The sons and their futures

“And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.

“Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father.” Naming Gather and Israel keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.

“Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the…” Naming Reuben keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.

“Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father’s bed; then defiledst thou it: he went…” Naming Unstable keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.

“Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations.” Naming Levi and Simeon keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.

“O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger…” The line’s distinctive content terms include anger, assembly, digged. Its relationship to verses 5 and 7 shows what work it does in this passage.

“Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter…” Naming Cursed and Israel keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.

“Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father’s…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.

“Judah is a lion’s whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old…” The question slows the passage down. Notice who is being pressed to answer, what the question assumes, and whether the next lines provide a response.

“The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.

“Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass’s colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his…” Naming Binding keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.

“His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.

“Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea; and he shall be for an haven of ships; and his border shall be unto…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.

“Issachar is a strong ass couching down between two burdens:” The number two makes the report concrete. Ask whether it measures time, people, distance, repetition, or completeness before deciding what weight it carries.

“And he saw that rest was good, and the land that it was pleasant; and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant…” The line’s distinctive content terms include bear, became, bowed. Its relationship to verses 16 shows what work it does in this passage.

“Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel.” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.

“Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.

“I have waited for thy salvation, O LORD.” The line’s distinctive content terms include LORD, salvation, waited. Its relationship to verses 17 and 19 shows what work it does in this passage.

“Gad, a troop shall overcome him: but he shall overcome at the last.” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.

“Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal dainties.” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.

“Naphtali is a hind let loose: he giveth goodly words.” Naming Naphtali keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.

“Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall:” Naming Joseph keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.

“The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him:” The line’s distinctive content terms include archers, grieved, hated. Its relationship to verses 22 and 24 shows what work it does in this passage.

“But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob…” Naming Israel keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.

“Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven…” The promise, blessing, or covenant language needs its named recipient and scope. Those details prevent a personal word in the story from becoming a promise detached from context.

“The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.

“Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf: in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil.” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.

“All these are the twelve tribes of Israel: and this is it that their father spake unto them, and blessed them; every…” The number twelve makes the report concrete. Ask whether it measures time, people, distance, repetition, or completeness before deciding what weight it carries.

“And he charged them, and said unto them, I am to be gathered unto my people: bury me with my fathers in the cave that…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.

“In the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with…” Naming Abraham and Canaan keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.

“There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah.” Naming Abraham and Isaac keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.

“The purchase of the field and of the cave that is therein was from the children of Heth.” Naming Heth keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.

“And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the ghost…” Naming Jacob keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.