Joseph's Blessing
Even in his final words, Jacob pours out heaps of blessing and favoritism on Joseph. This may be uncomfortable for the brothers (revisiting a lot of hurt), but there will be a bounty of blessing in the future. Joseph gets this double portion.
Wiresbe writes: Jacob used the word “bless” at least six times in his speech to and about Joseph. He compared Joseph to a fruitful vine (or bough of a fruit tree), drawing water from a spring (Psalm 1:3) and growing over the wall. It was Joseph who was taken from home and lived in Egypt, and the word “fruitful” points to his son Ephraim (Genesis 41:52), founder of a tribe that grew greatly and expanded its territory (Joshua 17:14–18). Neither Joseph nor his sons could be hemmed in!
Jacob used the image of “archers” to describe the suffering that Joseph experienced at the hands of his brothers and his master in Egypt. In Scripture, shooting arrows is sometimes an image of telling lies and speaking hateful words (Psalm 57:4; 64:3–4; Proverbs 25:18; 26:18–19; Jeremiah 9:8). Joseph’s brothers couldn’t speak to him in a civil manner (Genesis 37:4), and they lied about him to their father; and Potiphar’s wife falsely accused Joseph and helped put him into prison. Indeed, the archers shot mercilessly at the innocent young man.
But Joseph didn’t shoot back! God strengthened him so that his words were always true, and it was this integrity that eventually led to his release from prison and his elevation to being second ruler of the land. But the reference to bows and arrows goes beyond the image of lies; it also reminds us of the military skill of the men of Ephraim (Judges 8:1ff; 12:1ff; Joshua 17:17–18).
Jacob used three more special names of the Lord: the Mighty [One] of Jacob, the Shepherd, and the Stone [Rock]. Yahweh allows to be called “the God of Jacob,” and as “the mighty God,” He cared for Jacob’s needs, helping him with his difficult work (Genesis 31:36–42), and delivering him from danger.
Jacob had already referred to the Lord as “the God who shepherded me [looked after me]” (Genesis 48:15). Since Jacob himself was a shepherd, he knew what was involved in caring for sheep. The concept of God as the Shepherd is found often in Scripture (Psalm 23:1ff, 80:1; 100:3; Isaiah 40:11; Ezekiel 34) and culminates in Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd who gave His life for the sheep (John 10).
The Stone [Rock] is another familiar image of the God of Israel (Deuteronomy 32:4, 15, 18, 31; 1 Samuel 2:2; 2 Samuel 22:32) and also points to Christ (Psalm 118:22; Matthew 21:42; Acts 4:11; 1 Corinthians 10:4; 1 Peter 2:7). When you think of a stone, you think of strength, stability, and security, and God provided all of that and more to Jacob during his difficult earthly pilgrimage.
Jacob promised Joseph that God would give his descendants blessings on the soil that they farmed by sending the rains from heaven above and providing the streams in the earth beneath (see Deuteronomy 33:13–16). He also promised fertility to the people so that the tribe would increase to God’s glory (Hosea 12:8). Ephraim and Manasseh were important tribes in Israel. In fact, the Northern Kingdom was frequently called “Ephraim” (Isaiah 7:1–2; Hosea 13:1).
God had blessed Abraham richly (Genesis 13:6), and Abraham had shared his wealth with Isaac (Genesis 25:5), who in turn gave it to Jacob. But Jacob’s hard work had generated even more wealth.
Thus, from generation to generation, the wealth increased because of the blessing of the Lord, like filling the land up to the very mountains. But the number of heirs had also increased, and now there were twelve sons. But Joseph was the firstborn, and his two sons would share the inheritance of their father.
Genesis 49:22–26New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update
“Joseph is a fruitful bough,
A fruitful bough by a spring;
Its branches run over a wall.
“The archers bitterly attacked him,
And shot at him and harassed him;
But his bow remained firm,
And his arms were agile,
From the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob
(From there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel),
From the God of your father who helps you,
And by the Almighty who blesses you
With blessings of heaven above,
Blessings of the deep that