Joseph Part 20: Jacob's Poem of Blessing Continues

In this week's lesson, we continue through Jacob's poetic blessing over his sons and arrive at the longest and most significant blessing in the poem — the blessing over Yehudah (Judah).

Genesis 49:8–12 is one of those passages where the whole story of Scripture comes down to a few lines of poetry. Jacob declares that Judah's brothers will bow down to him — the exact language used of Joseph's dreams back in Genesis 37. Why does the bowing language move from Joseph to Judah? And what does it mean that the scepter will not depart from Judah?

We trace the Hebrew wordplay in Judah's name, the structural center of the Joseph story, and the pattern that points forward to a future ruler from the tribe of Yehudah. We look at how David's life is patterned after Joseph's, how the ancient Jewish Targums understood the word 'ad, and how Revelation 5 brings it all together — where John hears "the Lion of the tribe of Judah" but turns to see "a Lamb standing, as if slain."

The rod never departs, because the Lion of the tribe of Judah is the Lamb who was slain for the sins of the world.

Key Passages: Genesis 49:8–12, Genesis 27:29, Genesis 37:5–11, Genesis 44, 2 Samuel 7:12–16, Revelation 5:2–6, Isaiah 11:1–12

Series: Joseph