Genesis Bible

Bible Study of Genesis Chapter 49

Vs 1-4 And Jacob called unto his sones, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days. Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father.

Reuben, though art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power:
Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father's bed; then defiledst though it: he went up to my couch.

Reuben, being the first born son entitled him to the birthright and thus making him the head of the family and inheriting a double portion of Jacob's estate. However, when Reuben lay with Bilhah, Jacob's concubine and Rachel's handmaid he forfeited all this. Jacob had adopted Joseph's two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, and gave them a portion of the land, virtually giving Joseph Reuben's share. Judah became the tribal leader in Reuben's place. Judah prevailed above all his brethren so he received a larger portion.

Continue with Genesis Bible Chapter 49:

5, 6, &7 Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations.
O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall.
Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was curel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.

Simeon and Levi were known as violent brothers because they killed Hamor and Shechem as well as all the males in that city after they had made a peaceable deal with Jacob after the defilement of Dinah. And as far as Jacob was concerned everything was okay until Simeon and Levi committed these murderous acts. Jacob was very troubled by this, so he divided Simeon's inheritance out of the leftover from Judah's inheritance. And Levi got no inheritance except for about 48 towns scattered throughout Canaan.

vs 8, 9 & 10 Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall bein 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 {the word lion here means "in the sense of violence"}, and as an old lion {this lion means the fiercer or greater one}; 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.

Judah, of course, is the line from which Jesus Christ came from. Judah means celebrated. Shiloh means tranquil, the Messiah, secure, successful, happy prosper, and to be in safety. Sceptre is the rod. And in vs. 10 where it says unto him shall the gathering of the people be, the word gathering literally means obedience. He is talking about Jesus.

Vs. 11 Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass's cold unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes:

The word clothes here also means veil, which to me, represent the veil that covers the Holy of Holies. Also the word foal means in the sense of bearing a burden. So Jesus bore our burdens for us.

Vs 12 His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.

Eyes means affliction or outward appearance. Teeth is to point or pierce and milk is a position or office, something established or ordained. Continue the Genesis Bible article with Christian Meaning of Names and conclude with Blessings from God.