Blessing of Jacob The parting words of Jacob to the sons of Israel in Gen 49:1–28.

The passage functions as a transition from the story of Jacob and his sons to the story of corporate Israel. The series of oracles seems to be shaped by subsequent tribal history (Fretheim, “The Book of Genesis,” 656); the oracles could be an attempt to account for tribal fortunes rather than prophecies (Gibson, Genesis, 312). They best reflect the progress and development of the 12 tribes of Israel in Canaan following the invasion under Joshua (Gibson, Genesis, 312). This poetic speech merges three genres: deathbed tradition, tribal poem, and farewell address (Hartley, Genesis, 355). Its distinct literary style suggests the poetic verses originated in a different setting and circulated independently before being incorporated into Genesis (Hartley, Genesis, 355).