King James Version:
(The Lord speaking is red text)
¶ 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.
Complete Jewish Bible:
All these are the twelve tribes of Isra'el, and this is how their father spoke to them and blessed them, giving each his own individual blessing.
Berean Standard Bible:
These are the tribes of Israel, twelve in all, and this was what their father said to them. He blessed them, and he blessed each one with a suitable blessing.
American Standard Version:
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 with Strong’s Numbers:
All these are the twelve{H6240}{H8147} tribes{H7626} of Israel{H3478}: and this is it that their father{H1} spake{H1696} unto them, and blessed{H1288} them; every{H834} one{H376} according to his blessing{H1293} he blessed{H1288} them.
Cross-References (KJV):
Revelation 7:4
- And I heard the number of them which were sealed: [and there were] sealed an hundred [and] forty [and] four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.
Esther 8:7
- Then the king Ahasuerus said unto Esther the queen and to Mordecai the Jew, Behold, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and him they have hanged upon the gallows, because he laid his hand upon the Jews.
Esther 8:11
- Wherein the king granted the Jews which [were] in every city to gather themselves together, and to stand for their life, to destroy, to slay, and to cause to perish, all the power of the people and province that would assault them, [both] little ones and women, and [to take] the spoil of them for a prey,
Acts 26:7
- Unto which [promise] our twelve tribes, instantly serving [God] day and night, hope to come. For which hope's sake, king Agrippa, I am accused of the Jews.
1 Kings 18:31
- And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the LORD came, saying, Israel shall be thy name:
Esther 9:1
- ¶ Now in the twelfth month, that [is], the month Adar, on the thirteenth day of the same, when the king's commandment and his decree drew near to be put in execution, in the day that the enemies of the Jews hoped to have power over them, (though it was turned to the contrary, that the Jews had rule over them that hated them;)
Esther 9:10
- The ten sons of Haman the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews, slew they; but on the spoil laid they not their hand.
Explore This Verse Across Other Resources:
Commentary for Genesis 49:28
Genesis 49:28 serves as the conclusion to the blessings Jacob (also known as Israel) bestows upon his sons, which are the patriarchs of the twelve tribes of Israel. This verse encapsulates the theme of familial legacy and the establishment of the twelve tribes that would become the nation of Israel, a central theme in the Pentateuch.
**Historical Context:**
- **Patriarchal Blessings:** The verse is part of Jacob's final words to his sons, a common practice in ancient Near Eastern cultures where a patriarch would give a blessing or prophecy regarding the future of his descendants.
- **Transition to Egypt:** This scene takes place near the end of Jacob's life, just before the Israelites' move to Egypt due to the famine in Canaan, which sets the stage for the events in the book of Exodus.
- **Tribal Identities:** Jacob's blessings provide a foundation for understanding the distinct characteristics and future roles of each tribe, which would later influence their territorial allotments and historical developments within the land of Israel.
**Themes:**
- **Divine Providence:** The blessings reflect the idea that God's plan is being worked out through the lives of Jacob's sons and their descendants.
- **Prophecy:** Many of the blessings contain prophetic elements, foretelling the future of the tribes.
- **Favor and Conflict:** Jacob's blessings are not equally distributed, reflecting the favoritism and rivalries that characterized his relationships with his children, particularly the favoritism shown to Joseph and Benjamin, his sons with Rachel.
- **Unity and Diversity:** Despite the differences in the blessings, there is an underlying unity among the tribes, emphasizing their collective identity as the people of Israel.
In summary, Genesis 49:28 is a summative verse that finalizes the blessings of Jacob, reinforcing the establishment of the twelve tribes and setting the stage for the narrative that follows in the Pentateuch, where these tribes become a significant nation in the biblical story.
*This commentary is produced by Microsoft/WizardLM-2-8x22B AI model
Strong's Numbers and Definitions:
Note: H = Hebrew (OT), G = Greek (NT)
- Strong's Number: H6240
There are 292 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: עָשָׂר
Transliteration: ʻâsâr
Pronunciation: aw-sawr'
Description: for עֶשֶׂר; ten (only in combination), i.e. -teen; also (ordinal) -teenth; (eigh-, fif-, four-, nine-, seven-, six-, thir-) teen(-th), [phrase] eleven(-th), [phrase] sixscore thousand, [phrase] twelve(-th). - Strong's Number: H8147
There are 647 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: שְׁנַיִם
Transliteration: shᵉnayim
Pronunciation: shen-ah'-yim
Description: dual of שֵׁנִי; feminine שְׁתַּיִם; two; also (as ordinal) twofold; both, couple, double, second, twain, [phrase] twelfth, [phrase] twelve, [phrase] twenty (sixscore) thousand, twice, two. - Strong's Number: H7626
There are 178 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: שֵׁבֶט
Transliteration: shêbeṭ
Pronunciation: shay'-bet
Description: from an unused root probably meaning to branch off; a scion, i.e. (literally) a stick (for punishing, writing, fighting, ruling, walking, etc.) or (figuratively) a clan; [idiom] correction, dart, rod, sceptre, staff, tribe. - Strong's Number: H3478
There are 2229 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: יִשְׂרָאֵל
Transliteration: Yisrâʼêl
Pronunciation: yis-raw-ale'
Description: from שָׂרָה and אֵל; he will rule as God; Jisrael, a symbolical name of Jacob; also (typically) of his posterity; Israel. - Strong's Number: H1
There are 15773 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: אָב
Transliteration: ʼâb
Pronunciation: awb
Description: a primitive word; father, in a literal and immediate, or figurative and remote application; chief, (fore-) father(-less), [idiom] patrimony, principal. Compare names in 'Abi-'. - Strong's Number: H1696
There are 1050 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: דָבַר
Transliteration: dâbar
Pronunciation: daw-bar'
Description: a primitive root; perhaps properly, to arrange; but used figuratively (of words), to speak; rarely (in a destructive sense) to subdue; answer, appoint, bid, command, commune, declare, destroy, give, name, promise, pronounce, rehearse, say, speak, be spokesman, subdue, talk, teach, tell, think, use (entreaties), utter, [idiom] well, [idiom] work. - Strong's Number: H1288
There are 289 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: בָרַךְ
Transliteration: bârak
Pronunciation: baw-rak'
Description: a primitive root; to kneel; by implication to bless God (as an act of adoration), and (vice-versa) man (as a benefit); also (by euphemism) to curse (God or the king, as treason); [idiom] abundantly, [idiom] altogether, [idiom] at all, blaspheme, bless, congratulate, curse, [idiom] greatly, [idiom] indeed, kneel (down), praise, salute, [idiom] still, thank. - Strong's Number: H834
There are 220 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: אֲשֶׁר
Transliteration: ʼăsher
Pronunciation: ash-er'
Description: a primitive relative pronoun (of every gender and number); who, which, what, that; also (as an adverb and a conjunction) when, where, how, because, in order that, etc.; [idiom] after, [idiom] alike, as (soon as), because, [idiom] every, for, [phrase] forasmuch, [phrase] from whence, [phrase] how(-soever), [idiom] if, (so) that ((thing) which, wherein), [idiom] though, [phrase] until, [phrase] whatsoever, when, where ([phrase] -as, -in, -of, -on, -soever, -with), which, whilst, [phrase] whither(-soever), who(-m, -soever, -se). As it is indeclinable, it is often accompanied by the personal pronoun expletively, used to show the connection. - Strong's Number: H376
There are 1507 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: אִישׁ
Transliteration: ʼîysh
Pronunciation: eesh
Description: contracted for אֱנוֹשׁ (or perhaps rather from an unused root meaning to be extant); a man as an individual or a male person; often used as an adjunct to a more definite term (and in such cases frequently not expressed in translation); also, another, any (man), a certain, [phrase] champion, consent, each, every (one), fellow, (foot-, husband-) man, (good-, great, mighty) man, he, high (degree), him (that is), husband, man(-kind), [phrase] none, one, people, person, [phrase] steward, what (man) soever, whoso(-ever), worthy. Compare אִשָּׁה. - Strong's Number: H1293
There are 64 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: בְּרָכָה
Transliteration: Bᵉrâkâh
Pronunciation: ber-aw-kaw'
Description: from בָרַךְ; benediction; by implication prosperity; blessing, liberal, pool, present.