Bible History Old Testament Vol. 1

Chapter 23

The Last Blessing of Jacob—Death of Jacob—Death of Joseph

The last scene had now come, and Jacob gathered around his dying couch his twelve sons. The words which he spake to them were of mingled blessing and prediction. Before him, in prophetic vision, unrolled, as it were, pictures of the tribes of which his sons were to be the ancestors; and what he saw he sketched in grand outlines. It is utterly impossible to regard these prophetic pictures as exact representations of any one definite period or even event in the history of Israel. They are sketches of the tribes in their grand characteristics, rather than predictions, either of special events, or of the history of Israel as a whole. And to them applies especially the description which one has given of prophetic visions generally, that “they are pictures drawn without perspective,”—that is, such that you cannot discern the distance from you of the various objects. Two other general remarks may be helpful to the reader. It will be observed that, generally, in the “blessing” spoken, the name of the ancestor seems to unfold the future character and history of the tribe. Secondly, as against all cavilers, it may be said deliberately, that these words of blessing must have been spoken by Jacob himself. When we attempt to imagine them as spoken at any other period in the history of Israel—, we find ourselves surrounded by insuperable difficulties. For these words can only apply to the tribes as Jacob viewed them. They could not have been written at any other period, since in that case every later writer would have said something quite inapplicable to one or other of the tribes, so that he could not have used this precise language concerning them all. With these brief prefatory remarks we address ourselves to the words of “blessing:” ¹ BHOTV1 161.1

Reuben, my firstborn thou,
My might and the firstling of my strength,
Pre-eminence of dignity and pre-eminence of power— BHOTV1 161.2

Such should have been the position of Reuben, as the firstborn, had it not been for the “upboiling” of his passions and his consequent sin. Hence Jacob continues: BHOTV1 161.3

Upboiling like water,
Thou shalt not have the pre-eminence,
Because thou wentest up thy father’s bed,
Then defiledst thou it—
He went up my couch! BHOTV1 161.4

The sons next in age to Reuben were Simeon and Levi. Their wanton cruelty at Shechem, from which Jacob recoiled with horror even on his death-bed, had made them “brethren,” or companions in evil. As they had united for evil, so God would scatter them in Israel, so that they should not form independent and compact tribes. In point of fact, we know that even at the second numbering of Israel (Numbers 26:14), Simeon had sunk to be the smallest tribe. In the last blessing of Moses (Deuteronomy 33), no mention at all is made of Simeon. Nor does this tribe seem to have obtained any well-defined portion in the land, but only to have held certain cities within the possession of Judah. (Joshua 19:1-9) Lastly, we know that such of the families of Simeon as largely increased and became powerful, afterwards left the Holy Land, and settled outside its boundaries. (1 Chronicles 4:38-43) The tribe of Levi also received not any possession in Israel; only that their scattering was changed from a curse into a blessing by their election to the priesthood. This scattering of two tribes was the significant answer which God in His righteous providence made to their ancestorsattempt at vindicating the honor of their race by carnal means and weapons. BHOTV1 161.5

Simeon and Levi are brethren;
Instruments of violence are their swords;
Into their council come not thou, oh my soul,
Unto their assembly be not thou united, mine honor;
For in their anger they slew men,
And in their self-will they hamstrung oxen.
Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce,
And their wrath, for it was cruel.
I will divide them in Jacob,
And scatter them in Israel. BHOTV1 162.1

The three older brothers being thus dispossessed, and Joseph receiving the twofold territorial portion, the other privileges of the birthright are solemnly transferred to Judah. He is to be the leader, “the lion.” As the lion is king of the forest, so was Judah to have royal sway, through David onwards to the Son of David, the Shiloh, unto Whom, as “the Lion of the tribe of Judah,” all nations should render homage and obedience. Similarly, fullness of earthly riches was to distinguish the lot of Judah, these earthly blessings being themselves emblems of the spiritual riches dispensed in the portion of Judah. The whole description here is full of Messianic allusions, which were afterwards taken up in the prophecy of Balaam (Numbers 23:24; 24:9, 17); then applied to David (Psalm 89:20-37); and from him carried forward in prophecy, through Psalm 72, Isaiah 9, 11, to Ezekiel 21:27, and Zechariah 9:9, till they were finally realized in Jesus Christ, “sprung out of Juda,” (Hebrews 7:14) “our peace, who hath made both one,” (Ephesians 2:14) and who “must reign till He hath put all enemies under His feet,” (1 Corinthians 15:25) “the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David,” Who “hath prevailed.” (Revelation 5:5) BHOTV1 162.2

In the blessing upon Judah we note, for the first time, how the prophetic significance of the name unfolds and appears: BHOTV1 163.1

Judah thou! Thy brethren shall praise thee!
Thy hand in the neck of thine enemies,
Thy father’s sons shall bow down before thee.
A lion’s whelp ² is Judah;
From the prey, my son, thou art gone up:
He stoopeth down, he coucheth like a lion, ³
And like a lioness ⁴—who shall rouse him?
The scepter shall not depart from Judah,
Nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
Until Shiloh ⁵ come,
And to Him willing obedience of the nations!
He bindeth unto the vine his foal,
And unto the choice vine his ass’s colt;
He washeth his garments in wine,
And in the blood of grapes his raiment;
Sparkling his eyes from wine,
And white his teeth from milk. BHOTV1 163.2

As local illustrations of this richness of the portion of Judah, the reader will remember that the best wine in Palestine grew near Hebron and Engedi (Numbers 13:23, etc.; Song of Solomon 1:14), and that some of the best pasture-land was south of Hebron, about Tekoa and Carmel. (1 Samuel 25:2; 2 Chronicles 26:10; Amos 1:1) BHOTV1 163.3

The next blessing also connects itself with the name of Zebulun, or “dwelling,” although it requires to be borne in mind, in further illustration of the fact that it was not intended as a literal prediction, that the possessions of the tribe of Zebulun, so far as we can judge from Joshua 19:10-16, never actually touched the Mediterranean nor the Sea of Galilee, nor yet literally bordered on Zidon: BHOTV1 163.4

Zebulun—by the coast of seas shall he dwell,
And that, by the coast of ships,
And his side towards Zidon. BHOTV1 164.1

The name of Issachar, “reward,” or “hire,” is also emblematical of the character of the tribe, as, in its rich portion of Lower Galilee, it preferred labor with quietude, to power and domination: BHOTV1 164.2

Issachar is a bony ass,
Crouching between the folds.
He saw rest, that it was a boon,
And the land, that it was pleasant,
And he bent his shoulder to bear,
And became a tributary servant. BHOTV1 164.3

The allusion in the case of Dan, or “judgment,” is again to the name. Although Dan was only the son of a bondmaid, he should not be behind his brethren, but “give judgment” to his people, that is, to Israel—the reference being possibly to such men as Samson, though also generally to the character of the tribe. There is another mysterious and most important allusion here, to which we shall immediately advert: BHOTV1 164.4

Dan shall give judgment to his people,
As one of the tribes of Israel.
Dan shall be a serpent by the way,
An adder in the path,
Which biteth the heels of the horse
So that backwards falleth his rider. BHOTV1 164.5

We shall not presume to offer an authoritative explanation of this comparison of Dan to a serpent, and to that kind of adder which, being of the color of the sand, remains unobserved till it has given its deadly bite. We only put it as a suggestion, whether this may not contain an allusion to apostasy or to the Antichrist, ⁶ at the same time noting that the name of Dan is omitted from the list of the tribes in Revelation 7:5-8. BHOTV1 164.6

It is also significant that, immediately after the mention of these contests in connection with Dan, Jacob bursts forth in a prayer, intended, as says Calvin, not only to express his own personal faith and hope, but his confidence for his descendants. Quite the oldest Jewish commentary, or rather paraphrase, ⁷ puts it this way: “My soul waiteth not for the deliverance of Gideon, the son of Joash, for it was only temporal; nor for that of Samson, for it was but transient; but for the redemption by the Messiah, the Son of David, which in Thy word Thou hast promised to send to Thy people, the children of Israel; for this, Thy salvation, my soul waiteth.” BHOTV1 164.7

For Thy salvation wait I, oh Jehovah! BHOTV1 164.8

In reference to Gad, we have a threefold allusion to a kindred word, signifying oppression. To the prediction itself we cannot attach any definite historical fulfillment: BHOTV1 165.1

Gad—a press presseth upon him,
But he presseth on their heel. BHOTV1 165.2

In the case of Asher, the reference is evidently to the most fertile possession of that tribe, extending from Mount Carmel to the land of Tyre, the district richest in corn and oil (1 Kings 5:11): BHOTV1 165.3

Out of Asher fatness: his bread—
And he yieldeth royal dainties. BHOTV1 165.4

The allusion as to Naphtali is to the graceful agility and fleetness of the people, and also to their mental ability and quickness: BHOTV1 165.5

Naphtali is a hind let loose—
He uttereth words of beauty. BHOTV1 165.6

At last Jacob comes to the name of his loved son Joseph. Then it seems as if his whole heart were indeed overflowing. First, he sketches his fruitfulness, like that of a fruit-free “planted by rivers of water,” (Psalm 1:3) whose boughs run over the wall (Comp. Psalm 80:8-11); then he describes his strength, as derived from God Himself; and, lastly, he pours forth richest blessings, richer far than any his ancestors had bestowed: BHOTV1 165.7

Son of a fruit-tree (a fruitful bough) is Joseph,
Son of a fruit-tree by a well,
Whose daughters (branches) spread over the wall.
The archers harass him,
They shoot at him, and hate him;
But his bow abideth in firmness,
And the arms of his hands remain supple
From the Hands of the Strong One of Jacob,
From thence, from the Shepherd, from the Rock of Israel,
From the God of thy father—may He help thee!
And from the Almighty—may He bless thee!
Blessings of heaven from above!
Blessings of the deep that lieth beneath!
Blessings of the breasts and of the womb!
The blessings of thy father exceed
The blessings of my ancestors
Unto the bound of the everlasting hills ⁸—
May they come on the head of Joseph,
And on the crown of the head of him who is separated ⁹ among his brethren! BHOTV1 165.8

The allusions to Benjamin will be understood by a reference to Ehud (Judges 3:15), to Judges 5:14; 20:16; 1 Chronicles 8:40; 12:2; 2 Chronicles 14:8; 17:17, and to the history of Saul and of Jonathan: BHOTV1 165.9

Benjamin—a wolf who ravins: In the morning he devoureth prey,
And at even he divideth spoil! BHOTV1 165.10

And now, having spoken these his last blessings, Jacob once more charged his sons to bury him in the cave of Machpelah. Then he gathered up his feet into the bed, laid him peacefully down, and without sigh or struggle yielded up the ghost, and was “gathered unto his people.” BHOTV1 166.1

Such was the end of Jacob—the most pilgrim-like of the pilgrim fathers. His last wishes were obeyed to the letter. The first natural outburst of grief on the part of Joseph past, he “commanded his servants, the physicians, to embalm his father”—either to do the work themselves or to superintend it. Forty days the process lasted, ¹⁰ and seventy days, as was their wont, the Egyptians mourned. BHOTV1 166.2

At the end of that period Joseph, as in duty bound, applied to Pharaoh, though not personally, since he could not appear before the king in the garb of mourning, craving permission for himself and his retinue to go up and bury his father in the land of Canaan. The funeral procession included, besides Joseph and “all his house,” “his brethren, and his father’s house,” also “all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the landof Egypt,”—that is, the principal state and court officials, under a guard of both “chariots and horsemen.” So influential and “very great a company” would naturally avoid, for fear of any collisions, the territory of the Philistines, through which the direct road from Egypt lay. They took the circuitous route through the desert and around the Dead Sea—significantly, the same which Israel afterwards followed on their return from Egypt—and halted on the Eastern bank of Jordan, at Goren-ha-Atad, “the buckthorn threshing-floor,” or perhaps “the threshing-floor of Atad.” The account of the funeral, as that of the embalming, and indeed every other allusion, is strictly in accordance with what we learn from Egyptian monuments and history. The custom of funeral processions existed in every province of Egypt—, and representations of such are seen in the oldest tombs. As a German scholar remarks: “When we look at the representations upon the monuments, we can almost imagine that we actually see the funeral train of Jacob.” At Goren-ha-Atad other mourning rites were performed during seven days. The attention of the inhabitants of the district was naturally attracted to this “grievous mourning of the Egyptians,” and the locality henceforth bore the name of Abel Mizraim, literally “meadow of the Egyptians,” but, by slightly altering the pronunciation: “mourning of the Egyptians.” Here the Egyptians remained behind, and none but the sons and the household of Jacob stood around his grave at Machpelah. BHOTV1 166.3

On their return to Egypt an unworthy suspicion seems to have crossed the minds of Joseph’s brethren. What if, now that their father was dead, Joseph were to avenge the wrong he had sustained at their hands? But they little knew his heart, or appreciated his motives. The bare idea of their cherishing such thoughts moved Joseph to tears. Even if bitter feelings had been in his heart, was he “in the place of God” to interfere with His guidance of things? Had it not clearly appeared that, whatever evil they might have thought to do him, “God meant it unto good?” With such declarations, and the assurance that he would lovingly care for them and their little ones, he appeased their fears. BHOTV1 167.1

Other fifty-four years did Joseph live in Egypt. He had the joy of seeing his father’s blessing commence to be fulfilled. Ephraim’s children of the third generation, and Manasseh’s grandchildren “were brought up upon his knees.” At the good old age of one hundred and ten years, as he felt death approaching, he gathered “his brethren” about him. Joseph was full of honors in Egypt; he had founded a family, than which none was more highly placed. Yet his last act was to disown Egypt’, and to choose the lot of Israel—poverty, contempt, and pilgrimage: to renounce the present, in order to cleave unto the future. It was a noble act of faith, true like that of his fathers! His last words were these: “I die: and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which He swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” And his last deed was to take a solemn oath of the children of Israel—, to carry up his bones with them into the land of promise. In obedience to his wishes they embalmed his body, and laid it in one of those Egyptian coffins, generally made of sycamore wood, which resembled the shape of the human body. And there, through ages of suffering and bondage, stood the figure-like coffin of Joseph, ready to be lifted and carried thence when the sure hour of deliverance had come. Thus Joseph, being dead, yet spake to Israel, telling them that they were only temporary sojourners in Egypt, that their eyes must be turned away from Egypt unto the land of promise, and that in patience of faith they must wait for that hour when God would certainly and graciously fulfill His own promise. BHOTV1 167.2

When at the close of this first period of the Covenant-history we look around, we feel as if now indeed “the horror of great darkness” were fast falling upon Israel, which Abraham had experienced as he was shown the future of his descendants. (Genesis 15:12) Already personal intercourse between heaven and earth had ceased. From the time that Jacob had paid his vow in Bethel (Genesis 35:15), no personal manifestation of God, such as had often gladdened his fathers and him, was any more vouchsafed, except on his entrance into Egypt (Genesis 46:2-4), and then for a special purpose. Nor do we read of any such during the whole eventful and trying life of Joseph. And now long centuries of utter silence were to follow. During all that weary period, with the misery of their bondage and the temptation of idolatry around constantly increasing, there was neither voice from heaven nor visible manifestation to warn or to cheer the children of Israel in Egypt. One mode of guidance was for a time withdrawn. Israel had now only the past to sustain and direct them. But that past, in its history and with its promises, was sufficient. Besides, the torch of prophecy, which the hands of dying Jacob had held, cast its light into the otherwise dark future. Nay, the fact that Joseph’s life, which formed the great turning-point in Israel history, had been allowed to pass without visible Divine manifestations to him and to them was in itself significant. For even as his unburied body seemed to preach and to prophesy, so his whole life would appear like a yet unopened or only partially opened book,—a grand unread prophecy, which the future would unfold. And not merely the immediate future, as it concerned Israel; but the more distant future as it concerns the whole Church of God—. For, although not the person of Joseph, ¹¹ yet the leading events of his life are typical of the great facts connected with the life and the work of Him who was betrayed and sold by His brethren, but whom “God exalted with His right hand to be a Prince and a Savior.” BHOTV1 168.1