Genesis 49:25

And therefore, in that seemingly contemptible body, you have prevailed, he said, because of the blessings of breasts and womb, the blessings of your father and mother. He called them either breasts or two Testaments, of which one was announced and the other was shown. And breasts are good, because they have nourished us with spiritual milk, and the Son offered himself to God: or he speaks of Mary's breasts, which were truly blessed, by which the holy Virgin gave the people of the Lord the drink of milk. And that woman in the Gospel said: Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts that you nursed!

But why did she say: Blessed is the womb of your father and mother, if we want to understand the womb alone of Mary, the reason will be hidden. For she could have said it concerning the womb of the mother alone. But I think it is more beautiful to understand both the generation of the Lord Jesus according to the spiritual mystery, and according to divinity, and according to the flesh, because he was begotten from the Father before the ages.

By adding and saying "Because of the blessing of the womb of your father and your mother" the prophet proclaims in advance a spiritual mystery. He could have said, "Because of the blessing of the womb of your mother," in order to indicate with this expression Mary, in whose womb the Word was borne for nine months. Well, this is not what he said; on the contrary he said, "Because of the blessing of the womb of your father and your mother." By uniting these two things, he made them one, in order that it might be clearly understood that to this person belongs what is according to spirit and what is according to flesh. The Word took his origin from a father's heart; … rightly the Father said through the prophet, "My heart has uttered a good Word." On the other hand, according to flesh he took his origin in the latter times from a virginal womb after he was borne in it for nine months, so that he might appear to be visible as he was born a second time from a mother's womb. And therefore he himself said through the prophet, "And thus said the Lord that formed me from the womb to be his own servant." And through Jeremiah [the Father] said, "Before I formed you in the womb [of your mother], I knew you, and before you came forth from the womb, I sanctified you." Since the Word was begotten both according to spirit and flesh and was actually both God and man, with good reason the prophet [Jacob] has used the word womb for a father and a mother; and this might seem to be ridiculous to somebody, if it were not understood this way. In fact, the term womb can be suitably referred only to the female nature. But here he has said, "Because of the blessing of the womb of your father and mother," so that you might correctly understand that the Word is begotten from two substances, that of God and that of the Virgin.

Spiritual blessings are blessings of heaven above, which we ought to desire and seek for in the first place, and to which we must give the preference; while temporal blessings, those of this earth, must lie under in our account and esteem. Blessings of the womb and the breasts are given when children are safely born and comfortably nursed.

Of these blessings it is here said they shall be, so it is a promise; or, let them be, so it is a prayer, on the head of Joseph, to which let them be as a crown to adorn it, and a helmet to protect it.

quarantine:near-duplicate (2026-07-29) — near-dup(68%, 2 voices)