Genesis 49:28

In his twelve sons Jacob blessed all the future tribes of Israel. [Note: See Darby, 1:80-82, for further observations concerning the fulfillment of these prophecies.] This is only the second mention of the 12 tribes in the Bible, the previous reference being in Genesis 49:16, where we read "the tribes of Israel."

"Within Jacob’s words to each of the sons (after Judah), the theme of blessing has been evident in two primary images. First, the reverse side of the blessing is stressed in the imagery of the victorious warrior. The defeat of the enemy is the prelude to the messianic peace. Second, the positive side of the blessing is stressed in the imagery of great prosperity and abundance. Behind such imagery of peace and prosperity lies the picture of the Garden of Eden-the Paradise lost. The focus of Jacob’s words has been the promise that when the one comes to whom the kingship truly belongs, there will once again be the peace and prosperity that God intended all to have in the Garden of Eden." [Note: Sailhamer, "Genesis," pp. 278-79.]

Sailhamer also proposed that this poetic section plays a significant role in the larger structure of the Pentateuch.

"At three macrostructural junctures in the Pentateuch, the author has spliced a major poetic discourse onto the end of a large unit of narrative (Genesis 49; Numbers 24; Deuteronomy 31). A close look at the material lying between and connecting the narrative and poetic sections reveals the presence of a homogeneous composition stratum. It is most noticeably marked by the recurrence of the same terminology and narrative motifs. In each of the three segments, the central narrative figure (Jacob, Balaam, Moses) calls an audience together (imperative: Genesis 49:1; Numbers 24:14; Deuteronomy 31:28) and proclaims (cohortative: Genesis 49:1; Numbers 24:14; Deuteronomy 31:28) what will happen (Genesis 49:1; Numbers 24:14; Deuteronomy 31:29) in ’the end of days’ (Genesis 49:1; Numbers 24:14; Deuteronomy 31:29). . . .

"In sum, the apparent overall strategy of the author in these three segments suggests that one of the central concerns lying behind the final shape of the Pentateuch is an attempt to uncover an inherent relationship between the past and the future. That which happened to God’s people in the past portends of future events. To say it another way, the past is seen as a lesson for the future. . . .

"The narrative texts of past events are presented as pointers to future events. Past events foreshadow the future. It is not hard to see that such a hermeneutic leads to a form of narrative typology. We should, then, look for signs of such a typology in the composition of the smaller units of narrative in the Pentateuch as well as in the arrangement of the legal material." [Note: Idem, The Pentateuch . . ., pp. 36-37.]

A believer’s works during this life significantly determine the extent of divine blessing that he or she and their descendants will receive in the future.