Genesis 49:13 - Meaning and Application

Here Jacob prophesies about six of his sons.

He speaks first about Zebulun (Genesis 49:13), saying that his descendants would live near the seacoast and become merchants, sailors, and traders. This came to pass two or three hundred years later, when the land of Canaan was divided by lot and Zebulun’s border reached toward the sea (Joshua 19:11). If this had been arranged by human planning, we might think it was done to match Jacob’s words. But since it was decided by lot, it shows both that God had directed it and that Jacob had spoken by God’s Spirit. The arrangement of God’s providence fits God’s counsel exactly, like a true copy fits the original. If prophecy says, “Zebulun shall be a haven of ships,” then providence will place him there.

This teaches two things. God sets the borders of where we live. It is both wise and right for us to accept our lot and make the best use of it. If Zebulun lives by the seacoast, then let him serve as a haven for ships.

Then Jacob speaks about Issachar (Genesis 49:14-15). He says that the men of that tribe would be strong, hardworking, and fit for labor, especially farm work. They would be like a donkey that patiently carries its load, and by getting used to the work, it would become easier. Issachar would bear two burdens, farming and tribute. It would be a tribe that worked hard and, because it prospered, was also expected to pay rents and taxes.

Jacob also says they would be encouraged in their labor by the goodness of the land assigned to them. He saw that rest at home was good. The work of the farmer is truly a kind of rest when compared with the hard life of soldiers and sailors, whose rush and danger are much greater. He also saw that the land was pleasant, giving not only beautiful views to delight the eye, but also good fruit to reward the worker’s toil. Country life has many comforts, enough to balance its hardships if we are willing to see them. Issachar, looking ahead to gain, bowed his shoulders to carry his burden. In the same way, if we look by faith to heavenly rest and to that promised land, and see that it is truly good and pleasant, our present service will seem easier.

Jacob then speaks of Dan (Genesis 49:16-17). What he says may apply to the tribe in general, or it may point especially to Samson, who came from Dan. As a tribe, Dan, though descended from one of the concubines, would still have rulers and judges of its own, like the other tribes. It would gain advantage over enemies by skill, strategy, and surprise, like a snake suddenly biting a traveler’s heel. In God’s spiritual Israel, there is no difference between slave and free (Colossians 3:11). Dan would be included by as good a covenant as any other tribe. Some, like Dan, may be strong in subtlety, as others, like Judah, are strong in courage, and both can serve God well against the Canaanites.

Or Jacob may be speaking of Samson, who came from Dan and judged Israel, meaning he rescued Israel from the Philistines. Samson did not fight like the other judges in open battle. Instead, he troubled the Philistines in surprising ways. When he brought down the house on the Philistines gathered on the roof, he brought down the rider with the horse.

Jacob was still speaking, but he was nearly spent and close to dying. So he comforts himself with these words, “I have waited for your salvation, O Lord!” (Genesis 49:18). It is as if a fainting person is revived by a spoonful of medicine or by smelling a bottle of spirits. Or, if he must stop there because his breath will not allow him to finish, then these words are his soul poured into the arms of God, even as he breathes it out. Warm prayers that rise from a lively faith should not be criticized just because they are not neatly arranged. A heart may speak to God while a person is speaking to others.

The salvation he waited for was Christ, the promised offspring he had already spoken of (Genesis 49:10). Now that he was about to be gathered to his people, he longed for the one to whom all God’s people will one day be gathered. The salvation he waited for was also heaven, the better country, which he had openly said he was seeking (Hebrews 11:13-14), and he kept seeking it even while living in Egypt. Now, as he was about to enjoy that salvation, he comforts himself by remembering that he had waited for it. A living saint is one who waits for the Lord’s salvation. Christ, as our way to heaven, is to be waited on, and heaven, as our rest in Christ, is to be waited for. It is also the comfort of a dying saint that he has waited for the Lord’s salvation, because then he will receive what he has long hoped for.

Next Jacob speaks about Gad (Genesis 49:19). He refers to Gad’s name, which means a troop, and foretells that the tribe would be warlike. That is what we later find, for the Gadites were men of war, fit for battle (1 Chronicles 12:8). He also foresees that, because their land would be on the other side of the Jordan, they would be open to attacks from their neighbors, the Moabites and Ammonites. To keep them from becoming proud of their strength, he tells them that enemy troops would often overcome them in small fights. Yet he also encourages them, saying they would conquer in the end. That came to pass in the days of Saul and David, when the Moabites and Ammonites were fully subdued (1 Chronicles 5:18, etc.). The cause of God and his people may seem defeated for a time, but it will win in the end. We may be beaten in a battle, but not in the war. Grace in the soul is often overcome in its struggles, and the corrupt desires within us may defeat it for a time. But the cause belongs to God, and in the end grace will come out victorious, even more than victorious (Romans 8:37).

Finally, Jacob speaks about Asher (Genesis 49:20). He says this tribe would be very rich, supplied not only with bread for daily needs, but also with fat food and choice food, even royal delicacies, since “the king himself is served from the field” (Ecclesiastes 5:9). These goods would be carried from Asher to other tribes, and perhaps even to other lands. The God who made the world has provided not only what we need, but also pleasant extras, so that we may see him as a generous giver. Yet while all places have enough for life’s necessities, only some places have these extra delights. Grain is more common than spices. If luxury were as widely available as food, the world would be worse than it is, and it does not need to be.

Concerning Naphtali (Genesis 49:21), his name carries the idea of wrestling, and the blessing tied to it points to victory. He is called a “hind let loose,” a deer set free. We do not see this prediction fulfilled as clearly as some of the others, but it likely proved true in several ways.

First, they were like a loving hind, as Proverbs 5:19 describes, friendly and kind toward one another and toward other tribes. Their way of living together was marked by warmth and affection. Second, they were like a free hind, eager to keep their liberty. Third, they were like a swift hind (Psalm 18:33), quick to carry out business and duties. And perhaps, fourth, they were like a trembling hind, timid in times of public danger.

It is not common to find people who are very pleasant to their friends and yet fierce to their enemies. They may also have been polite and gracious, with refined speech and pleasant manners, giving “goodly words.” In God’s Israel there is a great variety of temperaments, and these different gifts can still fit together in one body. Judah is like a lion, Issachar like an ass, Dan like a serpent, and Naphtali like a hind. So let those with different tempers and gifts not criticize or envy one another any more than people of different heights or skin tones.