Genesis 49

Genesis 49:1

Ambrose of Milan: After this blessing was celebrated, he also called his sons (Gen. XLIX, 1). And the one who had preferred the younger to the elder began with the first, so that he might bestow favor upon him in that mystery, and observe the order of age in this. At the same time, he who had previously blessed them both, along with all their posterity and future offspring, lest the repeated blessing of the people should appear superfluous, or the former be considered weak, rightly declares that he is repeating more of an announcement of things that would happen in later times, rather than conferring a blessing. — THE PATRIARCHS 2.6

Hippolytus of Rome: This is a prophecy and not a blessing. In fact, the blessing is concerned with someone who is blessed, while the prophecy is fulfilled when a certain action is accomplished. How will the explanation proposed above agree with these words of the Scripture: “All these are the twelve tribes of Israel; and this is what their father said to them as he blessed them, blessing each with the blessing suitable to him.” At one time are they clearly prophecies, at another prophecies called blessings? In this explanation it must be understood that exactly in the things said are the prophecies and the blessings, so that the blessings fall on the one who was born from Judah, on the one who was prefigured by Joseph, on the one who, coming from Levi, finds himself being the priest of the Father, while the prophecies fall on those who acted as enemies and had no consideration for the Son of God. — THE BLESSINGS OF THE PATRIARCHS 12

Origen of Alexandria: And as for the consummation of the world, Jacob is the first to refer to this when, in giving his testament to his sons he says, “Gather to me, you sons of Jacob, that I may tell you what shall be in the last days,” or, “after the last days.” If then there are “last days,” or a time “after the last days,” it follows of necessity that the days that had a beginning also come to an end. — ON FIRST PRINCIPLES 3.5.1

Genesis 49:2

John Chrysostom: See the good man’s shrewdness. Since he foresaw the moment of his death, he summoned his sons and said, “Gather around so that I may predict ahead of time what is in store for you at the end of your days. Come together, and listen to Israel your father.” Come along, he says, and learn from me, not the immediate future but what will happen in the last days. This I foretell to you not of myself but under the inspiration of the Spirit; hence I predict ahead of time what will occur after many generations. You see, as I am on the point of departing this life, I want to imprint it on the memory of each of you as if on some bronze pillar.Now consider how with his sons gathered together the good man follows the order of their birth and in this way bestows curse or blessing appropriate to each, showing by this procedure the extraordinary degree of his own virtue. — HOMILIES ON Genesis 67.4-5

Genesis 49:3

Hippolytus of Rome: For there was a great display of strength made by God in behalf of His first-born people from Egypt. For in very many ways was the land of the Egyptians chastised. That first people of the circumcision is meant by “my strength, and the first of my children: “even as God gave the promise to Abraham and to his seed. But “hard to bear with,” because the people hardened itself against the obedience of God. And “hard, self-willed,” because it was not only hard against the obedience of God, but also self-willed so as to set upon the Lord. “Thou hast waxed wanton,” because in the instance of our Lord Jesus Christ the people waxed wanton against the Father. But “boil not over,” says the Spirit, by way of comfort, that it might not, by boiling utterly over, be spilt abroad,-giving it hope of salvation. For what has boiled over and been spilt is lost. — Hippolytus Exegetical Fragments

Jerome: (Chapter 49, verse 3) Reuben, my firstborn, you are my strength and the first of my sons, tough in bearing and tough in insolence and injury, like water that does not boil. You went up on your father’s bed, then you defiled it when you went up. In Hebrew it is written: Reuben, my firstborn, you are my strength, and the first in power among my sons. Greater in carrying, and greater in strength. You are poured out like water, do not exceed. For you have ascended the bed of your father and defiled the couch in his ascent. The meaning here is: You are my firstborn, greater among the children, and you were supposed to receive, according to the order of your birth, the inheritance that was rightfully due to the firstborn, and to receive the priesthood and the kingdom. This is clearly demonstrated by the burden you carry and your mighty strength. However, because you have sinned, and like water that cannot be contained in a vessel, you have been poured out by the force of pleasure. Therefore, I command you not to sin further and to be among your brothers, enduring the punishment for the sin that you have committed, which is the loss of your status as the firstborn. — Hebrew Questions on Genesis

John Chrysostom: See the extent of the good man’s wisdom. Intending to level a worse accusation against Reuben, he first mentioned the privileges conceded him by nature and the precedence he enjoyed in being the beginning of his line and enjoying the dignity of firstborn. Then he records his sins of free will as if on a bronze pillar to show that no advantage comes to us from natural advantage unless accompanied by good deeds of free will—these, you see, are what bring us commendation or lend us the stigma of blame. “Unyielding in endurance,” he says, “unyielding in willfulness”: the pride of place accorded you by nature you have forfeited by your own headstrong behavior. — HOMILIES ON Genesis 67.5

Tyrannius Rufinus: It seems to me that, according to the mystical interpretation, Reuben may play the role of the first Jewish people, that is, the firstborn and the beginning of the children, as the prophet says: “Israel is my firstborn.” The words of God in fact were first addressed to that people. And the Scriptures relate that that people was hard and reckless. About whom the prophet says, “Whatsoever this people says, is hard.” Elsewhere he says again about the Jews, “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart.” And these people offended God the Father when they turned their back to him and not their face. They defiled the concubine’s bed into which they got, that is, the law of the Old Testament, which they often stained with their transgressions. Paul teaches us that the concubine symbolically represents the law of the Old Testament by saying, “Abraham had two sons, one by a slave and one by a free woman: these are the two Testaments”; and Hagar, who was the concubine, clearly is the figure of the Old Testament.One indeed was the perfect dove or mother, the church that, as a chaste virgin and as a queen for her bridegroom the king, is united through the gospel to Christ. — THE BLESSINGS OF THE PATRIARCHS 2.5

Genesis 49:4

Ambrose of Milan: Doesn’t this seem to be a reproach rather than a blessing? Thus it really is more a prophecy than a blessing. For a prophecy is an announcement of events to come, whereas a blessing is the longed for bestowal of sanctification and of graces.The Jews suppose that the old man is saying these things to his son Reuben on this account, because the latter lay with Bilhah, his father’s concubine, and polluted his father’s bed. But they are easily refuted; this had already taken place. Now Jacob is promising that he will speak of events to come in the last days, not what took place before. Therefore the meaning is consistent and in accord with the thought of the patriarch himself: he sees the future passion of the Lord under persecution from the Jews and execrates the boundless audacity of that firstborn people.… For Israel itself was called the firstborn and said to be stiff-necked, and of it Moses said, “You are a stiff-necked people.” — On the Blessings of the Patriarchs

Ephrem the Syrian: Just as the justice of Jacob cursed his firstborn because of his evil deed and this curse of Reuben was blotted out by Moses who was the descendant of Jacob, so too was death decreed by God against Adam when he transgressed the commandment. But the Son of God came and, with the promise of the resurrection that he promised, brought to nought the judgment that accompanied Adam out of paradise. — COMMENTARY ON Genesis 43:2

Hippolytus of Rome: First he mentions the event,-that in the last days the people will assault the bed of the Father, that is, the bride,9 the Church, with intent to corrupt her; which thing, indeed, it does even at this present day, assaulting her by blasphemies. — Hippolytus Exegetical Fragments

Hippolytus of Rome: He said “couch” and “bed,” that is, the holy flesh of Christ, on which the saints are saved while enjoying their rest as on a holy divan. This is the flesh that those outlaws took possession of and then outraged by offering him [Christ] vinegar, by hitting his head with a reed, by flogging him on the back, by spitting on his face, by skinning his cheeks with slaps and by piercing his hands with nails. All these things the impious and unbelieving people did in accordance with the high priests, the scribes and the leaders of the people. That is why the blessed prophet neither has remained silent about their deeds nor wants to be involved in their wickedness and evil decisions. On the contrary, he keeps himself away from their intrigues where such criminal plots are conceived. — ON THE BLESSINGS OF ISAAC AND JACOB 13

John Chrysostom: See how through the insight granted him by the Spirit Jacob anticipates the legislation of Moses against allowing father and son to have relations with the same woman. Ahead of time he forbids this in censuring his son thus, “You stained the couch” by entering your father’s bed. You committed an unlawful act, he says. Hence “you ran riot like water, but you shall not break out again.” — HOMILIES ON Genesis 67.6

Genesis 49:5

Ambrose of Milan: For the brothers supplied the reasons for their own misfortune when they claimed to their father that they, although young in years, were vindicators and avengers of a wrong done to the sense of respect and of a violation of chastity. Surely the holy Jacob could not have condemned the fact that they did not permit their sister to be unavenged, in the position of a harlot, who had lost her virginity and did not have the consolation of a vindication. This is especially the case, seeing that Jacob himself approved the deed; for when he had possession of Shechem, he gave it at his death to his most beloved son Joseph and said to him, “I give to you above all your brothers Shechem in particular, which I took from the hands of the Amorites with my sword and bow.” The act is undeniable; still, we can interpret that by “Shechem” are meant “shoulders” and by “shoulders” are meant “works.” Therefore Jacob chose the holy Joseph before the others as heir to his good works, for the other brothers could not match his works. Who indeed could match Christ’s deeds? Moreover Christ, being unspotted and chaste, has carried back the spoils of victory from this earthly sojourn and from the instigators of impurity. With heavenly words and the sword of the Spirit he has taken a place that was free of debaucheries and outrages, for a dwelling of the saints.…It is the tribes then that are meant by the names of the patriarchs. From the tribe of Simeon come the scribes, from that of Levi the chief priests, who brought their wickedness to completion and filled up the entire measure of their fathers’ unholiness in the passion of the Lord. They took counsel against the Lord Jesus, to kill him, even as Isaiah says, “Alas for their souls! Because they have counseled an evil counsel against themselves, saying, ‘Let us bind the just one, for he is profitless to us.’ ” They killed the prophets and apostles who announced the coming of the Lord of salvation and preached his glorious passion and resurrection. — On the Blessings of the Patriarchs

Ephrem the Syrian: These too are figures for Satan and death. For just as Simeon and Levi, in their anger, destroyed a city and, through their greed, plundered its possessions, so also Satan, in his envy, killed the world secretly as Simeon and Levi had killed the sons of Shechem openly, and death fell suddenly upon all flesh as Simeon and Levi did on the possessions of the inhabitants of Shechem. The gospel of our Lord raised up those whom sin had slain in secret, and the blessed promise of the Son raised up the dead upon whom the tyrant Death suddenly fell. — COMMENTARY ON Genesis 43:3

Hippolytus of Rome: This he says regarding the conspiracy into which they were to enter against the Lord. And that he means this conspiracy, is evident to us. For the blessed David sings, Rulers have taken counsel together against the Lord, and so forth. And of this conspiracy the Spirit prophesied, saying, Let not my soul contend, desiring to draw them off, if possible, so that that future crime might not happen through them. They slew men, and houghed the bull; by the strong bull he means Christ. And they houghed, since, when He was suspended on the tree, they pierced through His sinews. Again, in their anger they houghed a bull. And mark the nicety of the expression: for they slew men, and houghed a bull. For they killed the saints, and they remain dead, awaiting the time of the resurrection. But as a young bull, so to speak, when houghed, sinks down to the ground, such was Christ in submitting voluntarily to the death of the flesh; but He was not overcome of death. But though as man He became one of the dead, He remained alive in the nature of divinity. For Christ is the bull,— an animal, above all, strong and neat and devoted to sacred use. And the Son is Lord of all power, who did no sin, but rather offered Himself for us, a savour of a sweet smell to His God and Father. Therefore let those hear who houghed this august bull: Cursed be their anger, for it was stubborn; and their wrath, for it was hardened. Genesis 49:7 But this people of the Jews dared to boast of houghing the bull: Our hands shed this. For this is nothing different, I think, from the word of folly: His blood (be upon us), and so forth.Matthew 27:25 Moses recalls Deuteronomy 33:8 the curse against Levi, or, rather converts it into a blessing, on account of the subsequent zeal of the tribe, and of Phinehas in particular, in behalf of God. But that against Simeon he did not recall. Wherefore it also was fulfilled in deed. For Simeon did not obtain an inheritance like the other tribes, for he dwelt in the midst of Judah. Yet his tribe was preserved, although it was small in numbers. — Hippolytus Exegetical Fragments

Hippolytus of Rome: Since from Simeon sprang the scribes, and from Levi the priests. For the scribes and priests fulfilled iniquity of their own choice, and with one mind they slew the Lord. — Hippolytus Exegetical Fragments

Hippolytus of Rome: This he says regarding the conspiracy into which they were to enter against the Lord. And that he means this conspiracy, is evident to us. For the blessed David sings, “Rulers have taken counsel together against the Lord,” and so forth. And of this conspiracy the Spirit prophesied, saying, “Let not my soul contend,” desiring to draw them off, if possible, so that that future crime might not happen through them. “They slew men, and houghed the bull;” by the “strong bull” he means Christ. And “they houghed,” since, when He was suspended on the tree, they pierced through His sinews. Again, “in their anger they houghed a bull.” And mark the nicety of the expression: for “they slew men, and houghed a bull.” For they killed the saints, and they remain dead, awaiting the time of the resurrection. But as a young bull, so to speak, when houghed, sinks down to the ground, such was Christ in submitting voluntarily to the death of the flesh; but He was not overcome of death. But though as man He became one of the dead, He remained alive in the nature of divinity. For Christ is the bull,—an animal, above all, strong and neat and devoted to sacred use. And the Son is Lord of all power, who did no sin, but rather offered Himself for us, a savour of a sweet smell to His God and Father. Therefore let those hear who houghed this august bull: “Cursed be their anger, for it was stubborn; and their wrath, for it was hardened.” But this people of the Jews dared to boast of houghing the bull: “Our hands shed this.” For this is nothing different, I think, from the word of folly: “His blood” (be upon us), and so forth. Moses recalls the curse against Levi, or, rather converts it into a blessing, on account of the subsequent zeal of the tribe, and of Phinehas in particular, in behalf of God. But that against Simeon he did not recall. Wherefore it also was fulfilled in deed. For Simeon did not obtain an inheritance like the other tribes, for he dwelt in the midst of Judah. Yet his tribe was preserved, although it was small in number. — Hippolytus Exegetical Fragments

Jerome: (Verses 5 and 6) Simeon and Levi, brothers, carried out the wickedness of their own invention. Let not my soul enter into their counsel, nor let my liver be involved in their assembly, because in their anger they killed men, and in their self-will they hamstrung oxen. By necessity, we are compelled to go further and revisit those things which are in disagreement with the Hebrew truth. For it is written there: Simeon and Levi are brothers, weapons of injustice are their tools. In their secret they conspired against me, so that my soul should not come in: and in their meeting they have cast down my glory, I shall never be cast down. For in their anger they slew a man, and in their self-will they undermined a wall. (Gen. XXXIV). However, it signifies that it was not according to their own counsel that Sichem and Emor killed the allied men, but rather against the law of peace and friendship they shed innocent blood, and with a kind of madness and cruelty, they tore down the walls of the city where they were hosted. Where it follows and says: — Hebrew Questions on Genesis

Genesis 49:6

Ambrose of Milan: Likewise, when he said to Simeon and Levi, “I will divide you in Jacob and scatter you in Israel,” he revealed that they were to be redeemed in the gathering together of the nations. For when the shepherd has been struck down, the flock that was previously brought together is scattered; thus one who did not belong could enter in and all Israel could be saved. And we ought in particular to assume this as regards the tribe of Levi, for it appears that the Lord Jesus traced his origin from that tribe, as concerns his taking on of the body. Of that tribe are the priests Levi and Nathan, and, in the Gospel which he wrote, St. Luke counted them among the ancestors of the Lord. For the Priest of the Father and Chief of all priests, even as it is written, “You are a priest forever,” should have laid claim to succession from a priestly line. On this account also Moses blessed this tribe and said, “Give to Levi the lot of his own approbation, and to the holy man his truth.” — On the Blessings of the Patriarchs

Hippolytus of Rome: Read the gospel and you will find it written down; the scribes were from the tribe of Simeon, and the high priests from that of Levi. Since the decision to arrest the Christ and to execute him was taken in their council, the prophet foreknowing that said, “O my soul, come not into their council!” In this passage he talks about the council where they took their decisions by searching for a reason through which they might accuse Christ, so that “they took counsel together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him.” And Isaiah says the same: “Woe to their soul, for they have devised an evil counsel against themselves, saying, ‘Let us bind the just one, for he is burdensome to us.’ ” — ON THE BLESSINGS OF ISAAC AND JACOB 14

John Chrysostom: God forbid, Jacob is saying, that I should share their evil intent or associate myself with their unjust doings. “Because in the heat of their passion they slew people”; their rage turned irrational.… After all, even if Shechem had sinned, there was no need to turn their thirst for blood against everyone. “And in their fury they cut down a bull”; there is reference here to the son of Hamor, calling him a bull because of his hot-blooded maturity. — HOMILIES ON Genesis 67.7

John Chrysostom: Then, in a reference to their crimes Jacob applies a curse in the words “Cursed be their rage for its ferocity and their frenzy for its willfulness”: this touches on the stratagem they employed in deceiving the inhabitants of Shechem and imposed on them by guile. Their rage was “ferocious,” he says, headstrong, irrational. “Their frenzy is cursed for its willfulness.” When the Shechemites came to believe they had won great favor with them, then it was that Simeon and Levi vented their baleful frenzy and deployed the tactics of a foe against them. Referring to their exploit as sins, he foretells as well the punishment for it that awaits them: “I will disperse them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel.” They will be scattered in all directions so that this very thing will be obvious to everyone, namely, that they had persisted in committing this crime out of bravado. — HOMILIES ON Genesis 67.7

Tyrannius Rufinus: As for the historical account, it seems that in this passage [Simeon and Levi] are reproached because, through deceit and fraud, they slaughtered Shechem, the son of Hamor, who after sleeping with their sister had tried to associate himself with the family of Israel. They also destroyed the whole people [of Shechem], so that Israel himself, their father, said to them, “You made me odious in this world.” Therefore he curses their cruelty and their recklessness and declares he will scatter them amid the people of Israel, and that from them the Levites and the priests who do not have their own inheritance of land will descend. — THE BLESSINGS OF THE PATRIARCHS 2.7

Genesis 49:7

Jerome: (Verse 7) Cursed be their fury, for it is stubborn; and their anger, for it is harsh. I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel. For Levi did not receive his own inheritance, but had a few cities to dwell in among all the tribes. As for Simeon, it is written in the Book of Joshua (19) that he did not even receive a portion of land as his own, but received something from the tribe of Judah. And in the Chronicles (1, 4) it is more explicitly written that he multiplied and did not have a place of possession, so he went out into the wilderness. Certain people interpret the prophetically killed men, the Apostles, and the paralyzed bull by the Pharisees as Christ. — Hebrew Questions on Genesis

Genesis 49:8

Ambrose of Milan: This text appears to be directed to the patriarch Judah, indeed, but more so that later Judah is meant, the true confessor who was born of that tribe and who alone is praised by his brothers; of them he says, “I will declare your name to my brothers.” He is the Lord by nature but a brother by grace; his hands, which he stretched out to an unbelieving people, are on the back of his enemies. For with those same hands and by that same passion Christ protected his own, subjugated hostile powers, and made subject to himself all people who were without faith and devotion. Of these the Father says to his Son, “And you will rule in the midst of your enemies.” It was their own wickedness that made them enemies, not Christ’s will. In this there is a great gift of the Lord. Previously, spiritual wickedness generally used to make our neck bend to the yoke of captivity. Thus even David wrote that he felt in some way the hands of those who triumphed over him, for he said, “Upon my back sinners have wrought.” But now spiritual wickedness is subject to the triumph of Christ and to his hands, as it were; that is, wickedness undergoes the affliction of captivity, being subject forever in deeds and in works. And it is he indeed to whom the sons of his Father bow down, when we bow down to him; for he has permitted us to call upon the Father, and to be subject to the Father is to be subject to virtue. — On the Blessings of the Patriarchs

Cyril of Alexandria: In these blessings, the way that they expressly introduced the listeners to the prophecy concerning the incarnation of our Savior is extremely clear. At the beginning of the blessing the meaning of the name itself is set before the reader’s eyes, and also the fact that the tribe of Judah was superior to all the others for its glory. If one wants to interpret the name Judah, it means “praise” or “hymn” or “celebrated with hymns.” These words therefore must be referred to Christ, who obviously is from the tribe of Judah according to the flesh. He was born from Judah, Jesse and David and from that virgin who was assumed for the generation of the flesh.… You must be praised, and to God you will give back the glory that is due him. No one else is suited to be glorified but only the living and well-known God. Even though you appeared human and emptied yourself, you are known to be holy and eternal. Your brothers according to human nature will not be related to you as man but rather will praise you as Lord, though placed among your brothers, and will glorify you as Creator, though you have placed yourself with them among the creatures. They will recognize you as the Lord and the King, even though you appeared veiled under the “form of a slave.” Moreover, he foretold the fact that the Immanuel would have overcome all those who opposed him … saying, “Your hands on the back of your enemies.” And Christ himself, through the voice of David, foretold the same thing. He said, “I will pursue my enemies and will take them, and I will not return until they are defeated. I will crush them, and they will not be able to stand but will fall under my feet.” Then Jacob said rightly, “His hands will be on the back of his enemies,” that is, as those of the one pursuing rather than those of one fleeing, as those of the one striking rather than those of one who is struck. What is declared in the book of the Psalms is true: “The enemy shall have no advantage against him, and the son of iniquity shall not hurt him again.” If he gives us the power to “tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy,” how can we not be confident that he has under his control those who want to oppose him and to exalt themselves impiously? The divine Jacob foretold that Christ cannot flee but only pursue and that he would defeat everyone effortlessly (in fact, he conquered the world), when he said, “Your hands will be on the back of your enemies, and the children of your father will adore you.” — GLAPHYRA ON GENESIS, 7

Hippolytus of Rome: But, one may say, why did it seem right to the prophet to impose on Judah such a blessing, when he had done nothing like that for the first ones?Now learn the reason.… In fact David had to be born from the tribe of Judah and Christ from David with regard to the flesh. [Therefore] the prophet foreknowing the future events in their spiritual sense has blessed there David, who descended from Judah, and the Christ who, according to the flesh, had to be born from David, so that he might receive from God not only the blessing according to the spirit but also the blessing according to the flesh. — ON THE BLESSINGS OF ISAAC AND JACOB 15

Hippolytus of Rome: Who are the brothers who praised and adored him but the apostles, to whom the Lord said, “Are you my brothers and coheirs?” And then to say, “Your hands are on the back of your enemies” can mean either of two things: by simply stretching his hands [on the cross] Christ was able, in the course of the fight against his enemies, to triumph over [invisible] powers. Or he has become the Lord and Master and Judge of all those who were his enemies according to the flesh, after being set in this role by the Father. — ON THE BLESSINGS OF ISAAC AND JACOB 16

Jerome: (Verse 8.) Judah, your brothers will praise you. Because Judah, confession or praise, is subsequently written: Judah, your brothers will confess to you: or, your brothers will praise you. — Hebrew Questions on Genesis

Tyrannius Rufinus: This can be referred to the historical Judah as well as to those kings who were his descendants. They broke the back of their enemies by administering the kingdom of that people. But this can also be fittingly referred to Christ, who is praised with good reason by his brothers, that is, by the apostles whom he himself called brothers in the Gospel. And his enemies, on whose back is his hand, appear to be those whom the Father promised to place under his feet by saying, “Sit at my right hand until I place your enemies under your feet.” They are enemies as long as they are unbelieving and unfaithful, and for that reason they are struck on the back. But after their conversion they become brothers and praise the One who, by summoning them to the adoption of the Father, has made them his coheirs and brothers. It is said correctly that the back of the enemies is struck by Christ. All those who worshiped the idols turned their back to God, as the Lord, through the prophet, accused them by saying, “They turned their backs to me, and not their faces.” Therefore he strikes their back so that after being converted they may turn their back to the idols and raise their forehead to God and may accomplish what is written here: “Your father’s sons shall bow down before you.” In fact, they adore him when they have become sons of the Father and have received the spirit of adoption in which they cry out, “Abba, Father.” No one calls Jesus Christ Lord except those who are in the Holy Spirit. — THE BLESSINGS OF THE PATRIARCHS 1.5

Genesis 49:9

Ambrose of Milan: “A lion’s whelp is Judah.” Isn’t it clear that he represented the Father and manifested the Son? Is there any clearer way to teach that God the Son is of one nature with the Father? The one is the lion, the other the lion’s whelp. By this paltry comparison, their unity in the same nature and power is perceived. King proceeds from king, a strong one from one who is strong. Because Jacob foresaw that there would be those to claim that the Son was younger in age, he replied to them by adding, “From my seed you have come up to me. Resting you have slept like a lion and like a whelp.” And in a different passage you find that the whelp is himself “the lion of the tribe of Judah.” … But the Son is not being named in such a way as to be separated from the Father. Jacob, who confesses the Son, also esteems him equal.Moreover, he represented the Son’s incarnation in a wonderful fashion when he said, “From my seed you have come up to me.” For Christ sprouted in the womb of the Virgin like a shrub upon the earth; like a flower of pleasing fragrance, he was sent forth in the splendor of new light and came up from his mother’s vitals for the redemption of the entire world. Just so, Isaiah says, “There shall come forth a rod out of the root of Jesse, and a flower shall come up out of the root.” The root is the household of the Jews, the rod is Mary, the flower of Mary is Christ. She is rightly called a rod, for she is of royal lineage, of the house and family of David. Her flower is Christ, who destroyed the stench of worldly pollution and poured out the fragrance of eternal life. — On the Blessings of the Patriarchs

Ambrose of Milan: Therefore you have become acquainted with the incarnation; learn of the passion. “Resting, you have slept like a lion.” When Christ lay at rest in the tomb, it was as if he were in a kind of bodily sleep, as he himself says, “I have slept and have taken my rest and have risen up, because the Lord will sustain me.” On this account also Jacob says, “Who will arouse him?” that is, him whom the Lord will take up. Who else is there to rouse him again, unless he rouses himself by his own power and the power of the Father? I see that he was born by his own authority, I see that he died by his own will; I see that he sleeps by his own power. He did all things by his own dominion; will he need the help of someone else to rise again? Therefore he is the author of his own resurrection, he is the judge of his death; he is expected by the nations. — On the Blessings of the Patriarchs

Cyril of Jerusalem: Again, he is called a Lion; not a man eater, but, as it were, showing by this title his kingly, strong and resolute nature, Then too, he is called a Lion in opposition to the lion, our adversary who roars and devours those who have been deceived. For the Savior came, not having changed his own gentle nature, and yet as the mighty lion of the tribe of Judah, saving them that believe but trampling upon the adversary. — Catechetical Lecture 10:3

Hippolytus of Rome: By saying “lion” and “lion’s whelp,” he has clearly pointed toward the two persons: that of the Father and that of the Son. He said, “From a shoot, my son, you have gone up” in order to show the generation of Christ according to the flesh. Christ, after his incarnation, being conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin, sprouted in her, and like a flower and a pleasant perfume, once he went out of that womb into the world, he appeared visibly. On the other hand, by saying “whelp of the lion” he indicates Christ’s generation according to spirit, through which he appears to come directly from God, as he has shown him like a king born of a king. However, he has not remained silent about his generation according to the flesh but says clearly, “From a shoot, my son, you have gone up.” Isaiah says, “And there shall come forth a rod out of the root of Jesse, and a blossom shall come up from it.” The root of Jesse was the stump of the patriarchs, like a root planted in the ground, and the rod coming out of it was Mary, because she was from the house and the family of David. The blossom that had come up from the rod was Christ, the one that Jacob had prophesied by saying, “From a shoot, my son, you have gone up.” — ON THE BLESSINGS OF ISAAC AND JACOB 16

Hippolytus of Rome: He says the words “After stooping down, you slept like a lion and a whelp” in order to show Christ sleeping during the three days of his burial, when he rests in the heart of the earth. And also the Lord himself has testified such when he said, “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so will the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” And David by announcing him in advance said, “I lay down and slept; I awoke for the Lord will help me.” Jacob also said, “Who will wake him?” He did not say “Nobody will wake him” but “Who?” in order that we may understand that the Father woke the Son from the dead, as the apostle confirms: “and through God the Father who woke him from the dead.” And Peter said, “But God raised him up, having loosed the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.” — ON THE BLESSINGS OF ISAAC AND JACOB 16

Jerome: (Verse 9.) The sons of your father shall adore you. The lion’s cub of Judah, my son, you have risen, bowing down like a lion and like a lion cub. Who will awaken him? Although there is a great mystery about Christ, it is prophesied according to the literal interpretation that kings from the lineage of David through Judah will be born and that all tribes will adore him. For it does not say, the sons of your mother, but the sons of your father. And what follows, you have risen from the lineage, my son, in Hebrew is, you have risen from captivity, my son, to show that he will lead captive peoples; and according to a more sacred interpretation, he has ascended on high and led captivity captive (Psalms 68). Or what I think is better, captivity signifies passion, ascent signifies resurrection. — Hebrew Questions on Genesis

Tyrannius Rufinus: The mystical interpretation, according to which the lion’s whelp not only symbolically but also literally signifies Christ, is much more suitable to this passage. In fact, the Physiologus writes with regard to the lion’s whelp that after its birth it sleeps for three days and three nights; then the lair itself awakens the sleeping whelp, as if it was shaken by the noise and the roar of the father. Therefore this whelp rises from the shoot: he was born from the Virgin, not from a seed but from a shoot. So Christ was born without sexual intercourse with a man and without the natural seed, like a bough or a branch. In this manner the reality of the assumption of the flesh from the Virgin is clearly demonstrated, and the contact with human or natural seed is excluded in the holy shoot. — THE BLESSINGS OF THE PATRIARCHS 1.6

Tyrannius Rufinus: “Judah is a lion’s whelp: from the shoot, my son, you have gone up.” With good reason the one who was crucified and resurrected with Christ is called “young lion,” as Paul, who was rightly considered to be a Judah, said when he confessed his sin: “For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.” And Paul asserts that the essence of Christ [lit. “what Christ is”] is in himself when he proclaims, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me.” Therefore a young lion is either the one who sleeps with Christ, because he died for sins, or the one who is resurrected with Christ, because he lives for God.And the son has sprouted from the shoot. Without doubt the reference here is to the one who, being a wild olive tree, was grafted onto the good olive tree. He rejected the vulgar and gross morals of the carnal nature, remaining in Christ, the true vine, through the spirit of adoption, thereby producing much fruit from his precepts. And since he is so, reclining, he sleeps like a lion. The wise man has the confidence of the lion, especially when he can assuredly assert, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” No fear, no threat, no temptation can awaken him; his decisions are firm, and his mind is stable. — THE BLESSINGS OF THE PATRIARCHS 1.11

Tyrannius Rufinus: “Having crouched, you slept as a lion and as a whelp.” It is evident that the actions of crouching and sleeping signify the passion and death. But let us see why he sleeps as a lion and a whelp. With regard to the sleep of the whelp it has been already said above that it can very conveniently be referred to Christ, who, after being buried for three days and three nights in the heart of the earth, completed, as was expected, the sleep of death. But I believe that the expression “as a lion” must be interpreted in this way: the death of Christ marked the defeat and the triumph over the demons. In fact, our lion captured all the prey that the hostile lion had conquered after destroying and crushing the man. Then, by coming back from the underworld and ascending on high, he made slavery his captive. Therefore in his sleep the lion won and defeated every evil and destroyed the one who had the power of death. And like a whelp he woke up on the third day. — THE BLESSINGS OF THE PATRIARCHS 1.6

Genesis 49:10

Ambrose of Milan: Yes, because they denied the true king, they began to have false kings. And so the patriarch is saying this: The inheritance of an unblemished line of succession, traced through the kings, will be kept among the judges and kings of the Jews, “until he comes for whom it has been reserved,” reserved that he may gather together the church of God out of the assembly of all the nations and the devotion of the Gentile peoples. That is, this awaits him, this is kept for him as his due—the prerogative of such great grace is given to him.“And he is the expectation of the nations.” Jacob spoke more meaningfully than if he had said, “The nations are expecting him,” for in Christ lies the entire hope of the church. Therefore it is said to Moses, “Remove the sandals from your feet.” Otherwise Moses, who was chosen as leader of the people, might be thought to be the bridegroom of the church. It was for that reason that Joshua, son of Nun, removed his sandals, in order that he also could preserve the gift of so great a function for him who was to come. It is for that reason that John says, “A man is coming after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” He also says, “He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices with joy.” This means he alone is the husband of the church, he is the expectation of the nations, and the prophets removed their sandals while offering to him a union of nuptial grace. — On the Blessings of the Patriarchs

Tyrannius Rufinus: This passage clearly refers to Judah. It appears that until the birth of Christ there was no lack of princes from the family of Judah or of heads from its sides, until Herod came, who according to the history written by Josephus was a foreigner and usurped the throne of Judea through his plots. As soon as this happened and a head from the sides of Judah was lacking, the one to whom the kingdom had been reserved immediately came. — THE BLESSINGS OF THE PATRIARCHS 1.7

Tyrannius Rufinus: “And he will be the expectation of nations.” Since we propose to investigate once and for all the moral meaning of the text, we need to look inside ourselves for those nations who expect from confession such purification and perfection of the senses. We can certainly see the nations inside ourselves as all the passions of our soul, which are more restless in our youth and, in a sense, act like pagans. — THE BLESSINGS OF THE PATRIARCHS 1.11

Genesis 49:11

Ambrose of Milan: Let us be bound with bonds of a faith that is like a fruitful branch and cannot be undone, as it were, to that everlasting vine, that is, to the Lord Jesus, who says, “I am the vine; my Father is the gardener.” This explains the mystery that the Lord Jesus in the Gospel ordered an ass’s colt to be loosed and himself sat upon it; thus, like one that was bound to a vine, he could find rest in the everlasting goodness of the saints. — On the Blessings of the Patriarchs

Ambrose of Milan: “He will wash his robe in wine.” The good robe is the flesh of Christ, which has covered the sins of all people, taken up the offenses of all, concealed the misdeeds of all—the good robe which has clothed all people with the garment of rejoicing. He washed this robe in wine at his baptism in the Jordan, when the Holy Spirit came down like a dove and remained upon him. By this, it is indicated that the fullness of the Holy Spirit will be indivisible in him and will not depart. On this account also the Evangelist says, “The Lord Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan.” Therefore Jesus washed his robe, not to wash away his stain, for he had none, but to wash away the stain that was ours. Then Jacob continued, “and his mantle in the blood of the grape.” This means that in the passion of his body he washed the nations with his blood. Truly the mantle represents the nations, as it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, unless I shall clothe myself with them all, as with a garment,” and in another passage, “Like clothing you will change them, and they will be changed.” And so with his own blood he cleansed not his own sins, for there were none, but the offenses that we committed. It was appropriate that Jacob spoke of a grape, because Christ hung on the wood like a grape. He is the vine, he is the grape; he is the vine because he cleaves to the wood and the grape because, when his side was opened by the soldier’s lance, he sent forth water and blood. For thus John said that “there came out from him blood and water,” water for baptism, blood for redemption. The water washed us, the blood redeemed us. — On the Blessings of the Patriarchs

Clement of Alexandria: Again, it is said, “He tethers his colt to the vine.” This means he united the simple, new people to the Word, whom the vine signifies. For the product of the vine is wine; of the Word, blood. Both are saving potions: wine, for the health of the body; the other, blood, for the salvation of the soul. — The Instructor Book 1

Ephrem the Syrian: When our Lord came, he also bound his foal to the true vine. Just as all the symbols are fulfilled by him, he would fulfill in truth even this that was handed down to them in likeness. Either there was a vine in Jerusalem outside of the sanctuary to which he bound his foal when he entered the temple, or in that city from which the foal came it had been bound to a vine. He said, “If they say to you, ‘Why are you untying this foal?’ say to them, ‘The master requires it.’ ” — COMMENTARY ON Genesis 42:6

Hippolytus of Rome: By the “foal” he means the calling of the Gentiles; by the other, that of the circumcision: “one ass,” moreover, that is to signify that the two colts are of one faith; in other words, the two callings. And one colt is bound to the “vine,” and the other to the “vine tendril,” which means that the Church of the Gentiles is bound to the Lord, but he who is of the circumcision to the oldness of the law. “He will wash his garment in wine; “that is, by the Holy Spirit and the word of truth, he will cleanse the flesh, which is meant by the garment. And “in the blood of the grape,” trodden and giving forth blood, which means the flesh of the Lord, he cleanses the whole calling of the Gentiles. — Hippolytus Exegetical Fragments

Hippolytus of Rome: Here Christ has mystically indicated his baptism. After he had come up from the Jordan and had purified its waters (by plunging in them), he received the grace and the gift of the Holy Spirit. … And since by hanging on the cross he was like a bunch of ripe grapes, after his side was pierced he emitted blood and water: 81 the former for the bath (baptism), the latter for the ransom (redemption), the prophet [Jacob] rightly said, “He shall wash his robe in wine, and his garment in the blood of ripe grapes.” — ON THE BLESSINGS OF ISAAC AND JACOB 18

Jerome: (Verse 11.) He ties his young donkey to the vine, and the colt of the donkey to the choice vine. In Hebrew it says, He ties his young donkey to the vine, and in Sorec, his donkey’s colt to the choice vine: which colt of the donkey, that is, the Gentile people whom Jesus has taken over, that is, the Apostles’ vineyard, who are from the Jews, he has joined together. And in Sorec, that is, the chosen vine, he has tied the donkey, over whom he has taken control, the Church gathered from the nations. And what he says, my son, he addresses to Judas himself, because Christ will do all of this. But it should also be known that where we read: Alligating to its vine its foal, can be read as ‘its foal’ in Hebrew, its city, with the same meaning demonstrated by other words in the Church, of which it is written elsewhere: A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden (Matt. 5:15). And the streams of the river make the city of God glad (Psalms 46:5). — Hebrew Questions on Genesis

John Chrysostom: I mean, since the ass is an unclean animal, hence he says, “Those unclean Gentiles will be introduced with such ease as if someone were to tether the foal to the stem of the vine, referring to the extraordinary degree of his authority and to the great responsiveness of the Gentiles.” That is to say, its readiness to be tethered to the stem of the vine is a mark of the ass’s gentleness. Now it was to the vine that Jesus compared his own teaching: “I am the true vine,” he says, remember, “and my Father is the vinedresser.” — HOMILIES ON Genesis 67.9

Novatian: Therefore it was the Word of God, as we have already stated, who is found to have at one time put on and at another time to have put off the flesh. He even foretold this in the blessing “He shall wash his garment in wine, and his clothing in the blood of the grape.” … It is quite evident to us that the flesh was the garment and the body was the clothing of the Word who washed the substance of his body and the matter of his flesh in the blood, that is, in wine, cleansing by his passion that humanity he had taken upon himself. Therefore, inasmuch as he is washed, he is man, because the garment that is washed is flesh. But he who washed it is the Word of God, who, in order to wash the garment, was made the wearer of the garment. Accordingly he is declared to be man by that substance which was assumed that it might be washed, just as he who washed it is shown to be God, by the authority of the Word. — ON THE TRINITY 21.12-16

Tyrannius Rufinus: This is appropriately and exclusively said about Christ. He that said, “I am the true vine” bound his foal to the vine. Therefore he binds his foal and his ass’s foal to this vine. His foal is the people of the nations, onto whom certainly the burden of the law had never been imposed and among whom no one but he had ever held the first position. His ass’s foal are those, who coming from the first people symbolized here by the she-ass, were elected for salvation and about whom the prophet says, “If the sons of Israel are like the sand of the sea, the rest shall be saved.” After rejecting the she-ass who preferred to wear the yoke of the law in its infidelity, the foal born from it is elected, that is, a new people coming from the old one through faith is adopted and associated to the people of the nations. Therefore Christ is called “vine” because he has received the human nature, to which the Word of God binds his foal, that is, unites his people and associates it with that way of life that he followed in the flesh, so that the foal that has been bound may become with him son of God and coheir of Christ. — THE BLESSINGS OF THE PATRIARCHS 1.8

Tyrannius Rufinus: “Binding his foal to the vine.” Here we understand “foal” as the sense itself (intelligence, reason) on account of the renewal of life: that same sense which elsewhere the Lord calls “child,” when he says, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” When one unites with the Lord and becomes a single spirit with him, he binds his foal to the vine by saying, “It is good for me to cleave close to God.” “And his ass’s foal to its branch.” That branch or rather that tendril, as we have interpreted it above, can be understood as the subtle and flexible intelligence of knowledge. When the ass’s foal, that is, the senses of the soul, are bound to it, they prevent the soul itself from falling. — THE BLESSINGS OF THE PATRIARCHS 1.11

Tyrannius Rufinus: “He shall wash his robe in wine and his garment in the blood of grapes.” These words, on the basis of the historical account, will appear to signify a fertile land full of vineyards or, in a hyperbolic manner, the abundance of wine. But the mystical explanation will give them a nobler sense. Christ’s robe washed in wine is interpreted with good reason as the church, which he himself has purified in his blood and is spotless and faultless. “You were not redeemed through silver and gold,” the apostle says, “but through the precious blood of the only-begotten Son of God.” And therefore in the wine of that blood, that is, in the bath of regeneration Christ washes the church. And we are buried with him through baptism in his death and in his blood.… But let us see how he will wash his garment in the blood of grapes. The garment appears to be a more intimate cloth, which is closer to the body than the robe. Those who, after they had been washed with the bath and had become his robe, reached the sacrament of the blood of grapes, that is, a more intimate and more secret mystery; they in a sense participate in his garment. In fact, the soul is washed in the blood of grapes, when it has begun to grasp the meaning of that sacrament. After perceiving and comprehending the virtue of the blood of the Word of God, the soul will become more receptive as it is purer. Each day it is washed in order to improve in its knowledge. — THE BLESSINGS OF THE PATRIARCHS 1.9

Genesis 49:12

Ambrose of Milan: And therefore the prophet says, “His eyes are joyful from wine, and his teeth are whiter than milk,” for he means the prophets and the apostles. For some, like eyes of Christ, have foreseen and announced his coming, and of them Christ himself says, “Abraham saw my day and he rejoiced,” and one of the prophets says, “I saw the Lord of hosts.” Seeing him, they were filled with a spiritual joy. Others, however, that is, the apostles, whom the Lord cleansed from every stain of sin, were made whiter than milk, for no blemish darkened them afterward. Indeed, milk is a temporal thing, but the grace of the apostles remains forever. They provided us with that spiritual sustenance which is of heaven, and they nourished the vitals of the spirit which is within. There are also those who think that the commandments of the Lord, which were revealed from the mouth of God, being clear, have become to us like milk. Nourished upon them, we come to the sustenance of the bread of heaven. On this account also Paul says, “I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet ready.” The Corinthian in the beginning of faith is initiated with milk to drink, whereas those saints whose faith is proclaimed in the whole world are strengthened with more solid food, as if they had been weaned. — On the Blessings of the Patriarchs

Hippolytus of Rome: Hipp. That is, his eyes are brilliant as with the word of truth; for they regard all who believe upon him. And his teeth are white as milk;-that denotes the luminous power of his words: for this reason he calls them white, and compares them to milk, as that which nourishes the flesh and the soul. And Zabulun is, by interpretation, “fragrance” and “blessing.”

Then, after something from Cyril:-

Hipp. Again, I think, it mystically signifies the sacraments of the New Testament of our Saviour; and the words, “his teeth are white as milk,” denote the excellency and purity of the sacramental food. And again, these words, “his teeth are white as milk,” we take in the sense that His words give light to those who believe on Him.

And in saying, moreover, that Zabulun will dwell by the sea, he speaks prophetically of his territory as bordering on the sea, and of Israel as mingling with the Gentiles, the two nations being brought as it were into one flock. And this is manifest in the Gospel. “The land of Zabulun, and the land of Nephthalim,” etc. And you will mark more fully the richness of his lot as having both inland territory and seaboard.

“And he is by a haven of ships; “that is, as in a safe anchorage, referring to Christ, the anchor of hope. And this denotes the calling of the Gentiles-that the grace of Christ shall go forth to the whole earth and sea. For he says, “And (he is) by a haven of ships, and shall extend as far as Sidon.” And that this is said prophetically of the Church of the Gentiles, is made apparent to us in the Gospel: “The land of Zabulun, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; the people which sat in darkness saw great light.” In saying, then, that he, namely Zabulun, would inhabit a territory bordering on the sea, he plainly confirmed that, just as if he had said that in the future Israel would mingle with the Gentiles, the two peoples being brought together into one fold and under the hand of one chief Shepherd, the good (Shepherd) by nature, that is, Christ. In blessing him Moses said, “Zabulun shall rejoice.” And Moses prophesies, that in the allocation of the land he should have abundance ministered of the good things both of land and sea, under the hand of One. “By a haven of ships; “that is, as in an anchorage that proves safe, referring to Christ, the anchor of hope. For by His grace he shall come forth out of many a tempest, and shall be brought hereafter to land, like ships secure in harbours. Besides, he said that “he extends as far even as Sidon,” indicating, as it seems, that so complete a unity will be effected in the spirit’s course between the two peoples, that those of the blood of Israel shall occupy those very cities which once were exceeding guilty in the sight of God.

After something from Cyril:-

Hipp. And “that the land was fat; “that is, the flesh of our Lord: “fat,” that is, “rich; “for it flows with honey and milk. The parts of the land are marked off for an inheritance and possession to him-that means the doctrine of the Lord. For this is a pleasant rest, as He says Himself: “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden,” etc. For they who keep the commandments, and do not disclaim the ordinances of the law, enjoy rest both in them and in the doctrine of our Lord; and that is the meaning of “in the midst of the lots.” As the Lord says, “I am not come to destroy the law and the prophets, but to fulfil them.” For even our Lord, in the fact that He keeps the commandments, does not destroy the law and the prophets, but fulfils them, as He says in the Gospels. “He set his shoulder to toil, and became a husbandman.” This the apostles did. Having received power from God, and having set themselves to labour, they became husbandmen of the Lord, cultivating the earth-that is, the human race-with the preaching of our Lord. — Hippolytus Exegetical Fragments

Hippolytus of Rome: “Eyes” then, the prophets have been the eyes of Christ when they rejoiced in the power of the Spirit, and announced in advance the sufferings which had to rush upon him and which were useful for the generations after him to understand that every person can be saved. Through the words “His teeth (ARE) whiter than milk” he signified either the apostles sanctified by the Word himself and become like milk, the apostles who have provided us with the spiritual and heavenly nourishment. Or, … he means the commandments of the Lord, which were uttered by a holy mouth but remain for us milk, so that by obtaining from them nourishment and growth we may take our part of the heavenly bread. — ON THE BLESSINGS OF ISAAC AND JACOB 19

Tyrannius Rufinus: And also Christ’s eyes will be like this, those eyes which bring the light of knowledge to the whole body, according to what is written in the Gospel: “The lamp of your body is the eye.” Therefore these eyes are made graceful: a word of knowledge is seasoned with salt to be pleasing to the audience. The one who proclaims the word of knowledge is not said to be “made graceful” just because he has in himself the grace but because he also acts in order that his listeners may have the grace. In fact, “after comprehending that, the wise man will become wiser.” His eyes are made graceful by wine because nothing is watery, nothing is fluid, nothing is cold in the word of knowledge. It is like a wine that cheers the human heart and is sprinkled on the wounds of the victims of robbers. This means that the wounds of the listeners, their sins, are not only soothed by the sweetness of oil but are also purified by the harshness of wine. — THE BLESSINGS OF THE PATRIARCHS 1.10

Tyrannius Rufinus: We have already discussed many times about the nature and quality of Christ’s limbs, and it seems to be superfluous to repeat again the same things in this passage. So his teeth whiter than milk are those who can chew and grind with their teeth the strong and solid food of the Word of God to extreme fineness, those about whom the apostle in his epistle to the Hebrews says, “Solid food is for the mature, for those whose faculties have been trained by practice to distinguish good from evil.” About the still imperfect Corinthians he says, “I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for solid food.” Since they are superior to those who live on milk, his teeth are therefore white, that is, those who can take and eat solid food are superior to those who still need milk like babies. That is why in the law those animals which ruminate and bring back to their teeth the food that they had previously eaten, in order to make it very fine for their feeding, are called pure animals. And so in the most consistent manner his teeth are said to be white. All those who are perfect and, by explaining through worthy and proper interpretations the food of the Scripture, administer to the church the subtle and fine intelligence, which is called spiritual, must be pure and free and faultless, so that they may never be told, “You, then, that teach others, will you not teach yourself?” — THE BLESSINGS OF THE PATRIARCHS 1.10

Genesis 49:13

Ambrose of Milan: The very interpretation of his name gives promise of better things, since in our tongue it means “freedom from the things of night,” which is surely a good, and appropriate to one who trusts in the wings of the Lord. For the truth of the Lord encompasses him, so that he is not afraid of the terror of the night or of the thing that walks about in darkness. Therefore “Zebulun shall dwell by the sea.” Thus he may look upon the shipwrecks of others while being himself free from danger; he may behold others driven here and there on the sea of this world, those who are borne about by every wind of doctrine, while himself persevering on the ground of an immovable faith. Just so, the most holy church is grounded and founded in faith, as it beholds the tempests of heretics and the shipwrecks of the Jews, because they refused the pilot whom they once had. Therefore [the church] dwells beside the waters, but it is not disturbed by the waters. It is ready to give help rather than being subject to danger. Even so, if anyone have been driven by severe storms and wants to take refuge in the harbor, the church is at hand like a harbor of salvation. Opening its arms, it calls into the lap of its tranquility those who are in danger and shows them a trusty place of anchorage. Therefore, the churches in this world are scattered over the coasts like seaports; they stand to meet the afflicted, and say to them that a refuge has been prepared for believers, where they can beach their wind-battered vessels. — On the Blessings of the Patriarchs

Hippolytus of Rome: Through Zebulun he has metaphorically foretold the pagan nations, who live now in the world along the coast and are tormented by the storm of temptations as if they were in the sea. Therefore they move and look for refuge in harbors, that is, in churches. — THE BLESSINGS OF THE PATRIARCHS 20

Tyrannius Rufinus: But the fact that he extends as far as Sidon, that is, to the hunters, might mean that this man also tries to be among those to whom it was said, “Catch us the little foxes that spoil the vineyards.” Therefore Zebulun extends to the hunters, so that he may learn to hunt, in case some wild animals or cunning foxes, that is, ferocious demons or damaging thoughts, should enter his heart and try to destroy the vineyard of the Lord Sabaoth. In order to catch them, he has become a good hunter against bad thoughts. — THE BLESSINGS OF THE PATRIARCHS 2.11

Genesis 49:14

Tyrannius Rufinus: Above we have taken into consideration that one who erred because of the threefold impulse of the soul (as a weakness of the entire soul), which is divided into carnal passion symbolized by Reuben, into anger symbolized by Simeon and into ill-directed prudence symbolized by Levi. But then we have shown this person when he repents in the figure of Judah and is largely converted in the figure of Zebulun. In Issachar, which means “reward,” we see this man wait for the reward of his good works; and since he has not only driven away the evil but has also wished for the good, he rests in the midst of his lots. In the midst is the one who, according to the warning of the Wisdom, turns neither to the left nor the right, that is, who stays and walks on the right path of virtue. Here the “lots” can be interpreted in this manner: “lot” is understood as that which allows people to obtain a part of the inheritance. This does not appear to happen casually, as the pagans think, but is decreed by the judgment and the division of God. Therefore in this moral explanation we must understand the “lots” to be the commandments of God through which the heavenly inheritance will be obtained. So this already converted man hopes in the reward for his actions and rests in the midst of the lots, that is, in the midst of the commandments of God, “seeing that the rest is good and that the land is fertile.” After driving away and suppressing the internal fight of his thoughts, which lasted as long as the flesh in him opposed the desires of the spirit and the spirit those of the flesh, his spirit eventually took rest in God. He has seen that the rest is good, since Jesus could by now say to him, “Come and rest awhile.” But he also sees that the land is good. When did he see that the land is good? When he purified his flesh from vices and passions, he saw that the land was fertile and fruitful.… We must consider him to be a farmer of his land. He is the one who constantly breaks and furrows with the plough of the Word of God and with the ploughshare of Scripture the fields of his soul and the fallow lands of his heart, and waters the plantations of faith, of charity, of hope and justice with the springs of Israel, and employs any method of agriculture in the field of his soul. — THE BLESSINGS OF THE PATRIARCHS 2.14

Genesis 49:15

Ambrose of Milan: “Issachar desired the good and rested in the midst of lots. And seeing the place of rest that it is good, and the land that it is rich, he bowed his shoulder to labor and became a husbandman.” Issachar is called “reward,” and therefore he represents Christ, who is our reward, because we buy him for ourselves for the hope of everlasting salvation, not with gold and silver but with faith and devotion.… He is the one who desired the good from the beginning and did not know how to desire what is evil. Of him also Isaiah says, “Before the child knows how to call his father or mother, he does not trust evil, choosing what is good.” He rested among the lots of the Old Testament and the New and in the midst of the prophets. And therefore he appeared in the middle between Moses and Elijah, to show us that he had rest through discourse with them, through whom many renounce their sins and believe in the living God, and that they themselves are witnesses of his resurrection and blessed repose. Accordingly, to call the nations to the grace of his resurrection—which is the rich and fertile land that bears everlasting fruits, fruits a hundredfold and sixtyfold13—he bowed his shoulder to labor, bowed himself to the cross, to carry our sins. For that reason the prophet says, “whose government is on his shoulder.” This means, above the passion of his body is the power of his divinity, or it refers to the cross that towers above his body. Therefore he bowed his shoulder, applying himself to the plow, patient in the endurance of all insults, and so subject to affliction that he was wounded on account of our iniquities and weakened on account of our sins. “And he became a gardener,” for he knew how to sow his own land with good grain and to plant fruitful trees with deep roots. — On the Blessings of the Patriarchs

Hippolytus of Rome: The text metaphorically and allegorically signifies the Savior through Issachar. Only this one, in fact, wished for the good since his childhood, as Isaiah confirms: “Before the child learned how to call mother and father, he said no to evil and chose the good.” He has found his rest in the inheritance of the prophets, in order to accomplish what they had foretold. On the mountain Moses and Elijah were seen while they talked to him by standing one at his right and the other at his left, in order to demonstrate that the Savior rested between them. — ON THE BLESSINGS OF ISAAC AND JACOB 21

Genesis 49:16

Ambrose of Milan: The simple meaning of this is that Dan also gave a judge to Israel. For after Joshua, judges were appointed for the people from the various tribes. Indeed, Samson was also from the tribe of Dan, and he judged Israel for twenty years. But this prophecy does not signify him, but the Antichrist who will come from the tribe of Dan, a fierce judge, and a monstrous tyrant, will judge his people. Like a serpent on the road, sitting in the path, he will try to overthrow those who walk in the way of truth, desiring to supplant the truth. This is indeed biting the horse’s heel, so that the horse, wounded and poisoned by the serpent’s bite, may lift its heel; just as Judas the betrayer, tempted by the devil, lifted his heel against the Lord Jesus, in order to overthrow the horseman, who threw himself down to lift everyone. — On the Blessings of the Patriarchs

Ephrem the Syrian: If one from Dan judges his people, how much more will that one from Judah, to whom the kingdom belongs, judge all the nations? For our Lord became a serpent to that first serpent and a viper to Satan, just like the serpent of bronze that countered the snakes. — COMMENTARY ON Genesis 43:6

Hippolytus of Rome: Hipp. The Lord is represented to us as a horseman; and the “heel” points us to the “last times.” And His “falling” denotes His death; as it is written in the Gospel: “Behold, this (child) is set for the fall and rising again of many.” We take the “robber” to be the traitor. Nor was there any other traitor to the Lord save the (Jewish) people. “Shall rob him,” i.e., shall plot against him. At the heels: that refers to the help of the Lord against those who lie in wait against Him. And again, the words “at the heels” denote that the Lord will take vengeance swiftly. He shall be well armed in the foot (heel), and shall overtake and rob the robber’s troop.

Aquila. “Girded, he shall gird himself; “that means that as a man of arms and war he shall arm himself. “And he shall be armed in the heel: “he means this rather, that Gad shall follow behind his brethren in arms. For though his lot was beyond Jordan, yet they (the men of that tribe) were enjoined to follow their brethren in arms until they too got their lots. Or perhaps he meant this, that Gad’s tribesmen were to live in the mummer of robbers, and that he was to take up a confederacy of freebooters, which is just a “robber’s troop,” and to follow them, practising piracy, which is robbery, along with them.

Whereas, on the abolition of the shadow in the law, and the introduction of the worship in spirit and truth, the world had need of greater light, at last, with this object, the inspired disciples were called, and put in possession of the lot of the teachers of the law. For thus did God speak with regard to the mother of the Jews-that is to say, Jerusalem-by the voice of the Psalmist: “Instead of thy fathers were thy sons; " that is, to those called thy sons was given the position of fathers. And with regard to our Lord Jesus Christ in particular: “Thou wilt appoint them rulers over all the earth.” Yet presently their authority will not be by any means void of trouble to them. Nay rather, they were to experience unnumbered ills and they were to be in perplexity; anti the course of their apostleship they were by no means to find free of peril, as he intimated indeed by way of an example, when he said, “Let (Dan) be,” meaning by that, that there shall be a multitude of persecutors in Dan like a “serpent lying by the way on the path, stinging the horse’s heel,” i.e., giving fierce and dangerous bites; for the bites of snakes are generally very dangerous. And they were “in the heel” in particular. for “he shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” And some did persecute the holy apostles in this way even to the death of the flesh. And thus we may say that their position was something like that when a horse stumbles and flings out his heels. For in such a case the horseman will be thrown, and, falling to the ground, I suppose, he waits thus for some one alive. And thus, too, the inspired apostles survive and wait for the time of their redemption, when they shall be called into a kingdom which cannot be moved, when Christ addresses them with the word, “Come, ye blessed of my Father, ’ etc.

And again, if any one will take the words as meaning, not that there will be some lying in wait against Dan like serpents, but that this Dan himself lies in wait against others, we may say that those meant thereby are the scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites who, while in possession of the power of judgment and instruction among the people, fastened like snakes upon Christ, and strove impiously to compass His fall, vexing Him with their stings as He held on in His lofty and gentle course. But if that horseman did indeed fall, He fell at least of His own will, voluntarily enduring the death of the flesh. And, moreover, it was destined that He should come to life again, having the Father as His helper and conductor. For the Son, being the power of God the Father, endued the temple of His own body again with life. Thus is He said to have been saved by the Father, as He stood in peril as a man, though by nature He is God, and Himself maintains the whole creation, visible and invisible, in a state of wellbeing. In this sense, also, the inspired Paul says of Him: “Though He was crucified in weakness, yet He liveth by the power of God.”

Aser obtained the parts about Ptolemais and Sidon. Wherefore he says, “His bread shall be fat, and he shall furnish dainties to princes.” This we take to be a figure of our calling; for “fat” means “rich.” And whose bread is rich, if not ours? For the Lord is out bread, as He says Himself: “I am the bread of life.” And who else will furnish dainties to princes but our Lord Jesus Christ?-not only to the believing among the Gentiles, but also to those of the circumcision, who are first in the faith, to wit, to the fathers, and the patriarchs, and the prophets, and to all who believe in His name and passion. — Hippolytus Exegetical Fragments

Jerome: (Verses 16 and following.) And he shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel. Let Dan be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward: thy salvation, O Lord, I will wait for. Samson was a judge in Israel, from the tribe of Dan. This therefore he saith: Now seeing in the spirit Samson thy Nazarite nourish his hair, and triumph over his enemies being cut down; which in the likeness of a serpent and ruler obstructing the ways, he permitteth none to pass through the land of Israel: but also if anyone, presuming on his own strength, relying on the swiftness of a horse, shall wish to invade it like a spoiler, he shall not be able to escape. However, the whole thing is spoken metaphorically of a serpent and a knight. Therefore, seeing your mighty Nazarene, who himself died for the prostitute and, dying, killed our enemies, I thought, O God, that he was the Christ, your Son. But because he died and did not rise again, and was led captive to Israel, another Savior of the world must be awaited by me and my race, to whom the promise has been given, and he will be the expectation of the nations. — Hebrew Questions on Genesis

Genesis 49:17

Ambrose of Milan: Therefore, when we are going well on the road, let us beware that a snake does not hide in the path and overthrow the footprint of the horse, that is, of our body, and suddenly cast down the sleeping rider. For if we are watchful, we ought to be somewhat cautious and to avoid the bites of the serpent. Therefore, let not the sleep of negligence oppress us, the sleep of the world, let not the sleep of riches oppress us; lest it also be said of us: They have slept their sleep, and all the men of riches have found nothing. But there are also sleeping knights, of whom it is written: Those who mounted the horses fell asleep. If greed wounds your heart, if lust inflames it, you sleep, knight, and therefore you cannot control your body, that is, your horse. Therefore, stay awake, so that even if you fall, that is, if you die, you do not fall asleep. For those who fall asleep in their sleep, find nothing. But you, wait for salvation from the Lord, look to the coming, so that you may find the grace of resurrection. Judas was sleeping: finally, he did not hear the words of Christ. Judas was sleeping, and indeed the sleep of riches, seeking a reward for his betrayal. The devil saw him sleeping, and oppressed by the heavy sleep of greed: he entered into his heart, wounded the horse, threw off the rider, whom he separated from Christ. — On the Blessings of the Patriarchs

Hippolytus of Rome: The fact that the prophet says “biting the heel of the horse” signifies that Christ will test those who announce the way of the truth and salvation. So he also tested the apostles, cheated Judas and took hold of him; he took hold of him as of a horse and threw the rider who was on it to death. — ON THE BLESSINGS OF ISAAC AND JACOB 22

Tyrannius Rufinus: The path indicates a more narrow way, which demonstrates that he does not walk along that wide and spacious way leading to death but along that narrow way full of obstacles leading to life. He bites the heel of the horse and so does what the apostle Paul said: “I pommel my body and subdue it, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.” He acts in this manner so that the rider may fall backwards. He always fears elations and heights and prefers his soul to fall from an evil height to an honest humility, in order to learn from Christ, who is modest and gentle in his heart. It is typical of those who progress to fear elation. And finally a very important apostle like Paul said, “A thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to keep me from being too elated.” And so the soul, after being recalled from elation and led back to the humility of Christ, waits for the salvation of the Lord. — THE BLESSINGS OF THE PATRIARCHS 2.17

Genesis 49:19

Ambrose of Milan: When temptation arose, it tempted him, and he tempted them by deceiving them. Temptation is the gathering and cunning of the scribes and priests who were tempting the Lord Jesus about the tribute to Caesar, and about John’s baptism, as the Scripture teaches, to whom the Lord Jesus, in his righteousness, turned the temptation back. By deceiving, that is, constantly and without any deliberation, with the intention of deceiving the tempters even more. For they said: In what authority do you do these things? He did not answer about what was asked, but he also proposed saying: I will also ask you one question: if you tell me, I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. Again they said: Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? He said: Why are you testing me, hypocrites? Show me the coin for the tax. And they brought him a coin, then he asked them: Whose image and inscription is this? They said to him: Caesar’s. Therefore, he bound them with their own words, with their own obligation. Then he said to them: Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s, so that they could not come against their own words. Finally, they marveled and went away from him. But it is not surprising if he answered differently than what they expected, since he could see what was before his feet.

Moses clearly explained that this prophecy of Jacob was about Christ. For he said: Blessed be he that enlarges Gad. As a lion, he rested, breaking the arms and the heads of the rulers, and saw from the beginning that the land was divided with the princes of the people. The Lord has executed justice, and judgment with Israel.

Therefore, we recognize who has rested like a lion, who has broken the arms of the mighty, who has seen the divisions of those who tempt from the beginning. Therefore, there is a chasm in the earth, which swallows the slanderers, where the temptation of the treacherous is. — On the Blessings of the Patriarchs

Hippolytus of Rome: Through the expression “a gang of enemies” (or “a place of trial”) the prophet signifies the evil Sanhedrin of the high priests and scribes, who tested the Savior with different pretenses in order to find some ground to move accusations against him and then take hold of him and execute him. But he, knowing their intentions, put them to test in his justice and delivered them to death for their sin. — ON THE BLESSINGS OF ISAAC AND JACOB 23

Jerome: (Verse 19.) Gad the robber will rob him, and he himself will rob a plant. We are interpreted according to the Hebrew. But where we put the robber, it is written Gedud (), to allude to the name Gad, which can be more significantly expressed as εὔζωνος, that is, girded or ready. But the whole story is that after fourteen years, when Reuben and half of the tribe of Manasseh had returned to the sons whom he had sent across the Jordan to take possession, he found a great war against the neighboring peoples, and after defeating the enemy, he fought bravely. Read the book of Joshua (Joshua 13) and Chronicles (1, 5). I am aware that there are more mysteries in the blessings of the patriarchs, but they are not relevant to the current work. — Hebrew Questions on Genesis

Tyrannius Rufinus: And therefore, according to a similar process, the moral sense develops: that man of ours, after confessing his error, by his repentance turns out to be converted through knowledge and shows a significant progress, so that he is tempted by the enemy and the strength of his soul and the soundness of his intentions are tested. In fact, the Scripture says, “The one who is not tempted is not credible.” No one will ever reach perfection if he is not first tested in temptations. — THE BLESSINGS OF THE PATRIARCHS 2.20

Genesis 49:20

Ambrose of Milan: His bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal dainties. The Latin interpretation of Aser signifies riches. Who then is rich, unless where the height of riches is wisdom and knowledge of God? Who is rich but the Lord Jesus, who always abounds, and never fails? The poor came into this world, and has abounded to all, and has filled all. How great is he in riches, who by his poverty has made all rich! But he became poor for our sake, being rich with the Father. He became poor so that he might deliver us from poverty; as the Apostle teaches, saying: For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich. His poverty enriches, heals wounds, satisfies hunger, gives life to the dead, and raises the buried. Therefore, he is a treasure, and his is the abundant bread. And whoever eats this rich bread will never hunger. He gave this bread to the apostles, so that they would distribute it to the people who believed; and today he gives us the same bread, which the priest consecrates daily with his words. Therefore, this bread has become the food of the saints.

We are able to receive the Lord Himself, who gave His flesh for us, as He Himself says: I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the desert, and they died: but this is the bread which comes down from heaven, that if any man eat of it, he may not die. And so that no one may think that He is speaking of the death which comes through the separation of soul and body, and may doubt with reason, since he knows that the holy apostles died this death, He added: I am the living bread, which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this, he will live forever: that is, I did not speak about temporal life above, nor about the death of this life, in which even if anyone dies, nevertheless if he receives my bread, he will live forever. For he who receives, proves himself: but he who receives will not die the death of a sinner, because this bread is the forgiveness of sins.

Moses also prophesied most beautifully in his blessings, saying: Blessed from the sons of Asher, and he will be accepted by his brothers; and he shall dip his foot in oil, and his shoe shall be iron and brass. And as your days are, so shall your strength be. There is none like your God, who is in heaven, your helper, and the great Lord of the firmament: and God, protecting you from the beginning, and by the strength of the mighty arms, has cast out your enemy from before your face, saying: Perish. And Israel shall dwell in confidence alone upon the land: Jacob shall have abundance of grain and wine; and the heavens shall be dewy with mist for you. — On the Blessings of the Patriarchs

Hippolytus of Rome: Here the prophet speaks obscurely either about the apostles, who had the duty to provide and distribute the bread of life, or about the Savior himself, since he foretells and let us know the bread descending from heaven, which is food and drink for the saints. In fact, Asher is interpreted as “richness,” as he alone was so rich that he might satiate all those who came to him. And Christ also testified about himself by saying, “I am the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died; but whoever eats of my bread will never see eternal death.” — ON THE BLESSINGS OF ISAAC AND JACOB 24

Tyrannius Rufinus: Since Asher means “blessed,” the bread of that one whom, after being recalled from error to penitence, we lead step by step to the present state of blessedness, after his conversion, after the spiritual knowledge, after the victory over temptations, is, to be sure, called “fat.” He eats that bread “which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world,” and that bread is fat for him. — THE BLESSINGS OF THE PATRIARCHS 2.21

Genesis 49:21

Ambrose of Milan: The vine of Nephthalim is sent forth, stretching out its beauty in its branches. Another branch of the vine is pruned, which appears useless, so that the vine does not boast in vain in the exuberance of its branches; and another is cut back for a short time and then allowed to grow again, so that it may bear fruit, whose beauty is extended in its generation; for as it rises up to the heavens, it embraces the vine, and ascending to the summit, it adorns the precious stem of the vine with a perpetual collar. And he is a glory in his generation, because he overflows with many fruits from full palms.

This is beautiful, but much more beautiful is the vine branch that signifies the spiritual, of which we are the branch, and we can bear fruit if we abide in the vine; but if not, we are cut off.

The holy patriarch Nephthalim was an abundant vine. Hence Moses says: Nephthalim will receive satisfaction, and will be filled with the blessing of the Lord, possessing the sea and the south wind. Moses explains this what Jacob had said, what it means to have a lax vine, that is, freed from the bonds of death through the grace of faith: in which the people of God are signified as being called to the freedom of faith, and the abundance of grace spread throughout the whole world, who may willingly bear the yoke of Christ with good fruit, and surround themselves with the true branches of that vine, that is, the mysteries of the Lord’s cross, and not fear the danger of confessing it, but rather even glory in the name of Christ even in persecutions.

This is truly a release from chains, which is bound by no bond of fear. Hence the prophet says: They shall go forth, and shall leap as calves of the stall. And therefore it extends its beauty in its germ, because it is placed in the place of pasture, and is raised above the water of refreshment, and through the sacraments of its regeneration it brings forth the good beauty of the word, and is assumed into that most beautiful grace of Christ, who can increase the loveliness of your beauty.

Finally, above all, he adorns with what he has; for no one can give what he does not have. And so it is said: The Lord reigns, he is clothed with beauty. For the grace of God clothes the Church with beauty, by depositing in that baptism the filthiness of all sins and shining forth with the splendor of heavenly grace. Therefore the bridegroom says of her: Who is this that looks forth as the dawn, fair as the sun, beautiful as the moon, a miracle as adorned. — On the Blessings of the Patriarchs

Hippolytus of Rome: Hipp. Who is the son goodly and envied, even to this day, but our Lord Jesus Christ? An object of envy is He indeed to those who choose to hate Him, yet He is not by any means to be overcome. For though He endured the cross, yet as God He returned to life, having trampled upon death, as His God and Father addresses Him, and says, “Sit Thou at my fight band.” And that even those are brought to nought who strive with the utmost possible madness against Him, he has taught us, when he says, “Against Him the archers took counsel together, and reviled Him.” For the “archers”-that is, the leaders of the people-did convene their assemblies, and take bitter counsel. “But their bows were broken, and the sinews of their arms were relaxed, by the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob,” that is to say, by God the Father, who is the Lord of power, who also made His Son blessed in heaven and on earth. And he (Naphtali) is adopted as a figure of things pertaining to us, as the Gospel shows: “The land of Zabulun, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan,” etc.; and, “To them that sat in darkness light has arisen.” And what other light was this but the calling of the Gentiles, which is the trunk, i.e., the tree of the Lord, in whom engrafted it bears fruit? And the word, “giving increase of beauty in the case of the shoot,” expresses the excellency of our calling. And if the words, “giving increase of beauty in the case of the shoot,” are understood, as perhaps they may, with reference to its, the clause is still quite intelligible. For, by progressing in virtue, and attaining to better things, “reaching forth to those things which are before,” according to the word of the blessed Paul, we rise ever to the higher beauty. I mean, however, of course, spiritual beauty, so that to us too it may be said hereafter, “The King greatly desired thy beauty.”

After something from Apollinaris:-

Hipp. The word of prophecy passes again to Immanuel Himself. For, in my opinion, what is intended by it is just what has been already stated in the words, “giving increase of beauty in the case of the shoot.” For he means that He increased and grew up into that which He had been from the beginning, and indicates the return to the glory which He had by nature. This, if we apprehend it correctly, is (we should say) just “restored” to Him. For as the only begotten Word of God, being God of God, emptied Himself, according to the Scriptures, humbling Himself of His own will to that which He was not before, and took unto Himself this vile flesh, and appeared in the “form of a servant,” and “became obedient to God the Father, even unto death,” so hereafter He is said to be “highly exalted; “and as if well-nigh He had it not by reason of His humanity, and as if it were in the way of grace, He “receives the name which is above every name,” according to the word of the blessed Paul. But the matter, in truth, was not a “giving,” as for the first time, of what He had not by nature; far otherwise. But rather we must understand a return and restoration to that which existed in Him at the beginning, essentially and inseparably. And it is for this reason that, when He had assumed, by divine arrangement, the lowly estate of humanity, He said, “Father, glorify me with the glory which I had,” etc. For He who was co-existent with His Father before all time. and before the foundation of the world, always had the glory proper to Godhead. “He” too may very well be understood as the “youngest (son).” For He appeared in the last times, after the glorious and honourable company of the holy prophets, and simply once, after all those who, previous to the time of His sojourn, were reckoned in the number of sons by reason of excellence. That Immanuel, however, was an” object of envy,” is a somewhat doubtful phrase. Yet He is an “object of envy” or “emulation” to the saints, who aspire to follow His footsteps, and conform themselves to His divine beauty, and make Him the pattern of their conduct, and win thereby their highest glory. And again, He is an “object of envy” in another sense,-an “object of ill-will,” namely, to those who are declared not to love Him. I refer to the leading parties among the Jews,-the scribes, in sooth, and the Pharisees,-who travailed with bitter envy against Him, and made the glory of which He could not be spoiled the ground of their slander, and assailed Him in many ways. For Christ indeed raised the dead to life again, when they already stank and were corrupt; and He displayed other signs of divinity. And these should have filled them with wonder, and have made them ready to believe, and to doubt no longer. Yet this was not the case with them; but they were consumed with ill-will, and nursed its bitter pangs in their mind.

After something from Cyril:-

Hipp. Who else is this than as is shown us by the apostle, “the second man, the Lord from heaven? " And in the Gospel, He said that he who did the will of the Father was “the last.” And by the words, “Turn back to me,” is meant His ascension to His Father in heaven after His passion. And in the phrase, “Against Him they took counsel together, and reviled Him,” who are intended but just the people in their opposition to our Lord? And as to the words, “they pressed Him sore,” who pressed Him, and to this day still press Him sore? Those-these “archers,” namely-who think to contend against the Lord. But though they prevailed to put Him to death, yet “their bows were broken with might.” This plainly means, that “after the resurrection” their bows were broken with might. And those intended are the leaders of the people, who set themselves in array against Him, and, as it were, sharpened the points of their weapons. But they failed to transfix Him, though they did what was unlawful, and dared to assail Him even in the manner of wild beasts.

“Thou didst prevail above the blessings of abiding mountains.” By “eternal and abiding mountains and everlasting hills,” he means the saints, because they are lifted above the earth, and make no account of the things that perish, but seek the things that are above, and aspire earnestly to rise to the highest virtues. After the glory of Christ, therefore, are those of the Fathers who were most illustrious, and reached the greatest elevation in virtue. These, however, were but servants; but the Lord, the Son, supplied them with the means by which they became illustrious. Wherefore also they acknowledge (the truth of this word), “Out of His fulness have all we received.”

“And my God helped thee.” This indicates clearly that the aid and support of the Son came from no one else but our God and Father in heaven. And by the word “my God,” is meant that the Spirit speaks by Jacob.

Euseb. “The sinews of the arms.” He could not say, of “the hands” or “shoulders; “but since the broad central parts of the bow are termed “arms,” he says appropriately “arms.”

Hipp. “Blessings of the breasts and womb.” By this is meant that the true blessing from heaven is the Spirit descending through the Word upon flesh. And by “breasts and womb” he means the blessings of the Virgin. And by that of” thy father and thy mother,” he means also the blessing of the Father which we have received in the Church through our Lord Jesus Christ. — Hippolytus Exegetical Fragments

Hippolytus of Rome: “A spreading vine branch” signifies the people that are called to freedom through faith, so that all may bring fruits to God. In fact, the Savior was the spiritual vine, its branches and trunks are the saints who believe in him. Its bunches of grapes are the martyrs; the trunks of wood which are bound to vines indicate the passion. The grape pickers are the angels; the baskets where the fruits of the vine are gathered are the apostles. The winepress is the church; the wine is the power of the Holy Spirit. Therefore the words “spreading vine branch” signify those who have been freed from the chains of death, as Isaiah [actually Malachi] himself says, “You shall go forth and rejoice as young calves let loose from bonds.” On the other hand, the sentence “bestowing beauty on its fruits” means that in the regeneration through water they receive the grace and beauty of the Word, who was richer than the sons of men in beauty. — ON THE BLESSINGS OF ISAAC AND JACOB 25

Jerome: (Verse 21.) The tribe of Naphtali, a spreading vine, producing beauty in the next generation. In Hebrew it is written: Naphtali is a fruitful land, producing words of beauty, signifying that hot springs are born within the tribe itself, or that the region around the Sea of Galilee, watered by the flow of the Jordan River, is fertile. However, the Hebrews interpret it as prophesying an irrigated land and the words of beauty referring to Tiberias, which was considered to have knowledge of the Law. Furthermore, when they placed the irrigated field and the seventy twigs, which is called a loose branch, in Hebrew it is read as Ajala Sluaa (), which can also be translated as a released stag, showing the abundance of temporary crops and the swiftness of fertile land. But it is better if we refer everything to the teaching of the Savior, especially what He taught there, as it is also written in the Gospel. — Hebrew Questions on Genesis

Tyrannius Rufinus: With regard to the third explanation, the interpretation of the name Naphtali is that indicated by his father when he blesses him, that is, “leafy tree” or “vine.” There was that man of ours, who a bit earlier fed on fat bread and offered food to princes (that bread that comforts the heart of people8). Now, as a second phase, Christ, the true vine, has shown for him a splendid fruit through which he may now cheer with wine the heart that he had comforted before with bread. In both cases it seems to me that he has reached such a stage of progress that he may even obtain the sacraments of priesthood. But if we prefer to interpret Nephthalim as “tree,” which shows its beauty in its fruits, instead of “leafy vine,” what will ever be the tree showing its beauty in the fruits but the Wisdom of God? About her Solomon says, “She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her.” — THE BLESSINGS OF THE PATRIARCHS 2.24

Genesis 49:22

Ambrose of Milan: What was the reason that, above all his sons, the father pursued Joseph more abundantly as his son, if not because he already saw in him the mysteries of Christ prefigured? Therefore, blessing him more who was expected than him who was seen, he said: Joseph, my son, is to be multiplied. Who is to be multiplied, if not Christ, whose grace is always increased, and whose glory has no end? Concerning whom also John says: He must increase, but I must decrease; for through his name, which is salvation and perfection, grace has been multiplied and abounded in this world. My son is to be enlarged; and therefore, because his brothers saw him growing, they began to envy. But Joseph understood and zeal entered into those whom he favored the most. Finally, he said: I came not but for the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And they said: We do not know where he is from. He cared for them, and they denied him. — On the Blessings of the Patriarchs

Ambrose of Milan: My son, he said, is younger. Indeed, he is the youngest, who was almost the last born. Finally, Scripture also says: Jacob loved him, because he was the son of his old age. This also refers to Christ. For the Son of God, shining forth to the aged and already setting world, came late through the birth of the Virgin Mary, as if receiving a body as the son of old age according to the mystery, who always was with the Father before the ages.

And the Father says to him: Return to me, calling him from the earth to heaven, whom he had sent for our salvation. Therefore, raising up his only-begotten Son, he frustrated the plan of the slanderers. Hence, Isaiah also says: The futile plan of your spirit. And the one who had been accusing and directing arrows like a hunter, has disarmed everything: he has crushed the power of those who relied on their own strength and not on God. Then, he said, Israel prevailed from the God of your father, and my God helped you. Who is it that strengthened Israel and helped his son, if not the only Father God, who said: Jacob, my servant, I will uphold him; Israel, my chosen one, my soul will uphold him. — On the Blessings of the Patriarchs

Ephrem the Syrian: Just as Jacob depended on Joseph instead of Reuben the firstborn, so also instead of Adam, the firstborn and rebellious one, the world had one Son of old age, in the latter days of the world, so that the whole world might stand and lean on him as if on a pillar. “Rise up, O spring, O building supported” by brothers and sons. Through the power of our Lord the world is supported on the prophets and on the apostles. Joseph became a wall of plenty to his brothers in the time of famine, and our Lord became the wall of knowledge to the world in the time of error. — COMMENTARY ON Genesis 43:10

Hippolytus of Rome: The prophet has blessed Joseph more than all his brothers, because he contemplated the mysteries which, having been prefigured in him, would be fulfilled in Christ. Therefore Jacob did not praise Joseph but the one who was symbolized by Joseph. In fact, he says to him, “My son is increased, Joseph,” because thanks to his kingly and perfect name the grace of Christ has increased and has become abundant in the world. — ON THE BLESSINGS OF ISAAC AND JACOB 26

Jerome: (Verse 22 and following) The son of Joseph grew up, the son of Joseph grown tall above the fountain of the daughter, walking with a composed stride on the wall. And they provoked him, and contended with him, and were angry against him, having arrows. He sat in the strength of his bow, and the chains of his hands were broken, from the hands of the mighty Jacob. From there will come the shepherd, the stone of Israel from the God of your father: and the rest. Because the Seventy Interpreters disagree in many places, we have expressed their interpretation as it is in Hebrew. And the meaning of the chapter is this: O Joseph, who is called thus because God has increased you for me, or because you will become greater among your brothers (for indeed Ephraim was the strongest of the tribe, as we read in the Books of Kings and Chronicles); O, I say, my son Joseph, who is so handsome that a crowd of Egyptian girls watches you from the walls, towers, and windows, your brothers envied you and provoked you to anger, wounded by arrows of envy and spears of jealousy. But you have set your bow and weapons of war in God, who is a mighty warrior; and your chains, with which your brothers bound you, have been loosed and broken by him, so that from your seed may be born Ephraim, strong and steadfast, like an unconquerable and unyielding stone, ruling over the ten tribes of Israel. — Hebrew Questions on Genesis

Tyrannius Rufinus: What is the significance of the fact that only Joseph among all the brothers is called son three times? In accordance with the limits of my point of view, I understand that the first time Joseph was born [to his father] as a son, because he was born of Rachel when his father did not hope any longer to obtain an offspring. But then Joseph was, in a sense, born to his father a second time as a son, because it was announced to Jacob that he was alive, when he was by now convinced of his death. And finally he becomes his son for the third time when, by instructing [Joseph] and educating him with doctrine and erudition and all the virtues through which he was able to see God, he had begotten him also in the spirit. On the other hand, it would not be correct for Jacob to call Joseph the youngest son, since he is older than Benjamin, unless we must understand that he is the youngest in the teaching of his father.

Genesis 49:25

Ambrose of Milan: And therefore, in that seemingly contemptible body, you have prevailed, he said, because of the blessings of breasts and womb, the blessings of your father and mother. He called them either breasts or two Testaments, of which one was announced and the other was shown. And breasts are good, because they have nourished us with spiritual milk, and the Son offered himself to God: or he speaks of Mary’s breasts, which were truly blessed, by which the holy Virgin gave the people of the Lord the drink of milk. And that woman in the Gospel said: Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts that you nursed! — On the Blessings of the Patriarchs

Ambrose of Milan: But why did she say: Blessed is the womb of your father and mother, if we want to understand the womb alone of Mary, the reason will be hidden. For she could have said it concerning the womb of the mother alone. But I think it is more beautiful to understand both the generation of the Lord Jesus according to the spiritual mystery, and according to divinity, and according to the flesh, because he was begotten from the Father before the ages. And the Father says: My heart has uttered a word; because it proceeded from that most intimate and incomprehensible substance of the Father, and it is always in Him. Therefore the evangelist also says: No one has ever seen God, except the only-begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. Just as the spiritual bosom of the Father is understood as a certain inner secret of paternal love and nature, in which the Son is always present, so also the spiritual bosom of the Father is the womb, the secret of the innermost mystery, from which the Son has proceeded as though from a generative womb. Finally, we read in diverse ways, sometimes the womb of the Father, sometimes his heart from which he uttered a word, sometimes his mouth from which justice proceeded, from which wisdom came forth, as he himself says: From the mouth of the Most High, I came forth. Thus, just as we understand that generation from the Father, let us also understand the generation of Mary, the mother, when the womb of the mother is blessed, certainly the virginal womb of Mary, who gave birth to the Lord Jesus for us. Concerning which the Father says through the prophet Jeremiah: Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you; and before you came forth from the womb, I sanctified you. Therefore, the prophet declared the dual substance in Christ, of divinity and flesh: one from the Father, the other from the Virgin; in such a way, however, that he did not lack his divinity when he was born of the Virgin and was in the body. — On the Blessings of the Patriarchs

Hippolytus of Rome: By adding and saying “Because of the blessing of the womb of your father and your mother” the prophet proclaims in advance a spiritual mystery. He could have said, “Because of the blessing of the womb of your mother,” in order to indicate with this expression Mary, in whose womb the Word was borne for nine months. Well, this is not what he said; on the contrary he said, “Because of the blessing of the womb of your father and your mother.” By uniting these two things, he made them one, in order that it might be clearly understood that to this person belongs what is according to spirit and what is according to flesh. The Word took his origin from a father’s heart; … rightly the Father said through the prophet, “My heart has uttered a good Word.” On the other hand, according to flesh he took his origin in the latter times from a virginal womb after he was borne in it for nine months, so that he might appear to be visible as he was born a second time from a mother’s womb. And therefore he himself said through the prophet, “And thus said the Lord that formed me from the womb to be his own servant.” And through Jeremiah [the Father] said, “Before I formed you in the womb [of your mother], I knew you, and before you came forth from the womb, I sanctified you.” Since the Word was begotten both according to spirit and flesh and was actually both God and man, with good reason the prophet [Jacob] has used the word womb for a father and a mother; and this might seem to be ridiculous to somebody, if it were not understood this way. In fact, the term womb can be suitably referred only to the female nature. But here he has said, “Because of the blessing of the womb of your father and mother,” so that you might correctly understand that the Word is begotten from two substances, that of God and that of the Virgin. — ON THE BLESSINGS OF ISAAC AND JACOB 27

Genesis 49:26

Ambrose of Milan: And so he surpassed all mountains, and the desires of the eternal hills. For he excelled not only all those sublime men of merit, the patriarchs, prophets, and apostles, but even the sun, the moon, and the archangels, shining like the light of heaven, as he himself says: A disciple is not above his master, nor a servant above his lord. For who among them was there to whom all things were subject, to whom he gave what they were? In which all his saints are blessed, because he is the head of all heads. For the head of a woman is the man, and the head of a man is Christ. And he is exalted above the peaks of the mountains, for he is the highest pinnacle of all: but the highest pinnacle belongs to the righteous. He calls them brothers, acquired through grace, and partakers in a certain regeneration. Therefore, we understand Joseph to be more of a brother to them, of whom it is said in the psalm: I will declare your name to my brothers, I will sing your praises in the midst of the Church. — On the Blessings of the Patriarchs

Tyrannius Rufinus: Now then, with regard to the third sense, that man, being renewed and increased through the spiritual steps, ascends to the greatness of Joseph, who, thanks to the progress of his faith and the gifts of the Holy Spirit, rose to such an extent that he became the victim of envy. Therefore by what garlands braided by our words will that man be crowned for whom, after fighting, and completing his race and preserving his faith, God, the just Judge, keeps in store the crown of justice? About him the father says, “Joseph is a son increased.” And who is so increased as that one who, after his errors and fall, is renewed and returned through the different stages of virtue to such a degree that he reaches the greatest victory? But since he rises little by little, for this reason he is said to be increased in the single stages. In fact, first he began to be increased in Judah through confession. Then he is increased again in Zebulun because he dispelled the obscurity of darkness. Then he is increased again in Issachar because the reward for his works was increased. He is increased again in Dan when he began to keep a correct capacity of judgment in the context of his free will. He is increased again in Gad because he resisted temptation. He is finally increased in Asher when he reached beatitude. In an appropriate manner Joseph also is called “increased son,” because he obtains already the goods to come. But he is also called “envied son,” that is, the one who is set as a model to be imitated by the righteous and will receive the zeal of envy and hatred from the wicked. Also the apostle speaks about the good and the bad zeal and with regard to the evil zeal of the Jews says, “They make much of you, but for no good purpose.” And with regard to the good zeal, he says about himself, “I feel a divine jealousy for you.” But he is also called “the youngest son.” Why should not that one who put off the old man with his actions, resurrected in Christ and walking in the renewal of life, be called the youngest son? And this new man will be called “son” three times. The first was his birth according to the flesh, the second the birth through conversion and baptism. The third is the birth also defined as regeneration, which is the resurrection of the dead. — THE BLESSINGS OF THE PATRIARCHS 2.27

Genesis 49:27

Ambrose of Milan: The devil has many wolves, whom he directs towards the sheep of Christ; and therefore Joseph, being intelligent, snatched the wolf Paul, the enemy who came to plunder the sheep, in order to save his own sheep, making him a teacher from a persecutor. Concerning whom Jacob says, as it is written: Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he shall devour prey, and in the evening he shall divide the spoil among the princes. The wolf was present when he scattered and devoured the sheep of the Church. But the one who was a wolf became a shepherd. The wolf was there when Saul entered houses and dragged men and women to prison. The wolf was there when he breathed threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, seeking letters from the chief priests to capture the servants of Christ. But Jesus blinded him like a wolf wandering in the darkness of the night with the outpouring of His light. Therefore, when Rachel gave birth to Benjamin, she called his name Son of my sorrow, prophesying that from her would come the tribe of Paul, who would afflict the children of the Church during his time of persecution, and cause great pain to their mother. But nevertheless, at a later time he divided the same bread among the leaders, proclaiming the word of God to the Gentiles and calling many to faith. During this discussion, as we read, the proconsul Paul and the prince Publius received the grace of the Lord.

But beautifully also, when Moses blessed the tribe of Benjamin, he said: The beloved of the Lord shall dwell securely, and God shall overshadow him all the days, and the beloved of the Lord shall rest between his shoulders, who has also become a vessel of election. For he was converted to the Lord by the mercy and love of the Lord. Therefore, offering nothing to his own merit, but attributing everything to Christ, he says: For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the Church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace towards me has not been in vain. He will dwell with confidence in the house that he previously laid waste, he will dwell in the tabernacles of Christ, who previously wandered like a wolf in the woods. And God overshadowed him when Christ appeared to him. Although he saw nothing with his open eyes, he still saw Christ. And he rightly saw the present one, whom he also heard speaking. This shadow is not of blindness, but of grace. Finally, Mary is told: The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. — On the Blessings of the Patriarchs

Ephrem the Syrian: [This refers to] Paul, who was a wolf to the wolves and snatched all souls away from the evil one. And “in the evening he will divide what he seizes,” that is, at the end of the world he will also rest with a reward greater than his labors. — COMMENTARY ON Genesis 43:11

Hippolytus of Rome: This thoroughly suits Paul, who was of the tribe of Benjamin. For when he was young, he was a ravening wolf; but when he believed, he “apportioned” food. This also is shown us by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that the tribe of Benjamin is among the first persecutors, which is the sense of “in the morning.” For Saul, who was of the tribe of Benjamin, persecuted David, who was appointed to be a type of the Lord. — Hippolytus Exegetical Fragments

Jerome: (Verse 27.) Benjamin the ravenous wolf, in the morning he will still eat, and in the evening he will give food.

How clear is the prophecy about the Apostle Paul, it is evident to all that in his youth he persecuted the Church, but in his old age he preached the Gospel. However, it is written in Hebrew as follows: Benjamin, a ravenous wolf, in the morning he will devour the prey, and in the evening he will divide the spoils. The Hebrews interpret this as referring to the altar where sacrifices were offered and the blood of the victims was poured out at its base, which was located in the territory of the tribe of Benjamin. They say, therefore, that this signifies that the priests in the morning sacrifice the victims, and in the evening divide those things which have been conferred upon them by the people according to the Law, placing the bloody wolf, the voracious wolf, as an interpretation upon the altar, and the division of spoils upon the priests, who serve the altar and live off the altar. — Hebrew Questions on Genesis

Tyrannius Rufinus: “At evening he will divide the food.” The evening is that final time when Paul is converted. Thus we also call evening the time of our conversion in which we are now. Then he will divide the food, then he understands that in the law it is necessary to divide the letter from the spirit and will know that “the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” Since after being enlightened by the grace of the Lord, Paul begins to divide and separate in the law the spiritual realities from the corporeal ones, he is said to divide the food at evening. In fact, although meditating all day long on the law, he had not done that before. — THE BLESSINGS OF THE PATRIARCHS 2.29