(vv. 1-33) And Jacob called his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you what shall befall you in the latter days. Come in multitudes, and hear, ye children of Jacob, hear your father Israel. Reuben, 2) my first son, you are my strength, and the beginning of my might, the chief in sacrifice, and the chief in power. He passed away lightly, like water. Thou shalt not be chief, for thou hast gone up to thy father's camp, and there thou shalt be chief.
2) Marginal gloss: Reuben should have the dignity of the first birth, namely the priesthood and kingdom. But both are taken away from him, and Levi is given the priesthood, and Judah the kingdom. Here means the synagogue, which defiled the bed of Jacob, that is, the Scriptures, with false doctrine, because of which it lost priesthood and kingdom.
you have defiled my bed with the rising. The brothers Simeon and Levi, their deadly defences are harmful witnesses. Let not my soul enter into their secret, neither let my glory be one with their gathering. For in their wrath they have slain the man, and in their strength they have maimed the ox. Cursed be their anger for its fierceness, and their wrath for its stubbornness. I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel. Judah, it is you; your brothers will praise you; your hand will be on the necks of your enemies. Your father's children will bow down to you. Judah is a young lion, thou art come up, my son, sint the spoiler; he hath bowed down, and lain down like a lion,
And like a lioness, who will rise up against him? The scepter 1) of Judah shall not be taken away, nor a champion from his feet, until the hero come, and unto him shall the nations fall. He shall bind his fill to the vine, and his ass's son to the noble branches. He shall wash his robe in wine, and his mantle in the blood of the vine. His eyes shall be redder than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk. Zebulun shall dwell at the fords of the sea, and at the fords of the ships, and shall come upon Sidon. Issachar shall be a legged ass, and shall lie down between the borders. And he shall see the rest that it is good, and the land that it is pleasant, and shall incline his shoulders to bear, and shall become an interest-bearing servant. Dan shall be a judge among his people, as another generation in Israel. Dan shall become a serpent in the way, and an adder in the stairs, and shall bite the horse in the heel, that his rider may fall back. O LORD, I wait for thy salvation. Gad, armed, shall lead the army, and lead it round again. Bon Asser comes his fat bread, and he will give cute food to the kings. Naphtali is a swift deer, and gives pretty speech. The blissful child Joseph, the blissful child to look at. The daughters walk in the regiment. And although the shooters make him bitter, with him
1) Marginal gloss: Scepter. Here the blessing of Christ, who was to be born of Judah, is mentioned, and he is called Shiloh, that is, he who should be blessed, and freshly infused with spirit and faith, which before was sour and wretched by works. Therefore we call Shiloh a hero. For the former part of the blessing concerns King David, and there is nothing more of Christ in all the blessings, but everything else is of temporal salvation, which is given to the children of Israel. As that Zebulun should dwell by the sea unto Sidon, and Jeshachar should dwell in the midst of the land of the sea, and yet have been interestable unto the kings of Assyria. The blessing of Dan was fulfilled by Samson, Judges. 13, 24. 25. Gad has directed his blessing, when they reigned before Israel, Jos. 1, 14. Aeser has held good grain land. Naphtali blessing is fulfilled through Deborah and Barak, Judg. 4, 6. 5, 1. The blessing of Joseph is upon the kingdom of Israel, and is entirely said of the fleshly regime, that the daughters [that is, the cities in the land] were well governed in time, and had many prophets and great men for cornerstones. And though they were often contested, yet they prevailed; and this kingdom was in the family of Ephraim. So the spiritual blessing and kingdom remained on Judah, and the physical kingdom on Ephraim. Benjamin's blessing was fulfilled by St. Paul, Phil. 3, 5. or the king Saul, and the citizens of Gab", Richt. 20, 25.
Though they quarrelled and hated him, yet his bow remained firm, and the arms of his hands were strengthened by the hands of the mighty one in Jacob. From them have come shepherds and stones in Israel. From thy father's God thou art helped, and from the Almighty thou art blessed, with blessings above from heaven, with blessings from the deep that lieth beneath, with blessings in breasts and in bellies. The blessing, promised to your father and my forefathers, goes strong, according to the desire of the high ones in the world. Joseph shall become heads, and chief Nazirites among his brethren. Benjamin is a ravening wolf; in the morning he will devour the prey, but in the evening he will divide the spoil. These are the twelve families of Israel all, and this is what their father spoke to them when he blessed them, each with a special blessing. And he commanded them, and said unto them: I am gathered unto my people, bury me with my fathers in the cave of the field of Ephron the Hittite, in the twofold cave that is toward Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field of Ephron the Hittite for an inheritance burying. There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife. There they buried Isaac also, and Rebekah his wife. And there I buried Leah in the possession of the field, and in the cave that was therein. And when Jacob had finished his commandments unto his children, he put his feet together upon the bed, and departed, and was gathered unto his people.
Cap. 50, 1. Then Joseph fell on his father's face and wept [over him] and kissed him.
V. 1-4. And Jacob called his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may declare unto you the things that shall befall you in the latter days. Come in multitudes, and hear, ye children of Jacob, hear your father Israel 2c.
001 Now this is the last thing that Jacob giveth unto his sons, to every one his prophecy, how he shall fare; and he taketh them one by one, as he begat them, according to their age.
2. the first one is Reuben. "My power (says he) and beginning of my strength", or fortune; that is, the first child, as the first good that I overcame. Hence the
Scripture also calls the fruits of the field strength, as above [Cap. 4, 12.]: "The field shall not give thee its strength or fortune." And beginning of my fortune, that is, I had nothing for the first but thee. The chief in sacrifice and power, that is, 1) you should well be the chief, as the first child, to whom by right the priesthood is due, that is, the spiritual regiment, to preach and govern the consciences, in addition to the temporal regiment, which he calls the power. To this you were born; but you go too lightly, that is, you pay too little attention to it, you have relied on it too surely, and think that you are a nobleman, that everything you do should be good, you have taken it lightly and not taken it to heart: for the sake of lightness you shall not be supreme.
So here he must pay for what he had done to his father and slept with his stepmother. For God leaves nothing unspotted, however slowly he punishes; just as he leaves nothing unrewarded for his own. Jacob had to let it go and was not punished, even though it made him very angry and hurt him; but here it is paid for in the bestowal of paternal goods and blessings. That is why this tribe and lineage has never been something special, but almost the least and the last. So God punishes slowly but severely, does not ask about the person and the blood, that he has the first birth and is Jacob's son. Thus the honor that is otherwise rightfully his is taken away from him, and the priesthood is turned over to Levi, the kingdom to Judah and Ephraim.
V. 5-7. The brothers Simeon and Levi, their mortal defenses are harmful testimonies. My soul shall not enter into mystery, neither shall my glory be one with their assembly 2c.
(4) He took the two brothers by the handful, and gave them no good thing, but always paid them according to what each had earned. We have just heard what they did in chapter 34, v. 25 ff., how they killed all the Shechemites, even though they had promised them safety. This was also unpunished until now
1) "that is" is missing in the Erlanger.
But not forgotten; so that their children must pay for it, that they are divided and scattered in Jacob or Israel, that is, that they have no dwelling place of their own in the land. For Levi never had any special dwelling place of his own, but was tossed about and divided among the others. Simeon also had to make his own home in the tribe of Judah and remain in a corner.
(5) Now some say spiritually that Judas, the betrayer of Christ, came from Simeon; but the priests who gathered together against Christ, and were slain in anger, were of the family of Levi, wherefore they are now scattered abroad. But I leave it in the bad, physical sense, according to history; because for the sake of Christ all thirteen 2) families were scattered; but these two had to be divided in the people of Israel.
V. 8. 9. Judah, it is you, you will be praised by your brothers 2c.
6th This is a piece of blessing upon Judah, where Christ shall come in, for whose sake it is all written. Now here Judah is given the honor, and is preferred to all the brethren, that they should bow down before him, and it happened to him as the other histories give, that he became the royal tribe, which had under it all Israel, under David and Solomon, for almost a hundred years. After that, it was divided and divided so that only two tribes remained with each other, Judah and Benjamin; the others were taken by Ephraim or Joseph. Nevertheless, the kingdom remained with Judah, as it was promised, until Christ. But Ephraim did not remain, so that it did not stand with each other much over two hundred years. Therefore Jacob says here before that Judah should become great and keep the scepter until the right king, Christ, would come. Thus, the text strongly imposes that Christ had to come from Judah, as we will hear.
(7) So this prophecy has two parts in it; first, the physical kingdom, which David and Solomon and their descendants had until Christ, in which the spiritual kingdom began and continues without end.
2) Jenaer: twelve.
008 So then he saith, Judah, thou art the man," the right child of Leah the poor woman, "thy brethren," all the twelve generations, "shall have thee in honor; and thine hand shall be upon the neck of the enemies," that is, God shall give thee grace, that whithersoever thou turnest thou shalt smite thine enemies; which all is fulfilled in David. For though he had many calamities at home in his Hanse, yet when he went forth he smote all to the ground, that he never lost a battle. Thus the Holy Spirit describes beforehand how he would do it, for it is especially upon him that all the Jews should call him gracious Lord.
9th Therefore he saith, Thou art a young lion, fearless and valiant, and so strong that no man can overpower thee, as the whole history of David showeth. Item: "Thou hast come up against robbery," that is, thou hast committed robbery, which has lifted thee up, that is, against all the kings round about; for he has brought under himself all that opposed him. Item: "He knelt down like a lion," that is, because he so robbed and broke everything under him, he sat down and sat quietly in the regiment, was a king like a lion, who lay and sat so mightily that no one was allowed to stir against him. Thus far he speaks of the kingdom of Judah, in which he especially means David. Now follows the spiritual kingdom.
V. 10, 11: The scepter shall not be taken from Judah, nor a champion from his feet, until the hero come, and the nations shall fall unto him. He shall bind his fill to the vine, and his ass's son to the noble branches. He will tie his garment 2c.
(10) All this is now due to Christ. He calls the "scepter" the kingdom and regiment, which is to remain with Judah. As if to say, the whole nation of Israel shall not remain, but shall fall away; but the family of Judah must retain the rule. Even if it does not have kings forever, it will least of all have princes, so that the rule will remain, not only temporal but also spiritual.
11 For when he says, "Another master from his feet," he means the priesthood, prophets and teachers, to be listened to until
on the hero, Christ, of which they should be sure. In Hebrew, however, he calls Christ Shilo, which the Jews do not yet know what it actually means; it is not used anywhere else in Scripture, except here. We have rendered it "a hero". Otherwise it means such a man who is fortunate, who goes out freely, and who succeeds in everything he undertakes. For it comes from the word which means happiness and prosperity, as in the 30th Psalm, v. 7: "I said in my prosperity, or when it was well with me: I will abide forever." So he points it to Christ with hidden words, and determines the kingdom of Judah.
(12) From this we can now deal with the Jews and transfer their matter. For since they have neither kingdom nor government, neither spiritual nor temporal, they are also 1) cast out of the land, and scattered through the world: in short, there is neither scepter nor master: so the hero or Messiah must surely have come. They can also raise nothing against it, because it is such a mighty saying, as none in the New Testament. So it is undeniable that when Christ came, their reign was over, and the people perished, until now they are even driven away, that they have no certain place anywhere, and now a thousand and a half years have passed, that they must confess without their thanksgiving that he must have come long ago. So that also our gospel and New Testament is founded on this text, that it must be righteous.
13 Further Jacob wants to indicate what kind of king he should be. There the Jewish kingdom ends and goes to the spiritual kingdom. [First of all, he says: "The nations will fall to him," that is, he will be such a king and such a kingdom that will not force the people with the sword and bring them under him, as all other kingdoms do, but to whom not only the Jews but also the nations will flock and give themselves under him. There has never been a kingdom to which a people has fallen wantonly, without this king: this must be so delicious that all kinds of people run to it with desire and love. But if the Jews say that he is talking about a bad lord, to whom many people
1) "also" is missing in the Erlanger.
Let them interpret it as they like, we have it irrefutably that he shall be of the tribe of Judah, of royal blood, that is, of the king David, and shall only come when the scepter, that is, their kingdom ceases, and shall be such a Lord, to whom not only Judaism but also the Gentiles shall fall. What else would it be if he should think that the Jews alone would fall to him and stick to him, since the kingdom of Judah is not to remain, and all the Jews have already fallen to him, and yet did not remain with him? What miracle would it be that the Jews, his own people, would fall to him?
14 Now let them say where they had any lord, after the scepter and fleshly kingdom have ceased, to whom the nations, both they and the Gentiles, have fallen. But we have Christ from the tribe of Judah, to whom not only many Jews but all the Gentiles have submitted themselves, and have willingly accepted him as their Lord. For Jacob's words indicate that the Shiloh will be much greater than the previous scepter and kingdom of Judah. Now it could not become greater if only the Jews fell to it; nor has there been a greater one among them without this Christ; so that he indicates it as a special prize of this king, just as it is a great wonder that all the world should fall to a Jewish man, when the Gentiles have never been more hostile to any people than to the Jewish.
15) But with what will he do this, or what regiment will the king lead? "He will bind (says Jacob) his 1) fillings to the vine, and his" 2c. There his kingdom is described, and seems indeed a foolish describing [to be]. What delicious thing is this, that the king, who is to rule without a sword and be greater than David and Solomon, should be the highest prize, that he should tie his donkey to vines or grapevines, and wash his clothes in wine, and have red eyes and white teeth? Who ever heard a king more praised and described? Should he not praise him cheaply like this: He will devour land and people, cities and castles enveloped with army power.
1) Jenaer: "his fullness"; Wittenberger and Erlanger: a filling.
and bloodshed, that one might bathe in it, and ride in it in great, glorious splendor, and surrounded with pure gold, like King Solomon, who is probably described differently.
(16) If I were to praise a bad citizen, and should praise him as he tied the ass to the vine, and washed his garment in wine; item, of red eyes and white teeth, everyone would laugh at me and mock; yes, if someone spoke of a fool, as he could not do more than tie the ass to the vine, and let it eat, and spoil both garment and wine with washing, it would go. But to speak thus of such a mighty king, to whom all the world is given, is nothing at all, especially if it be spoken of so great a thing as God speaks. When he speaks of a kingdom, he means it seriously, that it is something great.
Therefore faith must rule here, and the understanding must be seen, which God means, which [reason] cannot attain. The Jews make a nose at him and say that he means such a rich, superfluous kingdom that the wine should be so good that the donkeys will eat grapes and wash clothes in the wine, so that everyone will want to bathe in it. But how 2) does the donkey rhyme with the grapes, or the garment with the wine? and where are the red eyes and white teeth? or when is this ever physically fulfilled? Therefore, this cannot be understood in any other way than spiritually, just as he is not a physical but a spiritual king. So that it is spoken of the preaching office through and through; as we have often said, that Christ's kingdom is not ruled otherwise than by the Holy Spirit with the gospel. All his sword, armor, strength and power is the word of God, as St. Paul says to Romans Cap. 1, 16: "I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God which saves all who believe in it.
18) This is all the glory and splendor of this king, that he has a powerless, despised word, which is condemned before all the world and trampled underfoot; but no one shall be saved, unless he believes 3) in it and holds it to be true.
2) Erlanger: what.
3) "denn" is missing in the Erlanger.
mightier than all the power of the world. It is indeed a mockery and foolishness before it, especially before the holy people; but nevertheless it does this so that the hearts that grasp it, stirred by the Holy Spirit, fall away from all other things that the world considers delicious, from all 1) idolatry and our works, and rely solely on God's grace. Thus everything on earth is destroyed, [it] tears us away from all things that are not God, which no human power is able to do. For there has never been a worldly power so great that it could rule the hearts, so that they would willingly let themselves be moved and led.
19 So he rules by the word and with the word in the hearts, that his royal rule is nothing else than the ministry of preaching, which was meant here so long before and had to be proclaimed by Jacob. That is why St. Paul praises it to the Romans at the beginning [v. 2], that it is proclaimed in the holy scriptures. Nothing more is known about Christ's kingdom than the gospel; it does not rule by sword or force, the word alone causes 2) the rumor that mother and daughter, father and son are separated, as Christ says [Matth. 10, 35].
(20) Now this is what Jacob says, "He will bind the ass to the vine"; namely, nothing else, but to bind his Christians to the holy word of God, so that they will drink from it. What GOD has spoken and written is the noble vine and branches, but we are the ass or fill. Thus He does not speak of great men, but of lowly, poor asses, to indicate that His kingdom is a kingdom of grace, as He also indicated on Palm Day, when He rode in, and took the dumb animal, the ass, to it [Matt. 21:7]. We, who live in the flesh, are called donkeys by the Scriptures, just as we are also coarse donkeys, because the donkey is equipped to carry, but goes slowly, so that he must always be driven. These are just his dear Christians on earth, arranged that we carry the holy cross, have on the neck the lazy rogue, the old Adam, who is not inclined to good, and only resists; he must be resisted, and
1) So from us herirbergenonmien from the old edition of Walch. In the other editions: all idolatry.
2) Erlanger: all.
He is afflicted by the cross until he dies. But he must stand on the staff and drink wine, that is, bound to the word that strengthens us, makes us drunk, joyful and bold, to suffer and die, that one may pass through without all fear.
(21) The same is also that which follows: "He shall wash his garment in wine, and his mantle in the blood of the vine," that is, in red grapes; as red wine is commonly found in the country, as red as blood. This is a strange kind of washing: if someone wanted to wash clothes and added blood to it, he would be considered nonsensical, as he would want to defile the clothes more than make them clean. Which, because it does not rhyme, as has been said, the text forces it to be understood of spiritual things, and is not spoken of otherwise than of the kingdom of Christ, which is its nature. The garment or mantle is us. Thus his kingdom stands in that it is but a bath; for we are not clean, but are made clean; it is not done, but is to be done; it is not of those who are perfect, but of those who must daily increase and continue. Therefore one must always preach and let the word go forth, so that one must always sweep, otherwise one would not be allowed to preach. For this washing and bathing cannot be done except through the word; this is the beautiful red wine, by which our consciences are cleansed without ceasing, as the apostles write, one should always increase in faith and love, [we] nevertheless remain no different than half men, flesh and blood is too deep within us.
22) Therefore the king has no other office than his robe and cloak, that is, his dear Christianity, which he adorns and adorns himself in; as he boasts in the prophet [Isa. 61:10]: I will adorn you as a bride puts on her robe and 4) ribbon. These are vain and strong sayings against the laws of men. For we cannot wash ourselves with the doctrines of men, but they must be washed in words; that is, they will be preached to, and by preaching they will believe, thereby they will be cleansed, and always more and more swept. Further:
3) Erlanger: not one.
4) "that" is missing in the Erlanger.
V. 12: His eyes are redder than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk.
(23) It is more fitting for a woman to be praised than for a king; it is fitting for her to be beautiful. A man's ornament would be better sword and armor. But because he thus comes into foolishness by speaking, he forces us to come from foolishness into his wisdom. "His eyes are reddish," he says, like strong red wine, and sets "red eyes" and "white teeth" against each other.
24. the eyes are those who preside over the word of God; for he still describes the preaching ministry and word, so that he may nourish and guide Christianity, and wants it to deal with it alone, and not know any other doctrine or rule. But the preachers who drive it, lead it, and have it in their hands are the eyes and teeth, that is, that a preacher should have two parts, preaching law and grace. Red or brown eyes are angry and serious; these are Christ's eyes, who is a bishop and overseer who allows no other preaching nor governing.
25 This is especially said about doctrine, for there is not so much in life. If one kept the doctrine pure, one could advise all things. God only gives grace that one preaches rightly; whether we do not all live rightly, one must bear patience. For it goes like this: where one preaches rightly, life goes on weakly, lazily and slowly; again, where one deceives people with false doctrine, it does not go on at all. For where the teaching is not right, the life that follows the teaching cannot be right either.
26 Therefore "the eyes" are preachers and apostles; they are red like strong wine, that is, sharp, so that they punish everything that is not pure doctrine, that is, that does not teach faith and love. But "the teeth" are they which bite, and yet are white as milk, which is sweet. Thus whimsical speech he performs before great delight in the kingdom of Christ. Now these are the same preachers who bite and punish when one is already in the faith, that one may receive the pure doctrine, rebuking by the law all men's doings, and then letting come up the pure faith. After that, when Christians have become believers, they do nothing, but always punish.
Yet they are sweet, pure and pure as milk; they are not poisonous or false, they do not seek their own, they desire nothing but the benefit and improvement of others; they are sharp, but they mean well; they do not pretend, but act sincerely, right and wrong. Teeth like milk are called candidi dentes, whereas they are called lividos dentes, rotten and poisonous teeth that are not pure. The pure also punish and rebuke, but mean it warmly and brotherly; as St. Paul also punishes the Corinthians, item, the Galatians.
(27) Behold, by such whimsical speech, so flowered and adorned, he so masterfully shows the whole kingdom of Christ, how it is not at all in bodily things, but only that the doctrine alone is right, and leads to the true faith, to this also the preachers who hold about it. If only this is done correctly, God can have patience with life. It is not so much a matter of the hearers as of the teachers; for the hearers are soon judged whether they live rightly or not.
Therefore, no greater mercy and greater gift can come, than that God sends right preachers who are faithful, and who fight the false teachers. Again, no greater plague nor heartache than when He takes away the right ones, lets false teachers arise with blue, poisonous teeth. Let us watch and beware of them. They are already there, and are tearing in; yes, even among us there are those who already are, or will become so. We have the gospel, we know what to do, how to believe and how to love; but we are soon choked and dead; so it is very soon that everything becomes full of false preachers again. Therefore, let us give thanks to God, and pray that it may remain pure, and ward off the false, seducing spirits.
(29) This is the noble text of the kingdom of Christ, how it should be done in the right understanding of the holy gospel, which is never to be praised enough; [it] is so great that a Christian heart must marvel at it; [it] does and accomplishes so much that no one can measure [it] enough, of which we have always preached, nor have anything else to preach. Therefore also the holy patriarch
so funny talked about it, to the very best he could and knew.
(30) Conclude therefore from this text that Christ has come; for the preaching has long since begun, which makes men so bold and joyful that they fear neither death nor the devil, and are able to bear the holy cross, having for this purpose fine, pure, and sharp preachers; as it was first fulfilled by the apostles and martyrs. Now that the preaching has begun, we can finely prove that we have the King, because so many nations have fallen to him, who happily shed blood for his sake and proved such righteous doctrine.
(31) Behold, these things God made known to Judah beforehand, and promised. This is also the main part of the whole chapter. For though he gives his blessing to the whole family, to all twelve tribes, to each of them, yet they were all done and written for the sake of the chief blessing, that Christ should come from the tribe of Judah. Therefore what follows is a temporal thing, which is proclaimed to the others, as it was to the first two, Simeon and Levi.
32 But it is long since God gives all things out of pure grace, and no one is overcome by his labor, toil, and prudence, for He tells them beforehand how they should fare before they are born, so that one may learn what happens to everyone is decreed by God from eternity, both how each one should live and how each one should die.
It is not man's reason or action, but God's will and order, whether it be good or evil. We let ourselves think that it is according to our dreams when something happens, think that we have done wisely, or that we have been deceived. [We should be ashamed of ourselves, if we look at this text rightly, that we think it is how we do it, not how he does it. If then I know that everything goes as he orders it, and nothing is encountered, it is so provided by him, and skillfully: what then shall we make of it? [We must say, you want it that way. Because we do not do this, we grumble about it and want to master God. So now we want to pass over the other blessings completely, even though they are not difficult.
But the Christians have fallen into it and have darkened it with their interpretation.
V. 13: Zebulun shall dwell at the fords of the sea, and at the fords of the ships, and shall come upon Sidon.
034 What may Jacob make of it useless words? The word "fords the sea and borders Sidon" is no more than a promise to Zebulun, that he should keep the border that is on the sea and go as far as Sidon. This is what the landers know, how and where the great sea, on which one ships from Venice to Jerusalem, comes up against the land where one starts. How and when they took the land, one reads in the book of Joshua now and then.
Now this is a temporal thing, but it is a spiritual thing, as it is said that God not only gives what belongs to the soul, but also orders and sends good government and all things in the flesh, so that nothing can happen without His order. That the princes of Saxony have this land is not their power, but God's order and will, who says: So far be Lord, and no further. So, as Paul says in the Histories [Apost. 17:26], that he measures out the extent of every ruler's rule, but despite the fact that it could take up more than a hair's breadth, 2) that what everyone has he has and must take from the hand of God, who has the power of all things, though the world does not recognize it; just as the Jews did not recognize it, thinking that they did it by their sword. Thus he says above: Yes, if I did not do it, you would not have a hair's breadth.
We Christians must know this if we believe that he is the Creator of heaven and earth, that without his knowledge and will no hair falls from anyone's head [Luc. 21:18] and that he cannot have a morsel of bread unless he gives it. It is never enough to learn, although it is easy to say. If we believed it and held it to be true, we would not care for anything, nor would we be afraid, but
1) Jenaer and Erlanger: one.
2) In the old editions: "trotz ober das sie mehr ein harbreit künd einnemen". - "ober" seems to us to be a misprint instead of: "aber", which we have set.
Let him do it, and wait for everything from his hand. But because we do not believe, we think he is far from us, wants us to take care of ourselves and think how we get what we need. Let this be given to Zebulun, and let him not reach nor reach further.
V. 14, 15: Issachar shall be a legged ass, and shall lie down between the borders. And he saw the rest that it is good, and the land that it is pleasant, and hath straitened his shoulders to bear, and is become an interest-bearing servant.
(37) This is not preached for the common man, but for the profound who study the Scriptures. To this tribe he gives a blessing: He shall have fine land, but he shall be a servant, and he shall be able to pay interest. The land is in the midst of Canaan, of a fertile soil, as Zebulun and Naphtali also; but it is in the border, where the heathen abut; therefore it should be contested for ever, and give the Assyrian king womb and interest. [So he will say, Thou seest it, and knowest it, that it is a goodly land; but thou shalt not be master therein. As if he should say: You will eat and drink and have all abundance, but you will not be grateful to God; therefore you will have to give it to other people and let them eat it. Now this is seen in history, how they are beaten by kings, have never saved the race, [it] has always remained under the kings of Syria and Assyria. So it has become true that he would be a legged ass, that is, who would have to bear great burdens and be oppressed, bear more burdens than he would be able to.
V. 16-18. Dan shall be a judge among his people, as a generation in Israel. Dan shall become a serpent in the way, and an adder in the stairs, and shall bite the horse in the heels, that his rider may fall back. Lord, I wait for your salvation.
(38) This is the reason why we must act, so that we may avoid loose talk and fables. For they carry about a book of the Antichrist, wherein it is said that he shall be born of the tribe of Dan, because it is written, "He shall be a serpent and an adder in the way." But it is all foolishness. The Antichrist shall not come from the Jews;
We already have the right one, of which Paul says [2 Thess. 2, 3.], the pope of Rome. But it is well said that the twelve families should be scattered abroad, and never arise, nor be gathered together, and become so strong that they should be called a principality. The Scripture is scanty, that they should come to naught, and have no regiment; as the 110th Psalm, v. 6, prophesies, "God shall bruise the head of the enemies."
But the kingdom of the Antichrist, because it is such a power that overcomes all the world, cannot come from it, but must have another origin, as St. Paul says. When the Roman Empire is gone, it will arise.
040 Thus he saith, Dan also shall become a judge like the rest. This is fulfilled in the strong hero Samson, in the book of the judges; he is just the one he is talking about here: The serpent in the way, and the adder in the path, that biteth the horse in his heels, and the rider falleth back: that is, he goeth forth, and putteth rider and horse to shame: as he did to the Philistines. [He] was a few men, without any stuff, he sneaked and attacked them, and drove them all back. So this is the allegory of this history, so Samson did, how often he broke in with his own person, and struck the Philistines, so that no one could resist him. See the fifteenth and sixteenth chapters of the book of Judges.
41) When Jacob intervenes and says, "Lord, I am waiting for your salvation," he is referring to Christ, as if to say, "This is how it will be among the people, so long will the serpent reign, if God would have your Christ here soon!
V. 19. Gab, equipped, will lead the army, and lead it around again.
(42) Of this read the history of the book of Joshua, how they went before Israel, and were at the head.
V. 20. From Asher comes his fat bread, and he will give cute food to the kings.
43. eaters shall have the blessing of sitting in a delicious land of grain, and shall be rich.
V. 21. Naphtali is a quick deer, and gives pretty speech.
44) The story in the book of Judges [Cap. 4, 4. ff.] reads about the prophetess Deborah and Barak from this family, how they defeated the great royal captain 1) Sissera with a small army, came shortly after him, as nimble and fast as a deer. Of this they make a pretty spiritual song, there [Cap. 5.] described. These are the ten sons of Leah and the two maidens.
V. 22-26: To look at the blessed child Joseph, the blessed child, the daughters come along in the regiment. And even though the archers have embittered him, quarreled with him, and hated him 2c.
(45) That it may be understood, I have said before, that God divided the land and the people into twelve parts according to the twelve brethren, and to every one was given his portion. But the family of Levi he withdrew. So he made the royal family come to Judah until Christ, who made a spiritual kingdom out of it; but the kingdom was divided into two parts, one of them led by Judah, the other by Joseph or Ephraim. Judah retained only two families, the other ten all fell there; the latter was the least, yet the best; the latter was the most powerful, yet not so good. For Judah had many pious kings, but Ephraim never had a pious one; therefore God punished them and cut them off, so that at last the ten families were scattered and never came together again.
46 Now Jacob speaks here of the great kingdom of Ephraim, but nothing but of the temporal regime, that it was a fine people and rich, and that it should prosper because there were many among the people who belonged to God's kingdom. For it also had many excellent prophets, so it had to be lucky that the kings were pious or not; but the text is a little dark.
47. "Joseph (says he) is the dear child," binds the two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, to each other to One Person; "and is a blessed child," that is, the people of Joseph will be a fine people, according to the temporal regi-
1) Thus the Jena. Wittenberg and Erlangen: König.
not because of his person, that he was a beautiful boy, but because of his tribe, blood and flesh. For it was such a beautiful kingdom that other kings marveled, of skillful, wise men and fine prophets. But the daughters are called in the Scriptures, Cities and spots of the land; as it is written in Matthew [Cap. 21, 5.], "Tell the daughter Zion," that is, Jerusalem. So now he wants to say: The cities in the kingdom are well ordered in the regiment, [it] has gone fine in the swing and good peace, and prospered well, which is a great treasure and grace in a country. For what God praises as a fine regiment does not have to be something small.
48 The kingdom shall have this grace above others, that it may have a good, well-ordered regiment. And not only that, but also, if other kings set upon it than those of Syria and Assyria, to contend with it and bring it under themselves, it shall have no need; its bow and arm shall remain firm and strong, and always prevail; as the histories of [the] kings show. Although they are often contested, they have nevertheless won and preserved the regiment, but they have remained firm and emancipated; not by their forces (for they were often scarcely a tenth as strong and much as the enemies), but "by the hands (he says) of the Mighty One in Jacob." Thus we read of King Ahab, who was a wicked man in the sight of God, but a fine man in the sight of the world, how he slew in one day a hundred thousand men with a small company [1 Kings 20:27-29].
49] Further, "out of them shall come shepherds and stones in Israel. These are the great, fine prophets, Elijah, Elisha, Micah, and others; these were the cornerstones on which they were to rely.
50. further, he wants to say, this blessing does not happen to you because of your merit, or because of your fathers; [it] is a pure blessing of God, what you have. "With blessings from heaven, and from the deep"; that is, the sun shall shine upon thee, rain, 2) thunder, cold, and hot, as it is profitable for the earth: [it] shall all serve thee, even the deep or waters shall be
2) In the old editions: rain.
Moisten the land, and give steam, that the rain may come down from heaven. In addition also "with blessing in breasts and bellies", thus, that everything should be pregnant, bring fruit, and suckle, which has only bellies and breasts. Thus everything is written in colorful words; what can be fruitful of men and cattle, all shall multiply and have enough. [So much is said: The bearing of children, the bringing forth of cattle, and the prospering, and the grain in the field, are not all ours, but are God's grace and blessing.
51 Item: "The blessing promised to your father (says he) and to my forefathers is great. To me and to my fathers the blessing is promised, that we should possess the land with all the fullness of blessing, that [it] should be a goodly kingdom, all things sufficient and prosperous, and orderly, with strife and peace. "According to the desire of the high ones in the world," that is, as all kings and princes, and what is high, desire. So this blessing did not extend further than the kingdom of the flesh. And all things are thus written, that we may know how it is ordered of God beforehand, that he should give it, and we should not, and that no man should boast that it is his work, skill, and prudence. Everything must be His blessing. If it is not a blessing, it gives and creates nothing; but if it is given, it is purely God's blessing. Thus, God draws to Himself all the goods that we have in body and soul.
52. to the last he says, "out of Joseph shall be chiefs, and chief Nazirites among his brethren." That was Elijah and Elisha, [these] have ruled like the chiefs; in addition Nazirite, of which Moses writes [4th book, Cap. 6, 2. ff.]; that were fleshly saints, holy prophets, ordered to rule and teach the people, as also the prophet Samuel was. Thus the lineage is blessed, that it shall be well endowed with rulers, fine men, and all manner of abundance. Although they lacked in not serving God properly, yet they received the blessing of the flesh because of this patriarch.
V. 27. Benjamin a ravening wolf; in the morning he will devour prey, but in the evening he will divide the spoil.
What the text wants, I do not know too certainly. It would like to be understood of the king Saul, or also St. Paulo, because they both were of this tribe. But because the blessing is bodily, I mean in the simplest way that it speaks of King Saul, who was the first king, and fought against Amalek, and laid him low, and distributed the spoil [1 Sam. 14:47, 48]. Whoever wants to make it spiritual, and draw on St. Paul, may do so, so that he was a ravening wolf; first, when he persecuted Christianity, Apost. 8, 3. 9, 1. ff., but after that he was converted, ate up the plunder and distributed it, that is, he stole souls from the devil and the world and brought them to Christ, and accomplished much good in Christianity, yes, he preached to almost the largest part of the world alone 1) and made them Christians. That is why I do not mind understanding the text from him. For God has generally given a tribe one man, or two or three, by whom the whole lineage would be blessed. Therefore, these blessings are not to be drawn on all kinds of persons, but on one or two. So we read of no one from the tribe of Benjamin who was or did anything special, except for King Saul and the apostle Paul. Item, of the citizens of Gibeah, as it is written in the book of Judges [Cap. 20, 15].
54. Let this then be the summary of this chapter: How everything that happens is done by God's decree, that it must go this way and no other way, suggest it as you will, and no one can obtain it by his reason or work, nor can anyone hinder it, but all the world shut up, and boast nothing of its good. If you have anything, know that it is his blessing alone; if anything is taken from you, it is all, by a farthing, ordered and provided by him, that [it] must go thus.
1) Thus the Jena. In the other editions: preached.