Genesis 49:22 - Printer Friendly

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.

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.

Genesis 49:22–27 includes Jacob's final prophetic remarks about his sons. The last two mentioned are his youngest, the only naturally born children of his favorite wife, Rachel. Joseph's sons were already inserted into the family blessing (Genesis 48:5–6). This is the most overtly positive of Jacob's predictions. Benjamin, however, is predicted to become a notably violent tribe.

Genesis 49 contains Jacob's dying prophetic remarks. In the form of poetry, Jacob pronounces positive and negative "blessings" about each of his 12 sons and the people who will come from them. Reuben, Simeon, and Levi are each held to account for their past sins. Judah is described as a lion; the kingly line will come from his people. Joseph and his descendants are lavished with blessings. Once the oracle is completed, Jacob commands his sons to bury him with his fathers in Canaan. Then, the man God named "Israel" (Genesis 35:10–11) dies.

After a life of struggle and controversy, Jacob's family has securely settled in Egypt. Genesis 48 told of Jacob's blessing on Joseph's two oldest sons: Ephraim and Manasseh. In Genesis 49, Jacob gives both positive and negative predictions to each of his sons, in turn. Jacob then commands his sons to bury him in Canaan, then dies. The final chapter of Genesis describes the family's mourning and Joseph's death. The opening verses of Exodus race forward some 400 years, as the nation of Israel falls into harsh slavery under new Egyptian rulers (Exodus 1:8–14).

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.