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Genesis 49 Bible study: The scepter will not depart from Judah

Jacob spoke over all twelve sons, now called "the twelve tribes of Israel". Reuben, Simeon and Levi heard their sins named. To Judah he said, "The scepter will not depart from Judah", and Revelation calls Jesus "the Lion who is of the tribe of Judah". In the middle he prayed, "I have waited for your salvation, LORD." Then he was gathered to his people.

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“The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs. The obedience of the peoples will be to him.”
Genesis 49:10 · World English Bible

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“Jacob blessed all twelve sons, even Reuben, Simeon and Levi.”

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What's really going on

"That which will happen to you in the days to come"

In the text

Jacob calls his sons: "Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which will happen to you in the days to come" (49:1). He speaks to each son in turn, from Reuben to Benjamin (49:3-27). Then the text sums it up: "All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father spoke to them, and blessed them. He blessed everyone according to his own blessing" (49:28).

Where it leads to Jesus

A promise kept

Interpretation

Genesis 49:9-10leads toRevelation 5:5

"Judah is a lion’s cub... The scepter will not depart from Judah" (49:9-10). Revelation calls Jesus "the Lion who is of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David" (Revelation 5:5), taking up Judah's lion title, and Hebrews says, "our Lord has sprung out of Judah" (Hebrews 7:14). The New Testament doesn't quote the scepter line, so reading 49:10 as fulfilled in Jesus is an interpretation many Christians make; how "until he comes to whom it belongs" is meant is read in more than one way (see the honest question on 49:10).

Honest questions

Questions people ask about Genesis 49

That was a taste

The rest of Genesis 49 is waiting in Favor

  • The three oldest lose their place
  • Judah, the lion and the scepter
  • Joseph, and the end
  • A scepter in the latter days
  • "Our Lord has sprung out of Judah"
  • 16 questions as you read
  • 6 more Hebrew words
  • A short check at the end
  • Your notes, saved as you go
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The Hebrew word behind it

שֵׁבֶטshevetsay SHEH-vet

"Rod, staff, club, sceptre", and "tribe" (Brown-Driver-Briggs). "The scepter will not depart from Judah" (49:10). It appears three times in Genesis, all in this chapter: the "scepter" of 49:10, "one of the tribes of Israel" (49:16), and "the twelve tribes of Israel" (49:28). Balaam uses it in "A scepter will rise out of Israel" (Numbers 24:17).

For your group

Genesis 49 Bible study questions

  1. 1Reuben, Simeon and Levi heard their past named at the end of their father's life. How does what we do follow us, and where does grace come in?
  2. 2In the middle of speaking to his sons, Jacob said, "I have waited for your salvation, LORD." What are you waiting on God for?
  3. 3The scepter was promised to Judah, the brother who once said "let's sell him" and later offered himself. What does that tell you about the kind of people God uses?

Leading a group? In Favor, everyone reads Genesis 49 during the week and answers these questions privately. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together, and you can print the week's sheet.

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Questions

What is Favor?

Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the Hebrew and Greek behind the words, the details most readers miss, and how each part of the Bible leads to Jesus. Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church.

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