seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Genesis 49:19 “Gad will be attacked by a band of raiders,
but he will attack them at their heels.
20 “Asher’s food will be rich;
he will provide delicacies fit for a king.
21 “Naphtali is a doe set free
that bears beautiful fawns.[j]
but he will attack them at their heels.
20 “Asher’s food will be rich;
he will provide delicacies fit for a king.
21 “Naphtali is a doe set free
that bears beautiful fawns.[j]
i. Genesis 49:19 Gad sounds like the Hebrew for attack and also for band of raiders.
j. Genesis 49:21 Or free; / he utters beautiful words
These three brothers actually got a pretty good deal. While Gad's people would have to be on border patrol constantly, they would prevail. Asher's dishes would become delicacies and Naphtali would flourish. I guess Jacob [Israel] never knew that three sons were at the cistern when Joseph was thrown in to starve to death.
This morning it was biblstudytools.com that seemed to be the clearest.
GAD--This tribe should be often attacked and wasted by hostile powers on their borders ( Judges 10:8 , Jeremiah 49:1 ). But they were generally victorious in the close of their wars.
ASHER--"Blessed." Its allotment was the seacoast between Tyre and Carmel, a district fertile in the production of the finest corn and oil in all Palestine.
NAPHTALI--The best rendering we know is this, "Naphtali is a deer roaming at liberty; he shooteth forth goodly branches," or majestic antlers [TAYLOR, Scripture Illustrations], and the meaning of the prophecy seems to be that the tribe of Naphtali would be located in a territory so fertile and peaceable, that, feeding on the richest pasture, he would spread out, like a deer, branching antlers.
ASHER--"Blessed." Its allotment was the seacoast between Tyre and Carmel, a district fertile in the production of the finest corn and oil in all Palestine.
NAPHTALI--The best rendering we know is this, "Naphtali is a deer roaming at liberty; he shooteth forth goodly branches," or majestic antlers [TAYLOR, Scripture Illustrations], and the meaning of the prophecy seems to be that the tribe of Naphtali would be located in a territory so fertile and peaceable, that, feeding on the richest pasture, he would spread out, like a deer, branching antlers.
Based on what we now know about Rueben's blessing being taken from him and the horrible things Jacob [Israel] said about Simeon and Levi during their blessing, we can safely assume that Gad, Asher, and Naphtali were the three in the middle that didn't cause trouble and only went along with the plan as little as they could to keep their hands as clean as possible. In other words, when Joseph was thrown in the cistern.... they just watched, probably in fear of retaliation if they stepped in.
This is a dysfunctional family. Sometimes by not fully participating a family member is keeping matters from getting worse.
