Genesis 49 · Verse 5

Genesis 49:5

Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations.

Genesis 49:5, King James Version

Genesis 49:5 in other translations

BSB	Simeon and Levi are brothers; their swords are weapons of violence.
WEB	“Simeon and Levi are brothers. Their swords are weapons of violence.
ASV	Simeon and Levi are brethren; Weapons of violence are their swords.
YLT	Simeon and Levi are brethren! Instruments of violence--their espousals!
DARBY	Simeon and Levi are brethren: Instruments of violence their swords.
BBE	Simeon and Levi are brothers; deceit and force are their secret designs.
Webster	Simeon and Levi are brethren: instruments of cruelty are in, their habitations.

What does Genesis 49:5 mean?

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 5 Simeon and Levi are brethren - Not only springing from the same parents, but they have the same kind or disposition, head-strong, deceitful, vindictive, and cruel. They have accomplished, etc. - Our margin has it, Their swords are weapons of violence, i. e., Their swords, which they should have used in defense of their persons or the honorable protection of their families, they have employed in the base and dastardly murder of an innocent people. The Septuagint gives a different turn to this line from our translation, and confirms the translation given above: Συνετελεσαν αδικια εξαιρεσεως αυτων· They have accomplished the iniquity of their purpose; with which the Samaritan Version agrees. In the Samaritan text we read calu, they have accomplished, instead of the Hebrew כלי keley, weapons or instruments, which reading most critics prefer: and as to מכרתיהם mecherotheyhem, translated above their fraudulent purposes, and which our translation on almost no authority renders their habitations, it must either come from the Ethiopic מכר macar, he counselled, devised stratagems, etc., (see Castel), or from the Arabic macara, he deceived, practiced deceit, plotted, etc., which is nearly of the same import. This gives not only a consistent but evidently the true sense.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Genesis 49:3-7

Reuben was the first-born; but by gross sin, he forfeited the birthright. The character of Reuben is, that he was unstable as water. Men do not thrive, because they do not fix. Reuben's sin left a lasting infamy upon his family. Let us never do evil, then we need not fear being told of it. Simeon and Levi were passionate and revengeful. The murder of the Shechemites is a proof of this. Jacob protested against that…

Read the full comment on Genesis 49:3-7 →

Genesis 49:5 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.

שִׁמְע֥וֹןshim.'onSimeonH8095

וְלֵוִ֖יve.le.Viand LeviH3878

אַחִ֑ים'a.Chim[are] brothersH251

כְּלֵ֥יke.Lei[are] weapons ofH3627

חָמָ֖סcha.MasviolenceH2555

מְכֵרֹתֵיהֶֽם\׃me.khe.ro.tei.Hemswords theirH4380

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

Cross references for Genesis 49:5

Genesis 34:25-31
And it came to pass on the third day, when they were sore, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brethren, took each man his sword, and came upon the city boldly, and slew all the males. And they slew Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah out of Shechem’s house, and went out. The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and spoiled the city, because they had defiled their sister. They took their sheep, and their oxen, and their asses, and that which was in the city, and that which was in the field, …
Genesis 29:33-34
And she conceived again, and bare a son; and said, Because the Lord hath heard that I was hated, he hath therefore given me this son also: and she called his name Simeon. And she conceived again, and bare a son; and said, Now this time will my husband be joined unto me, because I have born him three sons: therefore was his name called Levi.
Genesis 46:10-11
And the sons of Simeon; Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanitish woman. And the sons of Levi; Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
Proverbs 18:9
He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Simeon.
29:33,34; 34:25-31; 46:10,11; Pr 18:9
instruments, etc. or, their swords are weapons of violence.
34:25-29,31

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

Context

Genesis 49:4
Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father’s bed; then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch.
Genesis 49:5
Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations.
Genesis 49:6
O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall.

Read all of Genesis 49

Genesis 49:5 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Simeón y Leví, hermanos: armas de iniquidad sus armas.
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Siméon et Lévi sont frères. Leurs glaives ont été des instruments de violence.
German Elberfelder 1871	Simeon und Levi sind Brüder, Werkzeuge der Gewalttat ihre Waffen.
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Simeon et Levi fratres vasa iniquitatis bellantia.