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The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 48:1-22
We are admitted into the inner chamber of the patriarch's departing life, and we see there the presence of Jehovah with him. He is— 1. The subject of inspiration. 2. The mediator of the Divine promises. He is under the…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 48:1-22
Jacob's dying utterances. I. AN OLD MAN'S SICK-BED. "It came to pass after these things, that one told Joseph, Behold, thy father is sick." In this the venerable patriarch— 1. Suffered an experience that is common to al…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 48:1
And it came to pass after these things (i.e. the events recorded in the preceding chapter, and in particular after the arrangements which had been made for Jacob's funeral), that one told Joseph,—the verb וַיֹּאמֶר is h…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 48:2
And one told Jacob ( וַיַּגֵּד, also used impersonally, like וַיֹּאמֶר in Genesis 48:1), and said, Behold, thy son Joseph cometh unto thee: and Israel—the significance of this change of name it is impossible to overlook…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 48:7
And as for me (literally, and I, the pronoun being emphatic), when I came from Padan,—literally, in my coming, i.e. while on my journey, from Padam, or Padan-aram. This is the only place where the shorter designation is…
Matthew Henry on Genesis 48:8-22
The two good men own God in their comforts. Joseph says, They are my sons whom God has given me. Jacob says, God hath showed me thy seed. Comforts are doubly sweet to us when we see them coming from God's hand. He not o…
Jacob Blesses the Sons of Joseph; Jacob's Dying Prophecy. (b. c. 1689.)
JACOB BLESSES THE SONS OF JOSEPH; JACOB'S DYING PROPHECY. (B. C. 1689.) Here is, I. The blessing with which Jacob blessed the two sons of Joseph, which is the more remarkable because the apostle makes such particular me…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 48:8
And Israel beheld Joseph's sons, and said, Who are these? The failing sight of the patriarch (Genesis 48:10) probably was the reason why he did not sooner recognize his grandchildren, and the fact that he did not at fir…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 48:9
And Joseph said unto his father, They are my sons (of whom you have just spoken), whom God hath given me in this place. It speaks highly in Joseph's favor that, after listening to Jacob's promise regarding Ephraim and M…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 48:10
Now (literally, and) the eyes of Israel were dim (literally, heavy) for age, so that he could not see. This explains why he did not earlier recognize his grandchildren, and why he asked them to be set close by his bed.…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 48:11
And Israel said unto Joseph, I had not thought to see thy face: and, lo, God (Elohim) hath showed me also thy seed. The first half of Israel's utterance is rendered by the LXX. "Ιδοὺ τοῦ προσώπου σου οὐκ ἐστερήθην"
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 48:12
And Joseph brought them out from between his knees (literally, from near his knees, i.e. the knees of his father, who while in the act of embracing had drawn them into that position), and he (viz. Joseph) bowed himself…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 48:13
And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel's right hand, and brought them near unto him. Joseph naturally expected that Jacob's right hand…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 48:14
And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim's head,—the first instance of the imposition of hands being used as a symbol of blessing. Though not necessarily connected with the form of benediction,…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 48:17
And when (literally, and) Joseph saw that his father laid (or was laying) his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him:—literally, and it was evil in his eyes (cf. Genesis 28:8)—and (supposing his father h…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 48:18
And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this is the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head. "From Joseph's behavior we cannot certainly infer that, like Isaac, he loved the firstborn better than the…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 48:19
And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly (literally, and over against that; אוּלָם, the strongly adversative particle, signifyi…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 48:20
And he (i.e. Jacob) blessed them that day, saying, In thee (i.e. in Joseph, who is still identified with his sons) shall Israel (the nation) bless, saying, God (Elohim, the supreme source of all blessing) make thee as E…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 48:21
And Israel (Jacob) said unto Joseph, Behold, I die: but God (Elohim) shall be with you, and bring you again unto the land of your fathers. "For Joseph and his children a great promise and dispensation" (Lange).
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 48:22
Moreover (literally, and) I have given—or, I give (Keil), I will give (Kalisch), the preterit being used prophetically as a future, or even as a present, the event being regarded, from its certainty, as already accompli…
Matthew Henry on Genesis 49:1-2
All Jacob's sons were living. His calling them together was a precept for them to unite in love, not to mingle with the Egyptians; and foretold that they should not be separated, as Abraham's sons and Isaac's were, but…
Jacob's Prophecy Concerning His Sons. (b. c. 1689.)
JACOB'S PROPHECY CONCERNING HIS SONS. (B. C. 1689.) Here is, I. The preface to the prophecy, in which, 1. The congregation is called together (Genesis 49:2): Gather yourselves together; let them all be sent for from the…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 49:1
And Jacob (having closed his interview with Joseph and his two sons) called (by means of messengers) unto his sons (i.e. the others who were then absent), and said, Gather yourselves together,—the prophet's last utteran…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 49:1-33
The patriarchal blessing, or the last words of Jacob, I. THE SONS OF LEAH. 1. The blessing on Reuben. 2. The blessings on Simeon and Levi. It is only by a species of irony that the words pronounced on the authors of the…