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In Genesis 49, Jacob gathers his sons to reveal what will happen in the future, then gives a long blessing over each of them. When Jubilees retells this, it changes the discussion of the future to be about the end times but leaves out the blessings.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Genesis 49:1
Hebrew Bible
1 Jacob called for his sons and said, “Gather together so I can tell you what will happen to you in future days. 2 “Assemble and listen, you sons of Jacob; listen to Israel, your father. 3 Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might and the beginning of my strength, outstanding in dignity, outstanding in power. 4 You are destructive like water and will not excel, for you got on your father’s bed, then you defiled it—he got on my couch!
Jubilees 45:14
Pseudepigrapha
13 Israel lived for 17 years in the land of Egypt. All of the time that he lived was three jubilees — 147 years. He died during the fourth year of the fifth week of the forty-fifth jubilee [2188]. 14 Israel blessed his sons before he died. He told them everything that would happen to them in the land of Egypt; and he informed them about what would happen to them at the end of time. He blessed them and gave Joseph two shares in the land. 15 He slept with his fathers and was buried near his father Abraham in the double cave in the land of Canaan — in the grave which he had dug for himself in the double cave in the land of Hebron.
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Notes and References
... The author, however, neglects this perfect opportunity and simply states that Jacob blessed his sons and then told them about what would happen to them in Egypt, and what was to come in the last days (Jubilees 45:14). In my opinion, there is a reason behind this. Perhaps the reason is that the process of revelation was seen as coming to an end in Jacob. The revelation is now written in the books: 'He gave all his books and the books of his fathers to his son Levi so that he could preserve them and renew them for his sons until today' ... Thus, the author of Jubilees presents a dynamic, ongoing revelation. In the narration of Jubilees, however, it does not continue up to Sinai, or even further, as Lambert proposes. Instead, everything has already been revealed to Jacob/Israel who, in turn, transmits his and his fathers' books to Levi, the character who also symbolizes the Levites/priests. ...
Tanskanen, Topias K. E.
Jacob, the Torah, and the Abrahamic Promise: Studies on the Use and Interpretation of the Jacob Story in the Book of Jubilees
(p. 70) Åbo Akademi University Press, 2023
* 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.
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