Having blessed Pharaoh ( Genesis 47:7-10) and Ephraim and Manasseh ( Genesis 48:15-20), Jacob next blessed all12of his sons and foretold what would become of each of them and their descendants. He disqualified Reuben, Simeon, and Levi from leadership and gave that blessing to Judah. He granted the double portion to Joseph. This chapter is the last one in Genesis that gives the destinies of the family members of Abraham"s chosen line. It contains blessings, curses, judgments, and promises, all of which are prominent in Genesis. [source][source][source]
"These chapters, then, take the story from the first mention of Abram in Genesis 11:26 to the first mention of Israel as a people, a people blessed by God with a special blessing." [1][source]
The writer of Genesis called this section Jacob"s blessing ( Genesis 49:28). Isaac had prophetically outlined the future of his two sons" families (ch27). Earlier Noah had prophesied the future of Canaan"s descendants ( Genesis 9:25-27). Likewise Jacob by divine inspiration foretold major characteristics of each of the twelve tribes that would issue from his twelve sons ( Genesis 49:1). Each blessing contains at least one of these elements: 1) a synopsis of the son"s personality, 2) a hint as to his potential, and3) a prophecy of his future. [source][source][source]
"Jacob predicted how things would turn out for each of his sons and their descendants, should they continue to display the character they had displayed thus far." [2][source]
This is the first long poem in the Bible. [source][source][source]
"This chapter, in that it is poetry, seems to be intended to be a high point of the toledot ya"aqob (i.e, chaps37-50), if not the whole book of Genesis." [3][source]
This blessing rested on God"s promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Each son learned how his branch of the family would benefit from and be a channel of blessing relative to the patriarchal promises. The natural character of each son and the consequences of that character would have their outcome in the future of the Israelites. The choices and consequently the characters of the patriarchs affected their descendants for generations to come, as is usually true. [source][source][source]
"The Spirit of God revealed to the dying patriarch Israel the future history of his seed, so that he discovered in the character of his sons the future development of the tribes proceeding from them, and with prophetic clearness assigned to each of them its position and importance in the nation into which they were to expand in the promised inheritance." [4][source]
"It is fitting that the Book of Genesis , which opened with the creative power of the divine word, closes with the notion of the effective power of the inspired predictive word of the patriarch." [4]4 [source]
Jacob assumed in his blessing that his family would increase and possess the land of Canaan. This optimism reveals his faith. [source][source][source]
"God gave His people this prophecy to bear them through the dismal barrenness of their experiences and to show them that He planned all the future. For Jacob"s family, the future lay beyond the bondage of Egypt in the land of promise. But the enjoyment of the blessings of that hope would depend on the participants" faithfulness. So from the solemnity of his deathbed Jacob evaluated his sons one by one, and carried his evaluation forward to the future tribes." [6][source]
The scope of his prophecy extends into the millennial age. God did not fulfill these prophecies completely during the lifetime of Jacob"s sons. He did not do so during Israel"s years in the land beginning with the conquest of Joshua and ending with the captivities either. Moreover, He has not done so since then. [source][source][source]
"Jacob"s last words to his sons have become the occasion for a final statement of the book"s major theme: God"s plan to restore the lost blessing [7] through the offspring of Abraham. [source][source][source]
"By framing Jacob"s last words between Genesis 49:1 and Genesis 49:28, the writer shows where his interests lie. Jacob"s words look to the future-"in days to come"-and draw on the past, viz, God"s blessing of mankind. It is within that context we are to read and understand Jacob"s words in this chapter." [8][source]