Commentaires bibliques

3. Reuben] Reuben’s early pre-eminence is forfeited. The tribe’s loss of power is here ascribed to the curse of Jacob for an act of incest (see Genesis 35:22; 1 Chronicles 5:1). The territory of the tribe of Reuben lay on the east side of the Dead Sea. In Biblical history, the Reubenites are practically unknown, except for one successful campaign against the Hagarenes (1 Chronicles 5:8-10). In the Song of Deborah (Jdg 5:16), Reuben is denounced for apathy.

beginning] Better, as R.V. marg., firstfruits. The firstborn was expected to inherit the full strength of the parent. Cf. Deuteronomy 21:17; Psalm 78:51; Psalm 105:36. The versions follow a different text. LXX ἀρχὴ τέκνων μου; Lat. principium doloris mei; Aquila κεφάλαιον λύπης μου; Symmachus ἀρχὴ ὀδύνης.

The excellency] This word in Early English had the meaning of “superiority,” owing to its derivation from “excel.” But this has now been lost sight of.

Vulg. major in donis, major in imperio; Targ. Onk. paraphrases “for thee it was provided to receive three portions, the right of firstborn, the priesthood, and the kingdom.”

LXX must here follow a different text, σκληρὸς φέρεσθαι καὶ σκληρὸς αὐθάδης.

4. Unstable] The metaphor from water, bubbling over, is intended to express wanton or reckless vehemence. Reuben is as water without restraint pouring down in a foaming torrent. This is the thought of the renderings of LXX ἐξύβρισας; Lat. effusus es.

thou shalt not have] Read as R.V. marg. the imperative of denunciation, have not thou. Observe the recurrence of the note of “excelling.” LXX μὴ ἐκζέσῃς.

he went up] Notice the change from the second to the third person, as if the speaker had turned away in loathing (LXX, however, ἀνέβης) from Reuben. In the Song of Moses (Deuteronomy 33:6) the denunciation of Reuben is brief and stern, but unexplained; “let Reuben live, and not die; yet let his men be few.”

It is a possible conjecture that the legend (cf. Genesis 35:22) concerning Reuben embodied a cause of ancient Israelite prejudice against the Reubenites. Conceivably some marriage custom, like that of the heir receiving the concubines of his deceased father, may have been abandoned by the rest of Israel and been maintained by Reuben. (See Robertson Smith, Kinship and Marriage, p. 109, n. 2).

Another conjecture is that Reuben, in some treacherous way, encroached upon the rights of the Bilhah clans, and in an isolated position wasted his strength in fierce and futile conflict with the neighbouring nomads.

5. Simeon and Levi] These two brothers were associated in the massacre of the Shechemites, to which reference is possibly here made in language of indignation. (See ch. Genesis 34:25; Genesis 34:30.)

swords] The Hebrew word (m’khêrâh) occurs only here. Its similarity in sound to the Greek μάχαιρα, “a sword,” has suggested the English rendering. If it be rightly derived from a root meaning “to dig,” possibly the traditional rendering denoting “a weapon” is correct. The R.V. marg., compacts, gives another conjecture. Driver (Add. xl.) says the word “must come from karar, prob. to turn round; hence Dillm. suggests a curved knife, or sabre.” The obscurity accounts for the following variant renderings: LXX συνετέλεσαν ἀδικίαν ἐξ αἱρέσεως αὐτῶν; Lat. vasa iniquitatis bellantia; Targ. Onkelos, “mighty men in the land they dwelled in, they did a mighty deed”; Spurrell, “weapons of violence are their shepherds’ staves”; Gunkel, “deceit and violence are their pitfalls.”

6. council] or, as R.V. marg., secret. The word means either a secret confederacy, or its secret purpose. The parallelism of the clauses rather favours the former rendering.

The true spirit of Israel will have nothing to do with the savage policy hatched in the secret conclaves of these two tribes.

my glory] The word “glory” is used to denote the “soul,” or the “spirit,” as man’s most glorious possession. Cf. Psalm 16:9, “my heart is glad and my glory rejoiceth”; Psalm 30:12; Psalm 57:8; Psalm 108:2. The LXX, reading the same Hebrew consonants with different vowels, translates “my liver” = “my affections,” and, instead of “united,” renders a slightly different text “contend,” μὴ ἐρίσαι τὰ ἥπατά μου.

a man] or, as R.V. marg., men.

houghed] i.e. “mutilated,” by cutting the sinews of the leg. Cf. Joshua 11:6; Joshua 11:9; 2 Samuel 8:4. LXX gives an exact rendering ἐνευροκόπησαν. The Old English “hox” is the form found in Shakespeare: Wint. Tale, i. 2, “thou art a coward, Which hoxes honesty behind.”

an ox] or, as R.V. marg., oxen: so A.V. Instead of the Heb. shor, another reading, shur, “a wall,” is followed by Lat. suffoderunt murum, and by Targ. Onk., Syr. Pesh., Symmachus, and Jerome; probably on account of the apparent contradiction in Genesis 34:28-29, where the sheep and oxen are not mutilated, but carried off as booty.

7. In the curse here pronounced upon Simeon and Levi, no mention is made of the Levitical priesthood. Nevertheless, the patriarch’s curse is evidently assumed to have produced its effect upon the two tribes. One (Levi) was scattered up and down Palestine without territorial possession; and the other (Simeon) occupied territory in a limited area, enclosed within the tribe of Judah. Cf. Joshua 19:1-9; 1 Chronicles 4:24-39. In the Song of Moses, Simeon is not even mentioned. Levi, on the other hand, is blessed, as the tribe of the priesthood, Deuteronomy 33:8-11.

in Jacob … Israel] See note on Genesis 49:2.

8. praise] The word contains a play on the name Judah, which cannot be reproduced in a translation. See note on Genesis 29:35.

The transition from the sombre oracles concerning the previous three tribes to the outburst of the eulogy upon Judah is very marked.

Thy hand … neck] i.e. as Judah pursues the fleeing foe, he shall grasp them by the neck (cf. Job 16:12). The point of this clause lies in the geographical position of the tribe of Judah. Their territory was beset on the west and south-west by the Philistines, and on the south and south-east by the Edomites and the Amalekites. The Philistines and the Edomites were the bitterest and most persistent of Israel’s foes. But they were within reach; and in their flight and retreat they are overtaken and smitten down by the victorious tribe.

bow down before thee] A reference to the Davidic monarchy which united the tribes of Israel.

8–12. Judah is the recipient of a special blessing, which is distributed as follows: (1) he is the object of national eulogy, Genesis 49:8; (2) he is strong as a lion, and has won success, Genesis 49:9; (3) to him belong the monarchy and the ideal king, Genesis 49:10; (4) his territory is blessed with fertility, Genesis 49:11-12.

9. a lion’s whelp] For the comparison of Judah with a lion, which through this verse became its historic symbol, cf. 2Es 12:31-32; Revelation 5:5. The metaphor of a lion is applied to Gad (Deuteronomy 33:20) and to Dan (Deuteronomy 33:22). For its use in poetical description, cf. Numbers 23:24; Numbers 24:9; Micah 5:8; 1Ma 3:4.

gone up] The lion, having seized and devoured its prey, returns to its fastness in the hills, secure and inaccessible.

stooped down … couched] A description of the movements of a lion (cf. Numbers 24:9) stalking its prey, running swiftly and secretly, and gathering itself for a final spring. The verb describes the habitual swiftness and force in the movements of the tribe.

10. The sceptre] Lit. “rod.” Either a king’s sceptre, or a general’s baton. LXX ἄρχων = “ruler”; Lat. sceptrum. The rendering of the LXX, which gives a personal explanation, is unsupported by any evidence.

the ruler’s staff] R.V. marg., as A.V., a lawgiver. The same word is found in Numbers 21:18 (“the sceptre,” marg. “the lawgiver”) and Psalm 60:7, “Judah is my sceptre” (marg. “lawgiver”). LXX ἡγούμενος = “leader”; Lat. dux; Syr. Pesh. “an interpreter”; Targ. Jerus. “scribe.” The parallelism of the clauses makes it almost certain, that we have in this clause “the lawgiver’s staff” corresponding to “the ruler’s sceptre” in the previous clause.

Whether the “sceptre” and the “staff” are the insignia of national monarchy or tribal government, has been much debated. The picture of a person bearing these emblems is most suitable to the Oriental conception of a king.

from between his feet] The literal explanation is the simplest and the most picturesque. The lawgiver seated on his throne holds the wand emblematical of his office between his feet. Another explanation, illustrated by Deuteronomy 28:57, makes the expression refer to the descendants of Judah. So LXX ἐκ τῶν μηρῶν αὐτοῦ; Lat. de femore ejus.

Until Shiloh come] These are among the most difficult and controverted words in the book. The alternative renderings in the R.V. text and marg. represent the different lines of interpretation which have been followed. (1) “Until Shiloh come.” This rendering was not known until a.d. 1534, when it was first suggested by Sebastian Münster, possibly on the strength of a Talmudic tradition. There is no allusion elsewhere in the O.T. to “Shiloh” either as a personal name, or as a Messianic title. Except for this passage, the use of “Shiloh” as indicating a person would be devoid of meaning to the Hebrew reader. True, the song is full of obscurities. But the improbability of this late interpretation is so great, that it may be dismissed from consideration. (2) “Till he come to Shiloh,” i.e. “till he, Judah, comes to Shiloh.” Shiloh was the resting-place of the Ark, in the centre of the tribe of Ephraim, e.g. 1 Samuel 1:24. It was destroyed by the Philistines, and its sanctuary desolated; see Jeremiah 7:12-15. The theory, that the prediction in this verse received its fulfilment in Joshua 18:1; Joshua 18:8-10, is difficult to comprehend. The Davidic monarchy began after the days of Shiloh. The reference to a place in the tribe of Ephraim is quite unsuitable in this context. (3) LXX ἕως ἂν ἔλθῃ τὰ ἀποκείμενα αὐτῷ, until that which is his shall come, and Old Latin donec veniant quae reposita sunt ei. This rendering gets rid of the difficulty of a proper name. It assumes that the disputed word represents a dialect form of Hebrew words meaning “that which to him.” The sense may then be Messianic. The rule of Judah shall continue until “that which is reserved for him,” i.e. the age of perfect prosperity, shall come to him. (4) “Till he comes whose it is” (so Syr. Pesh.). This is also supported by Targ. Onk., “Until Messiah comes, whose is the kingdom”; cf. Symmachus ᾧ ἀποκεῖται = “he for whom it is reserved.” This rendering may be illustrated from Ezekiel 21:27, “Until he come whose right it is.” This last seems the most probable interpretation. Like many other passages in the song, the clause is obscure and oracular. No proper name is given1[60]

[60] The suggestion that “Shelah,” Judah’s third son (Genesis 38:5), is intended obscurely to indicate the future hope, is most improbable.

. The objection, that in such early days the Messianic hope did not exist, is a petitio principii. If this rendering be correct, the Messianic hope is here indicated in its earliest and simplest form, although its primary application may be to the dynasty of David. Many scholars, in perplexity as to the right meaning of the words, are of opinion that there is some corruption of the original Hebrew text, and that the restoration of the true text cannot be expected. There have been many emendations proposed, e.g. môsh’lôh, “his ruler” (Giesebrecht). Lat. qui mittendus est follows another reading (?).

the obedience of the peoples] The domination over foreign nations was to be the sign of Judah’s ideal sovereignty. LXX προσδοκία, Lat. expectatio, have missed the meaning.