Texts in Conversation
In Genesis, Jacob’s deathbed blessing gives Judah the scepter and the right to rule the nations. Jubilees moves that royal blessing earlier to Isaac, promising Judah dominion over the nations while ranking him below Levi.
Share:
2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Genesis 49:8
Hebrew Bible
8 Judah, your brothers will praise you. Your hand will be on the neck of your enemies, your father’s sons will bow down before you. 9 You are a lion’s cub, Judah, from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He crouches and lies down like a lion; like a lioness—who will rouse him? 10 The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs; the nations will obey him.
Jubilees 31:18
Pseudepigrapha
17 May all who hate you fall before you, and all your enemies be uprooted and perish. May the one who blesses you be blessed, and any nation that curses you be cursed.’ 18 Then he said to Judah: ‘May the Lord give you the power and strength to trample on all who hate you. Be a prince — you and one of your sons — for Jacob’s sons. May your name and the name of your sons be one that goes and travels around in the entire earth and the regions. Then the nations will be frightened before you; all the nations will be disturbed; all peoples will be disturbed.’ 19 May Jacob’s help be in you; may Israel’s safety be found in you.
Search:
Notes and References
... Be a prince [makwannen/princeps]—you and one of your sons—for Jacob’s sons. The command (Ethiopic) or prediction (Latin) that Judah will be a royal ruler over Israel echoes several phrases in Jacob’s blessing of him in Genesis 49:8, 10: “your father’s sons shall bow down before you” (verse 8); “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, / nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet” (verse 10; see Testament of Levi 17:6; 21:6). The Genesis passage (49:10) receives a commentary in 4Q252 (4QCommentary on Genesis A) ...
VanderKam, James C.
Jubilees 2: A Commentary on the Book of Jubilees Chapters 22-50
(p. 859) Fortress Press, 2018
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
Your Feedback:
Leave a Comment
Anonymous comments are welcome. All comments are subject to moderation.