Christian Meaning of Names

Bible Study of Genesis Chapter 49

Some of the names I looked up did not have a particular meaning other than to say a son of Jacob or Israel.

Vs. 13, 14, 15 Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea; and he shall be for an haven of ships; and his border shall be unto Sidon.
Issachar is a strong ass couching down between two burdens:
And he saw that rest was good, and the land that it was peasant; and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute.

Issachar means he will bring a reward. Tribute means a tax in the form of forced labor.

16 Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel.
17 Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward.

Dan is the tribe that Judas Iscariot came from. The word biteth here means to oppress with interest on a loan or lend upon usury. the word fall means to die, divide, fugitive or be judged.

18 I have waited for thy salvation, O Lord.

The word waited means to bind together, by twisting.

19Gad, a troop shall overcome him: but he shall overcome at the last.
20 Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal dainties.
21 Naphtali is a hind let loose: he giveth goodly words.
22 Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall:

Gad means fortune, Asher means happy, Naphtali means my wrestling and Joseph means let him add. And the word branches in vs 22 means a son, as a builder of the family name.

The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him:

This is referring to Joseph's brothers and all the bad thing they did to him in Chapter 37.

24 But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:)

25 Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb:

26 The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.

In addition to the Christian meaning of names I will give the meanings of certain words - which helps you to understand the context of the passage more clearly.

The word progenitor means to be or become pregnant or ancestors. The word head, where it says they shall be on the head of Joseph, means the most easily shaken and the word crown means the part most bowed.

27 Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf: in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil.

Ravin means to pluck off or pull to pieces and wolf means to be yellow. We see this verse fulfilled in Judges 20:21 and 25 where it says: 2 1And the children of Benjamin came forth out of Gibeah, and destroyed down to the ground of the Israelites that day twenty and two thousand men.
25 And Benjamin went forth against them out of Gibeah the second day, and destroyed down to the ground of the children of Israel again eighteen thousand men; all these drew the sword.
Benjamin was eventually absorbed by the tribe of Judah.

28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel: and this is it that their father spake unto them, and blessed them; every one according to his blessing he blessed them.
29 And he charged them, and said unto them, I am to be gathered unto my people: bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite,
30 In the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field of Ephron the Hittite for a possession of a burying place.
31 There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah.
32 The purchase of the field and of the cave that is therein was from the children of Seth.
33 And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered unto his people.

So it's easy to see now the paths that each tribe took when you take into account the Christian meaning of names. It's seen all the Holy Bible. Get a concordance and see for yourself! Continue the Genesis Bible series with and conclude with Blessings from God.