"my first child after I became a man"
"You are first in honor and power" or "You surpass everyone else in honor and power"
"you shall not be first among your brothers"
"because you went to my bed and slept with Bilhah my concubine. You have shamed me"
This does not just mean they are brothers by birth. Jacob is emphasizing that they worked together to kill the people of Shechem.
"They use their swords to hurt and to kill people"
Jacob uses the words "soul" and "glory" to refer to himself and is saying that other people, and perhaps God also, honor him so much that he does not wish to join with those who make plans to do evil.
This refers to Simeon and Levi crippling oxen just for fun.
This refers to cutting the sinews of an animal's leg so that it cannot walk.
"The Lord says, 'I will curse them because of their fierce anger and their cruel fury" or "I, the Lord, will curse them because of their fierce anger and their cruel fury"
"I will divide their descendants and scatter them among all the people of Israel"
"will praise you. For your hand" or "will praise you because your hand"
This is a way of saying "You will conquer your enemies."
This means to bend over to humbly express respect and honor toward someone.
"Judah is like a young lion"
"You, my son, have come back from eating your prey"
Jacob also compares Judah to a female lion. The lioness is the primary hunter and protector of her cubs.
"No one wants to wake him up."
"The power to rule will always be with the descendants of Judah"
Possible meanings are 1) "until the nations obey him and bring him tribute" or 2) "Shiloh" refers to the city of Shiloh. Alternate translation: "until the ruler comes to Shiloh. Then the nations will obey him" Many people consider this a prophecy about the Messiah, who is a descendant of King David. David is a descendant of Judah.
Both statements mean the same thing. It is implied that the vines are so full of grapes that the master does not mind that his donkey eats some of them.
Possible meanings for all occurrences of "his" or "he" are 1) they refer to Judah's descendants or 2) they refer to the ruler in Genesis 49:10.
"they will wash" or "he will wash"
This speaks about the grape juice as if it were blood. This emphasizes how red the juice is.
"The descendants of Zebulun will live"
Here "He" stands for sea towns that the people of Zebulun will inhabit or build. These cities will provide shelter for ships.
"The descendants of Issachar will be like a strong donkey"
Possible meanings are 1) "lying down between the packs they were carrying" or 2) "lying down between two sheep pens." Either way, Jacob speaks about Issachar's descendants as if they are donkeys that have worked hard and are lying down to rest.
These words refer to the descendants of Issachar in 49:14).
The phrase "bend his shoulder to the burden" is a way of saying "work very hard to carry the load"
"will work for others as slaves"
"The descendants of Dan will judge their people"
Possible meanings for "his people" are 1) "the people of Dan" or 2) "the people of Israel"
"I wait for you, Yahweh, to save me"
The word "I" refers to Jacob.
"The descendants of Gad ... attack them, but they"
Here "heels" stands for the raiders who are running away from the descendants of Gad.
"Asher's descendants' food ... and they"
Here "rich" is a way of saying "delicious."
"The descendants of Naphtali are ... they will"
"The descendants of Naphtali will be like deer set free"
A "fawn" is a baby deer. The meaning of the Hebrew word is unclear. Some versions translate it as "have beautiful words" or "speak beautiful things"
"The descendants of Joseph are a fruitful bough"
a main branch of a tree
Branches that grow and extend over a wall are spoken of as if they were climbing.
"he will hold his bow steady as he aims at his enemy"
"the power of the Mighty One"
"because of the Shepherd"
Jacob speak of Yahweh as if he were a "Shepherd." This emphasizes that Yahweh guides and protects his people.
Jacob speaks of Yahweh as if he were a "Rock" that people can climb upon to find safety from enemies. This emphasizes that Yahweh protects his people.
"help your descendants ... bless them"
Here "sky" stands for the rain that helps the crops to grow.
Here "deep" stands for the water underneath the ground that supplies rivers and wells.
Here "breasts and womb" stand for the ability for a mother to have children and feed them milk.
The meaning of the original language is not certain. Some Bible translations have "my ancestors" instead of "ancient mountains."
Here "they" refers to the blessings of his father.
"on the head of the most important of Joseph's descendants"
"most important of his brothers"
"The descendants of Benjamin will be like hungry wolves"
Here the word "blessed" refers to the speaking of formal blessings.
"He gave each son a fitting blessing"
"he commanded them"
"I am about to die"
Jacob is referring to where his inner man will go when he dies. He expects to join Abraham and Isaac in the afterlife.
"in it were purchased by Abraham"
"from the Hittites"
"finished instructing his sons" or "finished commanding his sons"
Jacob was sitting on the bed. Now, Jacob turns and puts his feet in the bed so he can lie down.
This is a polite way of saying a person died.
After Jacob died, his inner man went to the same place as his relatives who died before him.