Chapter
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50
Verse
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33

Genesis 49:22
ESV "Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a spring; his branches run over the wall.
NIV "Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine near a spring, whose branches climb over a wall.
NASB 'Joseph is a fruitful branch, A fruitful branch by a spring; Its branches hang over a wall.
CSB Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine beside a spring; its branches climb over the wall.
NLT 'Joseph is the foal of a wild donkey, the foal of a wild donkey at a spring — one of the wild donkeys on the ridge.
KJV Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall:
NKJV “Joseph is a fruitful bough, A fruitful bough by a well; His branches run over the wall.

What does Genesis 49:22 mean?

Jacob reclines on the bed in which he will soon die (Genesis 48:1). He has called his twelve sons to his side to hear his prophecy, delivered in poetic verse, about the future of each sons' descendants (Genesis 49:1–2). Having completed his prophetic sayings about his ten older sons, Jacob now comes to his beloved Joseph (Genesis 37:3). Jacob has saved the longest and most complex blessing for the firstborn of his beloved wife Rachel (Genesis 30:22–24).

He begins by describing Joseph as a fruitful bough or vine. In the case of the bough or vine, Jacob describes Joseph as being fruitful and fertile, as a well-watered tree planted by a spring with branches extending even over walls. In other words, Joseph's line would multiply and thrive. This fits with what already occurred: Jacob made Joseph into two tribes by adopting his two oldest sons—Ephraim and Manasseh—making a unique tribe of each (Genesis 48:5–6).

Some scholars note that the Hebrew terms for sons and plants are relatively distinct. They also point out that most metaphors in Jacob's prophecy involve animals. This leads towards a different metaphor, though with similar implications.
Expand
Expand
Expand
What is the Gospel?
Download the app:
BibleRef.com is part of Got Questions Ministries

For answers to your Bible questions, please visit