Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Genesis 49:8
Judah, thou [art he] whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand [shall be] in the neck of thine enemies; thy father’s children shall bow down before thee.
8. praise ] The word contains a play on the name Judah, which cannot be reproduced in a translation. See note on Gen 29:35.
The transition from the sombre oracles concerning the previous three tribes to the outburst of the eulogy upon Judah is very marked.
Thy hand neck ] i.e. as Judah pursues the fleeing foe, he shall grasp them by the neck (cf. Job 16:12). The point of this clause lies in the geographical position of the tribe of Judah. Their territory was beset on the west and south-west by the Philistines, and on the south and south-east by the Edomites and the Amalekites. The Philistines and the Edomites were the bitterest and most persistent of Israel’s foes. But they were within reach; and in their flight and retreat they are overtaken and smitten down by the victorious tribe.
bow down before thee ] A reference to the Davidic monarchy which united the tribes of Israel.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
8 12. Judah is the recipient of a special blessing, which is distributed as follows: (1) he is the object of national eulogy, Gen 49:8; (2) he is strong as a lion, and has won success, Gen 49:9; (3) to him belong the monarchy and the ideal king, Gen 49:10; (4) his territory is blessed with fertility, Gen 49:11-12.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Gen 49:8-12
Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise
The blessing of Judah:
I.
THAT HE SHOULD WIN THE PRAISE OF HIS BRETHREN.
II. THAT HE SHOULD BE THE TYPE OF THE VICTORIOUS HERO.
1. A growing power.
2. A. righteous power.
3. A power to be dreaded.
III. THAT HE SHOULD BE THE TYPE OF THE MESSIAH.
1. In his sovereignty. For–
(1) He had regal power.
(2) He had power combined with gentleness.
(3) He had a power which sweetly wins obedience.
2. In his prosperity. (T. H. Leale.)
Judahs praise:
I. JUDAHS PRAISE.
1. He is first in intercession.
2. He is first in wisdom.
3. He takes precedence in offering (see Num 7:12).
4. He takes precedence in march (see Num 10:14; Jdg 1:2). In all things he has the pre-eminence (Psa 68:67-68).
II. JUDAHS TRIUMPHS ABROAD. Thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies. Illustrate by life of David–He passed through severe conflicts 1Sa 17:34-36). He gained great victories (2Ch 13:14). He founded a peaceful empire. He utterly crushed the forces of his foes, and broke the neck of all opposition. So has our Lord done by His life, death, resurrection, reigning power, and second coming.
III. JUDAHS HONOURS AT HOME. Thy fathers children shall bow down before thee.
1. He became the head of the family.
2. He was clothed with lion-like power. He couched as a lion, and as an old lion (see verse 9). The lion of the tribe of Judah hath prevailed Rev 5:5).
3. He is the centre of our assembling. To him shall the gathering of the people be (verse 10).
4. His glory is His meekness. Binding his foal, &c. (verse 11). Thy King cometh, meek and sitting upon a colt the foal of an ass (Mat 21:5).
5. The wine hath at His first and second advent makes Him lovely in our eyes (verses 11, 12); also I have trodden the wine-press alone (Isa 63:1-3).
6. He is king to us for ever. Hallelujah (see Hos 11:12). Ephraim compasseth me about with lies, and the house of Israel with deceit: but Judah yet ruleth with God. Are we among the foes against whom He fights as a lion? Let us beware how we rouse Him up (verse 9). Are we among His friends for whom He fights? Let us praise Him with all our hearts, and now bow down before Him. Are we not His Fathers children? Do we hunger and thirst after heavenly food? See in the 12th verse how abundant are wine and milk with Him. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
The blessing of Judah
The first verse of Jacobs blessing on Judah begins with the final triumph of the tribe and victory over all its foes. It then descends to details as to how this victory will be accomplished. As we look at it let us read in it the history of the Lion of the tribe of Judah. There are consecutive stages in the verses, beginning with the highest in the first line of the first verse of the text: Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise. The order of these verses is one of constant occurrence in the Bible. The issue, great, grand, and glorious, is first stated, then we descend to the details by which it is brought about. Thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise. Praise is the final note and the never ending one to the Lord Jesus Christ. It begins when the soul is first brought to know experimentally the Lord Jesus Christ, in His Person and in His work, as the Lion of the tribe of Judah. Praise for the pardon of all guilt and the forgiveness of all sin through the precious blood of Jesus. Praise for that wondrous love that has stooped down to our lowest condition and lifted us up out of the pit of corruption to His throne of glory. And whence is the source of all this joy and praise now and hereafter? We have it in the next clause: Thy hand shall be in the neck of Thine enemies. It is that hand of which we read so much in Gods Word. He laid His right hand upon me. And Jesus stretched forth His hand. These and such passages tell us what it means. It is Christ putting forth His power over every foe. He conquered death and hell. He conquers still every foe thou hast. Therefore it is that Thy Fathers children bow down to Thee. For whom have we in heaven or on earth like Him! There is none like Thee! Lord, to whom shall we go?
Let every tongue be vocal with Thy praise, every heart bow down at Thy feet. Let all our powers, all that is nearest and dearest, be laid there. Yes, the fathers children shall bow down before Him. The whole of Israel and Judah shall bow down before Jesus. He is their Messiah and their King. But observe further how this is brought about. Judah is a lions whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion and as an old lion: who shall rouse him up? The words point to something far greater and deeper in spiritual import. In this graphic picture we behold the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Lord Jesus Christ. In the young lion ripening into full strength as a growing lion, and becoming the ancestor of the lion tribe, we see the growth of this Lion from infancy to manhood. He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant and as a root out of a dry ground. But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall He come forth unto Me that is to be ruler in Israel, whose goings forth have been from of old from everlasting. And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles in the midst of many people as alien among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep: who, if he go through, both treadeth down and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver (Mic 5:2-8). He couched; he lay down as a lion, and as a great lion; who shall stir him up? Num 24:9). In all these passages we see the Lion of the tribe of Judah going forth at the head, and as the Leader of His people Israel. And what is the meaning of the lion seizing its prey and then ascending to its lair in the mountains? What but that same Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Son of God from heaven, seizing its prey and conquering it, when He laid down His life on the cross. There He met every foe, and gained His great victory over the devil, over sin and death and the grave. There He seized the prey, and from that great fight and victory He went up–up to His Fathers throne as mans great Representative. And so we have Him brought before Rev 5:5-6) in the double character as the Lamb of God, the Sin-bearer of the human race, and in the royal dignity of the Lion of the tribe of Judah. Yes, our Jesus went up from the prey, and as He went up, ten thousand times ten thousands of angels uttered their voices, Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of Glory shall come in. Who is this King of Glory? The Lord, strong and mighty; the Lord, mighty in battle. Who is this King of Glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of Glory (Psa 24:7-8; Psa 24:10). But there is another figure in the picture drawn by Jacob. The figure of a lion is followed by that of a lioness, peculiarly fierce in defending its young. Have we not here the Lion of the tribe of Judah as the Avenger of His people, coming forth to execute judgment upon the nations? At present we see this Lion stooping down, couching, waiting for that moment when He shall come forth to seize upon the prey. From the prey He has indeed gone up; but He is to return again as the Lion of the tribe of Judah to take vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ (2Th 1:7-10; Rom 11:26; Joh 14:2-3; Act 1:11; Rev 19:11-15; Mt Amo 3:11; Rev 1:7; Heb 9:28; Isa 11:10-11; Php 3:20-21; 1Th 4:16-17; Zec 14:4-5). But to pass on to the remaining portion of the text: The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, till Shiloh come, and unto Him shall the gathering of the people be. A sceptre is the symbol of regal command, and, in its earliest form, it was a long staff which the king held in his hand when speaking in public assemblies; when he sat upon his throne he rested it between his feet inclining towards himself. The idea is that Judah was to have the rule, the chieftainship, till Shiloh came. We must also bear in mind that the coming of Shiloh was not to terminate the rule of Judah. It would then only attain to full dominion in the Person of the Lion of the tribe of Judah. Judah was to bear the sceptre with victorious lion-courage until, in the future Shiloh, the obedience of the nations came to Him, and through Him eventually widening into the peaceful government of the world. The term Shiloh is strikingly confirmatory of this view in relation to Christ and His work. Critically it means rest, peace, quietness. So Christ is called the Prince of Peace (Isa 9:6). In His time, it is said, there shall be abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth (Psa 72:7). Again, This Man shall be our peace (Mic 5:5). Of Christ, it is said, peace on earth was sung by angels at His birth. His own words were, Peace I leave with you; My peace I give unto you: Come unto Me, all ye that are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest: and again, Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me: and ye shall find rest unto your souls: again, These things have I spoken unto you that in Me ye might have peace. Peace, rest, and quietness, these are the meaning of Shiloh, and they are all fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ. But let us mark another expression of Jacobs with reference to this Shiloh: unto Him shall the gathering of the people be. Two meanings are wrapped up in these words. First, Shiloh is the Gatherer; and secondly, He gathers to Himself. Mark how our blessed Lord confirms this Himself: I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me. This the Lord Jesus is doing now in grace; but the full accomplishment has not yet taken place. The time is drawing near when all kings shall bow down before Him, all nations shall serve Him. As I live, saith the Lord, to Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall confess. And the time is at hand. We can even now hear the sound of His chariot wheels in the distance. The Churchs journey is nearly done. All things tell us that the morning is at hand, and with that morning the joyous greeting and the eternal gladness, the sun that shall no more go down, and the hallelujahs of a multitude that no man can number meeting in the house of their Father to go no more out. Blessed morning, long expected! Hasten thy dawning upon our troubled world; Yea, come, Lord Jesus, come quickly! But to revert once more to Jacobs blessing on Judah. Observe the superabundance of Judahs blessings, and their deep spiritual import: binding his foal unto the vine; and his asss colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes. His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk. Judah is here depicted as having attained, even before the coming of Shiloh, to a rest acquired by victory over surrounding foes, and enjoying in peaceful repose the abundance of his inheritance. But such a view is far from exhausting the words here brought before us. Indeed, in no full sense were they ever realized in the tribe of Judah. It is to the many and great spiritual blessings of the Lion of the tribe of Judah these words refer. We read of the love of Christ that passeth knowledge; of joy unspeakable and full of glory; that if all the things about Jesus were to be written the world itself could not contain the books that should be written; that eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man to conceive, the things that God hath prepared for them that love Him. And let us notice, every one of these blessings are directly connected with Christ Himself. The word His, which runs through these verses, shows us this. His eyes red; His teeth white; His garments washed in wine; His clothes in the blood of grapes. Such expressions remind us of the Song of Solomon, in which the Beloved is described in similar language. They all show us the preciousness of the Person of the Lord Jesus; just as the beloved apostle loved to dwell upon it in his description in Rev 1:13-16. (F. Whitfield, M. A.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
8. Judah! thou! Thy brethren shall praise thee.
Thy hand, in the neck of thine enemies:
The sons of thy father shall bow themselves
to thee.
9. A lion’s whelp is Judah:
From the prey, my son, thou hast ascended,
He couched, lying down like a strong lion
And like a lioness; who shall arouse him?
10. From Judah the sceptre shall not depart,
Nor a teacher from his offspring,
Until that SHILOH shall come,
And to him shall be assembled the peoples.
11. Binding his colt to the vine,
And to the choice vine the foals of his ass,
He washed his garments in wine,
His clothes in the blood of the grape.
12. With wine shall his eyes be red,
And his teeth shall be white with milk.
Verse 8. Thy brethren shall praise thee.] As the name Judah signifies praise, Jacob takes occasion from its meaning to show that this tribe should be so eminent and glorious, that the rest of the tribes should praise it; that is, they should acknowledge its superior dignity, as in its privileges it should be distinguished beyond all the others. On the prophecy relative to Judah, Dr. Hales has several judicious remarks, and has left very little to be farther desired on the subject. Every reader will be glad to meet with them here.
“The prophecy begins with his name JUDAH, signifying the praise of the Lord, which was given to him at his birth by his mother Leah, Ge 29:35. It then describes the warlike character of this tribe, to which, by the Divine appointment, was assigned the first lot of the promised land, which was conquered accordingly by the pious and heroic Caleb; the first who laid hands on the necks of his enemies, and routed and subdued them, Jos 14:11; Jos 15:1; Jdg 1:1-2; and led the way for their total subjugation under David; who, in allusion to this prediction, praises God, and says: Thou hast given me the necks of mine enemies, that I might destroy them that hate me, Ps 18:40. In the different stages of its strength, this tribe is compared to a lion’s whelp, to a full grown lion, and to a nursing lioness, the fiercest of all. Hence a lion was the standard of Judah; compare Nu 2:3, Eze 1:10. The city of David, where he reposed himself after his conquests, secure in the terror of his name, 1Ch 14:17, was called Ariel, the lion of God, Isa 29:1; and our Lord himself, his most illustrious descendant, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, Re 5:5.
“The duration of the power of this famous tribe is next determined: ‘the sceptre of dominion,’ as it is understood Est 8:4; Isa 14:5, c., or its civil government, was not to cease or depart from Judah until the birth or coming of SHILOH, signifying the Apostle, as Christ is styled, Heb 3:1 nor was the native lawgiver, or expounder of the law, teacher, or scribe, intimating their ecclesiastical polity, to cease, until Shiloh should have a congregation of peoples, or religious followers, attached to him. And how accurately was this fulfilled in both these respects!
“1. Shortly before the birth of Christ a decree was issued by Augustus Caesar that all the land of Judea and Galilee should be enrolled, or a registry of persons taken, in which Christ was included, Lu 2:1-7; whence Julian the apostate unwittingly objected to his title of CHRIST or KING, that he was born a subject of Caesar!’ About eleven years after Judea was made a Roman province, attached to Syria on the deposal and banishment of Archelaus, the son of Herod the Great, for maladministration; and an assessment of properties or taxing was carried into effect by Cyrenius, then governor of Syria, the same who before, as the emperor’s procurator, had made the enrolment, Lu 2:2; Ac 5:37; and thenceforth Judea was governed by a Roman deputy, and the judicial power of life and death taken away from the Jews, Joh 18:31.
“2. Their ecclesiastical polity ceased with the destruction of their city and temple by the Romans, A. D. 70; at which time the Gospel had been preached through the known world by the apostles, ‘his witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth;’ Ac 2:8; Ro 10:18.
“Our Lord’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem, before his crucifixion, ‘riding on an ass, even a colt the foal of an ass,’ which by his direction his disciples brought to him for this purpose, ‘Go into the village over against you, and presently ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her; loose them, and bring them to me,’ Mt 21:2-5, remarkably fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah, (Zec 9:9) is no less a fulfillment of this prophecy of Shiloh, ‘binding or tying his foal to the vine, even his ass’s colt to the choice vine.’ In ancient times to ride upon white asses or ass-colts was the privilege of persons of high rank, princes, judges, and prophets, Jdg 5:10; Jdg 10:4; Nu 22:22. And as the children of Israel were symbolized by the vine, Ps 80:8; Ho 10:1, and the men of Judah by ‘a (choice) vine of Sorek,’ in the original, both here and in the beautiful allegory of Isaiah, Isa 5:1-7, adopted by Jeremiah, Jer 2:21, and by our Lord, Mt 21:33, who styled himself the true vine, Joh 15:1; so the union of both these images signified our Lord’s assumption, as the promised Shiloh, of the dignity of the king of the Jews, not in a temporal but in a spiritual sense, as he declared to Pilate, Joh 18:36, as a prelude to his second coming in glory ‘to restore again the kingdom to Israel.’
“The vengeance to be then inflicted on all the enemies of his Church, or congregation of faithful Christians, is expressed by the symbolical imagery of ‘washing his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes;’ which to understand literally, would be incongruous and unusual any where, while it aptly represents his garments crimsoned in the blood of his foes, and their immense slaughter; and imagery frequently adopted in the prophetic scriptures.
“The strength and wholesomeness of Shiloh’s doctrine are next represented by having ‘his eyes red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.’ And thus the evangelical prophet, in similar strains, invites the world to embrace the Gospel: –
Ho, every one that thirsteth, come to the waters,
And he that hath no money; come, buy and eat:
Yea, come, buy wine and milk,
Without money and without price. Isa 55:1.
“On the last day of the feast of tabernacles it was customary among the Jews for the people to bring water from the fountain of Siloah or Siloam, which they poured on the altar, singing the words of Isaiah, Isa 12:3: With joy shall ye draw water from the fountain of salvation; which the Targum interprets, ‘With joy shall ye receive a new doctrine from the ELECT of the JUST ONE;’ and the feast itself was also called Hosannah, Save, we beseech thee. And Isaiah has also described the apostasy of the Jews from their tutelar God IMMANUEL, under the corresponding imagery of their ‘rejecting the gently-flowing waters of Siloah,’ Isa 8:6-8.
“Hence our Lord, on the last day of the feast, significantly invited the Jews to come unto him as the true and living Fountain of waters, Jer 2:13. ‘If any man thirst, let him come to ME and drink;’ Joh 7:37. He also compared his doctrine to new wine, which required to be put into new bottles, made of skins strong enough to contain it, Mt 9:17; while the Gospel is repeatedly represented as affording milk for babes, or the first principles of the oracles of God for novices in the faith, as well as strong meat [and strong wine] for masters in Christ or adepts, Mt 13:11; Heb 5:12-14.
“And our Lord’s most significant miracle was wrought at this fountain, when he gave sight to a man forty years old, who had been blind from his birth, by sending him, after he had anointed his eyes with moistened clay, to wash in the pool of Siloam, which is the Greek pronunciation of the Hebrew Siloah or Siloh, Isa 8:6, where the Septuagint version reads , signifying, according to the evangelist, , sent forth, and consequently derived from shalach, to send, Joh 9:7. Our Lord thus assuming to himself his two leading titles of MESSIAH, signifying anointed, and SHILOH, sent forth or delegated from God; as he had done before at the opening of his mission: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor; he hath sent me forth () to heal the broken-hearted,’ c. Lu 4:18.
“And in the course of it he declared, I was not sent forth () but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel, Mt 15:24, by a two-fold reference to his character in Jacob’s prophecy of SHILOH and SHEPHERD OF ISRAEL, Ge 49:10-24. ‘This is life eternal, to know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou sentest forth,’ (,) to instruct and save mankind, Joh 17:3; and he thus distinguishes his own superior mission from his commission to his apostles: ‘As THE FATHER hath sent ME, (,) so I send you,’ , Joh 20:21. Whence St. Paul expressly styles Jesus Christ ‘the Apostle () and High Priest of our profession,’ Heb 3:1; and by an elaborate argument shows the superiority of his mission above that of Moses, and of his priesthood above that of Aaron, in the sequel of the epistle. His priesthood was foretold by David to be a royal priesthood, after the order of Melchizedek, Ps 110:4. But where shall we find his mission or apostleship foretold, except in Jacob’s prophecy of Shiloh? which was evidently so understood by Moses when God offered to send him as his ambassador to Pharaoh, and he declined at first the arduous mission: ‘O my Lord, send I pray thee by the hand of Him whom thou wilt send,’ or by the promised Shiloh, Ex 3:10; Ex 4:13; by whom in his last blessing to the Israelites, parallel to that of Jacob, he prayed that ‘God would bring back Judah to his people,’ from captivity, De 33:7.
“Here then we find the true meaning and derivation of the much disputed term Shiloh in this prophecy of Jacob, which is fortunately preserved by the Vulgate, rendering qui mittendus est, he that is to be sent, and also by a rabbinical comment on De 22:7: ‘If you keep this precept, you hasten the coming of the Messiah, who is called SENT.’
“This important prophecy concerning Judah intimates, 1. The warlike character and conquests of this tribe; 2. The cessation of their civil and religious polity at the first coming of Shiloh; 3. His meek and lowly inauguration at that time, as spiritual King of the Jews, riding on an ass like the ancient judges and prophets; 4. His second coming as a warrior to trample on all his foes; and, 5. To save and instruct his faithful people.” – Hales’ Anal., vol. ii., p. 167, &c.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Or rather,
Thou art
Judah, thy brethren shall praise or celebrate thee. So the expression is like that 1Sa 25:25.
As his name is, so is he; Nabal is his name, and folly is with him, or in him. So here the sense is, As thy name signifies praise, Gen 29:35, so shalt thou have praise or honour from thy brethren. He alludes to his name, and to the occasion of it, but with an elegant variation. Thou art deservedly called Judah, not only because thy mother praised God for thee, but also because thy brethren shall praise and bless thee for the reasons here following. But this, as also the other blessings or predictions, do not so much declare the state of Judah or the rest in their own persons, as in their posterity.
Thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies, i.e. thou shalt overthrow and subdue them. This was fulfilled in part, Jdg 1:1,2,4; 3:9,10; but more fully in David, 2Sa 8:1, and Solomon, 1Ch 12:9; and most eminently, though spiritually, in Christ. The phrase is taken either,
1. From the practice of warriors, who use to assault their enemies in that part, that they may throw them down at their feet; of which see Job 15:26; 16:12. Or,
2. from the custom of conquerors, who are said to put the yokes upon the necks of the conquered. See Gen 27:40; Deu 28:48; Isa 10:27; Jer 27:8; 28:14.
Thy fathers children, i.e. all thy brethren, and my posterity; he saith not thy mothers children, for his sons had divers mothers;
shall bow down before thee, i.e. shall own thee as their superior and lord, upon whom I have devolved this part of the right of the first-born. By this and the following words we plainly see that these blessings and predictions were not distributed according to Jacobs affections and inclinations, (for then Judah should never have been advanced above his worthily beloved Joseph,) but by the direction of Gods Spirit.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise,…. His name signifies praise, and was given him by his mother, her heart being filled with praises to God for him, Ge 29:35 and is here confirmed by his father on another account, because his brethren should praise him for many excellent virtues in him; and it appears, by instances already observed, that he had great authority, and was highly esteemed among his brethren, as his posterity would be in future times for their courage, warlike expeditions and success, and being famous for heroes, such as David, and others; and especially his famous seed the Messiah, and of whom he was a type, should be praised by his brethren, who are so through his incarnation, and by divine adoption, and who praise him for the glories and excellencies of his person, and the blessings of his grace:
thine hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; pressing them down by his superior power, subduing them, and causing them to submit to him, and which was verified in David, who was of this tribe, Ps 18:40 and especially in the Messiah, in a spiritual sense, who has conquered and subdued all his and his people’s enemies, sin, Satan, the world and death:
thy father’s children shall bow down before thee; before the kings that should spring from this tribe, and should rule over all the rest, as David and Solomon, to whom civil adoration and respect were given by them; and before the King Messiah, his son and antitype, in a way of religious worship, which is given him by the angels, the sons of God, and by all the saints and people of God, who are his father’s children by adoption; these bow before him, and give him religious adoration as a divine Person, and submit to his righteousness as Mediator, and bow to the sceptre of his kingdom, and cast their crowns at his feet, and give him the glory of their whole salvation. This in some Jewish writings n is applied to the time of the Messiah’s coming.
n Zohar in Gen. fol. 127. 2.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Judah, the fourth son, was the first to receive a rich and unmixed blessing, the blessing of inalienable supremacy and power. “ Judah thou, thee will thy brethren praise! thy hand in the neck of thy foes! to thee will thy father’s sons bow down! ” , thou, is placed first as an absolute noun, like in Gen 17:4; Gen 24:27; is a play upon like in Gen 29:35. Judah, according to Gen 29:35, signifies: he for whom Jehovah is praised, not merely the praised one. “This nomen, the patriarch seized as an omen, and expounded it as a presage of the future history of Judah.” Judah should be in truth all that his name implied (cf. Gen 27:36). Judah had already shown to a certain extent a strong and noble character, when he proposed to sell Joseph rather than shed his blood (Gen 37:26.); but still more in the manner in which he offered himself to his father as a pledge for Benjamin, and pleaded with Joseph on his behalf (Gen 43:9-10; Gen 44:16.); and it was apparent even in his conduct towards Thamar. In this manliness and strength there slumbered the germs of the future development of strength in his tribe. Judah would put his enemies to flight, grasp them by the neck, and subdue them (Job 16:12, cf. Exo 23:27; Psa 18:41). Therefore his brethren would do homage to him: not merely the sons of his mother, who are mentioned in other places (Gen 27:29; Jdg 8:19), i.e., the tribes descended from Leah, but the sons of his father-all the tribes of Israel therefore; and this was really the case under David (2Sa 5:1-2, cf. 1Sa 18:6-7, and 1Sa 18:16). This princely power Judah acquired through his lion-like nature.
Gen 49:9-10 “ A young lion is Judah; from the prey, my son, art thou gone up: he has lain down; like a lion there he lieth, and like a lioness, who can rouse him up! ” Jacob compares Judah to a young, i.e., growing lion, ripening into its full strength, as being the “ancestor of the lion-tribe.” But he quickly rises “to a vision of the tribe in the glory of its perfect strength,” and describes it as a lion which, after seizing prey, ascends to the mountain forests (cf. Son 4:8), and there lies in majestic quiet, no one daring to disturb it. To intensify the thought, the figure of a lion is followed by that of the lioness, which is peculiarly fierce in defending its young. The perfects are prophetic; and relates not to the growth or gradual rise of the tribe, but to the ascent of the lion to its lair upon the mountains. “The passage evidently indicates something more than Judah’s taking the lead in the desert, and in the wars of the time of the Judges; and points to the position which Judah attained through the warlike successes of David” ( Knobel). The correctness of this remark is put beyond question by Gen 49:10, where the figure is carried out still further, but in literal terms. “ The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, till Shiloh come and the willing obedience of the nations be to him.” The sceptre is the symbol of regal command, and in its earliest form it was a long staff, which the king held in his hand when speaking in public assemblies (e.g., Agamemnon, Il. 2, 46, 101); and when he sat upon his throne he rested in between his feet, inclining towards himself (see the representation of a Persian king in the ruins of Persepolis, Niebuhr Reisebeschr. ii. 145). the determining person or thing, hence a commander, legislator, and a commander’s or ruler’s staff (Num 21:18); here in the latter sense, as the parallels, “sceptre” and “from between his feet,” require. Judah – this is the idea – was to rule, to have the chieftainship, till Shiloh came, i.e., for ever. It is evident that the coming of Shiloh is not to be regarded as terminating the rule of Judah, from the last clause of the verse, according to which it was only then that it would attain to dominion over the nations. has not an exclusive signification here, but merely abstracts what precedes from what follows the given terminus ad quem , as in Gen 26:13, or like Gen 28:15; Psa 112:8, or Psa 110:1, and Mat 5:18.
But the more precise determination of the thought contained in Gen 49:10 is dependent upon our explanation of the word Shiloh. It cannot be traced, as the Jerusalem Targum and the Rabbins affirm, to the word filius with the suffix = “ his son, ” since such a noun as is never met with in Hebrew, and neither its existence nor the meaning attributed to it can be inferred from , afterbirth, in Deu 28:57. Nor can the paraphrases of Onkelos ( donec veniat Messias cujus est regnum ), of the Greek versions ( ; or , as Aquila and Symmachus appear to have rendered it), or of the Syriac, etc., afford any real proof, that the defective form , which occurs in 20 MSS, was the original form of the word, and is to be pointed for = . For apart from the fact, that for would be unmeaning here, and that no such abbreviation can be found in the Pentateuch, it ought in any case to read “to whom it (the sceptre) is due,” since alone could not express this, and an ellipsis of in such a case would be unparalleled. It only remains therefore to follow Luther, and trace to , to be quiet, to enjoy rest, security. But from this root Shiloh cannot be explained according to the analogy of such forms For these forms constitute no peculiar species, but are merely derived from the reduplicated forms, as , which occurs as well as , clearly shows; moreover they are none of them formed from roots of . points to , to the formation of nouns with the termination n, in which the liquids are eliminated, and the remaining vowel is expressed by ( Ew. 84); as for example in the names of places, or , also (Jdg 21:21; Jer 7:12) and (Jos 15:51), with their derivatives (1Ki 11:29; 1Ki 12:15) and (2Sa 15:12), also (Pro 27:20) for (Pro 15:11, etc.), clearly prove. Hence either arose from ( ), or was formed directly from = , like from . But if is the original form of the word, cannot be an appellative noun in the sense of rest, or a place of rest, but must be a proper name. For the strong termination n loses its n after o only in proper names, like , by the side of (Zec 12:11) and (Jdg 10:1). forms no exception to this; for when used in Pro 27:20 as a personification of hell, it is really a proper name. An appellative noun like , in the sense of rest, or place of rest, “would be unparalleled in the Hebrew thesaurus; the nouns used in this sense are , , , ” For these reasons even Delitzsch pronounces the appellative rendering, “till rest comes,” or till “he comes to a place of rest,” grammatically impossible. Shiloh or Shilo is a proper name in every other instance in which it is used in the Old Testament, and was in fact the name of a city belonging to the tribe of Ephraim, which stood in the midst of the land of Canaan, upon an eminence above the village of Turmus Aya, in an elevated valley surrounded by hills, where ruins belonging both to ancient and modern times still bear the name of Seiln. In this city the tabernacle was pitched on the conquest of Canaan by the Israelites under Joshua, and there it remained till the time of Eli (Jdg 18:31; 1Sa 1:3; 1Sa 2:12.), possibly till the early part of Saul’s reign.
Some of the Rabbins supposed our Shiloh to refer to the city. This opinion has met with the approval of most of the expositors, from Teller and Eichhorn to Tuch, who regard the blessing as a vaticinium ex eventu , and deny not only its prophetic character, but for the most part its genuineness. Delitzsch has also decided in its favour, because Shiloh or Shilo is the name of a town in every other passage of the Old Testament; and in 1Sa 4:12, where the name is written as an accusative of direction, the words are written exactly as they are here. But even if we do not go so far as Hoffmann, and pronounce the rendering “till he (Judah) come to Shiloh” the most impossible of all renderings, we must pronounce it utterly irreconcilable with the prophetic character of the blessing. Even if Shilo existed in Jacob’s time (which can neither be affirmed nor denied), it had acquired no importance in relation to the lives of the patriarchs, and is not once referred to in their history; so that Jacob could only have pointed to it as the goal and turning point of Judah’s supremacy in consequence of a special revelation from God. But in that case the special prediction would really have been fulfilled: not only would Judah have come to Shiloh, but there he would have found permanent rest, and there would the willing subjection of the nations to his sceptre have actually taken place. Now none of these anticipations and confirmed by history. It is true we read in Jos 18:1, that after the promised land had been conquered by the defeat of the Canaanites in the south and north, and its distribution among the tribes of Israel had commenced, and was so far accomplished, that Judah and the double tribe of Joseph had received their inheritance by lot, the congregation assembled at Shilo, and there erected the tabernacle, and it was not till after this had been done, that the partition of the land was proceeded with and brought to completion. But although this meeting of the whole congregation at Shilo, and the erection of the tabernacle there, was generally of significance as the turning point of the history, it was of equal importance to all the tribes, and not to Judah alone. If it were to this event that Jacob’s words pointed, they should be rendered, “till they come to Shiloh,” which would be grammatically allowable indeed, but very improbable with the existing context. And even then nothing would be gained. For, in the first place, up to the time of the arrival of the congregation at Shilo, Judah did not possess the promised rule over the tribes. The tribe of Judah took the first place in the camp and on the march (Num 2:3-9; Num 10:14), – formed in fact the van of the army; but it had no rule, did not hold the chief command. The sceptre or command was held by the Levite Moses during the journey through the desert, and by the Ephraimite Joshua at the conquest and division of Canaan. Moreover, Shilo itself was not the point at which the leadership of Judah among the tribes was changed into the command of nations. Even if the assembling of the congregation of Israel at Shiloh (Jos 18:1) formed so far a turning point between two periods in the history of Israel, that the erection of the tabernacle for a permanent continuance at Shilo was a tangible pledge, that Israel had now gained a firm footing in the promised land, had come to rest and peace after a long period of wandering and war, had entered into quiet and peaceful possession of the land and its blessings, so that Shilo, as its name indicates, became the resting-place of Israel; Judah did not acquire the command over the twelve tribes at that time, nor so long as the house of God remained at Shilo, to say nothing of the submission of the nations. It was not till after the rejection of “the abode of Shiloh,” at and after the removal of the ark of the covenant by the Philistines (1 Sam 4), with which the “tabernacle of Joseph” as also rejected, that God selected the tribe of Judah and chose David (Psa 78:60-72). Hence it was not till after Shiloh had ceased to be the spiritual centre for the tribes of Israel, over whom Ephraim had exercised a kind of rule so long as the central sanctuary of the nation continued in its inheritance, that by David’s election as prince ( ) over Israel the sceptre and the government over the tribes of Israel passed over to the tribe of Judah. Had Jacob, therefore, promised to his son Judah the sceptre or ruler’s staff over the tribes until he came to Shiloh, he would have uttered no prophecy, but simply a pious wish, which would have remained entirely unfulfilled.
With this result we ought not to rest contented; unless, indeed, it could be maintained that because Shiloh was ordinarily the name of a city, it could have no other signification. But just as many other names of cities are also names of persons, e.g., Enoch (Gen 4:17), and Shechem (Gen 34:2); so Shiloh might also be a personal name, and denote not merely the place of rest, but the man, or bearer, of rest. We regard Shiloh, therefore, as a title of the Messiah, in common with the entire Jewish synagogue and the whole Christian Church, in which, although there may be uncertainty as to the grammatical interpretation of the word, there is perfect agreement as to the fact that the patriarch is here proclaiming the coming of the Messiah. “For no objection can really be sustained against thus regarding it as a personal name, in closest analogy to ” ( Hoffmann). The assertion that Shiloh cannot be the subject, but must be the object in this sentence, is as unfounded as the historiological axiom, “that the expectation of a personal Messiah was perfectly foreign to the patriarchal age, and must have been foreign from the very nature of that age,” with which Kurtz sets aside the only explanation of the word which is grammatically admissible as relating to the personal Messiah, thus deciding, by means of a priori assumptions which completely overthrow the supernaturally unfettered character of prophecy, and from a one-sided view of the patriarchal age and history, how much the patriarch Jacob ought to have been able to prophesy. The expectation of a personal Saviour did not arise for the first time with Moses, Joshua, and David, or first obtain its definite form after one man had risen up as the deliverer and redeemer, the leader and ruler of the whole nation, but was contained in the germ in the promise of the seed of the woman, and in the blessing of Noah upon Shem. It was then still further expanded in the promises of God to the patriarchs. – “I will bless thee; be a blessing, and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed,” – by which Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (not merely the nation to descend from them) were chosen as the personal bearers of that salvation, which was to be conveyed by them through their seed to all nations. When the patriarchal monad was expanded into a dodekad, and Jacob had before him in his twelve sons the founders of the twelve-tribed nation, the question naturally arose, from which of the twelve tribes would the promised Saviour proceed? Reuben had forfeited the right of primogeniture by his incest, and it could not pass over to either Simeon or Levi on account of their crime against the Shechemites. Consequently the dying patriarch transferred, both by his blessing and prophecy, the chieftainship which belonged to the first-born and the blessing of the promise to his fourth son Judah, having already, by the adoption of Joseph’s sons, transferred to Joseph the double inheritance associated with the birthright. Judah was to bear the sceptre with victorious lion-courage, until in the future Shiloh the obedience of the nations came to him, and his rule over the tribes was widened into the peaceful government of the world. It is true that it is not expressly stated that Shiloh was to descend from Judah; but this follows as a matter of course from the context, i.e., from the fact, that after the description of Judah as an invincible lion, the cessation of his rule, or the transference of it to another tribe, could not be imagined as possible, and the thought lies upon the surface, that the dominion of Judah was to be perfected in the appearance of Shiloh.
Thus the personal interpretation of Shiloh stands in the most beautiful harmony with the constant progress of the same revelation. To Shiloh will the nations belong. refers back to . , which only occurs again in Pro 30:17, from with dagesh forte euphon., denotes the obedience of a son, willing obedience; and in this connection cannot refer to the associated tribes, for Judah bears the sceptre over the tribes of Israel before the coming of Shiloh, but to the nations universally. These will render willing obedience to Shiloh, because as a man of rest He brings them rest and peace.
As previous promises prepared the way for our prophecy, so was it still further unfolded by the Messianic prophecies which followed; and this, together with the gradual advance towards fulfilment, places the personal meaning of Shiloh beyond all possible doubt. – In the order of time, the prophecy of Balaam stands next, where not only Jacob’s proclamation of the lion-nature of Judah is transferred to Israel as a nation (Num 23:24; Num 24:9), but the figure of the sceptre from Israel, i.e., the ruler or king proceeding from Israel, who will smite all his foes (Gen 24:17), is taken verbatim from Gen 49:9, Gen 49:10 of this address. In the sayings of Balaam, the tribe of Judah recedes behind the unity of the nation. For although, both in the camp and on the march, Judah took the first place among the tribes (Num 2:2-3; Num 7:12; Num 10:14), this rank was no real fulfilment of Jacob’s blessing, but a symbol and pledge of its destination to be the champion and ruler over the tribes. As champion, even after the death of Joshua, Judah opened the attack by divine direction upon the Canaanites who were still left in the land (Jdg 1:1.), and also the war against Benjamin (Jdg 20:18). It was also a sign of the future supremacy of Judah, that the first judge and deliverer from the power of their oppressors was raised up to Israel from the tribe of Judah in the person of the Kenizzite Othniel (Jdg 3:9.). From that time forward Judah took no lead among the tribes for several centuries, but rather fell back behind Ephraim, until by the election of David as king over all Israel, Judah was raised to the rank of ruling tribe, and received the sceptre over all the rest (1Ch 28:4). In David, Judah grew strong (1Ch 5:2), and became a conquering lion, whom no one dared to excite. With the courage and strength of a lion, David brought under his sceptre all the enemies of Israel round about. But when God had given him rest, and he desired to build a house to the Lord, he received a promise through the prophet Nathan that Jehovah would raise up his seed after him, and establish the throne of his kingdom for ever (2Sa 7:13.). “Behold, a son shall be born to thee, who shall be a man of rest; and I (Jehovah) will give him rest from all his enemies round about; for Solomon (i.e., Friederich, Frederick, the peaceful one) shall be his name, and I will give peace and rest unto Israel in his days…and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel for ever.” Just as Jacob’s prophecy was so far fulfilled in David, that Judah had received the sceptre over the tribes of Israel, and had led them to victory over all their foes; and David upon the basis of this first fulfilment received through Nathan the divine promise, that the sceptre should not depart from his house, and therefore not from Judah;so the commencement of the coming of Shiloh received its first fulfilment in the peaceful sway of Solomon, even if David did not give his son the name Solomon with an allusion to the predicted Shiloh, which one might infer from the sameness in the meaning of and when compared with the explanation given of the name Solomon in 1Ch 28:9-10. But Solomon was not the true Shiloh. His peaceful sway was transitory, like the repose which Israel enjoyed under Joshua at the erection of the tabernacle at Shiloh (Jos 11:23; Jos 14:15; Jos 21:44); moreover it extended over Israel alone. The willing obedience of the nations he did not secure; Jehovah only gave rest from his enemies round about in his days, i.e., during his life.
But this first imperfect fulfilment furnished a pledge of the complete fulfilment in the future, so that Solomon himself, discerning in spirit the typical character of his peaceful reign, sang of the King’s Son who should have dominion from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth, before whom all kings should bow, and whom all nations should serve (Ps 72); and the prophets after Solomon prophesied of the Prince of Peace, who should increase government and peace without end upon the throne of David, and of the sprout out of the rod of Jesse, whom the nations should seek (Isa 9:5-6; Isa 11:1-10); and lastly, Ezekiel, when predicting the downfall of the Davidic kingdom, prophesied that this overthrow would last until He should come to whom the right belonged, and to whom Jehovah would give it (Eze 21:27). Since Ezekiel in his words, “till He come to whom the right belongs,” takes up, and is generally admitted, our prophecy “till Shiloh come,” and expands it still further in harmony with the purpose of his announcement, more especially from Psa 72:1-5, where righteousness and judgment are mentioned as the foundation of the peace which the King’s Son would bring; he not only confirms the correctness of the personal and Messianic explanation of the word Shiloh, but shows that Jacob’s prophecy of the sceptre not passing from Judah till Shiloh came, did not preclude a temporary loss of power. Thus all prophecies, and all the promises of God, in fact, are so fulfilled, as not to preclude the punishment of the shins of the elect, and yet, notwithstanding that punishment, assuredly and completely attain to their ultimate fulfilment. And thus did the kingdom of Judah arise from its temporary overthrow to a new and imperishable glory in Jesus Christ (Heb 7:14), who conquers all foes as the Lion of the tribe of Judah (Rev 5:5), and reigns as the true Prince of Peace, as “our peace” (Eph 1:14), for ever and ever.
Gen 49:11-12 In Gen 49:11 and Gen 49:12 Jacob finishes his blessing on Judah by depicting the abundance of his possessions in the promised land. “ Binding his she-ass to the vine, and to the choice vine his ass’s colt; he washes his garment in wine, and his cloak in the blood of the grape: dull are the eyes with wine, and white the teeth with milk.” The participle has the old connecting vowel, i, before a word with a preposition (like Isa 22:16; Mic 7:14, etc.); and in the construct state, as in Gen 31:39. The subject is not Shiloh, but Judah, to whom the whole blessing applies. The former would only be possible, if the fathers and Luther were right in regarding the whole as an allegorical description of Christ, or if Hoffmann’s opinion were correct, that it would be quite unsuitable to describe Judah, the lion-like warrior and ruler, as binding his ass to a vine, coming so peacefully upon his ass, and remaining in his vineyard. But are lion-like courage and strength irreconcilable with a readiness for peace? Besides, the notion that riding upon an ass is an image of a peaceful disposition seems quite unwarranted; and the supposition that the ass is introduced as an animal of peace, in contrast with the war-horse, is founded upon Zec 9:9, and applied to the words of the patriarch in a most unhistorical manner. This contrast did not exist till a much later period, when the Israelites and Canaanites had introduced war-horses, and is not applicable at all to the age and circumstances of the patriarchs, since at that time the only animals there were to ride, beside camels, were asses and she-asses (Gen 22:3 cf. Exo 4:20; Num 22:21); and even in the time of the Judges, and down to David’s time, riding upon asses was a distinction of nobility or superior rank (Jdg 1:14; Jdg 10:4; Jdg 12:14; 2Sa 19:27). Lastly, even in Gen 49:9, Gen 49:10 Judah is not depicted as a lion eager for prey, or as loving war and engaged in constant strife, but, according to Hoffmann’s own words, “as having attained, even before the coming of Shiloh, to a rest acquired by victory over surrounding foes, and as seated in his place with the insignia of his dominion.” Now, when Judah’s conflicts are over, and he has come to rest, he also may bind his ass to the vine and enjoy in peaceful repose the abundance of his inheritance. Of wine and milk, the most valuable productions of his land, he will have such a superabundance, that, as Jacob hyperbolically expresses it, he may wash his clothes in the blood of the grape, and enjoy them so plentifully, that his eyes shall be inflamed with wine, and his teeth become white with milk.
(Note: Jam de situ regionis loquitur, quae sorte filiis Judae obtigit. Significat autem tantam illic fore vitium copiam, ut passim obviae prostent non secus atque alibi vepres vel infrugifera arbusta. Nam quum ad sepes ligari soleant asini, vites ad hunc contemptibilem usum aeputat. Eodem pertinet quae sequuntur hyperbolicae loquendi formae, quod Judas lavabit vestem suam in vino, et oculis eritrubicundus. Tantam enim vini abundantiam fore intelligit, ut promiscue ad lotiones, perinde ut aqua effundi queat sine magno dispendio; assiduo autem largioreque illius potu rubedinem contracturi sint oculi . Calvin.)
The soil of Judah produced the best wine in Canaan, near Hebron and Engedi (Num 13:23-24; Son 1:4; 2Ch 26:10 cf. Joe 1:7.), and had excellent pasture land in the desert by Tekoah and Carmel, to the south of Hebron (1Sa 25:2; Amo 1:1; 2Ch 26:10). : contracted from , from to envelope, synonymous with a veil (Exo 34:33).
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
8 Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father’s children shall bow down before thee. 9 Judah is a lion’s whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? 10 The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. 11 Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass’s colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes: 12 His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.
Glorious things are here said of Judah. The mention of the crimes of the three elder of his sons had not so put the dying patriarch out of humour but that he had a blessing ready for Judah, to whom blessings belonged. Judah’s name signifies praise, in allusion to which he says, Thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise, v. 8. God was praised for him (ch. xxix. 35), praised by him, and praised in him; and therefore his brethren shall praise him. Note, Those that are to God for a praise shall be the praise of their brethren. It is prophesied that, 1. The tribe of Judah should be victorious and successful in war: Thy hand shall be in the neck of thy enemies. This was fulfilled in David, Ps. xviii. 40. 2. It should be superior to the rest of the tribes; not only in itself more numerous and illustrious, but having a dominion over them: Thy father’s children shall bow down before thee. Judah was the lawgiver, Ps. lx. 7. That tribe led the van through the wilderness, and in the conquest of Canaan, Judg. i. 2. The prerogatives of the birthright which Reuben had forfeited, the excellency of dignity and power, were thus conferred upon Judah. Observe, “Thy brethren shall bow down before thee, and yet shall praise thee, reckoning themselves happy in having so wise and bold a commander.” Note, Honour and power are then a blessing to those that have them when they are not grudged and envied, but praised and applauded, and cheerfully submitted to. 3. It should be a strong and courageous tribe, and so qualified for command and conquest: Judah is a lion’s whelp, v. 9. The lion is the king of beasts, the terror of the forest when he roars; when he seizes his prey, none can resist him; when he goes up from the prey, none dare pursue him to revenge it. By this it is foretold that the tribe of Judah should become very formidable, and should not only obtain great victories, but should peaceably and quietly enjoy what was obtained by those victories–that they should make war, not for the sake of war, but for the sake of peace. Judah is compared, not to a lion rampant, always tearing, always raging, always ranging; but to a lion couchant, enjoying the satisfaction of his power and success, without creating vexation to others: this is to be truly great. 4. It should be the royal tribe, and the tribe from which Messiah the Prince should come: The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, till Shiloh come, v. 10. Jacob here foresees and foretels, (1.) That the sceptre should come into the tribe of Judah, which was fulfilled in David, on whose family the crown was entailed. (2.) That Shiloh should be of this tribe–his seed, that promised seed, in whom the earth should be blessed: that peaceable and prosperous one, or the Saviour, so others translate it, he shall come of Judah. Thus dying Jacob, at a great distance, saw Christ’s day, and it was his comfort and support on his death-bed. (3.) That after the coming of the sceptre into the tribe of Judah it should continue in that tribe, at least a government of their own, till the coming of the Messiah, in whom, as the king of the church, and the great high priest, it was fit that both the priesthood and the royalty should determine. Till the captivity, all along from David’s time, the sceptre was in Judah, and subsequently the governors of Judea were of that tribe, or of the Levites that adhered to it (which was equivalent), till Judea became a province of the Roman empire, just at the time of our Saviour’s birth, and was at that time taxed as one of the provinces, Luke ii. 1. And at the time of his death the Jews expressly owned, We have no king but Csar. Hence it is undeniably inferred against the Jews that our Lord Jesus is he that should come, and that we are to look for no other; for he came exactly at the time appointed. Many excellent pens have been admirable well employed in explaining and illustrating this famous prophecy of Christ. 5. It should be a very fruitful tribe, especially that it should abound with milk for babes, and wine to make glad the heart of strong men (Gen 49:11; Gen 49:12)–vines so common in the hedge-rows and so strong that they should tie their asses to them, and so fruitful that they should load their asses from them–wine as plentiful as water, so that the men of that tribe should be very healthful and lively, their eyes brisk and sparkling, their teeth white. Much of what is here said concerning Judah is to be applied to our Lord Jesus. (1.) He is the ruler of all his father’s children, and the conqueror of all his father’s enemies; and he it is that is the praise of all the saints. (2.) He is the lion of the tribe of Judah, as he is called with reference to this prophecy (Rev. v. 5), who, having spoiled principalities and powers, went up a conqueror, and couched so as none can stir him up, when he sat down on the right hand of the Father. (3.) To him belongs the sceptre; he is the lawgiver, and to him shall the gathering of the people be, as the desire of all nations (Hag. ii. 7), who, being lifted up from the earth, should draw all men unto him (John xii. 32), and in whom the children of God that are scattered abroad should meet as the centre of their unity, John xi. 52. (4.) In him there is plenty of all that which is nourishing and refreshing to the soul, and which maintains and cheers the divine life in it; in him we may have wine and milk, the riches of Judah’s tribe, without money and without price, Isa. lv. 1.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
Verses 8-12:
While Joseph received the two-fold territorial possession as the firstborn of Jacob’s beloved Rachel, the other birthright privileges along with the spiritual leadership were transferred to Judah. Jacob’s prophetic vision enabled him to see the Messiah in Judah’s tribe.
Judah, “the lion,” is to be Israel’s leader. Like the young lion as he ripens to full strength, he roams the forest seeking his prey. When he finds and devours it, he retires to his mountain lair where he rests in disregard for all efforts to interrupt his serenity. The picture is one of a strong, invincible hero. The “sceptre” denotes legislative and administrative powers. These are to remain in Judah until the coming of “Shiloh.” This refers to the Messiah, the “Lion of the Tribe of Judah” (Re 5:5) whose coming shall usher in a period of universal peace throughout the world (Heb 7:14; Eph 2:14; 1Co 15:25).
Jacob prophesies of the richness of Judah’s tribal allotment. The best wine in all Palestine came from Hebron and En-Gedi. Some of the choice pasture land lay south of Hebron, around Carmel and Tekoa.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
8. Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise. In the word praise there is an allusion to the name of Judah; for so he had been called by his mother, because his birth had given occasion for praising God. The father adduces a new etymology, because his name shall be so celebrated and illustrious among his brethren, that he should be honored by them all equally with the first-born. (203) The double portion, indeed, which he recently assigned to his son Joseph, depended on the right of primogeniture: but because the kingdom was transferred to the tribe of Judah, Jacob properly pronounces that his name should be held worthy of praise. For the honor of Joseph was temporary; but here a stable and durable kingdom is treated of, which should be under the authority of the sons of Judah. Hence we gather, that when God would institute a perfect state of government among his people, the monarchical form was chosen by him. And whereas the appointment of a king under the law, was partly to be attributed to the will of man, and partly to the divine decree; this combination of human with divine agency must be referred to the commencement of the monarchy, which was inauspicious, because the people had tumultuously desired a king to be given them, before the proper time had arrived. Hence their unseemly haste was the cause why the kingdom was not immediately set up in the tribe of Judah, but was brought forth, as an abortive offspring, in the person of Saul. Yet at length, by the favor and in the legitimate order of God, the preeminence of the tribe of Judah was established in the person of David.
Thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies. In these words he shows that Judah should not be free from enemies; but although many would give him trouble, and would endeavor to deprive him of his right, Jacob promises him victory; not that the sons of David should always prevail against their enemies, (for their ingratitude interfered with the constant and equable course of the grace of God,) but in this respect, at least, Judah had the superiority, that in his tribe stood the royal throne which God approved, and which was founded on his word. For though the kingdom of Israel was more flourishing in wealth and in number of inhabitants, yet because it was spurious, it was not the object of God’s favor: nor indeed was it right, that, by its tinselled splendor, it should eclipse the glory of the Divine election which was engraven upon the tribe of Judah. In David, therefore, the force and effect of this prophecy plainly appeared; then again in Solomon; afterwards, although the kingdom was mutilated, yet was it wonderfully preserved by the hand of God; otherwise, in a short space, it would have perished a hundred times. Thus it came to pass, that the children of Judah imposed their yoke upon their enemies. Whereas defection carried away ten tribes, which would not bow their knees to the sons of David; the legitimate government was in this way disturbed, and lawless confusion introduced; yet nothing could violate the decree of God, by which the right to govern remained with the tribe of Judah.
(203) The original privilege of the birthright, taken from Reuben, was divided between Joseph and Judah; Joseph receiving the double portion belonging to the eldest son; Judah the regal distinction. — Ed.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
CRITICAL NOTES.
Gen. 49:8. Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise.] An allusion to his name which signifies praise (Gen. 29:35.)not merely the praised one, but he for whom Jehovah is praised.
Gen. 49:9. Judah is a lions whelp; from the prey, my son, thou art gone up.] Judah, the kingly tribe, is likened to the lion, the king of beasts, who has taken his prey in the plain and is returning to his mountain habitation (Son. 4:8). It is from this prophecy that the remarkable title of the Lion of the tribe of Judah is given to Christ (Rev. 5:5). (Alford.)10 The sceptre shall not depart.] The tribal sceptrea symbol of royal power and authority. Nor a lawgiver from between his feet.] Some render it, nor the judicial staff from between his feet (Keil, Kalisch.) The term means first a commanderlawgiver (Deu. 33:21), then a judicial staff or rulers sceptre (Num. 21:18). When the ancient kings addressed public assemblies, they held in their hands this sceptre. When they sat in state upon the throne they rested it between their feet, unless personal application was made to them, when they stretched it out. But the sense of lawgiver is best suited to the varied form of the parallelism. And then the figure is of the lion, who has between his feet the lawgiver; that ishas the legislative control. Judah shall be dominant, and shall have the authority and control as a tribe, until Shiloh come.Jacobus. Until Shiloh come.] This has been variously rendered. Some give the meaning, until he comes to whom it (the kingdom or control) belongs. Others interpret Shiloh as meaning rest, or place of rest, and accordingly render it, till rest comes, or, he comes to a place of rest. Some, again, understand it as the name of a place, and explain it of the time when the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled together at Shiloh (Jos. 18:1). But the most natural rendering is the commonly received one, which regards Shiloh as a personal name. It means the same as Solomon, from a verb signifying to rest. Therefore it is a prophecy of the Messiah, the Prince of Peace. Jesus is called our peace. On the coming of Shiloh the last remnant of that supremacy was removed, only to be replaced by the higher form of pre-eminence which the Prince of Peace inaugurates. (Murphy.) The gathering.] The word means properly filial obediencea willing homage. The obedience describes the willing submission to the new form of sovereignty which is ushered in by the Shiloh. (Murphy.) The people.] The peoplesthe nations of the world.
Gen. 49:11. Washed his garments in wine.] Wine is produced in such abundance that it can be applied to such a purpose; a poetical hyperbole, as in Job. 29:6. (Lange.)
Gen. 49:12. His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.] Lange translates the word rendered red, dark gleaming. He shall be distinguished for dark lustred eyes, and for white teeth. The soil of. Judah near Hebron and Engedi produced the best wine in Canaan.13 Zebulon.] The name means dwelling. At the haven of the sea.] This tribe touched upon the coast of the sea of Kinnereth and of the Mediterranean. (Murphy.)
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.Gen. 49:8-12
THE BLESSING OF JUDAH
I. That he should win the praise of his brethren. (Gen. 49:8.) Jacob having now a worthier theme, uses the proper style and language of blessing. We might have supposed that the greatness which he predicts for Judah would have made him a mark of envy rather than an object of praise. But Judah was to be gifted with that supremacy of influence which commands praise and admirationthat greatness springing out of goodness which disarms envy. He was gifted with wisdom and understanding. (Exo. 31:2-3.) He had all those elements of mental and moral character which gave him a sovereign dominion over other minds. As his name signifies, his brethren were also to praise God for him, on his behalf. His excellency would make an impression upon his brethren, upon those who knew and understood him best; and they shall be constrained to praise God for him. He was a good gift; he would diffuse blessing, and they must say, the Lord be praised. See the power of character. Judah would not have to court praise. His brethren would give it to him of their own accord. His conquests, won by the strength of his goodness, would bring him renown and reverence. He had that unobtrusive and unconscious greatness which must prevail in the end. The meek shall inherit the earth.
II. That he should be the type of the victorious hero. He is compared to a lion. (Gen. 49:9). The Hebrews had several distinct words to represent the different ages and degrees of strength and fierceness of the lion, three of which occur in this verse. These indicate different stages in the history of Judahs supremacy.
1. A growing power. He is compared to a lions whelp, a young lion, who has more growth to expect, who is only in the beginning of his strength. Judahs dominion at its commencement was small. He governed the people, at first, by petty rulers such as the judges. Afterwards came the race of kings, national prosperity followed, great institutions flourished, and the people enjoyed the land of their fathers in peace. So the kingdom of the Messiahwho was the lion of the tribe of Judah.started apparently from small beginnings, but in the course of the ages it has grown great. It is the realm that for ever lasts. It will secure for His people quiet habitations, thrones of power, and seats of monarchs whose kingdom passes not away.
2. A righteous power. Judah is also compared to a lion, in the full vigour of his strength. The figure implies a lion in the den, satiated with prey, and is, therefore, couchant, not rampant. The strength of Judah was not to be the strength of the oppressor, but rather of him who is strong in his right, in the majesty of defence. Such is the strength of the Messiah. His kingdom is founded upon righteousness.
3. A power to be dreaded. Who shall rouse him up? Men are to stand in dread of his power, though it seems to slumber. His was a power to bless; but woe to those who rouse it up and so turn that power against themselves. Christ is at rest as a lion going up from the prey; seated at the right-hand of God as a lion couchant, reposing after His conquest over the powers of darkness, and it is at the peril of the greatest monarchs to rouse Him up. (Psa. 2:10-12). Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and ye perish from the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little. It is to be lamented that we do not love Christ more, that we do not trust Him more; but is it not even more dreadful that we have so little fear of Him! Let us beware how we arouse that wrath which is so terrible, even when it is kindled but a little.
III. That he should be the type of the Messiah. (Gen. 49:10.) We have here one of the first and clearest prophecies of the Redeemer. Judahs kingdom was to lead up to the higher and more enduring kingdom of Christ. He was a type of the Messiah
1. In His sovereignty. For
(1.) He had regal power. He was to hold the sceptre, until his sovereignty should receive a higher meaning and be absorbed in that of the Messiah.
(2.) He had power combined with gentleness. He is compared to a lion, and yet he is to prepare the way for Shiloh, the Prince of Peace. In Rev. 5:5, we read, the Lion of the tribe of Judah hath prevailed to open the book. The idea of a lion seems to be opposed to that of peace. But the prophet immediately says, And I beheld, and lo! a lamb as it had been slain. The two images combine to form one truth. There is a strength of force, and there is another which is gained and established through suffering, spiritual conquests and greatness.
(3.) He had a power which sweetly wins obedience. The obedience of the peoples was to be to Shiloh. The cross has the power of attraction by its exhibition of Divine love. Christ, being lifted up, draws all men unto Him. His kingdom is founded not upon force, but upon love.
2. In his prosperity. Temporal prosperity was the lot of Judah. (Gen. 49:11-12.) Wine and milk are also the symbols of gospel blessings (Isaiah 55). The Messiah shall prosper, ever winning great and lasting victories. The pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand (Isa. 53:10).
SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON THE VERSES
Gen. 49:8. All this is chiefly verified in Christ. In Him is beauty, bounty, goodness, greatness, and whatsoever else is praiseworthy. He goeth forth riding on His white horse, conquering and to conquer. (Rev. 6:2). St. Paul, His chief herald, proclaims His victory with a world of solemnity and triumph (1Co. 15:56), and he calls upon all his brethren to bow down before Him (Php. 2:10), as they do (Rev. 12:10), casting down their crowns at His feet. (Rev. 4:10).(Trapp).
Gen. 49:9. The theme swells under contemplation, and we are insensibly led by the language employed to trace the spiritual career of Davids greater son, who, while He warred successfully with the powers of darkness during His ministry on earth, despoiling His most potent adversaries, and dividing the spoil with the mighty, till, rising from the dead He went up in a triumphant ascension from the field where His victories had been won, like the lion returning to his lair gorged with prey, and set down at His Fathers right hand, in a rest which no enemy can presume to invade but at his utmost peril.(Bush).
Gen. 49:10. Shiloh, the Pacificator, or Prince of Peace. Much has been written to evade the difficulty which arises from the fact that there was no king in Israel when He came. But surely it is not needed. Ten tribes disappeared. Of the remaining two, both merged themselves in Judah; and the sceptre is only a figurative and poetical name for nationality. Israels nationality, merged in Judah lasted until Shiloh came.(Robertson).
For our sakes Israel and Judah enjoyed the Divine protection till Christ came, that we might be saved by His obedience to the death. The whole train of providential administration in the world, and especially towards the chosen people, was directed towards the redemption and salvation of men as its object. What despisers, then, are we of our own mercies if we refuse to join the concourse that is flocking to the standard of the Shiloh?(Bush).
This is the central vision, coming from the central feeling, and around it all the rest are gathered. They are to it as the historical frame to the picture. Judah is more closely connected with this central vision than all the rest. We can trace the name Shiloh to no antecedents. It was a wondrous, a mysterious name. It was intended to be mysterious that men might ponder much upon it, and be the better prepared to understand its glorious import, when it should be fully realised upon the earth.(Lange.)
Gen. 49:11-12. His was to be a territory rich in vineyards and pastures. It has been said that prosperity is the blessing of the Old Testament, tribulation the specific promise of the New. But this is scarcely true; in the New, as in the Old, temporal blessings follow certain qualities of heart. The laws of God remain unalterable. The fifth commandment with promise, is quoted by Paul as valid in the Christian dispensation still. And in the sermon on the Mount, Christ says: Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. The fact is not that the consequences of right and wrong are changed, but that the New Testament has brought out, with peculiar prominence, a class of results of right doing which were only dimly visible in the elder dispensation.(Robertson.)
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
(8) Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise.Judah had received his name, Praise, because at his birth Leah had praised Jehovah (Gen. 29:35). It is now to have another justification in the noble history of his race, which, taking the foremost place by reason of the disqualification of Reuben, Simeon, and Levi, finally was destined to win freedom and empire for Israel. We have seen that the excellency of power ought to have belonged to Reuben; it now falls to Judahs lot, is to be attained by exploits that shall deserve the praise of all the tribes, and is to be exercised over not only the descendants of Leah, but all Jacobs children.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
8. Judah, thou Pleonastic use of the pronoun, but adding emphasis to the address .
Shall praise thee A play upon the meaning of the name Judah . See Gen 29:35. “Reuben, Simeon, and Levi had been cursed and scattered, but as the patriarch turns his eye upon Judah, he sees that the energy and courage which have made him a leader among his brethren will re-appear in his children of remote generations, and make them illustrious above all the other tribes of Israel. His name, which signifies ‘praised,’ or ‘celebrated,’ is seen to shoot its lustre through all the future.” Newhall.
“Judah, your brothers will praise you,
Your hand will be on the neck of your enemies,
Your father’s sons will bow down before you.
Judah is a lion’s whelp,
My son, you are gone up from the prey,
He stooped down, he couched as a lion,
And as a lioness, who will rouse him up?
Nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
Until Shiloh come,
And the obedience of the peoples will be to him.
Binding his foal to the vine,
And his ass’s colt to the choice vine,
He has washed his garments in wine,
And his vesture in the blood of grapes,
His eyes will be red with wine,
And his teeth white with milk.”
These words spoken of Judah take into account the pre-eminence he is already showing among the brothers. He has become their leader, and this will develop until his descendants become ‘rulers’, and in view of the promise that kings would be descended from Jacob (Gen 35:11) we can almost certainly say not tribal rulers but ‘kings’. And once the kingship is established one will be awaited who will be called ‘Shiloh’ and he will receive obedience and will issue in the time of plenty.
This raises the great question as to what or who ‘Shiloh’ means. Answers are wide and various.
1). That Shiloh is the title of a great coming king, similar to the Messiah. There is, however, no direct evidence for applying the title to the Messiah. We may do so indirectly if we follow one of the suggestions below.
2). That the verse should be rendered ‘until he comes to Shiloh’ which was the tribal sanctuary in early days after the conquest. This would then signify a particular ruler coming to Shiloh seeking the obedience of the people. Some see the fulfilment of this in the assembling of the tribes to Shiloh in Jos 18:1 but this has no real connection with a sceptre in Judah. But this would limit the prophecy to a time when Shiloh was known.
3). That the verse should be rendered as per LXX ‘until that which is his shall come’ . That would involve a change to shelloh as in Eze 21:27 (in the Hebrew 21:32). It would involve the fulfilment of some undesignated expectation which will enhance Judah’s standing.
4). That the verse be rendered ‘until he come to whom it belongs’ following a variant reading in LXX. This suggests a Messianic expectation, as the one to whom Judah’s sceptre or rod finally belongs comes to claim it. This also involves a change to shelloh.
5). That ‘shiloh’ be connected with Arcadian ‘shelu’ meaning ‘the prince’. Thus ‘until the prince comes’. This would again look forward to a unique coming prince.
6). That ‘shiloh’ be changed to ‘moshlo’ by introducing ‘m’, thus meaning ‘his ruler’.
7). That ‘shiloh’ be changed to ‘shay lo’ resulting in ‘so long as tribute is paid to him’.
Changing the consonantal text is always unwise unless we have good external reason for doing so, but some of the above only require a change in vowels (not in the main present in the ancient texts) and clearly ‘Shiloh’ does refer to some expectation connected with the rod and sceptre of Judah, which would follow after the conferring of that sceptre, and would result in the obedience of the peoples and a time of good things. And this suggests, in today’s terms, a Messianic expectation. One will come whose right it is.
We shall now consider the text in detail.
“Judah your brothers will praise you, your hand will be on the neck of your enemies, your father” s sons will bow down before you.’ This prophesies future rulership for Judah and his seed. He already has the pre-eminence among the ten and he is promised further exaltation, success and authority. His enemies will submit to him and his brothers will acknowledge his leadership and rule. He is clearly established to be a leader of men.
“Judah is a lion” s whelp, my son you are gone up from the prey, he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as a lioness who will rouse him up.’ If Judah is a lion’s whelp we may see Jacob as the lion. Certainly Jacob in his old age is remembering past glories as Gen 48:22 demonstrates. Thus Jacob is likening Judah to himself in his younger days (as seen in his own eyes). Judah is a young lion who is successful in the hunt (he has gone up from the prey) and before whom men cower in fear. In other words he is a strong man who can impose himself on others.
“The sceptre will not depart from Judah nor the ruler” s staff from between his feet –’. This is a clear prophecy of rulership for Judah’s seed, and in the light of Gen 35:11 we may say kingship. His seed will carry the sceptre, and sit in judgment with their staff of office and authority between their feet demonstrating their right to do so.
“Until Shiloh come, and the obedience of the people will be to him.” See details above. This surely suggests the coming after a period of kingship of a greater one who will establish his rule and bring the people to final obedience. Here we have in seed form the promise of a Messiah from the tribe of Judah.
“Binding his foal to the vine, and his ass” s colt to the choice vine. He has washed his garments in wine, and his vesture in the red liquid of grapes. His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.’ This is a poetic picture of a coming time of plenty connected with the coming of Shiloh. Animals will be tethered, not to ordinary trees but to sumptuous vine trees, clothes will be washed not in water but in wine, and he will be saturated in wine and milk (compare Isa 55:1). The picture is not intended to be practical but a vision of a theoretical paradise (as we may speak of a city with its streets ‘paved with gold’).
So Jacob commends Judah for his strength and leadership, and prophesies for Judah’s seed kingship and the bringing in of final blessing. We must surely tie this in with God’s promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that in them and in their seed all the world would be blessed.
The Blessing upon Judah
v. 8. Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise; thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies: thy father’s children shall bow down before thee. v. 9. Judah is a lion’s whelp; from the prey, my son, thou art gone up; he stooped down, he couched as a lion and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? v. 10. The scepter shall not depart from Judah nor a lawgiver from between his feet until Shiloh come; and unto Him shall the gathering of the people be. v. 11. Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass’s colt unto the choice vine, he washed his garments in wine and his clothes in the blood of grapes. v. 12. His eyes shall be red with wine and his teeth white with milk. Gen 49:8. Judah Jacob, having disinherited, in part, his three eldest sons, on account of their crimes, comes now to his fourth, who, according to the ancient and established law among nations, had the best right to succeed to what they had forfeited. He takes occasion to observe in the beginning of the discourse which he addresses to him, that as his name implied praise, he, accordingly, should be praised by his brethren; and that, on account of his military exploits, they would honour him as their chief; for that reason he is compared in the next verse to a lion, whom none dared to oppose. The allegory ended, Jacob resumes the subject (Gen 49:10.) from which he had digressed, explains what those honours should be which he had only mentioned in general, and says expressly, that they should consist in his having the supreme power; which whoever obtained, whether some of his descendants or others, they should continue fixed in the portion assigned him for his inheritance, till the Messiah, whom he should have the honour to reckon among his posterity, should come to establish his universal empire. Indeed, this tribe was highly honoured in early times. It led the van of the armies of Israel, and had the first place in the encampments in the wilderness; see Num 2:3 was, after Joshua’s death, fixed upon to lead the others to battle, Jdg 1:1-2. and produced David, that great captain, who made an entire conquest of his enemies: I have, says he, pursued mine enemies, and overtaken them, neither did I turn again till they were consumed; and presently after he adds, Thou hast also given me the necks oreph, or rather, the backs of mine enemies, &c. Psa 18:37; Psa 18:50.
Thy father’s children shall bow down before thee This is not to be understood, as some have imagined, as if all Judah’s posterity were to be particularly honoured in their own persons by their brethren. It is sufficient for the accomplishment of this part of the prophecy, that they all partook of the honours of David, elected from among them, whom all the tribes acknowledged as their lawful sovereign, 2Sa 5:1-3. and from whom descended a very long race of kings, and THE MESSIAH himself, whose kingdom is everlasting, to whom all knees bow, Php 2:10.; that they had in this portion the temple, the throne, and the metropolis; and that all the tribes were enjoined to go thither to worship at all the solemn festivals, Psa 122:4. It is in respect of these circumstances that the historian is to be understood, when he says, Judah prevailed above his brethren, for out of him came the chief ruler. See 1Ch 5:2.
1Ch 5:2 . This was proved, Psa 18:40 .
Gen 49:8 Judah, thou [art he] whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand [shall be] in the neck of thine enemies; thy father’s children shall bow down before thee.
Ver. 8. Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren. ] All this is chiefly verified in Christ, and of him to be understood. In him is beauty, bounty, goodness, greatness, and whatsoever else is praiseworthy. He goeth forth riding on his white horse, “conquering and to conquer.” Rev 6:2 St Paul, his chief herald, proclaims his victory with a world of solemnity and triumph, 1Co 15:55-57 and calls upon all his brethren to bow down before him, Php 2:10 as they do, Rev 12:10 casting down their crowns at his feet, Rev 4:10 and setting the crown upon his head, – as the manner was among the Romans, that the saved should crown their saviours, and honour them as their fathers all their lives long, being wholly at their service. a It was not without mystery that David did reverence to his son Solomon, when he was newly crowned; what would he have done, think we, to his Lord, as he calls Christ, Psa 110:1 had he been there in his royalty?
a Apud Romam siqui servati essent, solebant Servatorem suum coronare. S , . – Polyb., lib. vi.
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Gen 49:8-12
8″Judah, your brothers shall praise you;
Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies;
Your father’s sons shall bow down to you.
9Judah is a lion’s whelp;
From the prey, my son, you have gone up.
He couches, he lies down as a lion,
And as a lion, who dares rouse him up?
10The 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.
11He ties his foal to the vine,
And his donkey’s colt to the choice vine;
He washes his garments in wine,
And his robes in the blood of grapes.
12His eyes are dull from wine,
And his teeth white from milk.
Gen 49:8-12 “Judah” The term Judah (BDB 397) means “praise” (BDB 393, cf. Gen 29:35). Apparently he is described as a very strong military tribe (cf. Gen 49:8-9) as well as the royal ruler (cf. Gen 49:10-12) of the sons of Jacob. This metaphor is continued in Judah as a lion’s whelp (BDB 158 CONSTRUCT BDB 71). This does not mean a lion’s cub, but a young lion just coming into a full possession of his strength (cf. Num 24:9).
Gen 49:8 “enemies” This term (BDB 33, KB 38, Qal ACTIVE PARTICIPLE) is common in the OT, but over forty times it is used specifically of enemies of the King (cf. NIDOTTE, vol. 1, p. 366). In this royal blessing it is just another clue regarding the supremacy of Judah.
“Your father’s sons shall bow down to you” The VERB (BDB 1005, KB 295, Hishtaphel [OT Parsing Guide] or Hithpael [Owen, Analytical Key] IMPERFECT denotes an act of homage) is the same one used in Joseph’s dream in Gen 37:7; Gen 37:9. The brothers (including Judah) did not appreciate the thought of bowing down to one of their brothers, but here Jacob asserts they will bow to Judah in Canaan as they bowed to Joseph in Egypt. Judah will be the tribe of royalty!
Gen 49:10 “the scepter. . .the ruler’s staff” These (BDB 986 and BDB 349, KB 347, Poel PARTICIPLE) are in a parallel relationship implying that the king of the united tribes will come from Judah.
The phrase “ruler’s staff from between his feet” is to be understood in light of the ancient pictures of an ANE ruler holding the sign of his office (usually a staff or spear) between his legs as he sits on his throne. It should be noted that the term denotes a military leader’s symbol of authority (cf. Num 21:18).
NASB, NKJVUntil Shiloh comes”
NRSVUntil tribute comes to him”
TEVNations will bring him tribute”
NJBuntil tribute be brought him”
LXX”until there came the things stored up for him”
Peshitta”until the coming of the One to whom the scepter belongs”
JPSOA”so that tribute shall come to him”
REB”until he receives what is his due”
Young’s Lit.
Translation”till his SEED come”
There has been much discussion on how to understand this phrase.
1. it could be a proper name (Sanh 98b)
2. it could be a place name, but this would be unusual because no major event occurs at this small city in the northern kingdom, either in Judah’s or David’s life, or the Messiah’s
3. some have asserted that it is a shorthand way of writing the phrase “until what is his comes”; this is the way the Septuagint and Targum Onkelos translates this verse
4. some have said that this is quoted in Eze 21:26-27 in the sense of “until the rightful Davidic/Judean king comes,” which would refer to the Messiah; this is the way the verse is translated in the Revised Standard Version
5. some Targums translate this verse “until the Messiah comes to whom the kingdom belongs”
6. there is a remote possibility that the word Shiloh comes from the Babylonian root which means “prince”
The UBS Hebrew Text Project lists the options.
1. he comes to Shiloh or Shiloh comes
2. he comes to whom it belongs (change of vowels)
3. tribute will be brought to him.
It gives option #1 an “A” rating (high probability) and links Shiloh to a son of Judah (spelled “Shelah,” cf. Gen 38:5; Gen 38:11; Gen 38:14; Gen 38:26; Gen 46:12; Num 26:20; 1Ch 2:3; 1Ch 4:21).
This verse refers to a Davidic Messiah, but its exact meaning is uncertain. Both the ancient synagogue and church thought it was Messianic. Judah is going to rule the twelve tribes, but the Messiah (his descendant) is going to rule all of the kingdoms of the earth (cf. Rev 11:15).
The idea of a king of Israel who would impact all humanity is foreshadowed in Genesis.
1. prophecy to Abraham, Gen 17:6; Gen 17:16
2. prophecy to Jacob, Gen 35:11
3. prophecy to Judah, Gen 49:8-12
4. Balaam’s prophecy about Israel, Num 24:7
5. Moses’ guidelines for a king, Deu 17:14-20
6. specific promises to David, 2 Samuel 7
NASB, NKJV,
NRSVthe obedience of the peoples”
TEVbow in obedience before him”
NJBthe peoples render him obedience”
JPSOA”the homage of peoples be his”
LXX”he is the expectation of nations”
Peshitta”to whom the Gentiles shall look forward”
The MT has “shall be the obedience of the peoples” (BDB 429 CONSTRUCT 766), which has no VERB. The LXX and Peshitta make the universal Messianic implication (i.e., “nations,” BDB 766 is PLURAL [cf. Gen 27:29] and is regularly translated the “nations” referring to non-Abrahamic people [Gentiles]) explicit in Psa 2:8; Dan 7:13-14!
Gen 49:11 “He ties his foal to the vine,
And his donkey’s colt to a choice vine” Gen 49:11-12 form an idiom that refers to prosperity. There are so many choice vines that one does not mind tying an animal to it who may either eat it or pull it apart by trying to get away.
“He washes his garments in wine,
And his robes in the blood of grapes” This is a parallel Hebrew structure that speaks of the abundance of grapes. However, it could refer to Judah as God’s agent of judgment (cf. Isa 63:1-6; Rev 19:13; Rev 19:15).
Gen 49:12 “His eyes are dull from wine,
And his teeth white from milk” This is another metaphor for prosperity which speaks of the abundance of wine (TEV, “bloodshot [BDB 314] eye”) and the abundance of milk (i.e., healthy herds).
See Special Topic: BIBLICAL ATTITUDES TOWARD ALCOHOL AND ALCOHOLISM at Gen 14:18.
Judah = Praise. Figure of speech Paronomasia (App-6). “Jehuda, Joducha “.
bow down. Compare 2Sa 5:1-8 and Psa 72:11. Php 1:2, Php 1:10.
Chapter 39
Jacobs Prophecy Concerning Judah
“Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father’s children shall bow down before thee. Judah is a lion’s whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass’s colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes: His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk
Gen 49:8-12
Before the written Word of God was given, God revealed himself to chosen sinners, and spoke to them both by word of mouth testimony and in various, supernatural ways concerning his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the great work of redemption and salvation he would accomplish (Heb 1:1-3). We have no way of knowing how much those early believers knew about the Person and work of Christ; but they clearly knew and understood much more than most people seem to think!
Abel understood the necessity of blood atonement and brought a blood sacrifice to God by faith, showing that he knew salvation was by grace alone through the blood of Christ, the sinners Substitute (Genesis 4). Enoch walked with God by faith in Christ and even prophesied of Christs glorious second coming (Jud 1:14). Abraham knew and believed much by Gods special revelation (Genesis 22). The Lord Jesus Christ said of Abraham, He rejoiced to see my day (Joh 8:56). And Job, who probably lived about the same time as Abraham, spoke confidently of both redemption and resurrection by Christ (Job 19:25-27).
In this prophecy of Jacob concerning Judah, we see another example of the fact that these early saints were rich in knowledge and in faith. Jacob had called his twelve sons before him to tell them, by the Spirit of prophecy, how God would deal with the twelve tribes of Israel in the future. The dying patriarch had a word from God for each of his sons and the tribes that would descend from them. Judah was singled out and given special honor. Jacob praised him and prophesied many good things concerning him.
Particularly, we are told that Jacob prophesied that Messiah, Shiloh, would spring from Judah. Both David and Solomon, Israels greatest kings, sprang from the tribe of Judah. And the Lord Jesus, the great King of Gods Israel, our Redeemer-King, is the Lion of the tribe of Judah (Rev 5:5). When Jacob spoke to Judah and made this prophecy concerning him, he was, by the Spirit of God, speaking about the Lord Jesus Christ. Judah was a type of Christ. We see this in seven distinct ways.
1.Judah must be praised by his brothers (Gen 49:8).
Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise. The name Judah means praise. Matthew Henry wrote, God was praised for him (Gen 29:35), praised by him, and praised in him; and therefore his brethren shall praise him. Certainly, this speaks of Christ, our Messiah, Redeemer, and King. He is worthy of praise and shall have the sincere praise of his people.
Christ alone is to have our praise. He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord (1Co 1:31; Psa 115:1).
Praise Him! Praise Him! Jesus our blessed Redeemer!
Heavnly portals loud with hosannas ring!
Jesus, Savior, reigneth forever and ever,
Crown Him! Crown Him! Prophet and priest and King!
Believers delight to give all praise to Christ, because of the excellence of his person as the God-man, our Mediator. We praise him for the wonders of redemption, the abundant grace of God in him, and the goodness of his sovereign, providential rule.
As Judahs brethren praised him, so all Christs brethren, all his people, give all praise to him. Some praise the pope, some praise the church, some praise preachers, and some praise themselves; but Gods saints praise Christ. They praise him forever in heaven (Rev 5:9-10); but they learn to praise him on the earth! (Psa 115:1). Gods people are a praising people. We do not merely offer him the pretense of praise, or the hypocrisy of lip praise. Believers give praise to God their Savior. Nothing is more inconsistent with our profession of faith in Christ than murmuring, complaining, and unhappiness. Murmuring is the fruit of unbelief. Praise is the fruit of faith.
2.Judah must be victorious over all his enemies (Gen 49:8).
Thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies. When a man has his hand securely in the neck of his enemy, he has subdued him. He can, at his pleasure, force him to the ground, snuff out his breath, and destroy him. This, too, speaks of Christ (1Co 15:25; Heb 1:13; Heb 10:13). He is in complete control of his enemies; and he will bring them down. Our Savior met Satan and defeated him. In the wilderness of temptation (Luk 4:1-13), in the garden of Gethsemane, and upon the cross of Calvary, our Lord Jesus conquered and bound the devil, crushing his head, just as the Scriptures declared he would (Gen 3:15; Joh 12:31-33; Joh 19:30; Rev 12:10; Rev 20:1-3). Christ took our sins to the cross and vanquished them (Col 3:15). The Son of God met death, bowed to it, and then conquered it (1Co 15:51-58). There is no enemy of Christ, or of his people, that shall not be finally destroyed.
3.All his fathers children must bow down before Judah (Gen 49:8).
Thy fathers children shall bow down before thee. Without question, this prophecy refers immediately to the whole nation of Israel bowing before David and Solomon as their kings. But, behold, a greater than David and a greater than Solomon is here. This is a prophecy of that glory and honor which belongs to and is reserved for Christ alone. Christ is Lord of all. By virtue of his own deity (Rom 9:5), by virtue of his Fathers decree (Heb 2:5; Heb 2:8), and by virtue of his sin-atoning death (Rom 14:9; Php 2:8-11), the Lord Jesus Christ is that great Lord King who rules the universe, before whom all men must and shall bow (Isa 45:22-25). All of Gods creation shall one day bow before the Lord Jesus Christ and confess that he is indeed Lord of all. All Gods elect bow to him in faith as their Lord (Rom 10:9-10). But all the universe shall bow before him and confess that he is Lord in the last day (Php 2:9-11).
4.Judah is a lions whelp (Gen 49:9).
Our Lord Jesus is compared to a young lion, because he is strong and courageous. The lion is the king of the jungle. He goes where he wants to go, does what he wants to do, fears nothing, and is never in danger. Here is The Lion of the tribe of Judah. Our Savior is not spoken of here as a lion raging and ranging, but as a lion couching and resting.
From the prey, my son, thou art gone up. Christ Jesus, the Son of God, left heaven and came to this earth to engage the enemy and redeem his people by his own mighty arm. Now, having accomplished his great work, he has gone up, ascended back into heaven again. The Lion of the tribe of Judah hath prevailed! (Rev 5:5). There is no possibility of failure with Christ (Isa 42:4). He is the Lion of Judah. He has prevailed, and shall yet prevail.
He stooped down. What a great stoop he made! (Php 2:5-8; 2Co 8:9). God became man. The Son of God became a servant to men. As a man, Christ was obedient to his Father in all things to establish righteousness for men. He was obedient unto death, even the death of the cross, that he might redeem us from the curse of the law.
He couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? He stooped, he conquered, he took his prey, he ascended, he sat down, having accomplished his pleasure, having gotten what he sought, having fulfilled his mission (Mat 1:21; Heb 9:12; Heb 10:10-14). Who shall dare rouse him? Who shall be able to disturb him? Behold, the sovereign serenity with which the Son of God sits in heaven!
5. The sceptre shall not depart from Judah until Shiloh come (Gen 49:10).
This tenth verse is a great and notable prophecy. All of the ancient Jewish writers said that this verse is a prophecy of the coming of Christ, by which God assured his people that the kingdom and civil government of Judah would continue until the Christ, the Messiah, came. That being the case, by their own instructors, the Jews should be convinced that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, because the kingdom and civil government of Judah ceased when Christ came.
The name which Jacob used for Christ is Shiloh. Where did he get that name? God gave it to him. It was a special name, given by special revelation, for a special Person, who would come at a special time. It is a name full of significance.
Shiloh means sent (Joh 9:7). Christ is truly the sent One (Joh 19:21).
Shiloh means Son (Isa 9:6-7). Christ Jesus is the Son of God. He is the Son of David. He is the Son of Man.
Shiloh means the one to whom it belongs(Eze 21:25-27). The sceptre, the crown, the throne, the kingdom, the worship, the praise belongs to Christ alone. All others are imposters! (Col 1:14-19).
Shiloh also mean peace. It comes from the same word as Salem, — King of Peace. Christ is our Peace. He made peace for us by the blood of his cross. And we have peace with God by faith in him (Rom 5:1).
Again, Shiloh means prosperous. It is written concerning Christ that the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand (Isa 53:10).
6. Unto Him shall the gathering of the people be (Gen 49:10).
The object of Christs coming into the world, the object of his covenant engagements with the Father as our Surety, the object of his death upon the cross for his people, was that he might redeem a people by his blood and gather them by the arm of his omnipotent grace to himself forever. The people God has chosen shall be gathered unto him (Joh 6:37-39; Joh 10:14-16; Joh 17:1-10). They shall, each one, at the appointed time of love, be gathered to Christ by the irresistible power and grace of his Spirit, gathered to him in repentance and faith, and in love and willing devotion (Psa 65:4; Psa 110:3). And all Gods elect shall be gathered unto him in glory.
7.Judah shall be strong and fruitful (Gen 49:11-12).
Without question, these two verses refer to the glorious work of redemption by Shiloh, the Lord Jesus Christ. When he came to redeem his people, he came into Jerusalem riding upon a colt, the foal of an ass (Zec 9:9; Mat 22:2; Mat 22:5). When he suffered and died upon the cross as our Substitute, his garments, his human nature, and the garments he wore were washed in blood (Isa 63:1). Yet, his eyes sparkled with joy, the joy of blood bought redemption for his people, as he endured the cross, despising the shame (Heb 12:2).
These two verses also refer to the manifold blessings of grace that are ours in Christ. Christ is the choice, true Vine, a Vine strong enough to have all burdens bound to him (Gen 49:11). The blood of Christ is a fountain of cleansing and joyful refreshment for our souls (Gen 49:11). Let us ever bind our burden to Christ. Cling to him. We find strength, when Christ is our Strength. And there is an abundance of grace in Christ to meet all the needs of his people (Gen 49:12). Wine for joy and milk for purity, wine for men and milk for babes, every need of our souls, in all circumstances is found in him who is our All.
shall praise: Gen 29:35, Gen 44:18-34, Gen 46:12, Deu 33:7, 1Ch 5:2, Psa 76:1, Heb 7:14
thy hand: Num 1:27, Num 10:14, Num 26:22, Jdg 1:1, Jdg 1:2, Jdg 20:18, 2Sa 24:9, 1Ki 4:1-34, 1Ch 12:1-40, 2Ch 11:12-17, 2Ch 14:8, 2Ch 15:9, 2Ch 17:2, 2Ch 17:14-16, 2Ch 30:11, Psa 18:40-43, Psa 78:68-71, Isa 9:7, Phm 1:2, Phm 1:10, Phm 1:11, Heb 7:14, Heb 10:13, Rev 5:5, Rev 11:15
the neck: Jos 10:24, 2Sa 22:41, Eze 21:29
thy father’s: Gen 27:29, Gen 37:7-10, Gen 42:6, 2Sa 5:3
Reciprocal: Gen 44:20 – we said Gen 46:28 – Judah Num 1:26 – General Num 2:3 – the standard Num 7:12 – General Deu 33:6 – General Jos 15:20 – General 1Sa 16:1 – Jesse 2Sa 1:18 – teach 2Sa 2:4 – the men of Judah 1Ch 12:38 – all the rest 1Ch 16:22 – prophets 1Ch 27:3 – the chief 1Ch 28:4 – chosen Judah Job 15:26 – even on Psa 105:15 – and do Mat 1:2 – Jacob begat Luk 3:33 – of Juda
Gen 49:8. Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise As thy name signifies praise, and God was praised for thee, (Gen 29:35,) and shall be praised by and in thee, so shalt thou have praise and honour from thy brethren. The tribe of Judah led the van through the wilderness, Num 10:14, and, in the conquest of Canaan, by the appointment of God, went first up against the Canaanites, after the death of Joshua, Jdg 1:1-2. They had the first lot assigned them in the division of the country, and a lot that was very extensive and fertile. Othniel, the first judge, was of this tribe; and Caleb, whose reputation was not much inferior to that of Joshua. And all the kings that ever God granted the Jewish nation in mercy were of them. In short, in every age, this tribe was more honoured than any of the others. Thy hand shall be on the neck of thine enemies An expression which signified victory over their enemies, and was remarkably fulfilled in David, Psa 18:40. Thy fathers children shall bow down before thee They shall not only acknowledge thy dignity above that of the other tribes, and pay such honour to thee as is wont to be conferred on the firstborn; but shall submit to the regal authority and power which shall be vested in thee. This was verified in Gods choosing the tribe of Judah, and David out of it, to govern the Hebrew nation, and in settling the kingdom of Israel in his stock for ever; but especially in the Messiahs being born of this tribe, whose kingdom is everlasting, and to whom every knee shall bow.
49:8 Judah, thou [art he] whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand [shall be] in the neck of thine enemies; thy father’s children shall {g} bow down before thee.
(g) As was verified in David and Christ.
Judah. Judah possessed a lion-like nature. As such he became the leader of the other tribes (Gen 43:3-10; Jdg 1:1-2; Jdg 3:9; Jdg 20:18; etc.). Through him came David and then Messiah, "the Lion of the Tribe of Judah" (Rev 5:5). Judah led the other tribes in the march through the wilderness (Num 2:1-3) and in the monarchy.
The scepter (Gen 49:10) was and is the symbol of royal command, the right to rule. Judah was to exercise leadership among the tribes until Shiloh came at which time Shiloh would extend Judah’s rule to worldwide dominion. Judah’s leadership was not consistently preeminent in the history of Israel, however.
Shiloh (lit. the "bearer of rest") is a proper name. It refers here not to the city in Canaan of that name but to a person who would arise in the tribe of Judah and bring peace to the world, namely, Messiah (cf. Gen 3:15; Num 24:17). We should probably translate it "whose it (the ruler’s staff) is" or "to whom it belongs" rather than transliterate it "Shiloh" (cf. Eze 21:26-27). [Note: See Eugene H. Merrill, "Rashi, Nicholas de Lyra, and Christian Exegesis," Westminster Theological Journal 38 (1975):74-75.] Another live translation option is "until tribute is brought to him." [Note: Wenham, Genesis 16-50, p. 478. See Mathews, Genesis 11:27-50:26, pp. 892-97, for an extended discussion of the interpretive possibilities.]
"Whichever of these interpretations is adopted, . . . all at least agree that this line is predicting the rise of the Davidic monarchy and the establishment of the Israelite empire, if not the coming of a greater David. And if the primary reference is to David, traditional Jewish and Christian exegetes would agree that like other Davidic promises it has a greater fulfillment in the Messiah." [Note: Wenham, Genesis 16-50, p. 478.]
Because Reuben, Simeon, and Levi had disqualified themselves, Judah received the leadership of the tribes and the blessing that normally went to the first-born. This is how the leadership of the tribes and the Messianic line fell to Judah. Jacob evidently forgave Judah’s earlier sins because he repented and later sacrificed himself for Jacob’s wellbeing.
Everything after the word "until" (Gen 49:10) describes millennial conditions.
"No Judean would tie his ass to a vine [Gen 49:11], for it would be eaten up, of course. Anyone who can be so careless and who can wash his garments in wine, lives in paradisiacal abundance." [Note: von Rad, p. 425.]
"The sense of the imagery is that wine, the symbol of prosperity and blessing, will be so plentiful that even the choicest vines will be put to such everyday use as tethering the animals of burden and vintage wine will be as commonplace as wash water. Gen 49:12 returns to the picture of the king of Judah. His eyes are darker than wine and his teeth whiter than milk. He is a picture of strength and power." [Note: Sailhamer, "Genesis," p. 277.]
This prophecy is the first of many that follow in the Old Testament that associates bumper crops with the golden age of future blessing.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Fuente: Discovering Christ In Selected Books of the Bible
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)