Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Genesis 47:29
And the time drew nigh that Israel must die: and he called his son Joseph, and said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me; bury me not, I pray thee, in Egypt:
29 31 (J). Jacob makes Joseph swear to bury him in Canaan
29. And the time drew near ] The description of Jacob’s dying moments may be compared with those of Moses (Deuteronomy 31-34) and of David (1Ki 2:1).
I have found grace ] Cf. Gen 6:9, Gen 18:3, Gen 32:5, Gen 33:8; Gen 33:15 (J).
put thy hand thigh ] See note on Gen 24:2 (J).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Gen 47:29-30
Bury me not, I pray thee, in Egypt
Lessons –
1.
Approaching death should make men put their houses in order, and prepare for the grave.
2. The best of sons are best trusted with the interring of parents.
3. Favour, benevolence, and fidelity dying parents may beg of surviving children.
4. Parents may bind children not to bury them in places inconvenient (Gen 47:29).
5. The law of nature may appoint burial with fathers, much more the law of faith.
6. The faith of the Patriarchs did work as to the place of burial to appoint it.
7. The testamental word of parents, though hard, yet should be sacred with good sons (Gen 47:30).
8. Holy worship of God is meet from dying saints, for His gracious disposal to the grave. (G. Hughes, B. D.)
Prepared for death
Montmorency, constable of France, having been mortally wounded at an engagement, was exhorted by those who stood around him to die like a good Christian, and with the same courage which he had shown in his lifetime. To this he most nobly replied in the following manner:–Gentlemen and fellow-soldiers, I thank you all very kindly for your anxious care and concern about me; but the man who has been enabled to endeavour to live well for fourscore years past can never need to seek now how to die well for a quarter of an hour. (Dictionary of Religious Anecdote.)
Ready for death
At the time when His Majesty, George the Third, desirous that himself and family should repose in a less public sepulchre than that of Westminster Abbey, had ordered a royal tomb to be constructed at Windsor, Mr. Wyatt, his architect, waited upon him with a detailed report and plan of the building, and of the manner in which he proposed to arrange its various recesses. The king minutely examined the whole, and when finished, Mr. Wyatt, in thanking His Majesty said he had ventured to occupy so much of His Majestys time and attention with these details in order that it might not be necessary to bring so painful a subject again under his notice. To this the good king replied, Mr. Wyatt, I request that you will bring the subject before me whenever you please. I shall attend with as much pleasure to the building of a tomb to receive me when I am dead as I would to the decoration of a drawing-room to hold me while living, for, Mr. Wyatt, if it please God that I shall live to be ninety or a hundred years old I am willing to stay; but if it please God to take me this night I am ready to obey the summons. (Dictionary of Religious Anecdote.)
Love of home in death
It is almost the universal custom in America, and seems to be growing in favour here, for great men to be buried in the place where they have mostly lived, and among their own kith and kin. Washington lies at Mount Vernon; Lincoln at Springfield; Emerson and Hawthorne under the pines of New England; Irving on the banks of the Hudson; Clay in Kentucky. They are laid to rest not in some central city or great structure, but where they have lived, and where their families and neighbours may accompany them in their long sleep. (One Thousand New Illustrations.)
Preparation for death
This may suggest to those who have family arrangements to make, that they should not defer the making of them until they come to be in the article of death, but should settle their affairs while yet they are in full health, in the possession of a sound mind, and in calm, unbiassed spirit. If, for example, a will has to be made by a man–and every man, if he have anything to leave, both for his own sake and for the sake of those who are most nearly related to him, should make a will–why should he postpone the making of it until he come to die? It will not bring death any sooner if he should make it at once, and it may prevent many evils if it is made now. Then, if God should greatly prosper him in future years, and should thus alter his circumstances, let him destroy the former will and make another, lest terrible injustice and hardship be done to the survivors by putting them back into a scale of living to which they have not for long been accustomed, and leaving them with a pitiful provision instead of an ample sustenance such as could easily have been provided. I have known cases of great suffering just from this cause. Let every man keep his affairs well in hand, so that those around him shall have to mourn only his departure when he dies, and shall have no cause to blame him for want of thought for his nearest and his dearest relations. If there is anything that you feel you ought to do in the way of settling your affairs, so as to secure peace and comfort among the members of your family when you die, do it at once, for the uncertainty of life is proverbial, and you know not what a day may bring forth. You cannot read the newspapers for a week together without discovering that many unseemly squabbles over the division of property might have been prevented if those who in business were so energetic in the making of money had possessed only the foresight to arrange calmly, and in circumstances in which there could be no ground for the insinuation either of undue influence on the part of ethers, or of incompetence on their own, for its division. If there is anything you feel impelled to say or do before you die, then say or do it now, and the older you are, let the now be only the more emphatic. (W. M. Taylor, D. D.)
Jacobs request to be buried in Canaan
This request was rooted in something deeper than the merely natural desire of a man to have his body laid beside those of his nearest kindred. Under the New Testament dispensation, indeed, we have learned that it makes no matter where our bodies are buried, for by His brief occupancy of the tomb of Joseph the Lord Jesus Christ has consecrated the whole earth as a cemetery for His people; and by His resurrection from the grave He has given us the assurance that they that sleep in Him, wheresoever their resting-places are, shall hear His voice at the last great day, and shall come forth in spiritual and incorruptible forms to meet Him in the skies. The mere locality of our grave, therefore, is of comparatively small importance, whether we are laid away under the arctic snows, like the brave explorers who accompanied the dauntless Franklin, or beneath the shade of tropical shrubs on the rim of the Dark Continent, like those missionary martyrs who by their sepulchres have taken possession of the Machpelah in that new Land of Promise, or in the dark, unfathomed caves of ocean, with the white foam of the waves for our shroud, and the whistling of the winds for our requiem. It is all one to the Christian where his body is laid. And yet even the Christian has the natural desire to be laid beside his kindred; so that in all our cemeteries we have family lots, and in many of our old country homesteads we come yet upon the quiet and secluded enclosure where the ashes of the first settlers and those of their successors lie. But Jacobs desire that his body should be laid in Machpelah had a deeper root than nature. The land of Canaan was his by Gods covenant. He had not yet obtained it. For aught that he could see, he was to die without entering on its possession; but even in his death he would show that he still believed that his children would have its ownership, and therefore he made Joseph swear that he would bury him in the sepulchre of his fathers. Nor was this all. He wanted his sons and his descendants to know that Egypt was not their rest. He desired to fix their minds on Canaan, and to fan in their hearts the desire to return thither when God should open up the way. (W. M. Taylor, D. D.)
Buried where born
The inclination to return in old age to the place which is endeared by the recollections of infancy is very general. It is mentioned by Goldsmith, with that finished delicacy of description which scarcely admits of improvement, and by Chalien, in some of the most beautiful lines in the French language. It is thus described in some of the practical prose of Chateaubriand: After having wandered over the globe, man, by an affecting species of instinct, likes to return and die on the spot which gave him birth, and to sit for a moment, on the border of the grave, under the same tree which overshadowed his cradle. As John Leyden lay dying in India, whither he had gone to make his fortune, his heart dwelt on its child-memories, and his last words were about the little rural hamlet where he was born..
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 29. Put – thy hand under my thigh] See Clarke on Ge 24:2.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Put thy hand under my thigh, i.e. swear to me, as Gen 47:31, that thou wilt do what I am now desiring of thee; see Poole on “Gen 24:2“. He requires this, not out of any distrust of Josephs promise, but partly, as a more solemn protestation of his right to and affection for that promised land; partly, us a motive to all his children to have their minds and hearts there, even when their bodies were in Egypt; and partly, to give Joseph an argument and excuse to Pharaoh, that he might more willingly permit Joseph to fulfil his fathers desire, because of his own oath.
And deal kindly and truly, or, that thou wilt deal; as the Hebrew vau joined with the future tense is elsewhere used, as Psa 24:7; 35:24; 51:15. Kindly in promising, and truly in performing thy promise.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
29-31. the time drew nigh thatIsrael must dieOne only of his dying arrangements is recorded;but that one reveals his whole character. It was the disposal of hisremains, which were to be carried to Canaan, not from a mere romanticattachment to his native soil, nor, like his modern descendants, froma superstitious feeling for the soil of the Holy Land, but from faithin the promises. His address to Joseph”if now I have foundgrace in thy sight,” that is, as the vizier of Egypthisexacting a solemn oath that his wishes would be fulfilled and thepeculiar form of that oath, all pointed significantly to the promiseand showed the intensity of his desire to enjoy its blessings(compare Nu 10:29).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And the time drew nigh that Israel must die,…. As all men must, by the appointment of God, even good men, the Israel of God; though they shall not die a spiritual death, nor an eternal one, yet a corporeal one, which is for their good, and is a blessing to them; the sting being removed, and so not a penal evil, which is owing to Christ’s dying for them, who has abolished death as such; and there is a time fixed for their death, beyond which they must not live, and before which they must not die, but when the time comes there is no avoiding it; the time of Jacob’s death was drawing on, as he perceived by the great decline of his natural strength, and perhaps by a divine impulse on his mind:
and he called his son Joseph; sent for him, by a messenger, to come to him:
and said unto him; when he was come:
if now I have found grace in thy sight; which is not spoken in a way of submission, as from an inferior to a superior, as the phrase is sometimes used; or as signifying what would be esteemed as a favour should it be granted, but it is as if he should say, if thou hast any filial affection for me as a parent, and art willing to show love and respect to me, do as follows:
put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh: a gesture in swearing, as Jarchi observes, Ge 24:2; adding, for explanation’s sake,
and deal kindly and truly with me; “kindly”, by promising and swearing to do what he after desires; and “truly”, by observing his oath, and fulfilling his promise:
bury me not, I pray thee, in Egypt; not choosing to lie among idolaters at death, with whom he cared not to have any fellowship in life.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
29. And he called his son Joseph. Hence we infer, not only the anxiety of Jacob, but his invincible magnanimity. It is a proof of great courage, that none of the wealth or the pleasures of Egypt could so allure him, as to prevent him from sighing for the land of Canaan, in which he had always passed a painful and laborious life. But the constancy of his faith appeared still more excellent, when he, commanding his dead body to be carried back to Canaan, encouraged his sons to hope for deliverance. Thus it happened that he, being dead, animated those who were alive and remained, as with the sound of a trumpet. For, to what purpose was this great care respecting his sepulture, except that the promise of God might be confirmed to his posterity? Therefore, though his faith was tossed as upon the waves, yet it was so far from suffering shipwreck, that it conducted others into the haven. Moreover, he demands an oath from his son Joseph, not so much on account of distrust, as to show that a matter of the greatest consequence was in hand. Certainly he would not, by lightly swearing, profane the name of God: but the more sacred and solemn the promise was, the more ought all his sons to remember, that it was of great importance that his body should be carried to the sepulcher of his fathers. It is also probable that he prudently thought of alleviating any enmity which might be excited against his son Joseph. For he knew that this choice of his sepulcher would be, by no means, gratifying to the Egyptians; seeing it seemed like casting a reproach on their whole kingdom. This stranger, forsooth, as if he could find no fit place for his body in this splendid and noble country, wishes to be buried in the land of Canaan. Therefore, in order that Joseph might more freely dare to ask, and might more easily obtain, this favor from the king, Jacob binds him by an oath. And certainly Joseph afterwards makes use of this pretext, to avoid giving offense. This also was the reason why he required Joseph to do for him that last office, which was a duty devolving on the brothers in common; for such a favor would scarcely have been granted to the rest; and they would not have ventured on the act, unless permission had been obtained. But, as strangers and mean men, they had neither favor nor authority. Besides, it was especially necessary for Joseph to be on his guard, lest becoming ensnared by the allurements of Egypt, he should gradually forsake his own kindred. It must, however, be known, that the solemnity of an oath was designedly interposed by Jacob, to show that he did not, in vain, desire for himself, a sepulcher in the land where he had met with an unfavorable reception; where he had endured many sufferings; and from which, at length, being expelled by hunger, he had become an exile. As to his commanding the hand to be put under his thigh, we have explained what this symbol means in Gen 24:2
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.Gen. 47:29-31
ISRAELS PREPARATION FOR DEATH
Jacob felt that the inevitable hour was drawing nigh. The time drew nigh that Israel must die,even this man who had power over the angel and prevailed. He calmly prepares for the end of his earthly pilgrimage:
I. By an act of faith. He engages Joseph by a solemn oath not to bury him in Egypt, but in the sepulchre of his fathers in Canaan. There was in this request the expression of a natural feeling. Men naturally desire to have at last with their kindred some kind of union in the grave. But with Jacob, there was a desire beyond this; a desire born of strong faith in God. Like Joseph, afterwards, he by faith gave commandment concerning his bones. He believed in Gods promise, and remembered His holy covenant. And as a sign of his faith, he desired that his body should take a previous possession of the promised land.
II. By an act of adoration. Israel bowed himself upon the beds head. In Heb. 11:21, it is said that he worshipped leaning on the top of his staff. He adored the power and the goodness of God. He expressed the gratitude of his heart for past mercies, for Gods appearances to him in the time of trouble, for his faith often in darkness, but still patient to wait for the light; for the assurance of the truth of the Divine promise that his seed should inherit the land, and for the prospect before him of seeing Gods salvation, which he had so long waited for. He would also thank God for the closing token of filial duty rendered by his beloved son. The staff by which he crossed the Jordan, and which was with him through all his weary pilgrimage would, by the power of association, aid him to remember all the way which the Lord, his God, had led him.
SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON THE VERSES
Gen. 47:29-30. This he requested, partly to testify his faith concerning the Promised Land, heaven, and the resurrection; partly to confirm his family in the same faith; and that they might not be glued to the pleasures of Egypt, but wait for their return to Canaan; and partly also to declare his love to his ancestors, together with the felicity he took in the communion of saints.(Trapp).
Although we know that we can have no converse with our kindred in that house of silence, yet it gives us some pleasure while we yet live to think that our dust shall mingle with the dust of those whom we love. But the Apostle acquaints us with the secret of his injunction. (Heb. 11:22). By having his dead body conveyed to that land, he published to his seed and to the world that he believed and embraced the promise, and that he was well satisfied both with the country and with the security given him for the possession of it. In this emphatic declaration of his faith he had in view also the benefit of survivors.(Bush).
Gen. 47:31. He could not go to an altar built for sacrifices of praise; but he exerted all the vigour left him, with the help of his staff, on which he leaned, and performed his devotions in such a posture as showed his reverence and joy.(Bush).
The venerable man, however, is not yet at the point of death, but is desirous of setting things in order, that when he comes to die he may have nothing else to think about.(Fuller).
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
ISRAEL IN EGYPT.
(29) The time drew nigh that Israel must dieFor seventeen years Jacob lived in Egypt, and saw the growing prosperity of his race under the fostering hand of Joseph. Placed at the entrance of Egypt, on the side of Arabia and Palestine, the clans of his sons would daily grow in number by the addition of Semitic immigrants, by whose aid they would make the vast and fertile region assigned them, and which had previously had but a scanty population, a well-cultivated and thriving land. But at last Jacob feels his end approaching, though apparently he was not as yet in immediate danger of death. But there was a wish over which he had long pondered; and desiring to have his mind set at rest, he sends for Joseph, and makes him promise that he will bury him in the cave at Machpelah. We find him again charging all his sons to grant him this request (Gen. 49:29-32); nor need we seek for any remote reason for it. Jacobs whole nature was a loving one, and strongly influenced by home and domestic feelings; and at Machpelah his nearest relatives were buried. In the next chapter he dwells upon Rachels death, and his burial of her apart from the rest at Ephrath; and this seems to have increased his grief at her loss. At Machpelah, Abraham. whom he had known as a boy, his beloved father and mother, and Leah, who had evidently at last won his affections, all lay; and there, naturally, he too wished to lie among his own.
Put . . . thy hand under my thigh.See Note on Gen. 24:2.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
29. Israel must die The weakness and infirmities of old age admonished him that his end was near at hand . My thigh. See note on Gen 24:2.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Gen 47:29. Putthy hand under my thigh See note on ch. Gen 24:2.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Deu 26:5
All the Patriarchs had this desire, And the apostle assigns the reason: Gen 50:25 . Compared with Heb 11:22 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Heb 9:27 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Gen 47:29 And the time drew nigh that Israel must die: and he called his son Joseph, and said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me; bury me not, I pray thee, in Egypt:
Ver. 29. Bury me not, I pray thee, in Egypt. ] This he requested, partly to testify his faith concerning the Promised Land, heaven, and the resurrection; partly to confirm his family in the same faith; and that they might not be glued to the pleasures of Egypt, but wait for their return to Canaan; and partly also to declare his love to his ancestors, together with the felicity he took in the communion of saints.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Gen 47:29-31
29When the time for Israel to die drew near, he called his son Joseph and said to him, “Please, if I have found favor in your sight, place now your hand under my thigh and deal with me in kindness and faithfulness. Please do not bury me in Egypt, 30but when I lie down with my fathers, you shall carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial place.” And he said, “I will do as you have said.” 31He said, “Swear to me.” So he swore to him. Then Israel bowed in worship at the head of the bed.
Gen 47:29 “When the time for Israel to die drew near” Death is in the hand of God, not chance, not fate, not the evil one. There is no “grim reaper,” only an angel of God.
Death is not an enemy, but a reunion for those who have a relationship with YHWH. In the Bible it is not death that is a tragedy, but an early death or a violent death. After the fall of Genesis 3 (cf. Genesis 5) death is the natural end of physical life. When one is aged, death is a blessing!
“place now your hand under my thigh” This seems to be an idiomatic oath formula among the ancient Hebrews (cf. Gen 24:2). There are two possible orientations to this gesture: (1) the thigh is the largest muscle in the body, therefore, connected to the idea of strength or (2) the thigh is close to the genitals, referring to the “seed” of promise. The point of this maneuver seems to be an emphasis on the descendants of Jacob as a true object of oath taking. Apparently this was caught up in the covenant promises of God for seed, going back to Canaan, (cf. Gen 12:1-3).
NASB “kindness and faithfulness”
NKJV “kindly and truly”
NRSV “loyally and truly”
NJB “faithful love”
LXX “mercy and truth”
Peshitta “graciously and truly”
REB “loyally and faithfully”
JPSOA “steadfast loyalty”
These are the special covenant terms hesed (BDB 388, , cf. Gen 20:13; Gen 21:23) and emeth (BDB 54, ). See Special Topic: Lovingkindness (Hesed) .
SPECIAL TOPIC: Believe, Trust, Faith, and Faithfulness in the Old Testament ()
Gen 47:30 “you shall carry me out of Egypt” This is a foreshadowing of the Exodus. Jacob may have known of it from the family traditions going back to Abraham (cf. Gen 15:12-16). It also seems to be implied in Gen 48:21. Jacob knew that the destiny of the Hebrews did not relate to a long stay in Egypt.
Gen 47:31 “Swear to me” Jacob was very emphatic (BDB 989, KB 1396, Niphal IMPERATIVE) that he did not want to remain in Egypt and he asked his son, not only to swear by putting his hand under his thigh, but to swear verbally as well.
NASB, JPSOA”at the head of his bed”
NKJV, NRSVon the head of the bed”
LXX”leaning on the top of his staff”
Peshitta”upon the head of his staff”
REB”by the head of his bed”
The Hebrew word for “bed” is mittah (BDB 641) and “staff” is matteh (BDB 641). Notice it is not a consonant issue, but a vowel issue. There has been much discussion about this translation in the Masoretic Text. The Septuagint (cf. Heb 11:21, which follows the LXX) changes this metaphor to “the head of the staff.” This seems quite possible because the staff was a symbol of authority in ancient Egypt, therefore, this would mean that Jacob bowed his forehead and touched Joseph’s staff. This may have symbolized
1. Jacob fulfilling Joseph’s dream of Gen 37:6-9
2. Jacob’s reverence for Joseph as fulfilling God’s plan for saving his family
3. a gesture of Jacob’s acknowledging Joseph’s prestige (cf. Gen 48:2; 1Ki 1:47)
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.
These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.
1. Why would Joseph want his family to settle in Goshen?
2. Why did Joseph take only five of his brothers with him to meet Pharaoh?
3. Why is Jacob so melancholy in Gen 47:9?
4. Why does Jacob bless Pharaoh twice?
5. Why does the name Rameses in Gen 47:11 support a later date for the Exodus?
6. Did Joseph treat the people of Egypt harshly during these years of famine?
7. Why did Jacob want Joseph to swear in two different ways that he would take him out of the land of Egypt?
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
Israel. Used here of the man Jacob. See notes on Gen 47:27; Gen 43:8; Gen 45:26, Gen 45:28.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
must die: Gen 47:9, Gen 3:19, Gen 50:24, Deu 31:14, 2Sa 7:12, 2Sa 14:14, 1Ki 2:1, Job 7:1, Job 14:14, Job 30:23, Psa 6:5, Psa 49:7, Psa 49:9, Psa 89:48, Heb 9:27
put: Gen 24:2
deal kindly: Gen 24:49
bury me not: Gen 50:24, Gen 50:25, Act 7:15, Act 7:16, Heb 11:22
Reciprocal: Gen 33:10 – if now Gen 47:31 – And Israel bowed Gen 50:5 – made me Gen 50:12 – General 1Sa 20:8 – deal kindly 1Sa 26:10 – his day 1Ch 29:24 – submitted themselves unto Ecc 3:2 – and a time
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
The patriarchs, being men of faith, viewed Canaan as being the land of Messiah’s glory, and though now descending into the grave, they expected to see that glory in a coming day. The closing verses of Heb 11:1-40 sum up the situation. Though they believed they did not receive that which was promised.
They were waiting, though they did not know it, for further purposes of God to come to light, and the church was yet to be gathered out of all nations. Hence we read that they – the Old Testament saints – without us – the saints composing the church – “should not be made perfect.” In a glorified condition we shall all reach perfection together at the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The one event in Jacob’s life which is singled out in Heb 11:1-40, as exemplifying the faith that was in him, is his blessing of the sons of Joseph. The importance of this act of his is evident here, for the whole of Gen 48:1-22 is given up to the account of it. Being upon his deathbed, Joseph and his two sons arrived to see him, and it is striking how at once Jacob reverted to the moment when first he was brought into contact with God, as recorded in Gen 28:1-22. The blessing then granted he remembered and the promises then made he rehearsed in a way that shows that he received them in faith. They were blessings of an earthly sort, but in the sons of Joseph he saw the beginning of their fulfilment.
There appears to be an element of prophecy in verse Gen 47:5, for in the history of the nation Joseph’s two sons were treated just as though they had been sons of Jacob, as Reuben and Simeon were his; each being treated as the head of a tribe, and all Joseph’s posterity were ranged under the heads of these two tribes.
Then further, having recalled the original blessing received from God at Bethel, he passed on to recall the greatest sorrow of his life when Rachel, the mother of Joseph, died in the vicinity of Bethlehem. His faith could not embrace the distinction that was yet to come to the place, for centuries had to pass before prophecy indicated that spot as the birthplace of the great Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth have been from the days of eternity. It was to be the place where not only was there to be a mourning for Rachel, but also where there should be a great mourning, “Rachel weeping for her children,” according to Mat 2:18.
When Rachel died Jacob was still in full strength; now his natural strength was gone, his eyes were dim, so that he could not even discern the sons of Joseph. In his days of vigour he had too frequently walked by the sight of his own eyes; now at the close he begins to walk and act by faith and not by sight, and at the same time he realizes the exceeding kindness of God toward him. He had spent weary years thinking that never again would he see the face of his beloved son, and now not only had he seen him but his seed also. Upon the two sons he would now bestow his blessing.
With filial piety Joseph bowed down before his father and then presented them with due respect to their ages, so that Jacob’s right hand might rest upon the head of the elder, according to the custom of those days. At that moment it was the faith of Jacob that was prominent – faith which led to his possessing the spirit of prophecy. Consequently he reversed what Joseph had done, and crossing his hands he laid his right hand upon Ephraim and not Manasseh.
Herein we may see a parable that has meaning for us. The name Manasseh means Forgetting, which is negative in its bearing, whereas Ephraim means Fruitful, which definitely bears a positive character. The first man and his race are negative as regards God, the complete negation of all His thoughts. In Christ, the Second Man, is the Yea and Amen to all God’s thoughts, and all fruitfulness is found in Him. He is indeed the Man of God’s right hand, and it is a great day in the spiritual history of each of us when we heartily endorse the fact that the first man is dispossessed by the Second, and therefore we turn away from self-seeking to find our all in Christ.
Once more then we find a type pointing forward to the word, “He taketh away the first, that He may establish the second” (Heb 10:9). When challenged by Joseph, Jacob held his ground, and though Manasseh was definitely blessed, yet Ephraim was given priority. The probation of mankind was running its course at this time and the test was not completed. Hence the time had not come for the conclusive judgment of the first man to be set forth in type, but only the fact that the Second should dispossess the first.
Again in verse Gen 47:21 we hear the accents of faith. Israel knew that he was about to die, but his eye was lifted from himself to God. He had done much scheming in his time, but now he recognized that the only thing that really mattered was the presence and purpose of God. No matter what he himself had been nor what his sons would prove themselves to be, God would be true to them and to His purpose to give them the land that He had promised. At last, God and His word was the stay of Israel’s soul, and we shall be happy if, long before we come to the end of life’s journey, we discover that there, and there only, is stability and security to be found. Thereby we shall be spared much of the fruitless and heart-breaking scheming which we have seen characterizing him.
The last verse of the chapter seems to allude to an episode not previously recorded. We read of, “the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph” (Joh 4:5), and Jos 24:32 seems also to refer to this gift. If so, we must identify it with the transaction recorded in Gen 33:19, and that was close to the bad and warlike action of his sons Simeon and Levi, yet no mention is made there as to sword and bow in the hands of Jacob. However, there was the acquisition of a portion in the land as the result of conflict as well as purchase, and it was given to Joseph, who became thereby lord of that little portion of the land as well as lord of all Egypt. It was a kind of foretaste and pledge that ultimately the whole land would be possessed.
In Gen 49:1-33, we find Jacob still presented to us as a man of faith. He called his sons together that he might pronounce a blessing upon them, and he was conscious that in so doing he was speaking as a prophet and foretelling that which should befall them in the last days. We are on safe ground therefore in interpreting his utterances as referring to “the last days,” and not merely to the more immediate future experiences of the tribes.
Reuben was the firstborn and in him more especially the might, the strength, the dignity and the power of Jacob should be seen. The very beginning of Jacob’s strength and excellency were to be expressed in him. And what was expressed? Nothing but instability and self-gratification, which was defiling and an outrage on all natural decency. What a disappointment for Jacob to see this evil manifested as the beginning of his strength!
Here surely we have predicted that which marked Israel the nation all through their sad history, and particularly when they were tested under the law. Whether in the wilderness or in the land; whether under Moses or Joshua or the Judges or the Kings; their story is one long record of unstable fluctuations between the worship of Jehovah and of idols. They were defiled by their adulterous connection with false gods. And in contemplating this we must remember that they were the sample nation, selected that the test of man might be carried out in them. In their condemnation all the nations stand condemned; ourselves included as men in the flesh.
Simeon and Levi come next. Their father never forgot their cruel and violent action, as recorded in Gen 34:1-31, and he dissociated himself from it. They claimed to be avenging the honour of their sister, but with what they did Jacob’s honour would not be united, and he denounced it as the fruit of their anger. The allusion here is again to that which was past, and in which their natural character was seen. But to what did it refer prophetically?
It refers, we believe, to that terrible outbreak of anger and cruelty in the nation, which reached its climax in the rejection and death of Christ. Stephen speaks of Him as “the Just One,” in contrast to the sinful men that were slain by Simeon and Levi, and he added, “of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers” (Act 7:52). Strikingly enough Simeon and Levi achieved their murderous intent by a preliminary act of betrayal.
The last clause of verse Gen 47:6 is obscure, inasmuch as the reading is not certain. But taking it as it stands, “they digged down a wall,” we may apply to the fact that in murdering their Messiah and Deliverer, they destroyed their own separated position, and digged down by so doing the wall of protection that had been theirs. They are still in a very full sense the scattered nation, and that in spite of a partial return to their own land.
Consequently there rests upon them nationally the curse of which Jacob spoke in verse Gen 47:7. Indeed, as we know, they took the curse upon themselves in the presence of Pilate, the representative of the ruling Gentile power. Verse Gen 47:7 is still being fulfilled before our eyes to this day, though early in their history a fulfilment of it began. Simeon was soon much weakened and relegated to an unimportant place among the tribes, whilst Levi was separated from them. But that was because after several centuries Levi was zealous not for his own honour but for God’s honour, and used his sword to vindicate God’s holiness.
We see, then, in verses Gen 47:5-7, a prophetic reference to the death of their Messiah at the hands of the nation, resulting in the curse and scattering being their portion, as to this day. This is a national matter and does not conflict with the action of God’s grace in still calling out from among them a remnant according to His election.
In the blessing of Judah an entirely different note is struck. In verses Gen 47:8-12, we turn to a prophecy which refers to Christ, who though rejected and slain, as we have just seen, emerges triumphant both in grace and in judgment. There is a play upon Judah’s name, for it means “Praise,” and Christ is to be the Object of universal praise, as we see in Rev 5:1-14; praise which shall fill both heaven and earth and go far beyond anything foreseen by Jacob. Two classes are seen in verse Gen 47:8 – his brethren and his enemies. His brethren are to sound out his praise, and his enemies are to feel the power of his hand in subjugation; and how these things, spoken of Judah, point on to Christ, it is easy to see. Here his father’s children are to bow down before Judah, as representing Christ, just as previously they were to bow down before Joseph, since he represented Christ.
In verse Gen 47:9 Judah is compared to a lion, as a king among beasts. Here we see an allusion to Christ acting in judgment. Genesis is the seed-plot of the Bible. We pass to Revelation where everything reaches fruition and finality, and in Rev 5:1-14 we find “the Lion of the tribe of Judah” about to take the book of judgment and break its seals. And the universe is filled with His praises. The connection is too plain for us to miss. In this way old Jacob must have rejoiced to see the day of Christ, though doubtless not so fully as Abraham did.
Verse Gen 47:10 contains a striking prophecy, indicating that Judah would be the tribe out of whom should come the kingly line, culminating in “Shiloh,” a term which is taken to refer to Christ as the Prince of peace. And of course we know that our Lord, as concerning the flesh, sprang out of Judah, as we are reminded in the Epistle to the Hebrews. Out of that kingly line He sprang, as is shown by the two genealogies recorded by Matthew and Luke. But at the end of that verse another striking fact is alluded to, for the word, “people,” is more correctly, “peoples;” that is, it refers to the nations generally and not merely to the nation of Israel. And the coming of Shiloh has resulted in His becoming, by reason of His rejection and death, the Centre of gathering for a multitude out of all nations; and in the coming age He will be visibly the Centre not only of Israel but of the nations also.
The prophetic allusions of verses Gen 47:11-12 are not so clear, especially as the language is highly poetic and figurative. We cannot miss the words, “His foal,” and “His ass’s colt,” which at once carry our thoughts to Zechariah’s prophecy and its fulfilment as our Lord presented Himself to Jerusalem, as is shown in Mat 21:5. It looks therefore as if the words relate to His first advent rather than to His second, and thus refer to His sufferings and to the grace which is proffered as the result of them.
In Isa 55:1 the Gentiles are in view for the call goes forth to “every one” that thirsts. “Wine and milk” are free for all. Our verses would indicate the reason. They are free because procured as the result of what He has done.
Fuente: F. B. Hole’s Old and New Testaments Commentary
Gen 47:29. And the time drew nigh that Israel must die Israel, that had power over the angel, and prevailed, yet must yield to death. He died by degrees; his candle was not blown out, but gradually burned down, so that he saw, at some distance, the time drawing nigh. He would be buried in Canaan, not because Canaan was the land of his nativity, but in faith, because it was the land of promise, which he desired thus, as it were, to keep possession of until the time should come when his posterity should be masters of it: and because it was a type of heaven, that better country, which he was in expectation of. When this was done, Israel bowed himself upon the beds head Worshipping God, as it is explained, Heb 11:21, giving God thanks for all his favours, and particularly for this, that Joseph was ready to put his hand upon his eyes. Thus they that go down to the dust should, with humble thankfulness, bow before God, the God of their mercies.