Cornelius a Lapide
Table of Contents
Synopsis of the Chapter
Jacob, about to die, having called together his sons, blesses them and prophesies what good and evil things will befall their descendants. Second, at verse 29, commanding that he be buried in Canaan, he dies. Some entitle this chapter: The Blessings of the Twelve Patriarchs; others: The Prophecy concerning the Twelve Patriarchs. Both correctly and rightly: for Jacob does both here.
Vulgate Text: Genesis 49:1-33
1. "And Jacob called his sons and said to them: 'Gather together, that I may announce to you what will come upon you in the last days.' 2. 'Gather together and hear, sons of Jacob, hear Israel your father.' 3. 'Reuben, my firstborn, you are my strength and the beginning of my sorrow: first in gifts, greater in authority.' 4. 'You were poured out like water, may you not increase; because you went up to your father's bed and defiled his couch.' 5. 'Simeon and Levi, brothers, vessels of iniquity warring.' 6. 'Let my soul not enter into their counsel, and let my glory not be in their assembly; because in their fury they slew a man, and in their willfulness they undermined a wall.' 7. 'Cursed be their fury, because it is obstinate; and their indignation, because it is harsh: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.' 8. 'Judah, your brothers shall praise you: your hand shall be on the necks of your enemies; the sons of your father shall adore you.' 9. 'Judah is a lion's cub: to the prey, my son, you have gone up. Resting, you have crouched as a lion, and as a lioness -- who shall rouse him?' 10. 'The scepter shall not be taken away from Judah, nor a leader from his thigh, until He comes who is to be sent, and He shall be the expectation of the nations.' 11. 'Tying His colt to the vineyard, and His donkey to the vine, O my son. He shall wash His robe in wine, and His garment in the blood of the grape.' 12. 'His eyes are more beautiful than wine, and His teeth whiter than milk.' 13. 'Zebulun shall dwell on the seashore, and at the harbor of ships, reaching even to Sidon.' 14. 'Issachar, a strong donkey, lying down between the boundaries.' 15. 'He saw that rest was good, and the land excellent; and he bent his shoulder to bear burdens, and became a servant paying tribute.' 16. 'Dan shall judge his people just as any other tribe in Israel.' 17. 'Let Dan be a serpent in the way, a horned snake in the path, biting the horse's hoofs, so that its rider falls backward.' 18. 'I shall await Your salvation, O Lord.' 19. 'Gad, being girded, shall fight before him, and he himself shall be girded from behind.' 20. 'Asher, his bread shall be rich, and he shall provide delicacies for kings.' 21. 'Naphtali, a deer set free, giving words of beauty.' 22. 'Joseph is a growing son, a growing son and comely to behold: the daughters ran along the wall.' 23. 'But they provoked him, and quarreled with him, and envied him, those having javelins.' 24. 'His bow sat in strength, and the bonds of his arms and hands were loosed by the hands of the mighty one of Jacob: from there the shepherd came forth, the stone of Israel.' 25. 'The God of your father shall be your helper, and the Almighty shall bless you with the blessings of heaven above, with the blessings of the deep lying below, with the blessings of the breasts and of the womb.' 26. 'The blessings of your father are strengthened by the blessings of his fathers, until the desire of the everlasting hills should come: may they be upon the head of Joseph, and upon the crown of the Nazarite among his brothers.' 27. 'Benjamin, a ravenous wolf; in the morning he shall eat the prey, and in the evening he shall divide the spoils.'" 28. All these are the twelve tribes of Israel; these things their father spoke to them, and he blessed each one with their proper blessings. 29. And he commanded them, saying: "I am being gathered to my people: bury me with my fathers in the double cave which is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, 30. opposite Mamre in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought together with the field from Ephron the Hittite as a burial place." 31. There they buried him and Sarah his wife; there Isaac was buried with Rebecca his wife; and there Leah lies interred. 32. And when he had finished the commands by which he instructed his sons, he drew his feet up onto the bed, and died, and was gathered to his people.
Note here in Jacob the ancient custom by which parents about to die would give to their sons or subjects their last words -- either oracles, or counsels for salvation -- and then would bless them. So too did Moses, Deuteronomy chapters 31, 32, and 33; and Joshua, last chapter; and Samuel, 1 Kings chapter 12; and Tobias, chapter 3; and Mattathias, 1 Maccabees 2; and Christ the Lord, John chapters 14 and 15.
There exists in volume III of the Library of the Holy Fathers the Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs, namely of these twelve sons of Jacob, in which many things belonging to this chapter are explained. In it are narrated very many things -- both prophetic oracles and exhortations to virtue and the worship of God; many prophecies from the Book of Enoch are also inserted. It is ancient; for Origen mentions it, homily 15 on Joshua, and Procopius of Gaza in chapter 33 of Genesis. Robert, Bishop of Lincoln, translated it from Greek into Latin. But this testament is of uncertain and suspect authorship; for it contains many marvelous and novel things, similar to Jewish fables.
Verse 1: In the Last Days
"In the last days." -- In future times. For the Hebrew acharit, which our translator renders as "last," means following, later, what will be afterward: for Jacob here foretells some things that soon followed, some that occurred under Joshua, some under the Judges, some that came to pass under Christ, and some that will occur under the Antichrist.
The Prophecy and Blessing of Reuben
3. "Reuben, my firstborn" -- as to generation and birth; for otherwise Jacob here strips him of the right of primogeniture, on account of his incest with Bilhah. Reuben was in this year, which was Jacob's 147th and last, 62 years old, Simeon 61, Levi 60, Judah 59, Joseph 56, as is clear from what was said in chapter 30.
"You are my strength" -- whom, that is, I first begot in the vigor of my age.
"And the beginning of my sorrow." -- Because children born bring new cares, sorrows, and anxieties to their parents; or rather, as if to say: You have been for me the chief cause of sorrow and sadness, on account of your incest. In Hebrew it is rescit oni, which secondly, with the Chaldean, Vatablus, and others, can be translated: the beginning of my strength, that is, of my generative power, as if to say: In begetting you first I showed my manly vigor and power of generation. Whence the Septuagint translate: the beginning of my sons. So too our translator renders it in Deuteronomy 21:17. From which it is clear that Jacob, before his marriage with Leah, lived chastely and had known no woman.
"First in gifts, greater in authority" -- you should have been, namely, as the firstborn; which the Chaldean clearly explains, translating thus: You were about to receive three portions, namely the birthright, the priesthood, and the kingdom; but you will not receive them, because you sinned with Bilhah. For the priesthood was transferred from Reuben to Levi; the kingdom of the two tribes was given to Judah, while that of the ten tribes was given to Ephraim; the birthright, namely the double portion of the inheritance in Canaan, and consequently the double tribe, was assigned to Joseph, that is, to his sons Ephraim and Manasseh. Whence in 1 Chronicles 5:1, it is said that the birthright was transferred from Reuben to Joseph.
Our translator understood this right of primogeniture, and likewise the right of the priesthood, when he translated "first in gifts"; just as he understood the right of the kingdom when he translated "greater in authority." The Hebrew has vieter seet veieter oz, which Pagninus clearly translates: excelling in dignity (or in gifts and presents), excelling in strength -- supply: you should have been.
Note: With Reuben stripped of the birthright, Simeon, the second-born, should have succeeded to it; but because he was impious toward Joseph, and because his tribe with its leader worshipped Baal-peor, Numbers 25:14, therefore the nobler dignity of the birthright, namely the priesthood, was transferred to the third-born, that is Levi, and the other right of the birthright, namely the kingdom, was transferred to the fourth-born, that is Judah.
"Greater in authority." -- For the firstborn had a kind of royal principate and dominion over all his brothers, as is clear from Genesis 27:29. Eight privileges of the firstborn, says Pererius, are recorded as having existed among the people of God, even before the law of Moses. First, they were priests. Second, the firstborn sat first at table, and a larger portion was given to him, Genesis 43:33. Third, he blessed his other brothers; they submitted themselves to him and adored him, Genesis 27:29. Fourth, he had authority and dominion over his brothers, in the same place. Fifth, he received a double portion of the paternal inheritance, Deuteronomy 21:17. Sixth, the firstborn were redeemed for five shekels, while other sons were not at all, as though the firstborn were specially consecrated and devoted to God. Seventh, they used, he says, a certain singular type of garment, that is, more delicate and costly than their other brothers; for which reason Jacob, seeking the birthright from Esau, put on his garments, although this does not sufficiently prove the point. Eighth, the firstborn was singularly blessed by the father when dying. And Reuben lost almost all these privileges.
4. "You were poured out like water." -- You were dissolved by lust and incest; your lust was profuse. Lyranus and Abulensis translate less expressively: "You were brought low, you were cast down like water." For our translator renders it far more expressively: "you were poured out like water," because just as, when water is poured out, nothing of it remains in the cup or bucket -- neither color, nor smell, nor taste -- so lust often pours out and squanders a man's strength, judgment, reason, wisdom, reputation, wealth, conscience, and all good things along with his seed and blood.
"May you not increase" -- you will not increase: for this is more a prophecy than a curse, as if to say: Because you sinned by incest, God will punish you with barrenness, so that you may not increase in the number of children and grandchildren, nor in eminence, wealth, and glory. Hence the tribe of Reuben was one of the smallest. Moses foretold the same, Deuteronomy chapter 33, verse 6.
"You went up to your father's bed" -- you committed incest with Bilhah, your father's wife. On this matter, and on the marvelous (would that it were true) repentance of Reuben, the apocryphal Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs has material, which I mentioned at the beginning of the chapter.
Allegorically: Reuben, says St. Ambrose, is the Jew, who violated and killed the humanity of Christ, which is, as it were, the bed of His divinity, and therefore was cursed by God.
In like manner, tropologically: Reuben represents the Eutychians, Nestorians, and other heretics, says Rupert; again, wicked prelates and princes who, poured out in the pleasures of the flesh, scandalize, violate, and profane the Church.
Finally, learn here, first, that God's vengeance is slow, but never vain. Behold: the punishment for Reuben's crime was pronounced 30 years after it had been committed by him and overlooked by Jacob. Second, learn for how vile a cause men lose the greatest goods. Did not Reuben lose all the goods of the birthright for the most shameful reward of the briefest pleasure? Did not Esau lose the same for a dish of lentils? Third, how great a crime it is to be rebellious and insulting toward parents; of which there are three illustrious examples in Scripture: one, Ham, son of Noah; the second, Reuben, son of Jacob; the third, Absalom, son of David.
The Prophecy and Blessing of Simeon and Levi
5. "Simeon and Levi, brothers" -- not only brothers by nature, but most similar and most closely joined in crime, namely in their ferocity, audacity, deceit, and cruelty toward the Shechemites.
"Vessels of iniquity" -- that is, instruments of iniquity, and of the unjust slaughter and destruction of the Shechemites. For the Hebrews call any instrument keli, that is, a vessel. The Chaldean translates unfaithfully and wrongly: Simeon and Levi, most valiant men, in the land of their sojourning performed a feat of strength -- as if Jacob were praising them here for their strength, when in fact he censures their fury and cruelty, as is clear from what follows.
"Warring." -- These vessels, or instruments, were not idle, but they inflicted an unjust war and slaughter on the Shechemites. In Hebrew it is mecherotehem, which Arias, Oleaster, and Vatablus translate: their swords, as if to say: Their swords were vessels, that is, weapons of iniquity. This is very fitting, and the word machaera (sword) seems, like many other Latin and Greek words, to descend from the Hebrews, although Eugubinus denies this.
6. "Let my soul not enter into their counsel." -- "Into the counsel" by which they treacherously plotted the destruction of the Shechemites, as if to say: I detested this counsel and crime of theirs long ago, and I still detest it. Second, allegorically, Jacob here foresaw the counsel that the Scribes and Pharisees, who descended from Simeon, and the chief priests and priests, who descended from Levi, entered into against Christ. Therefore Jacob here detests and curses the counsel by which they plotted death against Christ, and thus imitated the crime of their ancestors Simeon and Levi; for this is a prophecy: so St. Ambrose, Isidore, Rupert, and others.
"And let my glory not be in their assembly" -- as if to say: They gloried in this slaughter as though it were a sign of their strength; far be from me such an honor and glory. The Septuagint translate: "let not my inner parts contend in their assembly," as if to say: Let not my love, not my heart, not my liver be in their assembly; for the liver is the seat of love and desire; and the Hebrew cabod, if read with different vowel points as cabed, means liver.
"They slew a man" -- men, namely the Shechemites, together with their prince and the cause of the evil, Shechem. This is a synecdoche.
"And in their willfulness." -- In their desire to rage. Whence the Septuagint translate: "in their lust."
"They undermined the wall" -- that is, walls, as if to say: They overthrew and devastated the walled city of Shechem, and tore down its walls. From this passage, therefore, it appears that Simeon and Levi with their men, when they furiously invaded the city of Shechem, not only killed its citizens but also overthrew its walls.
Thus allegorically, the Scribes and priests, descended from Simeon and Levi, overthrew Jerusalem through Titus, because by killing Christ they gave cause for its destruction, and virtually summoned Titus to carry it out.
Others, such as Procopius, understand by walls Hamor and Shechem, the princes of the city, who protected it like a wall by their power. Hence also the Septuagint, reading scor, that is bull, instead of schur, that is wall, translate: they hamstrung a bull, namely they cut down and killed Shechem himself.
Finally, the Jerusalem Targum translates: they sold Joseph, who was likened to an ox. If this is true, then Simeon and Levi were the ringleaders in the selling of Joseph, so that Joseph rightly confined Simeon alone in prison, chapter 42, verse 25.
7. "Cursed be their fury." -- This curse was removed from Levi and the Levites through their zeal: both that of Moses and Aaron, and of other Levites in the slaughter of those worshipping the golden calf; and that of Phinehas the Levite, who killed the Hebrew committing fornication with the Midianite woman and overthrew Baal-peor, Numbers 25, verses 5 and 6; and therefore the tribe of Levi received both the priesthood and a blessing from Moses, Deuteronomy 33:10. But in Simeon this curse remained, because of the fornication and idolatry of Zimri, who was the leader of the tribe of Simeon, whom Phinehas killed, Numbers 25. Hence Simeon alone was not blessed by Moses, Deuteronomy 33: so Procopius.
"I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel" -- lest they again put their heads together and by their counsel contrive destruction for others. This was fulfilled in Levi, because no inheritance fell to the Levites in Canaan, but they were scattered through all the tribes; in Simeon also, because he was given a lot and a dwelling in the midst of the tribe of Judah, Joshua 19, verses 2 and 9. Again, when the tribe of Simeon had grown, it sought new territories, and part went to Gedor, part to Mount Seir, 1 Chronicles 4, verses 27, 39, and 42. Finally, the Scribes and lawyers, descended from Simeon, like the priests, were scattered through all the tribes, to instruct the people in the law, with God turning this punishment into their praise and the people's good. And in this respect this prophecy is at the same time a blessing for Simeon and Levi; although even the prior rebuke, being fatherly, can and should be considered a blessing, as I will discuss at verse 28.
The Prophecy and Blessing of Judah
Jacob commends the tribe of Judah: first, from his name -- Judah means the same as confession and praise; second, from his warlike strength; third, from his dignity and reverence, namely that his brothers will adore Judah; fourth, from his victories; fifth, from his kingdom and scepter; sixth, from his wealth and abundance of produce; seventh, from Christ who would be born from it. And all these things he foretells and prophesies from this verse through verse 12.
8. "Judah, your brothers shall praise you." -- In the Hebrew there is an elegant wordplay on the name of Judah: jehuda, jehoducha, as if to say: Rightly are you called Judah, that is, praise, because your brothers will praise you. His mother Leah had named him Judah in chapter 29, last verse, as though giving thanks and praising God for this offspring; now father Jacob also calls him Judah, for another reason and allusion, namely that he would be praised by his brothers. For the tribe of Judah was the first after Moses to dare to enter the Red Sea. This tribe, after Joshua's death, was the leader of the other tribes in battles, Judges 1. From it arose King David, most powerful and most glorious, Solomon and other kings, down to the Babylonian captivity. This tribe waged the greatest wars against the Ishmaelites, Edomites, Moabites, Arabs, and all their neighbors. From it was born Zerubbabel, leader of the people returning from Babylon. Finally, from it Christ was born.
"Your hands shall be on the necks of your enemies" -- to put them to flight, pursue them, capture them, and slay them; whence the Chaldean translates: your hands shall prevail against your enemies.
"The sons of your father shall adore you." -- Behold, here the right of primogeniture is transferred from Reuben and assigned to Judah. For the firstborn, as though the prince of his brothers, was honored and adored by them -- that is, the brothers bowed before him and showed him civil reverence, such as is shown to a father or a prince. Again, the royal power to be given to Judah is signified here; for kings are adored by their subjects when they humble themselves and prostrate before them, for the sake of honor and reverence.
Allegorically, Judah is Christ, who continuously praised God, and was, as it were, a continual praise of God, whom all martyrs confessed even unto death, whom all brothers -- that is, holy angels and men -- praise and adore, who most mightily snatched us from the jaws of the devil. Whence "His hands are on the necks" of the devil, the world, the flesh, and sin, which He Himself conquered.
"Sons of your father." -- He does not say mother, but father, because Judah's brothers had different mothers, but the same father; and Jacob here foretells that all brothers, born of whatever mother, would adore Judah.
Verse 9: Judah the Lion's Cub
9. "Judah is a lion's cub." -- As Judah was among his brothers, so the tribe of Judah among the other tribes was like a lion: first, the strongest; second, the most fearless; third, the most warlike; fourth, the most victorious; fifth, of the most noble spirit. St. Hilary wittily alluded to this when someone slanderously called him a Gaul: "I was not born a Gaul," he said, "but from Gaul; but you are indeed a Leo (for that was his name), but not from the tribe of Judah." John Beleth reports this, chapter 22.
Let commanders and faithful soldiers have these lionlike spirits of Judah. A strong leader is like adamant, which can be broken neither by iron nor consumed by fire. Emperor Frederick II, hearing the threats of princes, said: "The noise of threats is the braying of donkeys."
So Leonidas replied to a certain Persian who was threatening that the Spartans would not see the sun the next day because of the shower of arrows: "Then we shall fight conveniently in the shade."
Alfonso, king of Aragon, saw shipwrecked men imploring help; while others were afraid, he himself launched a ship saying: "It is better to perish together with companions who are the bravest men, than to see them suffer the worst in the storm." Panormitanus is the witness.
Charles V, standing in the battle line within the rampart and stations, when the enemy was hurling showers of bullets, being advised to withdraw, replied: "Dogs that bark are not to be feared; nor is there reason for you to be afraid, since we are sufficiently fortified by the protection of God."
Again, Charles V, near Ingolstadt, being assailed by frequent fire from the enemy, said: "Take heart -- no emperor has ever perished from a cannon shot." The same man, about to set out for Spain, when he heard that plague was raging along the way, said: "We must go, and such a favorable opportunity must not be passed up: plague has never touched an Augustus, plague has never touched a Caesar, plague has never touched any Charles."
Louis XII, proceeding to Milan, and learning that the small town where he planned to lodge had been seized by the enemy, pressed on and said: "I shall take lodging over their bodies, or they over mine."
Albert, Margrave of Brandenburg, had captured Louis of Bavaria, demanding many things from him and threatening; to whom Louis said: "Whatever you could obtain from me as a free man, seek in the same manner from me as a captive. If you want anything more, my body is in your power; but my spirit you will find subject to me, not to you."
Emperor Otto IV ordered a knight to be killed who had been falsely accused of attempting the chastity of the Empress. The wife, carrying her husband's head in her lap, approached the Emperor and asked what penalty an unjust judge should suffer. "Death," said the Emperor. Then she said: "Then die, Emperor, you who killed my innocent husband. That he was innocent, I prove by this red-hot iron which I handle with my hands without harm." So Bernardus Corius in the Life of Otto.
Note: The Hebrews give the lion many names, by which they distinguish its age. First, it is called gur when it is a cub and, as it were, an infant. Second, it is called kephir when it is growing and becoming an adult, so that it begins to be fierce and to hunt prey. Third, it is called arie, or ari, when it is in the firmness of its strength and is a full-grown lion. Fourth, when it is of confirmed and full strength and age, it is called labi, meaning, as it were, courageous, from leb, that is, heart. Fifth, it is called lais when it is now growing old, and like a veteran soldier trained in hunting, yet still flourishes and is vigorous.
From these names, three are given here to Judah: first, gur, under which kephir is also included, signifies the infancy and adolescence of the tribe of Judah in the wars in the time of Joshua. Second, arie signifies its manly strength, which it had under David. Third, labi signifies its confirmed strength and authority under Solomon, who was labi, that is, wise-hearted in wisdom, fortitude, generosity, and magnificence.
"To the prey, my son, you have gone up." -- Instead of "to the prey," the Hebrew, Symmachus, and Aquila have mittereph, that is, "from the prey," by which they signify the continual succession of plunder and victories, as if to say: From prey to prey you have gone up; you plunder constantly; you continually return from and with prey. This was most truly fulfilled in David, who throughout his whole life was engaged in wars, taking continual spoils from enemies, and rose gradually from lesser prey to greater: namely from the tearing apart of the bear and the lion, he progressed to the duel with Goliath and his spoils; thence to the command of the army and the prize of a hundred foreskins, 1 Samuel 18:43; soon he drove away continual spoils from the Philistines, 1 Samuel 27; afterward he virtually tore the tribe of Judah from Saul's kingdom, 2 Samuel 2:7. Finally, made king of all the tribes, he carried off the greatest spoils from the Ammonites, Moabites, Syrians, and other nations. So Delrio.
From this prophecy it came about that the tribe of Judah, David, Solomon, etc., had as their emblem the image of a lion. Hence also Prester John, king of the Abyssinians, who boasts of descending from the Queen of Sheba and Solomon, and consequently from Judah, bears as his emblem, or coat of arms, a lion holding an upright cross in its paw. For the lion is the emblem of the lineage from Judah, and the cross is the emblem of Christianity.
"Resting, you have lain down." Aquila renders: "bowing down, you have reclined"; Symmachus: "limping, you have sat down," as if to say: Just as a lion, having seized its prey, sinks down to the ground, and as though lazy and lame reclines to devour it, and no one dares to provoke or disturb the one eating -- so you, O Judah, after you subdued all the tribes by your scepter through David, and established your kingdom, you gave yourself securely to peace and quiet, and like a lioness nursing her cubs, resembling one asleep, you placed yourself on your bed, like a good shepherd feeding and cherishing your people, so that no one dares to provoke you to war. So Delrio.
Note: All these past tenses must be explained as futures, for it is a prophecy.
"As a lioness" -- who, when nursing her cubs, is fiercer and stronger than a lion.
"Who shall rouse him?" -- who would dare to rouse him and provoke him to war? Whoever does so will not go unpunished; he will suffer a defeat.
Allegorically, Christ, born from Judah, "went up to the prey," because His name is: "Make haste to take the spoils, hasten to seize the prey" (Isaiah 8:3). Hence He rested, that is, He died, like a lion -- because in His death He shook the whole world, and by dying destroyed the devil and death. So St. Ambrose, in his book On the Blessings of the Patriarchs, on the blessing of Judah: "Who, he says, shall rouse Him, that is, whom shall the Lord receive? Who else shall raise Him, unless He Himself raises Himself by His own power and the Father's? I see One born by His own authority, I see One dead by His own will, I see One sleeping by His own power -- He who did all things by His own decision, whose assistance will He need to rise again? He therefore is the author of His own resurrection, who is the arbiter of death."
The cub of a lioness sleeps for three days. Eucherius reports here from the natural philosophers that a lion cub, when born, sleeps for three days; on the third day it is roused by the roaring of its father shaking the den. So Christ on the third day, by His own power and the Father's, which simultaneously caused an earthquake, rose again. Epiphanius and Eucherius wrongly apply this to dead lion cubs, which the father lion supposedly revives by his roaring; for this is false and fabulous.
Verse 10: The Scepter Shall Not Depart
10. "The scepter shall not be taken away from Judah." The Septuagint renders: "a prince shall not fail from Judah," as if to say: Since the tribe of Judah received the kingdom in David, it will preserve this principality and leadership until the Messiah, that is, Christ, comes.
I say therefore that to the tribe of Judah is here assigned the kingdom and principality, and that it in fact obtained this until the Messiah, that is, Christ, by a twofold reason and title. First, because the tribe of Judah alone obtained the kingdom from David to Zedekiah, for 470 years, and this in great glory, wealth, and strength until the Babylonian captivity. Furthermore, because the tribe of Judah alone returned from this captivity, with a few others descended from the tribe of Benjamin, Levi, and other tribes. Hence the entire nation of the Jews thenceforth took its name from Judah, and all, even those descending from other tribes, were considered to be the tribe of Judah, because they were mixed with Judah and were grafted and co-opted into the tribe and commonwealth of Judah. In the same way, the Romans are said to have ruled; and Roman Emperors are called all who obtained the Roman Empire at Rome, even if they originated from Thrace, Spain, or elsewhere, because all these had coalesced with the Romans into one commonwealth and one empire.
Second, and more importantly, the scepter precisely did not fail from Judah until Christ, because the crown, or the right and power of the kingdom, properly belonged always to the tribe of Judah: both because this right of the kingdom was attributed by God to David and his family descended from Judah, so that David's descendants would always succeed in it by hereditary right in continuous succession; and because the seat, domain, and capital of the kingdom, namely Jerusalem, belonged to the tribe of Judah.
From this passage, therefore, we convict the Jews, and demonstrate to them that the Messiah has already come, and that He was born in the time of Herod; for then the scepter departed from Judah, and consequently that our Christ is the Messiah, predicted and promised here by Jacob.
I respond that so small an interval of 35 years, in so great a span of time, is here reckoned as nothing. For it suffices for the truth of this prophecy that under the same king Herod, under whom the scepter departed from Judah, Christ was born. For the word "until" does not precisely signify a determined year, month, or day of Christ's coming; but only vaguely signifies that under that same time, namely under the same king in whom the scepter would fail from Judah, Christ would be born.
Anagogically, the scepter of Christ will not be taken from His Pontiff until He Himself comes in His second advent, to bless and glorify us. So Pererius, following St. Ambrose and Origen.
"And the leader." In Hebrew it is mechokek, that is, lawgiver, meaning a leader or prince whose role it is to enact laws and to govern the people by them.
"From his thigh." "Thigh" metonymically signifies the reproductive parts, which are between the thighs and between the feet, as the Hebrew has it.
Until He Comes Who Is to Be Sent (Shiloh)
"Until He comes who is to be sent." The Chaldean clearly translates: "Until the Messiah comes, whose is the kingdom"; for his name at that time was "He who is to be sent," or "He who is to come." In Hebrew it is "until Shiloh comes," which they derive and explain in various ways, but all of them refer it to Christ.
First, the Septuagint translates: "until he comes (namely Christ) for whom it is reserved," namely the scepter and kingdom of Judah, as St. Ignatius, Irenaeus, Jerome, and Ambrose read and understand it. For to Christ alone, and consequently to Judah, was reserved: first, the kingdom of Judah and Jacob; second, the right of saving Israel; third, all the promises made to Abraham and David; fourth, all the treasures of grace and glory; fifth, the faith and obedience of all nations; sixth, the judgment of the living and the dead.
Second, Leo Castro reads Shiloh with different vowel points as Sailach, that is, "gift" or "what was promised to him."
Third, Rabbi David Kimchi thinks Shiloh signifies "his son," namely of Judah, and more properly of God; as if Shiloh is He to whom God the Father says: "You are My Son, today I have begotten You" (Psalm 2).
Fourth, Galatinus and Hamerus read Shiloh as Schela, that is, "who is her son," namely of the woman and the virgin, lacking a father -- He of whom St. Paul says in Galatians 4: "When the fullness of time came, God sent His Son, made of a woman."
Fifth, Vatablus and Oleaster think Shiloh is said by metathesis for schalom, that is, "peaceful," "author of peace." For Christ was born for this purpose: to make peace between God and men, to leave peace behind, and to give us His peace.
Sixth, and most probable, is that for Shiloh one should read Shiloach, that is, "legate, sent or to be sent," from the root schalach, meaning "he sent." For so our Interpreter (the Vulgate) translates it, and this was already from ancient times the common name of the Messiah, as is clear from Exodus 4:13. Hence Christ alluded to this name Siloach of His when, about to give sight to the blind man, He sent him to the pool of Siloam, which in Hebrew is called Siloach, "which is interpreted as Sent," as St. John says (John 9:7). For Christ's proper office was to act as God's legate among men; therefore His proper name was Siloach, that is, legate or sent.
Note: By these words -- "It shall not fail, etc., until he comes who is to be sent" -- Jacob implicitly predicts that Christ will be born from Judah. For Jacob here, just as he assigns to each son his proper blessing, so to Judah he assigns Christ and Christ's generation as a special blessing. So all the Hebrews understood this prophecy; hence Paul, in Hebrews 7:14: "For it is evident," he says, "that our Lord sprang out of Judah."
The Expectation of the Nations
"And He Himself shall be the expectation of the nations." In Hebrew, the word for "expectation" is iikkehat, which is derived and explained in various ways. First, some derive it from the root meaning "to make innocent, clean, and pure"; hence they translate: "He Himself will purge the nations," namely from their sins -- so that Gabriel alludes to this when he says of Christ about to be born: "He Himself shall save His people from their sins" (Matthew 1). Second, others derive it from a root meaning "to obey." Hence Kimchi, Pagninus, and the Chaldean translate: "peoples will obey him." Third, others derive it by metathesis from the root kehilla, that is, "assembly, congregation," so that the meaning would be: The Messiah will be the preacher and teacher of the nations; the Messiah will preach His Gospel to the nations.
Fourth, and best, you may translate it as "expectation"; for so our Translator, the Septuagint, Aquila, Symmachus, and Theodotion render it, from the root kava, meaning "he hoped, he expected." Hence literally from the Hebrew you would translate: "to him (Shiloh, that is, the Messiah) shall be the expectation of the nations," as if to say: The Messiah will expect the faith, obedience, dominion, and kingdom of all nations, because God promised this to Him as an inheritance, as is said in Psalm 2: "Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations as Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth as Your possession."
For the meaning is: "He Himself shall be the expectation of the nations," as if to say: Not only the Jews, but also the Gentiles will most eagerly receive the Messiah as one most expected; they will believe and obey Him; in Him they will place and fix the hope, heart, and love of their salvation. Christ is therefore called "the expectation of the nations" actually, after He was born, known, and believed by the nations. But before His birth, Christ was "the expectation of the nations" only virtually, or rather interpretively, as if to say: When the nations hear of and come to know Christ, they will embrace Him so eagerly as if they had always expected Him. By a similar personification, the promised land is said "to expect rains from heaven" (Deuteronomy 11:14), because if it were animate, it would expect rains from there. Now just as the earth needs rain, so the nations needed Christ, and Christ brought them the greatest goods. Rightly, therefore, here and in Haggai 2:8, Christ is called "the desired of all nations"; and in this chapter, verse 26, He is called "the desire of the everlasting hills."
Verses 11–12: The Vineyard and the Wine
Verses 11 and 12. "Tying His foal to the vineyard, and His donkey to the vine, O my son. He shall wash His robe in wine, and His garment in the blood of the grape. His eyes are more beautiful than wine, and His teeth whiter than milk." As if to say: The land of Judah, or the lot which will fall to him in Canaan, will be so productive of wine that a man can tie his donkey to a single vine branch, and from its fruit load his donkey; for each vine is of such strength and so rich in grapes and wine that it not only suffices for domestic use, but from it a load can also be placed on a donkey to be carried to market and sold there.
The first exposition is that of Vatablus: this explanation is cold, earthly, and Judaizing; and against it stands the fact that all these things are said, not of Judah, but of Shiloh, that is, the Messiah. Hence Jacob, addressing Judah in the second person, passes from him to the third person, namely the Messiah.
Secondly, both Chaldean interpreters, namely Onkelos and Jonathan, refer these things partly to Judah and partly to the Messiah. But these interpretations too are imperfect, not sufficiently connected, and partly Judaizing.
The third and true interpretation of the Fathers. I say therefore: nearly all the Fathers, except Diodorus alone, explain this passage literally of Christ, namely Tertullian, St. Ambrose, Augustine, Jerome, Chrysostom, Clement, Cyprian, Theodoret, and others whom Pererius cites -- and indeed these should be trusted more than Calvin who mocks them. Therefore it is not Judah but Christ who binds with the cord of faith, hope, and charity, to the vine, that is, to the early Church gathered from the Jews, His colt, that is, the people of the Gentiles who had not yet borne the yoke of the law, when He joined and united them with the Jews in one Church; and to the vine branch, that is, to Himself (for Christ is the true and fruitful vine, John 15:1, from which the whole vineyard depends and grows), O my son, O Judah, the same Christ will bind His she-donkey, that is, the people of the Jews accustomed to and worn down by the yoke of the law.
Jerome says that Christ is said to have tied the she-donkey to Himself, because He preached to the Jews by Himself; but to have tied the colt to the vine, because He preached to the Gentiles through the Jews, namely the Apostles, and through them gathered the Gentiles to Himself.
"He shall wash" (Christ) "in wine" (of His blood, poured out with supreme love for mankind) "His robe" (that is, His flesh), most pure and most innocent, so that by it not only reddened but also whitened, that is, made purer, with all the miseries of mortality and of this life washed away, it might rise again in glory. So from Tertullian, St. Ambrose, Book On the Blessing of the Patriarchs, chapter 4. "And in the blood of the grape His cloak." "The blood of the grape" is the wine of Christ's blood already mentioned. The "cloak" of Christ is the Church, because Christ is clothed with the Church as with a cloak. For Christ washed the Church with His blood on the cross, and daily washes her as she is born in baptism, "cleansing her with the washing of water in the word of life."
12. "More beautiful." In Hebrew chachlile, that is, "more ruddy, more fiery, more radiant and shining are your eyes" (O Christ) "than wine"; because washed through the Passion, and through the most splendid glory of Your resurrection, which shines forth especially in the face, mouth, teeth, and eyes, they flash and radiate, and marvelously gladden the eyes of all the Saints who behold them, more than wine refreshes and gladdens the heart of man. So Diodorus, Cyril, and Theodoret.
"And His teeth are whiter than milk." By this entire phrase the beauty of Christ is signified, especially of Christ risen. Symbolically, by the eyes is signified Christ's most keen and most efficacious knowledge and providence, by which He rules and protects the Church; by the teeth whiter than milk is signified the sweetness, integrity, purity, and splendor of His doctrine and preaching of the Gospel. Hence allegorically, the eyes of Christ are the Apostles and Prophets: these are more beautiful through the clarity of their wisdom, preaching, life, zeal, and miracles, by which they illuminated the whole world, than wine, that is, than the sharpness and severity of the old law. So St. Ambrose, Augustine, Eucherius, and Rupert. The teeth, moreover, are the doctors and preachers, who like teeth pre-chew and divide the food of doctrine and exhortation for the faithful, and bite away, cut off, and cast aside their vices. These are whiter than milk, that is, than the doctrine of the old law, which was like milk and food for little ones. So the Fathers cited.
The Prophecy and Blessing of Zebulun
Jacob places Zebulun before others who are senior, though he was younger (for he was Jacob's tenth son), because Christ, of whom he has just spoken in the blessing of Judah, was conceived and lived in the territory and land of Zebulun: for in the territory of Zebulun is, first, Nazareth, where Christ was conceived; second, Mount Tabor, where He was transfigured; third, Capernaum, where Christ preached and lived for the greatest part of His ministry. In Zebulun therefore the preaching of the Gospel began, as Isaiah chapter 9 says: "In the former time the land of Zebulun was lightened," etc. And from Zebulun most of the Apostles were born.
13. "Zebulun shall dwell on the shore of the sea," namely near the Mediterranean Sea and the Sea of Galilee, or the Lake of Gennesaret: for adjacent to it is Capernaum, a famous emporium; Bethsaida, Tiberias, and other cities that were in the territory of Zebulun. "In the haven of ships." From the Hebrew you may translate: he shall dwell in a harbor of ships. So Vatablus, meaning that Zebulun will have the best harbors, through which all merchandise may be imported, and so he will grow rich. "Reaching as far as Sidon" -- not immediately, but through the tribe of Asher, which lies between them.
Allegorically, Zebulun, meaning "dwelling place," is the Church, rich, peaceful, and devoted to the commerce of souls. For from Zebulun Christ and the Apostles, preaching, advanced as far as Sidon, Tyre, and other nations. So St. Ambrose, Book On the Blessing of the Patriarchs, chapter 5.
The Prophecy and Blessing of Issachar
14. "Issachar is a strong donkey." In Hebrew it is: Issachar is a bony donkey, that is, robust and strong like bone, for the labors of agriculture and for transporting his crops and fruits to the sea. For the territory of Issachar was pleasant and fertile in oil, wine, and grain. So St. Jerome.
"Lying down between the borders," meaning Issachar will not devote himself to navigation, like Zebulun; but feeding himself from his own lot and countryside, he will stay at home, and there he will dwell quietly between the limits and boundaries of the other tribes. Hence Moses, Deuteronomy 33, says: "Rejoice, Issachar, in your tents."
15. "He saw that rest was good," meaning Issachar recognized, and therefore preferred and embraced the advantages of a quiet and rustic life. For in a quiet life wisdom, virtue, peace, and agriculture flourish, and from them the fruits and wealth of the fields. Hence the Issacharites, being peaceful people, were devoted to the pursuit of wisdom, as is clear from 1 Chronicles 12:32.
"And the land that it was excellent. He bowed his shoulder to bear" the rural burdens already mentioned. "And he became a servant under tribute," meaning Issachar preferred to live a quiet life with tribute, rather than to be free from it but harassed by wars, or to be drafted into the military service of Solomon and other kings; for generally farmers are burdened with taxes more than others, from which soldiers are exempt.
Allegorically, by Issachar St. Ambrose understands Christ, and St. Hippolytus the Apostles. "Issachar, says St. Ambrose, means 'reward,' and therefore is referred to Christ, who is our reward, because we merit Him for the hope of eternal salvation not with gold, not with silver, but with faith and devotion."
Tropologically, Issachar is the quiet and peaceful Christian, and especially one who lives the religious life. Piously and aptly Abbot Nesteros in the Lives of the Fathers, Book 5, chapter 15, when asked how he had lived so peacefully in the monastery and had learned to maintain silence and patience in every tribulation, replied: "When I first entered the community, I said to my soul: You and the donkey are to be one. For just as a donkey is beaten and does not speak, endures injury and does not respond, so also you; just as the psalm reads: 'I have become like a beast of burden before You, yet I am always with You.'"
The Prophecy and Blessing of Dan
16. "Dan shall judge." In Hebrew it is Dan jadin, meaning "the judge shall judge." Here Jacob confirms his son's name Dan, but for another reason, namely that Dan, through Samson who would be born from him, would judge, that is, vindicate and liberate Israel from the servitude of the Philistines. For Samson was a judge, that is, a champion, of his people. So St. Jerome, Procopius, Gennadius, Rupert, and the Chaldean. "As also another tribe," which gave its own judge to Israel; for not all tribes gave judges: for it is more correct that Reuben, Gad, Simeon, and Asher gave no judge.
17. "Let Dan be a serpent in the way, a horned viper in the path." In the Hebrew, Dan is in the nominative case, and so the meaning is: there will be Dan, that is, Samson the Danite, like a serpent and a horned viper. For first, just as serpents lurking in roads and paths under foliage or in the sand attack and bite a man from their hiding places unexpectedly, so Samson secretly through stratagems and deception attacked, devastated, and killed the Philistines, as is clear in the case of the three hundred foxes, to whose tails Samson tied burning torches and set fire to the crops of the Philistines; again, in the pulling down of the pillars of the house, by which he buried their leaders with himself, and so killed more in dying than in living.
"A horned viper in the path biting the hooves of the horse, so that its rider falls backward." The cerastes, says Pliny, Book 8, chapter 29, is a serpent having four horns very similar to those of rams, which, when it cannot reach the rider, bites the heel of the horse, so that it may throw the horse and consequently the rider. In like manner Samson, not only by his strength but also by stratagems and ambushes, attacked, supplanted, and killed the Philistines.
Note: Jacob literally predicted these things of Samson, allegorically of the Antichrist as the antitype of Samson. For from Dan the Antichrist will be born, as the Fathers commonly teach. The Antichrist therefore will have the horns and character of a serpent and horned viper, because by his deceptions, arts, blandishments, hypocrisy, knowledge, eloquence, false miracles, power, and torments he will, like a serpent and horned viper, deceive, cast down, bite, and kill very many men. So St. Augustine, St. Irenaeus, St. Ambrose, Prosper, Hippolytus, Rupert, Aretas, Haymo, Richard, and Anselm, whom Pererius cites and follows.
18. "I will wait for Your salvation, O Lord." For "your salvation" the Hebrew is iescuatecha, that is, "your salvation," which our Savior Shiloh, namely Christ, will bring. Note: Jacob, foreseeing that the liberation of Israel through Samson would be slight and short-lived, after which the Israelites would again be subjugated by the Philistines; again, foreseeing through this serpent and horned viper that the Antichrist would be signified above all -- grieving from the marrow of his bones and shuddering, he exclaims: "Your salvation," that is, Your Savior, "I will wait for, O Lord," meaning: Not Samson but Christ, the true, constant, and perpetual Savior of Israel and of the world, of whom Samson was merely a type and shadow. Hence the Chaldean translates: "I do not await the salvation of Gideon, son of Joash, whose salvation is temporal; nor the salvation of Samson, son of Manoah, whose salvation is passing; but I await the redemption of Christ the Son of David, who will come to gather to Himself the sons of Israel, whose redemption my soul desires."
The Prophecy and Blessing of Gad
19. "Gad, girded, shall fight before him, and he himself shall be girded in the rear." "Before him," namely before Israel, who was mentioned in the preceding blessing, verse 16. In the Hebrew there is a continuous paronomasia and allusion to the etymology of the name Gad. For Gad is named from gedud, that is, "girded" (armed), meaning the tribe of Gad, in keeping with its name, will be girded, armed, and warlike, and this will be evident both at other times (as is clear from 1 Chronicles 5:18-19) and when the tribe itself, armed, will go before Israel, that is, the remaining tribes, as their leader, and will lead them across the Jordan into Canaan. Then it will "be girded in the rear," when, after its brothers have been properly settled in their territory and are enjoying their peace, after the fourteenth year of its leadership and wars waged on behalf of its brothers, it will gird itself again and, laden with spoils, will gloriously return home to its own territory across the Jordan. See the history in the book of Joshua, chapter 22. So the Chaldean, St. Jerome, and Procopius.
Allegorically, Gad girded is Christ, and the Church arrayed like an army in battle formation, and every faithful person, especially the Martyr, says Rupert, who fights nobly against the world, the flesh, and the devil, and therefore will be glorious and most blessed in heaven. For Gad in Hebrew signifies both "girded" and "happy." Such was St. Lawrence, who when being roasted said to Decius: "Turn me over and eat."
John Fisher, Bishop of Rochester, condemned to death by Henry VIII because he refused to acknowledge his ecclesiastical primacy, when approaching the place of execution, threw aside the walking stick on which the old man had been leaning, saying: "Come, feet, do your duty -- there is little of the journey left."
St. Agatha said to Quintianus: "Are you not ashamed, cruel tyrant, to cut off from me the breasts which you yourself suckled at your mother's? But you gain nothing; I have interior breasts of faith and hope that you cannot tear away, by whose nourishment the virtue of endurance is renewed in me." St. Agnes said to the executioner: "Why do you delay? Let this body perish that can be loved by eyes with which I want nothing." She stood, prayed, bent her neck, and so as one victim she underwent a double martyrdom, of modesty and of faith. So St. Ambrose.
Such also was St. Felicitas, who under Antoninus Pius suffered martyrdom together with her seven sons. For when the prefect Publius wanted her to worship the gods and added threats to entreaties, she replied: "I am not moved by these blandishments, nor broken by terrors and threats. I have the Holy Spirit, who supplies me with strength, so that I am willing to endure anything for the faith." And turning to her sons: "Dearest sons, persist in the confession of the faith; Christ already awaits you with His saints; fight for your souls and show yourselves faithful to Christ."
The Prophecy and Blessing of Asher
20. "Asher, his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal delicacies." Here Jacob signifies and predicts the wealth and fertility and fruits of the tribe of Asher, so savory and delicate that they will be a delight to the kings of Judah, Israel, Tyre, and others; and this partly from the goodness of the soil, partly because it was situated near the sea, partly because it was neighboring to the Tyrians and Sidonians. Moses predicts the same of Asher, Deuteronomy 33, when he says: "Let him dip his foot in oil, and his shoe be iron and bronze."
Allegorically, Asher is Christ who gladdens, enriches, and blesses us with the delights of the Eucharist. "For what is His goodness, says Zechariah, chapter 9, verse 17, and what is His beauty, but the grain of the elect and the wine that makes virgins flourish?" So Procopius, Eucherius, and Rupert. Beautifully St. Ambrose says: "The poverty of Christ enriches us, His weakness heals, His hunger satisfies, His death gives life, His burial raises us up."
The Prophecy and Blessing of Naphtali
21. "Naphtali is a hind let loose, and giving beautiful words." For "hind" the Hebrew is aiala, which signifies both a male deer and a female deer. Just as a deer set free roams leaping in a grassy and fertile land, so also Naphtali will play and rejoice in his fertile territory. Second, "he shall give beautiful words," that is, he will be courteous, gentle, and gracious, and by his urbanity he will win everyone over to himself. For this is what Moses predicted of Naphtali, Deuteronomy 33: "Naphtali shall enjoy abundance and shall be full of the blessing of the Lord."
Third, properly and directly Jacob here looks to and predicts the victory of Barak and Deborah against Sisera, Judges 4. For Barak was the commander of the army of Israel, a native of Naphtali, who is rightly compared to a deer, which is of itself timid, but when it sees itself surrounded by hunters and enemies and its life at stake, raises its spirits and horns, and like one enraged, with great force and speed breaks through the midst of the enemy ranks and escapes. So Barak at first was afraid like a deer and dared not engage in battle except with Deborah; but encouraged by her companionship, like a lion he burst upon the forces of the enemy, broke through and laid them low and slew them, and that most swiftly, like a deer and like lightning (Barac in Hebrew means "lightning bolt"), so that with Caesar he could say: "I came, I saw, I conquered."
Hence "he shall give beautiful words," that is, he will produce a most beautiful song of thanksgiving and gratitude to God, the author of the victory, namely the famous canticle of Barak and Deborah found in Judges 5.
Allegorically, Naphtali is Christ, who like a deer leaping in the power of the Spirit (Luke 4:14), near and around Gennesaret, which is a lake in Naphtali, eagerly and swiftly broke through the camp of the devil, and gave forth beautiful words, saying in His Gospel: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven," etc., and there He gathered the Apostles, who preached these most beautiful words of the Gospel throughout the whole world. So St. Jerome, Procopius, and Ambrose.
The Prophecy and Blessing of Joseph
Verse 22. "Joseph is a fruitful son." In Hebrew it is ben porat Joseph, that is, "a son of fruitfulness," meaning "fruitful, Joseph." Jacob alludes to the name Ephraim, who was the son of Joseph. For Ephraim is so called as if meaning "fruitful," from the same root para, meaning "he was fruitful" (Genesis 41:52); for the tribe of Ephraim was the most fruitful, the most numerous, the strongest, and the royal tribe. Now Joseph was increasing or fruitful on account of the two sons he begot, namely Manasseh and Ephraim, who constituted two tribes in Israel: hence the word "increasing" is repeated twice here. For Joseph succeeded with Judah to the birthright of Reuben; whence just as Judah obtained the kingdom of Judah, so Joseph obtained a double tribe and a double inheritance in Canaan, and the kingdom in Israel.
"Of comely countenance." In Hebrew it is ale ain, which can be translated in two ways. First, "by a fountain," as if to say: Joseph is and will be a son of fruitfulness, that is, fruitful like a tree planted and bearing fruit beside a fountain. Second, it can be translated "over the eye," as if to say: Joseph was so handsome that he dominated the eyes of those who looked at him.
"The daughters (namely, the Egyptian women) ran along the wall" -- along the walls of houses and cities, to see you, O Joseph, so handsome a young man distinguished by royal attire, as if the savior of the fatherland and of the world, and in turn to be seen by you. So Cajetan and Lipomanus.
Allegorically, Joseph is Christ, "beautiful in form beyond the sons of men," whom therefore Abraham and the Patriarchs longed to see.
Verse 23. "But they provoked him" -- his brothers afflicted Joseph with bitterness, although he was so handsome and lovable. "And they quarreled with him" -- saying: "Shall you indeed be king over us?" and: "Behold, the dreamer comes; come, let us kill him." "Having javelins" -- both of words, namely biting mockeries, lies, and calumnies, and of blows: for when they stripped him, pushed him, cast him into a cistern, and finally sold him into Egypt, with what javelins of words and blows did they pierce him!
Allegorically, Joseph is Christ, against whom the Jews hurled all their arrows of tongues, nails, and scourges, crying out: "Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him!"
Verse 24. "His bow rested on the strong." "Bow," that is, his strength and defense, as if to say: In the face of such great hatred and persecutions from his brothers, in slavery, in the Egyptian prison, Joseph did not lose heart, did not grow faint, but stood, indeed sat firm and strong, with all his hope fixed on the most mighty God. Joseph entrusted his bow to God most mighty, most skilled in archery, so that it might be directed by His hand.
"The bonds of his arms and hands were loosened." The Hebrew japhozu, whose proper meaning is uncertain, is translated variously. Our translator and the Septuagint translate: "the bonds were loosened," that is, the chains of his arms and hands. Behold how hope in the mighty God did not disappoint Joseph. Hear Wisdom chapter 10: "She (the eternal and uncreated Wisdom, who is God Himself) did not abandon the just man when he was sold, nor left him in chains, until she brought him the scepter," etc.
"By the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob." For "mighty" the Hebrew has abbir, which is one of the names of God. The Hebrews teach that this name is full of mysteries; for the first letter aleph signifies ab, that is, the Father. The second letter beth signifies ben, that is, the Son. The third letter resh signifies ruach, that is, the Holy Spirit. For just as these three letters are in the one name abbir, so these three Persons are in the one divine essence.
"From there the shepherd came forth, the stone of Israel." The word "from there" signifies not a place but a cause, and means the same as "therefore": Because Joseph was fortified by the help of abbir, that is, of the mighty God -- therefore there came forth a shepherd, that is, he became ruler and prince of the Egyptians, and a stone, that is, the support of his people Israel. For Joseph fed and nourished his father Israel as well as his brothers and their families, equally with the Egyptians, in the seven years of famine, and thus strengthened and sustained them lest they perish from want.
Allegorically, Joseph the shepherd, says Rupert, is Christ, who is the shepherd and rock and cornerstone of the Church. Again, the shepherd and rock of the Church is St. Peter and the other Pontiffs, vicars of Christ. For Christ said to Peter: "Feed My sheep"; and: "You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church."
Verse 25. "The God of your father" -- the God who directed your father Jacob in all things will also aid and direct you as a son of Jacob and heir of his faith and piety. "He will bless you with blessings of heaven" -- giving you from heaven timely rain, dew, snow, fair weather, and the kindly influence of the sun and sky, by which your land may be made fruitful. "With blessings of the abyss that lies beneath" -- the abyss properly is that chasm of waters that lies hidden beneath the earth, which is connected to the sea and irrigates and fertilizes the land through its veins and channels. "With blessings of breasts and womb" -- so that you may have abundant milk, offspring, and progeny, both of animals and of people.
Allegorically, Joseph is Christ, whom all things in heaven and below, all angels and saints in heaven, and the fathers in limbo bless and adore, and whom all the faithful on earth praise, saying with Elizabeth: "Blessed is the fruit of your womb"; and with the other woman who cried out in the crowd: "Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts that nursed You."
Verse 26. "The blessings of your father are strengthened by the blessings of his fathers." As if to say: I, Jacob, beyond my fathers Abraham and Isaac, was blessed both by my father Isaac and by God; and so I in turn bless you, O Joseph, and consequently you will be more blessed than my fathers and than me myself, because you will receive not only the blessings of the fathers, as I did, but also my own blessing. So Lyra, Abulensis, and Pererius.
"Until the desire of the everlasting hills should come" -- namely Christ, who is the last and greatest of all blessings and promises, the conclusion of them all, whom therefore all men, indeed all irrational creatures -- earth, sea, hills, and mountains -- from their very beginning most eagerly await as the redeemer of men and the restorer and reformer of the whole universe. The meaning therefore is, as if Jacob were saying: This my blessing, O Joseph, is greater than the blessing of the fathers, and will endure until Christ, who will bring the greatest blessing to you and to the whole world.
Secondly, symbolically Christ is the desire of the everlasting hills, that is, of the Patriarchs, Prophets, and illustrious Saints, who surpass other men in wisdom, virtue, and holiness, and will forever stand out in heaven, just as hills rise above valleys. So Rupert, Cajetan, and Lipomanus.
"Let them come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the crown of the Nazarite among his brothers." Note: Joseph is here called a Nazarite, that is, "one separated," as the Chaldean translates, "crowned and consecrated." For nezer means both separation, and crown, and consecration. Joseph was separated from his brothers: first, by his character and innocence; second, by place and way of life; third, by prison, where Joseph with unshorn hair was left to God alone, devoted and consecrated, like the Nazarites who dedicated themselves and their abstinence, as well as their hair, to God (Numbers 6). Fourth, by the crown of the kingdom in Egypt. Certainly Joseph the Nazarite was an express type of Christ the Nazarite, that is, one separated from the Jews and from the common life of men, consecrated to God, and crowned as the supreme king and pontiff of the world.
The Prophecy and Blessing of Benjamin
Verse 27. "Benjamin is a ravenous wolf: in the morning he shall eat the prey, and in the evening he shall divide the spoil." To the letter Jacob here foretells that the tribe of Benjamin will be rapacious and warlike like a wolf, placing its right in force and arms. This was confirmed in fact in the war of Gibeah, which the Benjaminites alone, on account of the rape they had committed against the wife of a Levite, waged against all the other tribes and sustained to the point of annihilation; and finally they seized the daughters of Shiloh (Judges 20). So Procopius, Eusebius, Theodoret, Abulensis, and others.
Again, Jacob alludes to and foretells here the spoils and victories of Saul, the first king of the Jews, and likewise of Esther and Mordecai; for all these were descended from Benjamin.
Allegorically, nearly all the Latin Fathers -- namely St. Jerome, Ambrose, Rupert, Eucherius, Bede, and St. Augustine in Sermon 1 On the Conversion of St. Paul -- understand this wolf as St. Paul, who was descended from Benjamin and was called Saul, and in the early morning, that is, in his youth, raged like a wolf against Christ and Christians, dragging men and women off to prison, stoning Stephen by the hands of others, breathing threats and slaughter against all. But converted by Christ and changed from Saul to Paul, from a wolf of the devil into a wolf of God, in the "evening," that is, when he had grown older, he divided among Christ and the Church the spoils taken from the Gentiles and stripped from the devil. "Paul," says St. Ambrose, "was a wolf when he devoured the sheep of the Church; but he who had come as a wolf was made a shepherd. Therefore Rachel, when she bore Benjamin, called his name 'Son of my sorrow,' prophesying that from that tribe would come Paul, who would afflict the children of the Church and vex their mother with great grief; but later he divided food, evangelizing the Gentiles and calling very many to the faith."
Verse 28: The Twelve Tribes
"All these are the twelve tribes of Israel." In Hebrew it is: "All these tribes of Israel are twelve," as if to say: From these twelve sons of Jacob descended and were named the twelve tribes of Israel. For here each of Jacob's sons is counted (they were twelve in number), and consequently both Levi and Joseph are counted, so that each of Jacob's sons constitutes one tribe. But in the division of the Holy Land, Levi is not counted, because he had no part of it; for Levi's portion was the Lord, that is, the victims and first-fruits offered to the Lord. Nor is Joseph counted, but his two sons, namely Ephraim and Manasseh; for these, having been substituted in place of Levi and Joseph, received a double tribe and consequently a double lot in Canaan.
"And he blessed each one with their own blessings." Hence the meaning is: "he blessed each one," that is, the blessings heretofore narrated, he pronounced and assigned to each as their own. For although he did not properly bless Simeon and Levi but rebuked them, this paternal rebuke was in reality a blessing. So St. Chrysostom, Cajetan, and Lipomanus.
Verses 29–32: Jacob's Death
Verse 31. "There Leah also lies buried." In Hebrew it is: "and there I buried Leah." Whence it is clear that Leah died in Canaan and was buried there by Jacob, and did not die in Egypt and have her body transferred thence to Canaan along with her husband's, as some would have it.
Verse 32. "And when he had finished his commands." The Hebrews relate that Jacob on his deathbed commanded his sons mutual peace and concord, and the fear, obedience, and worship of the one true God, and flight from the idolatry of the Egyptians.
"He gathered his feet into the bed." Jacob, while prophesying and blessing his sons, had raised himself up and was sitting on the bed with his feet hanging down; now, having finished his speech and bidding farewell to his family, he draws his feet into the bed and gradually expires.
See here how peaceful is the death of the just. Thus St. Lucius the Martyr, condemned to death, gave thanks to the prefect Urbicius saying: "I am freed from evil masters and pass to God, the best Father." Babylas the Martyr, as he offered his neck to be struck, said: "Return, O my soul, to your rest, for the Lord has been bountiful to you. He has delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from falling. I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living." For death, says St. Chrysostom, is a tranquil harbor, true rest, sleep, a passage to better things, liberation from evils, a migration from earth to heaven, from men to angels, and to the very Lord of the angels.
"He was gathered to his people" -- he died, and as for his soul, he descended to the fathers and the just dwelling in limbo and the bosom of Abraham. Scripture speaks thus to signify that the souls of the saints after death lead not a solitary and sad life but a social and joyful one; whereas the souls of the wicked, although joined together in fire, are nonetheless divided by perpetual hatreds and quarrels, and tear each other apart with curses and blasphemies, in the manner of dogs.
Note the span of Jacob's life: Jacob was born in the year 452 after the flood. Fleeing Esau he went to Haran to Laban, in the 77th year of his age; thence after 20 years, that is, in his 97th year, he returned to Canaan. After 10 years, that is, in his 107th year, Rachel died and Benjamin was born, and Joseph was sold into Egypt. Thence Jacob remained still in Canaan for 23 years. For in the 130th year of his age, summoned by Joseph, he went with his whole family into Egypt, and there he lived 17 years, and died in the 147th year of his age, which was the year of the world 2256. For the epitaph and eulogies of Jacob, see the book of Wisdom, chapter 10, verse 10, and Ecclesiasticus chapter 44, verse 25.