The Meaning of Genesis 49:28 Explained

Genesis 49:28

KJV: All these are the twelve tribes of Israel: and this is it that their father spake unto them, and blessed them; every one according to his blessing he blessed them.

YLT: All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is that which their father hath spoken unto them, and he blesseth them; each according to his blessing he hath blessed them.

Darby: All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father spoke to them; and he blessed them: every one according to his blessing he blessed them.

ASV: All these are the twelve tribes of Israel: and this is it that their father spake unto them and blessed them; every one according to his blessing he blessed them.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

All these [are] the twelve  tribes  of Israel:  and this [is it] that their father  spake  unto them, and blessed  them; every  one  according to his blessing  he blessed  them. 

What does Genesis 49:28 Mean?

Study Notes

blessed them
Jacob's life, ending in serenity and blessing, testifies to the power of God to transform character. His spiritual progress has six notable phases:
(1) the first exercise of faith, as shown in the purchase of the birthright Genesis 25:28-34 ; Genesis 27:10-22 .
(2) the vision at bethel Genesis 28:10-19 .
(3) walking in the flesh Genesis 29:1 to Genesis 31:55 .
(4) the transforming experience Genesis 32:24-31 .
(5) the return to Bethel: idols put away Genesis 35:1-7 .
(6) the walk of faith Genesis 37:1 to Genesis 49:33 .

Verse Meaning

In his twelve sons Jacob blessed all the future tribes of Israel. [1] This is only the second mention of the12tribes in the Bible, the previous reference being in Genesis 49:16, where we read "the tribes of Israel."
"Within Jacob"s words to each of the sons (after Judah), the theme of blessing has been evident in two primary images. First, the reverse side of the blessing is stressed in the imagery of the victorious warrior. The defeat of the enemy is the prelude to the messianic peace. Second, the positive side of the blessing is stressed in the imagery of great prosperity and abundance. Behind such imagery of peace and prosperity lies the picture of the Garden of Eden-the Paradise lost. The focus of Jacob"s words has been the promise that when the one comes to whom the kingship truly belongs, there will once again be the peace and prosperity that God intended all to have in the Garden of Eden." [2]
Sailhamer also proposed that this poetic section plays a significant role in the larger structure of the Pentateuch.
"At three macrostructural junctures in the Pentateuch, the author has spliced a major poetic discourse onto the end of a large unit of narrative ( Genesis 49; Numbers 24; Deuteronomy 31). A close look at the material lying between and connecting the narrative and poetic sections reveals the presence of a homogeneous composition stratum. It is most noticeably marked by the recurrence of the same terminology and narrative motifs. In each of the three segments, the central narrative figure (Jacob, Balaam, Moses) calls an audience together (imperative: Genesis 49:1; Numbers 24:14; Deuteronomy 31:28) and proclaims (cohortative: Genesis 49:1; Numbers 24:14; Deuteronomy 31:28) what will happen ( Genesis 49:1; Numbers 24:14; Deuteronomy 31:29) in "the end of days" ( Genesis 49:1; Numbers 24:14; Deuteronomy 31:29)....
"In sum, the apparent overall strategy of the author in these three segments suggests that one of the central concerns lying behind the final shape of the Pentateuch is an attempt to uncover an inherent relationship between the past and the future. That which happened to God"s people in the past portends of future events. To say it another way, the past is seen as a lesson for the future....
"The narrative texts of past events are presented as pointers to future events. Past events foreshadow the future. It is not hard to see that such a hermeneutic leads to a form of narrative typology. We should, then, look for signs of such a typology in the composition of the smaller units of narrative in the Pentateuch as well as in the arrangement of the legal material." [3]
A believer"s works during this life significantly determine the extent of divine blessing that he or she and their descendants will receive in the future.

Context Summary

Genesis 49:28-33 - Jacob's Last Directions And Death
Jacob gave a final charge as to his burial in Machpelah-that his dust at least should be there to welcome his children and children's children, when they came thither in due course, as God had promised. Then the weary pilgrim gathered up those tired feet, which had paced out their last mile, into the bed, and gave up his spirit to God. When we are told that he was gathered to his people it must mean more than that his dust mingled with their dust in the place of burial. There are great gatherings of loving friends awaiting us on the other side. See Hebrews 11:40. At the ladder-scene in Bethel, God had told him that He would not leave him till He had done what He promised, and surely not one good thing had failed. Life may be hard and sad, but God will end it rightly. Be of good cheer and trust! [source]

Chapter Summary: Genesis 49

1  Jacob calls his sons to bless them
3  Their blessing in particular
29  He charges them about his burial
33  He dies

What do the individual words in Genesis 49:28 mean?

All these [are] the tribes of Israel two [and] ten And this [is] what spoke to them their father and he blessed them each one according to his own blessing he blessed them
כָּל־ אֵ֛לֶּה שִׁבְטֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל שְׁנֵ֣ים עָשָׂ֑ר וְ֠זֹאת אֲשֶׁר־ דִּבֶּ֨ר לָהֶ֤ם אֲבִיהֶם֙ וַיְבָ֣רֶךְ אוֹתָ֔ם אִ֛ישׁ אֲשֶׁ֥ר כְּבִרְכָת֖וֹ בֵּרַ֥ךְ אֹתָֽם

אֵ֛לֶּה  these  [are] 
Parse: Pronoun, common plural
Root: אֵהֶל 
Sense: these.
שִׁבְטֵ֥י  the  tribes 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: שֵׁבֶט  
Sense: rod, staff, branch, offshoot, club, sceptre, tribe.
יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל  of  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
שְׁנֵ֣ים  two 
Parse: Number, md
Root: שְׁנַיִם  
Sense: two.
עָשָׂ֑ר  [and]  ten 
Parse: Number, masculine singular
Root: עָשָׂר 
Sense: ten, -teen (in combination with other numbers).
וְ֠זֹאת  And  this  [is] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Pronoun, feminine singular
Root: זׄאת  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, such.
דִּבֶּ֨ר  spoke 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: דָּבַר 
Sense: to speak, declare, converse, command, promise, warn, threaten, sing.
לָהֶ֤ם  to  them 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine plural
אֲבִיהֶם֙  their  father 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine plural
Root: אָב  
Sense: father of an individual.
וַיְבָ֣רֶךְ  and  he  blessed 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: בָּרַךְ 
Sense: to bless, kneel.
אִ֛ישׁ  each 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֱנׄושׁ 
Sense: man, mortal man, person, mankind.
אֲשֶׁ֥ר  one 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
כְּבִרְכָת֖וֹ  according  to  his  own  blessing 
Parse: Preposition-k, Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: בְּרָכָה  
Sense: blessing.
בֵּרַ֥ךְ  he  blessed 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: בָּרַךְ 
Sense: to bless, kneel.