Genesis 49 · Verse 26

Genesis 49:26

The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.

Genesis 49:26, King James Version

Genesis 49:26 in other translations

BSB	The blessings of your father have surpassed the blessings of the ancient mountains and the bounty of the everlasting hills. May they rest on the head of Joseph, on the brow of the prince of his brothers.
WEB	The blessings of your father have prevailed above the blessings of my ancestors, above the boundaries of the ancient hills. They will be on the head of Joseph, on the crown of the head of him who is separated from his brothers.
ASV	The blessings of thy father Have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors Unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: They shall be on the head of Joseph, And on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.
YLT	Thy father's blessings have been mighty Above the blessings of my progenitors, Unto the limit of the heights age-during They are for the head of Joseph, And for the crown of the one Separate from his brethren.
DARBY	The blessings of thy father surpass the blessings of my ancestors, Unto the bounds of the everlasting hills: They shall be on the head of Joseph, And on the crown of the head of him that was separated from his brethren.
BBE	Blessings of sons, old and young, to the father: blessings of the oldest mountains and the fruit of the eternal hills: let them come on the head of Joseph, on the crown of him who was separate from his brothers.
Webster	The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills; they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.

What does Genesis 49:26 mean?

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 26 The blessing of thy father, etc. - The blessings which thy father now prays for and pronounces are neither temporal nor transitory; they shall exceed in their duration the eternal mountains, and in their value and spiritual nature all the conveniences, comforts, and delicacies which the everlasting hills can produce. They shall last when the heavens and the earth are no more, and shall extend throughout eternity. They are the blessings which shall be communicated to the world by means of the Messiah. The Jerusalem Targum paraphrases the place thus: "The blessing of this father shall be added unto the blessings wherewith thy fathers Abraham and Isaac, who are likened to mountains, have blessed thee; and they shall exceed the blessings of the four mothers, Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, and Leah, who are likened to the hills: all these blessings shall be a crown of magnificence on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him who was a prince and governor in the land of Egypt." 27. Benjamin is a ravenous wolf: In the morning he shall devour the prey, And in the evening he shall divide the spoil. This tribe is very fitly compared to a ravenous wolf, because of the rude courage and ferocity which they have invariably displayed, particularly in their war with the other tribes, in which they killed more men than the whole of their own numbers amounted to. "This last tribe," says Dr. Hales, "is compared to a wolf for its ferocious and martial disposition, such as was evinced by their contests with the other tribes, in which, after two victories, they were almost exterminated, Judges 19, 20." Its union with the tribe of Judah seems to be intimated in their joint conquests, expressed nearly in the same terms: "Judah went up from the prey;" "Benjamin devoured the prey." Moses in his parallel prophecy, Deu 33:12, confirms this by signifying that the sanctuary should be fixed in his lot, and that he should continue as long as the existence of the temple itself: - The Beloved Of The Lord shall dwell with him in safety, And shall cover him all the day long, And shall dwell between his shoulders. Deu 33:12. In the morning, etc. - These expressions have been variously understood. The sense given above is that in which the principal interpreters agree; but Houbigant protests against the prophecy signifying the continuance of this tribe, as the words, "in the morning devouring the prey," and "in the evening dividing the spoil," are supposed to imply; "because," he observes, "after the return from the Babylonish captivity, this tribe is no more mentioned." But this may be accounted for from the circumstance of its being associated with that of Judah, (see 1Kgs 12:21-24), after which it is scarcely ever mentioned but in that union. Being thus absorbed in the tribe of Judah, it continued from the morning till the evening of the Jewish dispensation, and consequently till the Lion of the tribe of Judah was seen in the wilderness of Israel. In the morning, according to Mr. Ainsworth, "signifies the first times; for Ehud of Benjamin was the second judge that saved the Israelites from the hands of the Moabites, Jdg 3:15, etc. Saul of Benjamin was the first king of Israel; he and his son were great warriors, making a prey of many enemies, 1Sam 11:6, 1Sam 11:7, 1Sam 11:11; 1Sam 14:13, 1Sam 14:15, 1Sam 14:47, 1Sam 14:48. And the evening, the latter times; for Mordecai and Esther of Benjamin delivered the Jews from a great destruction, and slew their enemies, Est 8:7, Est 8:9, Est 8:11; Est 9:5, Est 9:6, Est 9:15, Est 9:16."

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Genesis 49:22-27

The blessing of Joseph is very full. What Jacob says of him, is history as well as prophecy. Jacob reminds him of the difficulties and fiery darts of temptations he had formerly struggled through. His faith did not fail, but through his trials he bore all his burdens with firmness, and did not do anything unbecoming. All our strength for resisting temptations, and bearing afflictions, comes from God; his grace is…

Read the full comment on Genesis 49:22-27 →

Genesis 49:26 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

בִּרְכֹ֣תbir.Khot[the] blessings ofH1293

אָבִ֗יךָ'a.Vi.khafather yourH1

גָּֽבְרוּ֙ga.ve.Ruthey have prevailedH1396

עַל\־'al-overH5921

בִּרְכֹ֣תbir.Khot[the] blessings ofH1293

הוֹרַ֔יho.Rai[the men who] conceived meH2029

עַֽד\־'ad-toH5704

תַּאֲוַ֖תta.'a.Vatdesire ofH8379

גִּבְעֹ֣תgiv.'Othills ofH1389

עוֹלָ֑םo.LamantiquityH5769

תִּֽהְיֶ֙ין֙tih.Yeinmay they be[long]H1961

לְרֹ֣אשׁle.Roshto [the] head ofH7218

יוֹסֵ֔ףyo.SefJosephH3130

וּלְקָדְקֹ֖דu.le.ka.de.Kodand to the scalpH6936

נְזִ֥ירne.Zir[the] prince ofH5139

אֶחָֽיו\׃\ \פ'e.Chavbrothers hisH251

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Genesis 49:26

Deuteronomy 33:15-16
And for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills, And for the precious things of the earth and fulness thereof, and for the good will of him that dwelt in the bush: let the blessing come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him that was separated from his brethren.
Habakkuk 3:6
He stood, and measured the earth: he beheld, and drove asunder the nations; and the everlasting mountains were scattered, the perpetual hills did bow: his ways are everlasting.
Numbers 6:2
Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When either man or woman shall separate themselves to vow a vow of a Nazarite, to separate themselves unto the Lord:
Isaiah 66:5
Hear the word of the Lord, ye that tremble at his word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name’s sake, said, Let the Lord be glorified: but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed.
Genesis 27:39-40
And Isaac his father answered and said unto him, Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above; And by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck.
Psalms 132:18
His enemies will I clothe with shame: but upon himself shall his crown flourish.
Psalms 105:17-22
He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant: Whose feet they hurt with fetters: he was laid in iron: Until the time that his word came: the word of the Lord tried him. The king sent and loosed him; even the ruler of the people, and let him go free. …
Psalms 89:36
His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before me.
Isaiah 54:10
For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee.
Genesis 28:3-4
And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people; And give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee; that thou mayest inherit the land wherein thou art a stranger, which God gave unto Abraham.
Ezekiel 37:25-26
And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children’s children for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever. Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore.
Jonah 2:6
I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O Lord my God.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

have prevailed.
27:27-29,39,40; 28:3,4; Eph 1:3
everlasting hills.
De 33:15; Ps 89:36; Isa 54:10; Eze 37:25,26; Jon 2:6; Hab 3:6
they shall.
De 33:16; Ps 132:18
was separate.
37:28; Nu 6:2; Ps 105:17-22; Isa 66:5; Ac 7:9

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

Genesis 49:25
Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb:
Genesis 49:26
The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.
Genesis 49:27
Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf: in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil.

Read all of Genesis 49

Genesis 49:26 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Las bendiciones de tu padre fueron mayores que las bendiciones de mis progenitores: hasta el término de los collados eternos serán sobre la cabeza de José, y sobre la mollera del Nazareo de sus hermanos.
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Les bénédictions de ton père surpassent les bénédictions de mes ancêtres jusqu’au bout des collines éternelles; elles seront sur la tête de Joseph, et sur le sommet de la tête de celui qui a été mis à part de ses frères.
German Elberfelder 1871	Die Segnungen deines Vaters überragen die Segnungen meiner Voreltern bis zur Grenze der ewigen Hügel. Sie werden sein auf dem Haupte Josephs und auf dem Scheitel des Abgesonderten unter seinen Brüdern.
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Benedictiones patris tui confortatæ sunt benedictionibus patrum ejus, donec veniret desiderium collium æternorum: fiant in capite Joseph, et in vertice Nazaræi inter fratres suos.