Bible Summary:

In a farewell speech, Jacob tells the future of each son:

• Reuben, though first-born, is not to be the most important because he slept with Jacob’s concubine.
• Simeon and Levi are cursed for their fury of killing the Shechem men after their sister Dinah was raped. Their descendants will disperse throughout Israel.
• Judah is like a lion and his descendants will always rule.
• Zebulun will live by the sea.
• Issachar will remain a slave.
• Dan will be ruler of his people, but a snake that knocks a rider off his horse.
• Gad will be attacked by robbers, but pursue them.
• Asher will produce food from his lands fit for a king.
• Naphtali will bear lovely fawns.
• Joseph is a wild colt attacked fiercely by his enemies, but is protected by the Mighty God of Jacob. He is surely blessed.
• Benjamin is a vicious wolf that kills morning and night.

My Thoughts:

Twelve Tribes: These are the leaders of the twelve tribes of Israel. I get the feeling this farewell evolved over many years of verbal retelling until it was actually quite accurate, like Zebulun living by the sea. I was surprised what Jacob said about Benjamin who he protected for so many years. Of course, some of these “blessings” could be metaphorical with different meanings than the direct translation. Like today, some people refer to attorneys as sharks. It is bad if you are against one, but good if you have one on your side.