What does Genesis 49:13 mean?
Jacob is pronouncing a prophetic, poetic oracle about each of his twelve sons. In the previous passage, description of Judah's people was lengthy. Zebulun (Genesis 30:19–20) gets a single short comment.The prophetic statement here points to a time when the people of Zebulun would be associated with sea trade. The border of his lands would be near the Phoenician city of Sidon. It is unclear what time, exactly, this refers to; Zebulun's actual settlement will not be on the seashore (Joshua 19:10–11). Some scholars suggest Zebulun may have settled along the seashore temporarily before making their permanent home elsewhere or that the people benefited from trade which was directly tied to sea traffic. Parts of Jacob's prophecy look far into the future, at the earthly reign of the Messiah (Revelation 20:4), which may see this fulfilled more directly and literally.