Genesis 49:13
in Genesis 49Zebulun shall dwell by the seashore and become a harbor for ships; his border shall extend to Sidon.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea; And he shall be for a haven of ships; And his border shall be upon Sidon.
KJV
Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea; and he shall be for an haven of ships; and his border shall be unto Zidon.
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This verse in Genesis 49
Commentary
7 notes on this verseZebulun’s lot or portion in the division of the Promised Land extended from the Mediterranean Sea on the west, to the lake of Gennesareth on the east; see his division, Jos 19:10, etc. The Targum of Jonathan ben Uzziel paraphrases the passage thus: “Zebulun shall be on the coasts of the sea, and he shall rule over the havens; he shall subdue the provinces of the sea with his, ships, and his border shall extend unto Sidon. 14. Issachar is a strong ass Couching between two burdens.
This site's exposition
Zebulun shall dwell by the seashore
on Genesis 49:13-15
Zebulun gets the sea, a harbor for ships and a border reaching to Sidon. Issachar is a strong donkey that lies down between the sheepfolds, then bends his shoulder to the burden. Jacob is naming settled character, and Joshua's division of the land answers to it.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers3 voices
The very interpretation of his name gives promise of better things, since in our tongue it means "freedom from the things of night," which is surely a good, and appropriate to one who trusts in the wings of the Lord. For the truth of the Lord encompasses him, so that he is not afraid of the terror of the night or of the thing that walks about in darkness. Therefore "Zebulun shall dwell by the sea."
Through Zebulun he has metaphorically foretold the pagan nations, who live now in the world along the coast and are tormented by the storm of temptations as if they were in the sea. Therefore they move and look for refuge in harbors, that is, in churches.
But the fact that he extends as far as Sidon, that is, to the hunters, might mean that this man also tries to be among those to whom it was said, "Catch us the little foxes that spoil the vineyards." Therefore Zebulun extends to the hunters, so that he may learn to hunt, in case some wild animals or cunning foxes, that is, ferocious demons or damaging thoughts, should enter his heart and try to destroy the vineyard of the Lord Sabaoth. In order to catch them, he has become a good hunter against bad thoughts.
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
), that his posterity should have their lot upon the seacoast, and should be merchants, and mariners, and traders at sea. This was fulfilled when, two or three hundred years after, the land of Canaan was divided by lot, and the border of Zebulun went up towards the sea, Josh. xix.
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Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea,....
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
HIS EYES ARE ‘CHACHLILI’ (FROM WINE). The Commentators. Rashi, Ibn Ezra, and R’dak. say that the word chachlili denotes redness, and it means that his eyes will become red from drinking much wine. Of similar meaning is the verse, Who hath ‘chachliluth’ (redness) of the eyes? 171 Proverbs:29-30.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 4 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
10 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| זְבוּלֻ֕ן | zevulun | Zebulun | H2074 → | 45 times |
| לְח֥וֹף | lechof | to [the] coast of | H2348 → | |
| יַמִּ֖ים | yamim | [the] seas | H3220 → | 396 times |
| יִשְׁכֹּ֑ן | yishkon | he will dwell | H7931 → | 129 times |
| וְהוּא֙ | vehu' | and he | H1931 → | 1879 times |
| לְח֣וֹף | lechof | to a harbor of | H2348 → | |
| אֳנִיּ֔וֹת | ʾoniyot | ships | H591 → | |
| וְיַרְכָת֖וֹ | veyarkhato | and side his | H3411 → | |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | [will be] at | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| צִידֹֽן׃ ס | tzidon | Sidon | H6721 → | 22 times |
זְבוּלֻ֕ןZebulun
zevulunH2074 →45 times
לְח֥וֹףto [the] coast of
lechofH2348 →
יַמִּ֖ים[the] seas
yamimH3220 →396 times
יִשְׁכֹּ֑ןhe will dwell
yishkonH7931 →129 times
וְהוּא֙and he
vehu'H1931 →1879 times
לְח֣וֹףto a harbor of
lechofH2348 →
אֳנִיּ֔וֹתships
ʾoniyotH591 →
וְיַרְכָת֖וֹand side his
veyarkhatoH3411 →
עַל־[will be] at
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
צִידֹֽן׃ סSidon
tzidonH6721 →22 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
5 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Genesis 30:20“God has given me a good gift,” she said. “This time my husband will honor me, because I have borne him six sons.” And she named him Zebulun.
it leads to
- Genesis 35:23
The sons of Leah were Reuben the firstborn of Jacob, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.
- Matthew 4:13
Leaving Nazareth, He went and lived in Capernaum, which is by the sea in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali,
- Genesis 46:14
The sons of Zebulun: Sered, Elon, and Jahleel.
- Judges 4:10
where he summoned Zebulun and Naphtali. Ten thousand men followed him, and Deborah also went with him.
- Psalms 68:27
There is Benjamin, the youngest, ruling them, the princes of Judah in their company, the princes of Zebulun and of Naphtali.
- Genesis 35:23
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies28
On this verse
On this chapter
- Afterlife Vocabulary
- Dan
- Dinah at Shechem
- Ephraim and Manasseh, the two tribes of Joseph
- Jacob
- Judah, the Brother Who Stood Surety
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About Genesis
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Ambrose of Milan, On the Blessings of the Patriarchs; Hippolytus of Rome, THE BLESSINGS OF THE PATRIARCHS 20; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Tyrannius Rufinus, THE BLESSINGS OF THE PATRIARCHS 2.11.