NOTES for Gen 49:1-33
Today's reading is nothing other than an ancient prophecy, spoken by an unknown prophet to each of the twelve Hebrew tribes and placed by tradition on the lips of Jacob himself. Of course, in principle one cannot exclude that this prophecy was in fact spoken by Jacob himself. Still, it should be noted that the Bible portrays Jacob more as a man endowed with the gift of prophetic dreams than as a prophet in the traditional sense of the word for those times, which Jacob still did not very closely resemble. Sometimes, however, the prophetic gift manifested itself in people from whom no one expected it. In any case, one thing is clear: the historical destiny of each of the twelve Hebrew tribes is foretold here as something immutable and planned by God in advance. And then the question arises: to what extent are all historical events and turns planned in advance at all? And what, in that case, is the role of the human person in history? The question is not idle: in this case, as in any other, the measure of freedom determines the measure of responsibility. One cannot demand responsibility from a person for what is not within his power. Yet even the prophecy we find in today's passage, concerning of course not all humanity but only the people of God, already forces us to suppose that predetermination is not so simple. Certainly the role of each of the twelve tribes is described here rather strictly. But at the same time we often see indications of the tribal characteristics that condition God's choice of this or that place in the life and history of the people of God for the corresponding tribe. One cannot place at the head of the people someone who is unable to restrain his fury (vv. 5-6); power should not be left to someone who has no self-control and cannot observe elementary moral norms (vv. 3-4). Certain tribal characteristics and inclinations are also taken into account: to one falls the sea as an inheritance (v. 13), to another fertile lands (v. 20), and another will have to fight many battles (v. 19). To each his own, and in this case hardly any would want to trade places and occupations with others. But if so, then the role and place of each tribe is determined not by God's decision alone; this decision, as is clear, is made with regard to what this or that tribe has become in God's eyes. And this, naturally, depends not only on God but also on man.