Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Genesis 49:2
Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father.
2. Assemble yourselves ] This verse forms a kind of introduction to the main subject of the song.
and hear ] The occurrence of the same Hebrew word for “hear” in the first clause, and for “hearken” in the second, is metrically a violation of the parallelism of Hebrew poetry. In English it is not apparent, as our rendering “hearken” avoids the repetition. Either “and hear” is a gloss, or another Hebrew word stood for “hearken.” Cf. Deu 32:1; Isa 1:10.
Jacob Israel ] The use of these proper names concurrently is frequent in Israelite poetry. Here it is evidence of the somewhat formal poetical prelude to the main song. Cf. Psa 105:23. The names emphasize the national character of the oracle, which is put into the mouth of the patriarch, and has reference to the fortunes of the twelve tribes.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Gather yourselves together,…. This is repeated to hasten them, and to suggest that he had something of importance to make known unto them, which he chose to do, when they were together:
and hear, ye sons of Jacob, and hearken to Israel your father: these words are used and doubled to excite their attention to what he was about to say, and which is urged from the near relation there was between them.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
“Assemble yourselves and hear, you sons of Jacob, And listen to Israel your father.”
His words are to the sons as a family, although each will be treated individually. For some they represent devastating criticism and warning, for others general prophecy, and for Judah and Joseph effective prophecy in more detail. But their main emphasis is on their current life in Egypt which belies any suggestion that they were invented afterwards in Palestine.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Gen 49:2. Gather yourselves together Jacob received a double blessing, spiritual and temporal, the promise of the land of Canaan, and the promise of the seed in which all the nations of the earth should be blessed; which promises were first made to Abraham, then repeated to Isaac, and afterward confirmed to Jacob; and Jacob, a little before his death, bequeaths the same to his children. The temporal blessing, or inheritance of the land of Canaan, might be shared and divided among all his sons; but the blessed Seed could descend only from one; and Jacob accordingly assigns to each a portion in the promised land, but limits the descent of the Messiah to the tribe of Judah, and at the same time, sketches out the characters and fortunes of all the tribes. Bishop Newton.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Pro 4:1
It is remarkable that from this tribe of Israel, there never arose a governor, a prophet, or prince. And it is as remarkable that the Reubenites chose their settlement on the other side of Jordan. Jos 1:12-15 ; Deu 33:6 ; Jdg 5:15-16 ; Jas 1:8 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Gen 49:2 Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father.
Ver. 2. Hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken. ] Draw up the ears of your souls to the ears of your bodies, that one sound may pierce both at once. “Let him that hath an ear to hear, hear”: not only with that outward gristle that grows upon his head, but with his utmost intention of mind, attention of body, and retention of memory, and of practice also, He that hears the word of God, must hear as ff he did, for so he doth, hear for life and death; he must, as Jacob bids his sons, “hear and hearken.”
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Israel. See notes on Gen 32:28; Gen 43:8; Gen 45:26, Gen 45:28.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
hearken: Psa 34:11, Pro 1:8, Pro 1:9, Pro 4:1-4, Pro 5:1, Pro 6:20, Pro 7:1, Pro 7:24, Pro 8:32, Pro 23:22, Pro 23:26
Reciprocal: Num 26:5 – the eldest Deu 31:28 – Gather unto me 1Ch 2:1 – Israel Ecc 7:2 – better
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Gen 49:2. Hearken, unto Israel your father This chapter calls for our strictest attention, for it contains a number of predictions which were to be fulfilled at distant periods, through a long succession of ages; things depending upon so many various circumstances, upon such remote causes, so hid to all human view, so contrary to all appearances at the time they were spoken of, that it was impossible for any foresight or sagacity of man so much as to conjecture or imagine them. And yet they were all exactly and fully accomplished; many of them in distant ages, long after both the prophet and the recorder of the prophecies were dead. And surely nothing can give us a higher idea of the Scriptures, or more confirm our faith in them, than to observe events foretold in them, and spoken of with the most certain assurance, ages before they happened, and then to see all these things taking place accordingly. But what makes this chapter of still more value to us, and more worthy of our closest attention, is, that we have here a sure word prophecy, marking out the time and some peculiar circumstances of the coming of the Messiah so particularly as will furnish us with an invincible argument, that not only the Messiah is come, but also that Jesus, in whom we believe, is that Messiah: so that, being fully convinced in our hearts, as Peter was, (Joh 6:68-69,) we may say with him, Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life; and we believe and are sure thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.