Genesis 49:8

Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise,.... His name signifies praise, and was given him by his mother, her heart being filled with praises to God for him, Genesis 29:35 and is here

Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father's children shall bow down before thee.

Or rather, Thou art Judah, thy brethren shall praise or celebrate thee. So the expression is like that . As his name is, so is he; Nabal is his name, and folly is with him, or in him. So here the sense is, As thy name signifies praise, , so shalt thou have praise or honour from thy brethren. He alludes to his name, and to the occasion of it, but with an elegant variation. Thou art deservedly called Judah, not only because thy mother praised God for thee, but also because thy brethren shall praise and bless thee for the reasons here following. But this, as also the other blessings or predictions, do not so much declare the state of Judah or the rest in their own persons, as in their posterity. Thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies, i.e. thou shalt overthrow and subdue them. This was fulfilled in part, ,2,4 3:9,10; but more fully in David, , and Solomon, ; and most eminently, though spiritually, in Christ. The phrase is taken either, 1. From the practice of warriors, who use to assault their enemies in that part, that they may throw them down at their feet; of which see 16:12. Or, 2. from the custom of conquerors, who are said to put the yokes upon the necks of the conquered. See 28:14. Thy father’ s children, i.e. all thy brethren, and my posterity; he saith not thy mother’ s children, for his sons had divers mothers; shall bow down before thee, i.e. shall own thee as their superior and lord, upon whom I have devolved this part of the right of the first-born. By this and the following words we plainly see that these blessings and predictions were not distributed according to Jacob’ s affections and inclinations, (for then Judah should never have been advanced above his worthily beloved Joseph,) but by the direction of God’ s Spirit.

Genesis 49:8 Judah, thou [art he] whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand [shall be] in the neck of thine enemies; thy father’ s children shall bow down before thee.Ver. 8. Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren.] All this is chiefly verified in Christ, and of him to be understood. In him is beauty, bounty, goodness, greatness, and whatsoever else is praiseworthy. He goeth forth riding on his white horse, "conquering and to conquer." St Paul, his chief herald, proclaims his victory with a world of solemnity and triumph, and calls upon all his brethren to bow down before him, as they do, casting down their crowns at his feet, and setting the crown upon his head, - as the manner was among the Romans, that the saved should crown their saviours, and honour them as their fathers all their lives long, being wholly at their service. It was not without mystery that David did reverence to his son Solomon, when he was newly crowned; what would he have done, think we, to his Lord, as he calls Christ, had he been there in his royalty? Apud Romam siqui servati essent, solebant Servatorem suum coronare. Sεβεταιδετουτον, καιπαπαολοντονβιονοσωθειςωςπατερακαιπανταδειτουτωποιεινωςτωγονει. - Polyb., lib. vi.

(8) Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise.—Judah had received his name, Praise, because at his birth Leah had praised Jehovah (Genesis 29:35). It is now to have another justification in the noble history of his race, which, taking the foremost place by reason of the disqualification of Reuben, Simeon, and Levi, finally was destined to win freedom and empire for Israel. We have seen that “the excellency of power” ought to have belonged to Reuben; it now falls to Judah’s lot, is to be attained by exploits that shall deserve the praise of all the tribes, and is to be exercised over not only the descendants of Leah, but all Jacob’s children.

8. Judah! thou! Thy brethren shall praise thee. Thy hand, in the neck of thine enemies: The sons of thy father shall bow themselves to thee. 9. A lion's whelp is Judah: From the prey, my son, thou hast ascended, He couched, lying down like a strong lion And like a lioness; who shall arouse him? 10. From Judah the sceptre shall not depart, Nor a teacher from his offspring, Until that SHILOH shall come, And to him shall be assembled the peoples. 11. Binding his colt to the vine, And to the choice vine the foals of his ass, He washed his garments in wine, His clothes in the blood of the grape. 12. With wine shall his eyes be red, And his teeth shall be white with milk. Verse 8. Thy brethren shall praise thee.] As the name Judah signifies praise, Jacob takes occasion from its meaning to show that this tribe should be so eminent and glorious, that the rest of the tribes should praise it; that is, they should acknowledge its superior dignity, as in its privileges it should be distinguished beyond all the others. On the prophecy relative to Judah, Dr. Hales has several judicious remarks, and has left very little to be farther desired on the subject. Every reader will be glad to meet with them here. "The prophecy begins with his name JUDAH, signifying the praise of the Lord, which was given to him at his birth by his mother Leah, Genesis 29:35. It then describes the warlike character of this tribe, to which, by the Divine appointment, was assigned the first lot of the promised land, which was conquered accordingly by the pious and heroic Caleb; the first who laid hands on the necks of his enemies, and routed and subdued them, Joshua 14:11; Joshua 15:1; Judges 1:1-2; and led the way for their total subjugation under David; who, in allusion to this prediction, praises God, and says: Thou hast given me the necks of mine enemies, that I might destroy them that hate me, Psalms 18:40. In the different stages of its strength, this tribe is compared to a lion's whelp, to a full grown lion, and to a nursing lioness, the fiercest of all. Hence a lion was the standard of Judah; compare Numbers 2:3, Ezekiel 1:10. The city of David, where he reposed himself after his conquests, secure in the terror of his name, 1 Chronicles 14:17, was called Ariel, the lion of God, Isaiah 29:1; and our Lord himself, his most illustrious descendant, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, Revelation 5:5.

8–12. Judah is the recipient of a special blessing, which is distributed as follows: (1) he is the object of national eulogy, Genesis 49:8; (2) he is strong as a lion, and has won success, Genesis 49:9; (3) to him belong the monarchy and the ideal king, Genesis 49:10; (4) his territory is blessed with fertility, Genesis 49:11-12.

8. Judah, thou — Pleonastic use of the pronoun, but adding emphasis to the address. Shall praise thee — A play upon the meaning of the name Judah. See Genesis 29:35.