“Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father's sons shall bow down before you.
Jacob is blessing his sons before he dies. The words over Simeon and Levi were hard ones. At the fourth son the tone changes, and Judah receives the family's future. The verse plays on his name and sets two groups before us: brothers and enemies. It also raises a question. Why did this son, of all of them, get the place of honour?
The name behind the promise
Judah's name means "praise." It came from his mother's own words at his birth, spoken in the middle of her grief:
William KellyAnd again she bore a son, and said, "Now I will praise Jehovah"; so she called his name Judah. Never do we hear of her soul rising so high. The sorrow-stricken woman breaks out in praise of Jehovah, and her fourth son carries it in the name she gave him that day. Yes, from Judah, in human descent, came the Christ, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen. How much His grace rises above our praise!
Brothers and enemies
The verse names two groups, and each meets Judah in a different way:
F. B. HoleThe blessing of Judah strikes an entirely different note. In verses 8-12 we turn to a prophecy about Christ. He was rejected and killed, yet He comes out triumphant in both grace and judgment. There is a play on Judah's name, for it means "Praise." And Christ is to be the Object of universal praise, as we see in Revelation 5. Verse 8 shows two classes: his brothers and his enemies. His brothers are to sound out his praise, and his enemies are to feel the power of his hand putting them down. Here his father's children are to bow down before Judah, who stands for Christ, just as they were earlier to bow down before Joseph, since he stood for Christ.
Why Judah?
Judah's record does not explain his promotion. He shared his brothers' hatred of Joseph, and Genesis 38 opens up his private life — yet he is the one lifted up:
The Bible Treasury"Judah prevailed." What a gracious way of declaring God's pre-determined purpose! In history, how did Judah prevail so as to get this honour? He was one with his brothers in their hatred of Joseph... Judah's prevailing is simply the will of God. So he prevailed, not by his goodness. The Holy Spirit has given us a sketch of his home life, his private life, and Genesis 38 tells his character and his sin plainly. No other son of Jacob is brought into the light like this.
Commentators differ over where to put the weight. Another writer points instead to Judah's repentance:
L. M. GrantThe prophecy about Judah stands in great contrast to the one about Simeon and Levi, for all of it is favourable. Judah had been guilty of very serious wrong too. But his deeply felt repentance, seen in Genesis 44:18-34, was such that God was free to bless him greatly.
Purpose, not position
Reuben held the firstborn's place, but Judah receives the praise:
The Christian's FriendBut first of all, Judah shows us a picture of Christ Himself. God's purpose is in Him, and Judah is the one whom his brothers shall praise. This could not be said of Reuben; there was nothing praiseworthy in him, whatever his position at the head of the family might have been... God's purpose is in Judah (Psalm 78:68), and here the Christ is brought before us as the One to be praised. Let us praise Him from our very hearts!
The Lion of the tribe of Judah
Read across the whole Bible, this verse is one step in a line of promise that keeps getting narrower:
J. N. Darby"Behold the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has prevailed to open the book." Here we see the definite plans of God about the centre of His purposes on the earth. Judah was the one in whom the promises were centred... The general promise at the beginning was, "the offspring of the woman shall bruise the serpent's head." Then it all rested on Abraham's offspring: "in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed." The line became narrower and narrower. Judah was chosen from among his brothers, and last of all, the family of David.
The hand on the enemy's neck is the promise of a strength Judah does not produce himself:
Hamilton SmithThe lion of the tribe of Judah tells us of this mighty power at work for God's ancient people. It matches the prophecy of Jacob, which foretells that Judah will prevail over his enemies — "Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies." In order that Judah may prevail he has the strength of "a young lion." But the real source of Judah's strength is that out of that tribe the One would come to whom the people would gather (Gen. 49:8-10). Christ is the true Lion of Judah.
Summary
- Praise named. Judah means "praise" — the name a grieving mother gave her fourth son, and from him came the Christ.
- Praise undeserved. Judah shared his brothers' hatred of Joseph, and Genesis 38 tells his sin plainly. His prevailing is simply the will of God, not his goodness.
- Praise through repentance. Commentators differ. Some stress that it was simply God's will. Others point to his deep repentance in Genesis 44, which left God free to bless him greatly.
- Praise, not position. Reuben had the firstborn's rank, but nothing to praise. The honour follows God's purpose, not birth order.
- Praise fulfilled. The line narrows: the woman's offspring, then Abraham, then Judah, then David. It ends in the Lion of the tribe of Judah, whose hand subdues every enemy.