20Asher’sc food shall be rich,
and he shall provide royal delicacies.
21Naphtali is a doe let loose
that bears lovely fawns.d
22Joseph is a fruitful bough,
a fruitful bough by a spring;
his branches run over the wall.e
23The archers fiercely attacked him;
they shot at him and pressed him hard.
24Yet his bow remained taut,
and his armsf were made agile
by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob,
by the name of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,
25by the God of your father, who will help you,
by the Almightyg who will bless you
with blessings of heaven above,
blessings of the deep that lies beneath,
blessings of the breasts and of the womb.
26The blessings of your father
are stronger than the blessings of the eternal mountains,
the bountiesh of the everlasting hills;
may they be on the head of Joseph,
on the brow of him who was set apart from his brothers.
27Benjamin is a ravenous wolf,
in the morning devouring the prey,
and at evening dividing the spoil.”
28All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them, blessing each one of them with a suitable blessing.
Jacob’s Death and Burial
29Then he charged them, saying to them, “I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my ancestors—in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite, 30in the cave in the field at Machpelah, near Mamre, in the land of Canaan, in the field that Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite as a burial site. 31There Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried; there Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried; and there I buried Leah—32the field and the cave that is in it were purchased from the Hittites.” 33When Jacob ended his charge to his sons, he drew up his feet into the bed, breathed his last, and was gathered to his people.
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a Gk Syr Tg: Heb he
b Or until Shiloh comes or until he comes to Shiloh or (with Syr) until he comes to whom it belongs
c Gk Vg Syr: Heb From Asher
d Or that gives beautiful words
e Meaning of Heb uncertain
f Heb the arms of his hands
g Traditional rendering of Heb Shaddai
h Cn Compare Gk: Heb of my progenitors to the boundaries
49.1–28 Jacob’s last words continue his prophetic foresight. These prophecies are a collection of old poetic tribal blessings and curses similar to those in Moses’ blessings in Deut 33. Genesis ends with Jacob’s final blessings and death, just as the Pentateuch ends with Moses’ blessings and death. In these sayings the future of Jacob’s sons is that of the tribes descended from them. They look forward to the settlement in the land, the disappearance of some tribes, the ascent of kingship in Judah, and the prosperity of Joseph. With their archaic linguistic features, these poetic tribal sayings are probably the oldest verses in Genesis.
49.3–4 Reuben seems to be blessed, but is cursed, because he went up onto his father’s bed. In the J source, this allusion occasions the brief account of Reuben sleeping with Bilhah (35.22). The tribe of Reuben diminished (see Deut 33.6) and eventually disappeared; some of its clans were absorbed into Judah.
49.5–7 Simeon and Levi are cursed because in their anger they killed men. In the J source this allusion leads to the story of the massacre of the men of Shechem, for which Jacob rebukes them (34.25–31). Simeon eventually disappeared as a tribe, some of its clans were absorbed into Judah, and Levi was scattered throughout Israel as the landless tribe of priests.
49.8–12 The blessing withheld from the three oldest sons now comes to Judah. Praise, Hebrew yodu, a play on Judah (v. 8). Like Jacob, Judah is blessed with authority over his brothers (v. 8; cf. 27.29). This blessing points forward to King David, from the tribe of Judah. The scepter shall not depart from Judah, an explicit reference to the Davidic dynasty. Judah’s blessing of power and wealth is rivaled only by Joseph’s blessing of might and fertility (vv. 22–26). From the time of King David, Judah was the prominent tribe in the south; the Joseph tribes were always the prominent tribes in the north. Binding his foal to the vine, washes his garments in wine, lovely images that highlight the superabundance of agricultural wealth; Judah can treat vines like ordinary trees and wine like water because he has so much.
49.13 The saying for Zebulun is neither a blessing nor a curse, but a description of his maritime activity, in which he profits from proximity to the Phoenician port of Sidon. Note that in Josh 19.10–15 Zebulun seems to be landlocked, suggesting a historical shift in boundaries.
49.14–15 Issachar’s name is taken to mean “hired man,” leading to his description as a slave at forced labor in spite of his lovely land.
49.16–17 Dan means “judge,” so he shall judge his people. But he will also be fierce like a snake (cf. the lion metaphor for Dan in Deut 33.22).
49.18 An interpolation in the style of Psalms (cf. Ps 119.166).
49.19 An elaborate play on the name of Gad, taken to mean “raiding group.” Heels, an echo of the saying for Dan (v. 17).
49.22–26 Although some words and phrases are obscure, Joseph is blessed with fertility and greatness. The attack by the archers, in which Joseph remains resolute, perhaps resonates with the hostility of his brothers in the Joseph story. The repetition of bless and blessings (six times in vv. 25–26) creates a dense poetic texture in which God’s blessings of fertility emanate from the cosmic domains (heaven, the deep, mountains, hills) and the female body (breasts, womb) onto Joseph’s head, crowning him with blessings. The numerous titles of God also make Joseph’s blessing a powerful one.
49.27 Ravenous wolf. The metaphor of Benjamin as a fierce fighter is similar to the animal metaphors in several of the other tribal sayings (Judah, Issachar, Dan, Naphtali, possibly Joseph); see also the animal metaphors in the tribal blessings of Deut 33.
49.28 The prose frame clarifies that the sons addressed are the twelve tribes of Israel. The sayings describe the tribal polity of Israel and give focus to the patriarchal promise of a great people. This concluding sentence also somewhat misleadingly characterizes all the tribal sayings as blessings.
49.29–50.14 Jacob’s death and burial are narrated in two versions, P (49.29–33, 50.12–13) and J (50.1–11, 14), which have been neatly combined. The P version refers to the patriarchal burial cave at Machpelah (see ch. 23), while the J version seems to imply that Jacob was buried east of the Jordan River (50.11), similar to Moses (Deut 34.6). With Jacob’s death and burial, the end of Genesis is near.
49.29–33 Gathered to my people. Jacob’s prediction in v. 29 is fulfilled in v. 33, creating an envelope structure to his final speech. This expression is both a euphemism for death and a literal description of burial in the ancestral grave. As the last burial in the cave of Machpelah, he will join most of the other patriarchs and matriarchs, with the exception of Rachel (see 48.7). This is the first time we learn that Isaac, Rebekah, and Leah were buried at Machpelah; hence Jacob’s speech serves as a coda to their deaths and burials as well. He drew up his feet into the bed (v. 33) probably comes from the J source, concluding the deathbed scene of blessings that began in 48.2b.
GENESIS 50
1Then Joseph threw himself on his father’s face and wept over him and kissed him. 2Joseph commanded the physicians in his service to embalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Israel; 3they spent forty days in doing this, for that is the time required for embalming. And the Egyptians wept for him seventy days.
4When the days of weeping for him were past, Joseph addressed the household of Pharaoh, “If now I have found favor with you, please speak to Pharaoh as follows: 5My father made me swear an oath; he said, ‘I am about to die. In the tomb that I hewed out
for myself in the land of Canaan, there you shall bury me.’ Now therefore let me go up, so that I may bury my father; then I will return.” 6Pharaoh answered, “Go up, and bury your father, as he made you swear to do.”
7So Joseph went up to bury his father. With him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his household, and all the elders of the land of Egypt, 8as well as all the household of Joseph, his brothers, and his father’s household. Only their children, their flocks, and their herds were left in the land of Goshen. 9Both chariots and charioteers went up with him. It was a very great company. 10When they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, they held there a very great and sorrowful lamentation; and he observed a time of mourning for his father seven days. 11When the Canaanite inhabitants of the land saw the mourning on the threshing floor of Atad, they said, “This is a grievous mourning on the part of the Egyptians.” Therefore the place was named Abel-mizraim;a it is beyond the Jordan. 12Thus his sons did for him as he had instructed them. 13They carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave of the field at Machpelah, the field near Mamre, which Abraham bought as a burial site from Ephron the Hittite. 14After he had buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt with his brothers and all who had gone up with him to bury his father.
Joseph Forgives His Brothers
15Realizing that their father was dead, Joseph’s brothers said, “What if Joseph still bears a grudge against us and pays us back in full for all the wrong that we did to him?” 16So they approachedb Joseph, saying, “Your father gave this instruction before he died, 17‘Say to Joseph: I beg you, forgive the crime of your brothers and the wrong they did in harming you.’ Now therefore please forgive the crime of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when they spoke to him. 18Then his brothers also wept,c fell down before him, and said, “We are here as your slaves.” 19But Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid! Am I in the place of God? 20Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today. 21So have no fear; I myself will provide for you and your little ones.” In this way he reassured them, speaking kindly to them.
Joseph’s Last Days and Death
22So Joseph remained in Egypt, he and his father’s household; and Joseph lived one hundred ten years. 23Joseph saw Ephraim’s children of the third generation; the children of Machir son of Manasseh were also born on Joseph’s knees.
24Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die; but God will surely come to you, and bring you up out of this land to the land that he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” 25So Joseph made the Israelites swear, saying, “When God comes to you, you shall carry up my bones from here.” 26And Joseph died, being one hundred ten years old; he was embalmed and placed in a coffin in Egypt.
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a That is mourning (or meadow) of Egypt
b Gk Syr: Heb they commanded
c Cn: Heb also came
50.1–11 Great mourning and ceremony follow Israel’s death. He was mourned by Joseph (v. 1), the Egyptians (v. 3), and a very great company of Egyptians and Israelites (v. 9). Perhaps curiously, Joseph has his father embalmed, or mummified in the Egyptian manner, which took forty days (vv. 2–3). All of this emphasizes Joseph’s high status among the Egyptians and conveys collective respect for the passing of his father. The lamentations of the Egyptians and the cooperation of Pharaoh present a strong contrast to the relationship between Egypt and Israel to come.
50.5 Tomb that I hewed out for myself, obscure. Israel’s request to be buried there is parallel to his request in the P source to be buried in the cave of Machpelah (49.29–32), but the two may not be identical. Note that the seven-day lamentation for Israel takes place in Transjordan (vv. 10–11). There may have been more than one tradition for the site of Jacob’s tomb.
50.15–21 The focus returns to Joseph and his brothers, and in a coda to the Joseph story the brothers fear yet again that Joseph will exact revenge. They attempt a final deception—a deathbed appeal for clemency by their father. Joseph reiterates his wise perception of the divine plan that brought them all to Egypt (see 45.5–8) and assures their safety. This scene is from the E source.
50.17–18 Joseph and his brothers weep, but for different reasons. Joseph weeps because the brothers still do not understand. The brothers weep because they fear that Joseph will now execute revenge. The brothers fall down before him and offer themselves as his slaves, recalling Joseph’s dreams in 37.5–9. Only with Joseph’s eloquent reiteration of God’s plan are they reassured that Joseph has forgiven them, because God is the deeper agent of events.
50.19–20 Joseph’s command to his brothers to not be afraid is given twice (vv. 19, 21) surrounding his explanation of God’s plan. Am I in the place of God? echoes Jacob’s angry retort to Rachel in 30.2, but now in a compassionate voice. You intended to do harm (lit. “evil”), God intended it for good, a pointed antithesis in which there is a clear sense that God’s intentions shaped their intentions (cf. 20.5–6) and hence the brothers are forgiven. But the brothers’ fear is not entirely unfounded, for they ought to be responsible in some fashion for their intentions. This moral problem lingers in the background of this encounter.
50.22–26 The description of Joseph’s final days and death echoes the lengthier portrayal of Jacob’s last days. Like his father, he lives a long and full life, on his deathbed foretells Israel’s future, and is embalmed in Egypt, with an oath to be buried in the promised land. V. 22 is from the P source, and the rest is from the E source.
50.22–23 The P statement of Joseph’s residence in Egypt and life span echoes the similar statement for Jacob prior to his death (47.28, P). These statements compress a considerable passage of time into a brief text. V. 23 (E) similarly describes Joseph’s long and full life, but does so with the familial image of Joseph seeing his great-grandchildren by both sons. This familial image highlights the importance and blessing of offspring, ending Genesis with an image of the ancestral promise in full bloom.
50.24 Like his father, Joseph foresees the future on the eve of his death. He foretells God’s plan in the exodus and the return to the promised land, but makes no mention of the enslavement in Egypt. This provides a transition to the book of Exodus, without revealing to his brothers the dangers to come. Heb 11.22 cites the episode as an example of faith.
50.25 The oath to carry Joseph’s bones is fulfilled in Ex 13.19 and he is finally buried in the promised land (at Shechem) in Josh 24.32. Joseph’s last request thus looks forward to the exodus and the return to Canaan.
50.26 The second mention of Joseph’s life span (here from E) echoes the statement in v. 22 (P), creating an envelope structure around Joseph’s death. His embalming echoes Jacob’s (50.2–3), but he lacks the lengthy period of mourning, the journey, and the burial. These await the fulfillment of his prophecy of exodus and return. Coffin (Hebrew ’aron), the same word used for the ark of the covenant (e.g., Ex 25.16), perhaps a brief allusion to another key aspect of the exodus-Sinai story. In Egypt, an apt hinge between the books of Genesis and Exodus.
EXODUS
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 |
Name and Content
THE NAME EXODUS, DERIVED FROM GREEK, refers to the first of the two central narrative events in the book—the liberation of the Israelites from Egyptian bondage (chs. 1–15). The other event, the Lord’s covenant-forging revelation to Israel at Mount Sinai (chs. 19–24), and the laws and instructions that ensue from it complete the book.
The book’s Hebrew name, “These are the names,” derives from the first words of the text’s prologue (1.1–7), which harks back to and abridges the genealogy in Gen 46.8–27. In one sense Exodus directly continues the story of Jacob’s clan in Egypt (Gen 37–50). The Lord is said to rescue Israel on account of his cov
enant with its ancestors (2.24; cf. 3.6, 15–16; 4.5; 6.2–4). In another sense, Exodus is a distinct book, relating the story of Israel’s formation as a people and its covenant with God. The second part of the story is dependent on the first: by redeeming the Israelite slaves from Egypt, the Lord earns the right to “enslave” them to himself (Lev 25.42, 55) by binding them to the covenant obligations.
Biblical Context
COVENANT LAW ISSUING IMMEDIATELY or indirectly from the Sinai event makes up most of what follows Exodus in the Pentateuch. Moses has the people recommit themselves to the covenant before he dies (Deut 29–30). In the next generation the Israelites twice reaffirm the covenant (Josh 4–5, 24), an act that will be expressly repeated only centuries later (2 Kings 22–23) and again after the Babylonian exile (Neh 8–10). Precedent for renewing, or restoring, the covenant is set within Exodus itself, following the golden calf incident (ch. 34).
Although biblical tradition links the exodus with a (geographically unspecified) covenant (e.g., Deut 4.45; 6.21–25; 29.25; 1 Kings 8.9, 21; Jer 11.2–4, 6–7; 31.32; 34.13), it is the exodus itself that chiefly exercises the biblical memory. Within the Pentateuch, or Torah, the recent exodus provides a motive for worshiping the Lord (e.g., Ex 20.2; 29.46; Lev 26.13; Deut 6.12; 13.6–10; cf. Josh 24.17) and observing the law (e.g., Lev 11.45; 22.32–33; Num 15.41; Deut 5.15; 8.11–14; 29.2), especially those precepts protecting the disadvantaged (e.g., Lev 19.35; 25.38, 42, 55), because the experience of slavery is meant to instill empathy for them (e.g., Ex 23.9; Lev 19.34; Deut 10.19; 15.15; 16.12; 24.22; and see Jer 34.13–14).
Moreover, the rescue of Israel from Egypt serves as a paradigm of divine saving power, within the Torah (e.g., Lev 26.24–25; Num 23.22; 24.8; Deut 6.21–22; 20.1; 26.8) as well as among the prophets (e.g., Isa 11.16; 51.10; Jer 16.14–15; 23.7–8; 32.20–21; Am 2.10; 9.7; Mic 6.4; 7.15; cf. also Dan 9.15) and psalmists (e.g., Pss 77; 78; 81; 105; 106; 136). God is repeatedly implored to arise and save Israel from its present distress as God had in the past, in the exodus. Future redemptions of Israel may be typologically conceived as reiterations of the exodus, as the foundational narrative of the Torah is transformed from a one-time event to a recurring one (or myth; e.g., Isa 51.10–11). Nevertheless, even as the exodus may serve as myth, it does not lose its historical character. Unlike the Sinai revelation, the exodus event functions in the Bible as a point of chronological reference (e.g., Num 1.1; 9.1; Deut 9.7; Judg 19.30; 1 Sam 8.8; 2 Sam 7.6; 1 Kings 6.1; 8.16; 2 Kings 21.15; Jer 7.25).
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