8.1.7 Gen. 49: Jacob’s Testament

The blessing of Jacob over his 12 sons and thus over the 12 tribes of Israel is a climax and a heavyweight in the otherwise rather light-footed Joseph story. It is not a blessing in the usual sense, but not less than a prophecy of the future history and partly even a curse. More correct is therefore the Jewish linguistic regulation: Jacob’s “testament”. Contentwise less the sons themselves are meant than their tribes, “which are as different from each other as twelve sons can be.” (Plaut zSt.) According to Delitzsch, differently vRad, אחדית הימים (acharith hajamim: in future times) is clearly eschatological terminus technicus.

After the first three sons have to hear more curse than blessing, the rich abundance of blessing now pours over Judah. The powerful image of the young lion is meant exclusively positive, the predators are only prey animals and not people. These are clearly

messianic prophecies (this is also how Apc. 5, 5 understands it), no matter how one tries to explain the dark word שילה (shilo). Most assume in it a messianic or royal title, Delitzsch the place Siloh as a former central sanctuary. The Luther edition

translated according to LXX “until he comes to whom it belongs”. Such intentional darkness of language would also fit well with an eschatological interpretation. Tying a donkey to a vine would be pure nonsense in this world, since in a short time it would be

would have eaten up the whole vine. So only the messianic peace in nature can be meant, as it is expressed for example in Is. 11, 6ff. Plaut’s view fits to this that the middle of the testament “I wait for your redemption, O God ” (49, 8), could have been once his final sentence and his summary.

Compared to these powerful words of blessing, the words of blessing for the following brothers fall noticeably. Only the blessing for Joseph comes close to the blessing for Judah. Shepherd and rock (49,24) are not messianic prophecies, but God’s predicates. In 49:25

obviously quotes a pre-Israelite fertility blessing, which with its allusions to the mythical primeval flood and maternal fertility cults contains not unproblematic borrowings from the pagan environment.