch 7:1-5, they are expressly said to have been valiant men of might in all their families, and in all their generations; i. e., through every period of their history. It appears they were a laborious, hardy, valiant tribe, patient in labour and invincible in war; bearing both these burdens with great constancy whenever it was necessary. When Tola of this tribe judged Israel, the land had rest twenty-three years, Jud 10:1.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Rest, or rather, his resting-place, as this very word signifies, Gen 8:9; Psa 116:7; 132:8; Isa 11:10, i.e. his portion or habitation, as the Chaldee and Syriac translate it. So this agrees with the following member, where, after the manner of the Hebrews, the same thing is repeated in other words. And if it be objected against this version, that it is not said his rest, but
rest in the general, it may be replied, that so it is in the following branch,
the land, though it be apparently meant of his land, or portion of land allotted to him. Besides, the pronouns are often omitted, and to be understood in Hebrew text; as may appear by comparing 1Ki 10:7, with 2Ch 9:6; and Psa 41:9, with Joh 13:18; and Mat 3:12, with Luk 3:17.
Became a servant unto tribute; willingly paying whatsoever tributes were imposed upon him, either by the neighbouring tribes, or by foreign powers, rather than to forfeit his pleasant and fruitful country, and his sweet repose.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And he saw that rest was good,…. Not the house of the sanctuary, and attendance there, and the service of that, as the Targum of Jerusalem; nor the rest of the world to come, the happiness of a future state, as that of Jonathan; but rather, as Onkelos, the part and portion of the good land allotted him; he saw that a quiet industry exercised in a diligent cultivation and manuring his land was preferable to the hurry of a court, or the fatigue of a camp, or the dangers of the seas:
and the land that it was pleasant; a fine delightful country, which, if well looked after and improved, would produce plenty of pleasant fruits; and within this tribe were the rich vale of Esdraelon or Jezreel, and the fruitful mountains of Gilboa: of the former it is agreed by all travellers the like has never been seen by them, being of vast extent and very fertile, and formerly abounded with corn, wine, and oil;
[See comments on Ho 1:5] and the latter were famous for their fruitfulness, through the dews that descended on them, 2Sa 1:21
and bowed his shoulders to bear; the fatigues of ploughing and sowing, and reaping, and carrying in the fruits of the earth:
and became a servant unto tribute; which greatly arises from agriculture and the fruits of the earth; and this tribe chose rather to pay more tribute than the rest, that they might abide at home and attend the business of their fields, when others were called to go forth to war.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(15) A servant unto tribute.Heb., task-work. It means service paid in actual labour, such as was exacted by Solomon of the descendants of the Canaanites (1Ki. 9:21, where the phrase used here is translated a tribute of bondservice; and 2Ch. 8:8). In the Middle Ages this forced labourcalled service without wages in Jer. 22:13was one of the wrongs most deeply felt by the peasantry, as they had to neglect their own plots of ground to labour for their seigneurs. The picture, then, is that of a race settled in a rich agricultural country, and content to endure a great deal of injustice because their condition as a whole was prosperous.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
15. Rest good His love of ease, and a pleasant territory, including the rich valley of Jezreel, led him to bear burdens, and to submit to tribute rather than to enter into any struggle for political eminence . For this reason, probably, Zebulun was placed before him . In the war against Sisera, he was a supporter of Barak, but no leader . He followed at the feet of his leader, as one obedient to orders . Jdg 5:15.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Gen 49:15. He saw that rest was good He saw the resting-place, that it was good, as Durell renders it, after the Samaritan: and he justly observes, that the original word signifying both rest and a resting-place, the latter appears more suitable here, as it is explained by land in the next clause. The goodness of this portion may be sufficiently collected from what is said in Scripture of the vale of Jezreel, so frequently mentioned in it; from the detail we meet with of its produce; and from what Josephus says of Lower Galilee, in which this tribe was situated: for “that country,” he says, (Jewish War, l. iii. c. 3.) “is fruitful to admiration, abounding in pastures, and nurseries of all kinds, so that it would make any man in love with husbandry.”
And bowed his shoulder to bear He still speaks of Issachar under the similitude of an ass; and gives us a natural image of a people patiently submitting to hardships. Le Clerc supposes, that this part of the prophecy was fulfilled in the time of the judges, when the Israelites became tributary to the neighbouring kings, and chiefly Issachar’s posterity, upon account of the fertility of their soil. This tribe does not seem to have distinguished itself, like Zebulun, and many of their brethren, by military exploits; it was rather noted for having men, who had understanding of the times, 1Ch 12:32 by which seems to be understood a knowledge of the weather and seasons proper for agriculture, and withal, perhaps, some idea of astronomy, which their more retired kind of life, and necessity, had taught them. This blessing may be paraphrased, “Issachar, like a strong but indolent ass, shall choose to couch in his stall, and carry burdens in the midst of his brethren, rather than be deprived of his beloved ease in the pleasant land of his inheritance, and shall prefer servitude and tribute before the fatigues of war and conquest.”
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Deu 33:18 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Gen 49:15 And he saw that rest [was] good, and the land that [it was] pleasant; and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute.
Ver. 15. And he saw that rest was good. ] He submitted to any burdens and hard conditions for a quiet life. This was a low poor spirit; and his posterity were, for the general, very unworthy and vile. For Issachar’s lot fell in Galilee. Jos 19:18 , &c. Now, doth “any good come out of Galilee?” The best that we read of them was that they “had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do,” 1Ch 12:32 and were therefore in great account with David. But for action, it seems they were heavy-spirited, dull-mettled men; much like those “potters,” mentioned in 1Ch 4:23 , “that dwelt among plants and hedges”; the base brood of their degenerated forefathers in Babylon. “He, he, come forth, and flee from the land of the north,” said the Lord unto them. Zec 2:6 Cyrus also had proclaimed liberty to all that would, to return to Jerusalem. But these dull drones, because they got a poor living by making pots for the king of Babylon, thought themselves well as they were, and chose rather to stay under the hedges of Babylon. These are res obsoletae, so Junius renders the text there; things worn out and forgotten; and indeed they deserve to be forgotten.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
rest: Jos 14:15, Jdg 3:11, 2Sa 7:1
bowed: Psa 81:6, Eze 29:18, Mat 23:4
Reciprocal: Gen 30:18 – and she Gen 46:13 – Issachar Num 1:28 – General Deu 32:24 – serpents Jer 40:9 – Fear 2Th 3:12 – that with 1Ti 2:2 – that