(These notes were made by Kate Birss as part of her study for the sermon she preached on November 6 at Look to the Cross in Edmonton. For more on Joseph's brothers, see her sermon notes in the entry before this one, and the entries of October 31-November 4 and November 16-18.)
Kate’s extra study notes on Joseph’s family
Genesis 29 & 30 - The sons of Jacob
v. 31 God opened Leah’s womb because she was hated, presumably by Jacob (as indicated in v. 30).
Leah had:
1- Reuben – Leah said, "Because the LORD has looked upon my affliction; for now my husband will love me."
2- Simeon- Leah said, "Because the LORD had heard that I am hated, he has given me this son also."
3- Levi- Leah said, "Now this time my husband will be attached to me, because I have born him three sons."
4- Judah- Leah said, "This time I will praise the LORD."
Then she ceased bearing. (v. 35)
"Give me children or I shall die!" -Rachel
Jacob's anger was kindled against Rachel. Rachel gave him her servant Bilhah.
Bilhah had:
5- Dan - Rachel said, "God has judged me, and has also heard my voice and given me a son."
6- Naphtali - Rachel said, "With mighty wrestling I have wrestled with my sister and have prevailed."
Leah saw that she had ceased bearing children and gave her servant Zilpah to Jacob.
Zilpah had:
7- Gad - Leah said, "Good fortune has come!"
8- Asher - Leah said, "Happy am I! For women have called me happy!"
V.15 - Leah had bitterness and unforgiveness toward her sister Rachel.
V.16 - What an insult and sign of disrespect for Leah to "hire" Jacob with mandrakes. What does it say that Jacob would submit to such an insult, for he does go and lie with her, and it doesn't say he gets angry. Also, what an insult from Rachel this must have been to have "hired out" her husband for mandrakes (Was this a common superstition of the day?). Then God gave Leah a son out of it all!
Leah had:
9- Issachar - Leah said, "God has given me my wages because I gave my servant to my husband."
What does this mean? Is she saying it was a good thing for her to have given her servant to her husband?
10- Zebulum - Leah said, "God has endowed me with a good endowment; now my husband will honour me, because I have born him six sons."
v.22, "Then God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb."
Rachel had:
11- Joseph - Rachel said, "God has taken away my reproach." and, "May the LORD add to me another son!"
12- Ben-oni – name given by Rachel that could mean son of my sorrow, or son of my strength. Benjamin – the name he keeps, given by his father (only son to have been named by father instead of mother) – meaning son of the right hand.
Genesis 49:1,2 ESV
Then Jacob called his sons and said, "Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you what shall happen to you in days to come.
"Assemble and listen, O sons of Jacob, listen to Israel your father.
Leah’s children – the older kids
1-Reuben
Gen. 35:22 – Reuben sinfully sleeps with Bilhah, his father’s concubine.
Israel’s dying word on his son Reuben:
Genesis 49:3,4 ESV
"Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the firstfruits of my strength, preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power.
Unstable as water, you shall not have preeminence, because you went up to your father's bed; then you defiled it--he went up to my couch!”
2-Simeon
Gen. 34:30 – Simeon and Levi bring their father trouble when they killed all the males of the city of Shechem in defense of their sister Dinah. This happens after the birth of Joseph and before the birth of Benjamin. Later, as Israel is dying and blessing his sons, he curses Simeon and Levi for their violence. (Gen.49:5-7)
Israel’s dying word on his sons Simeon and Levi:
Genesis 49:5-7 ESV
"Simeon and Levi are brothers; weapons of violence are their swords.
Let my soul come not into their council; O my glory, be not joined to their company. For in their anger they killed men, and in their willfulness they hamstrung oxen.
Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce, and their wrath, for it is cruel! I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel.
3-Levi
(See above notes about Simeon and Levi.)
4-Judah
Gen. 37:26 – Judah convinces his brothers to sell Joseph to the Ishmaelites,
and Gen. 38 – the story of Judah and his daughter-in-law Tamar.
Israel’s dying words on his son Judah:
Genesis 49:8-12 ESV
"Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father's sons shall bow down before you.
Judah is a lion's cub; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down; he crouched as a lion and as a lioness; who dares rouse him?
The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.
Binding his foal to the vine and his donkey's colt to the choice vine, he has washed his garments in wine and his vesture in the blood of grapes.
His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk.”
Bilhah’s children
5-Dan
Gen. 37:2b – Joseph grows up with Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.
Israel’s dying words on his son Dan:
Genesis 49:16-18 ESV
"Dan shall judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel.
Dan shall be a serpent in the way, a viper by the path, that bites the horse's heels so that his rider falls backward.
I wait for your salvation, O LORD.”
6-Naphtali
(See above note about Joseph, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.)
Israel’s dying words on his son Naphtali:
Genesis 49:21 ESV
"Naphtali is a doe let loose that bears beautiful fawns.”
Zilpah’s children
7-Gad
(See above note about Joseph, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.)
Israel’s dying words on his son Gad:
Genesis 49:19 ESV
"Raiders shall raid Gad, but he shall raid at their heels.”
8-Asher
(See above note about Joseph, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.)
Israel’s dying words on his son Asher:
Genesis 49:20 ESV
"Asher's food shall be rich, and he shall yield royal delicacies.”
Leah’s later children (“bought” with mandrakes)
9-Issachar
Israel’s dying words on his son Issachar:
Genesis 49:14,15 ESV
"Issachar is a strong donkey, crouching between the sheepfolds.
He saw that a resting place was good, and that the land was pleasant, so he bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant at forced labor.”
10-Zebulun
Israel’s dying words on his son Zebulun:
Genesis 49:13 ESV
"Zebulun shall dwell at the shore of the sea; he shall become a haven for ships, and his border shall be at Sidon.”
Rachel’s children
11-Joseph
It is mentioned in Gen. 37:2, at the very beginning of the story of Joseph, that he was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah – Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.
Joseph is 17 years old when his story begins.
Gen. 41:45 – Pharaoh renames Joseph “Zaphenath-panea.” (tsof-nath' pah-nay'-akh)
Abraham, Sarah, and Israel are all renamed by God. Joseph, here, is renamed by Pharaoh. This is interesting to note.
Joseph’s children with Asenath:
Manasseh – “for God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father’s house.” (v.51)
Ephraim – “for God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction” (v.52) Ephraim, though he is the younger of the two brothers, is later bless by his grandfather Israel as the greater of the two brothers (Gen. 48:19)
Note- Manasseh and Ephraim are later adopted by Israel (Gen. 48:5,6). “They shall be called by the name of their brothers in their inheritance.” (v.6)
Israel’s dying words on his son Joseph:
Genesis 49:22-26 ESV
"Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a spring; his branches run over the wall.
The archers bitterly attacked him, shot at him, and harassed him severely,
yet his bow remained unmoved; his arms were made agile by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob (from there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel),
by the God of your father who will help you, by the Almighty who will bless you with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that crouches beneath, blessings of the breasts and of the womb.
The blessings of your father are mighty beyond the blessings of my parents, up to the bounties of the everlasting hills. May they be on the head of Joseph, and on the brow of him who was set apart from his brothers.”
12-Benjamin
Benjamin is the only son who is named by his father instead of his mother. Technically, his mother does give him a name – Benoi – but the name he keeps is the one his father gives him.
Israel’s dying words on his son Benjamin:
Genesis 49:27,28 ESV
"Benjamin is a ravenous wolf, in the morning devouring the prey and at evening dividing the spoil."
All these are the twelve tribes of Israel. This is what their father said to them as he blessed them, blessing each with the blessing suitable to him.
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