VicarEnduring inheritance

Genesis 49 — Hebrew and Greek compared

Saints Translation: Genesis 24–50 [V4]

Same 5 Similar 8 Different 8 Divergent 1 Disparate 11

Disparate in this chapter: 49:3, 49:4, 49:9, 49:10, 49:14, 49:15, 49:21, 49:22, 49:24, 49:25, 49:26

Each card keeps the independently rendered source readings above their shared comparison and reception notes. The badge records the source’s governing classification; disparate readings are marked in red. Each reading retains its original reference.

Chapter 49

Israel Addresses His Sons

Verse 49:1 Same

Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth(Rabbinic Priority)

49:1 Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather together, so I may tell you what will befall you in the latter days.”

Greek–English: Literal-Smooth(Saints Priority)

49:1 Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather together, so I may tell you what will befall you in the latter days.”

Classification & Notes

Same — The latter-days expression is retained. Its horizon within the blessings should be distinguished from later eschatological applications.

Verse 49:2 Same

Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth(Rabbinic Priority)

49:2 “Gather and listen, sons of Jacob;
listen to Israel your father.”

Greek–English: Literal-Smooth(Saints Priority)

49:2 “Gather and listen, sons of Jacob;
listen to Israel your father.”

Classification & Notes

Same — Rahlfs–Hanhart has neither the extra to me nor the repeated listen that appeared in the earlier draft. [G49]

Reuben, Simeon, and Levi

Verse 49:3 Disparate

Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth(Rabbinic Priority)

49:3 “Reuben, you are my firstborn,
my might and the firstfruits of my strength,
foremost in dignity and foremost in power.”

Greek–English: Literal-Smooth(Saints Priority)

49:3 “Reuben, my firstborn,
you are my strength and the beginning of my children,
hard to bear and stubbornly self-willed.”

Classification & Notes

Disparate — Hebrew describes firstborn preeminence; Greek already voices rebuke. The movement into verse 4 matters before calling the descriptions incompatible [H49; G49].

Verse 49:4 Disparate

Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth(Rabbinic Priority)

49:4 “Unstable as water, you will not excel,
for you went up to your father’s bed;
then you defiled it—he went up to my couch.”

Greek–English: Literal-Smooth(Saints Priority)

49:4 “You overflowed in insolence like water; do not boil over,
for you went up to your father’s bed;
then you defiled the couch where you went up.”

Classification & Notes

Disparate — The loss-of-preeminence/boiling images and final pronoun shift differ. Hebrew’s switch to he is retained [H49; G49].

Verse 49:5 Different

Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth(Rabbinic Priority)

49:5 “Simeon and Levi are brothers;
their weapons are instruments of violence.”

Greek–English: Literal-Smooth(Saints Priority)

49:5 “Simeon and Levi are brothers;
they carried out injustice by their own choice.”

Classification & Notes

Different — Hebrew’s final word is difficult; weapons is provisional. Greek explicitly refers to their choice [H49; G49].

Verse 49:6 Different

Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth(Rabbinic Priority)

49:6 “Let my soul not enter their council;
let my honor not join their assembly.
In their anger they killed men,
and in their willfulness they hamstrung an ox.”

Greek–English: Literal-Smooth(Saints Priority)

49:6 “Let my soul not enter their council;
let my inward being not rest upon their conspiracy.
In their wrath they killed men,
and in their desire they hamstrung a bull.”

Classification & Notes

Different — Hebrew has honor and joining the assembly; Greek uses liver as an inward-being image and a verb of resting or leaning upon. The earlier rendering contend misread that Greek verb. Both retain the killing and hamstringing. [G49]

Verse 49:7 Similar

Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth(Rabbinic Priority)

49:7 “Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce,
and their wrath, for it was cruel.
I will divide them in Jacob
and scatter them in Israel.”

Greek–English: Literal-Smooth(Saints Priority)

49:7 “Cursed be their wrath, for it was self-willed,
and their anger, for it was hardened.
I will divide them in Jacob
and scatter them in Israel.”

Classification & Notes

Similar — Both condemn the anger and announce dispersal; the descriptions differ [G49].

Judah

Verse 49:8 Different

Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth(Rabbinic Priority)

49:8 “Judah, your brothers will praise you;
your hand will be on your enemies’ necks;
your father’s sons will bow before you.”

Greek–English: Literal-Smooth(Saints Priority)

49:8 “Judah, may your brothers praise you;
your hands will be on your enemies’ backs;
your father’s sons will bow before you.”

Classification & Notes

Different — The praise mood and neck/back image differ. Bowing before Judah expresses homage, without adding divine worship [G49].

Verse 49:9 Disparate

Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth(Rabbinic Priority)

49:9 “Judah is a lion’s cub.
From the prey, my son, you have gone up.
He crouched and lay down like a lion, like a lioness;
who will rouse him?”

Greek–English: Literal-Smooth(Saints Priority)

49:9 “Judah is a lion’s cub.
From a shoot, my son, you have gone up.
You reclined and slept like a lion, like a cub;
who will rouse him?”

Classification & Notes

Disparate — Prey/shoot, lioness/cub, and the person of the reclining verb differ. The two images are kept distinct [G49]. The origin and reclining images together substantially reshape the portrait.

Verse 49:10 Disparate

Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth(Rabbinic Priority)

49:10 “The scepter will not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
until Shiloh comes;
to him will be the obedience of peoples.”

Greek–English: Literal-Smooth(Saints Priority)

49:10 “A ruler will not fail from Judah,
nor a leader from his thighs,
until the things reserved for him come;
he will be the expectation of nations.”

Classification & Notes

Disparate — Shiloh is retained provisionally from the project; its syntax and meaning are disputed, including readings involving tribute or the one to whom rule belongs. Greek explicitly has things reserved for him and expectation. Reception is separately attributed below [H49; G49]. Rabbinic reception: Rashi reads Shiloh messianically as the king to whom kingship belongs [R49]. Saints reception: Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho 52, reads the blessing in relation to Christ’s coming and the nations’ hope. This is Christian messianic interpretation [S49].

Verse 49:11 Similar

Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth(Rabbinic Priority)

49:11 “Binding his foal to the vine,
his donkey’s colt to the choice vine,
he washes his garments in wine,
his clothing in the blood of grapes.”

Greek–English: Literal-Smooth(Saints Priority)

49:11 “Binding his foal to the vine,
his donkey’s colt to the tendril,
he will wash his robe in wine,
his mantle in the blood of the grape.”

Classification & Notes

Similar — The clothing and vine terms differ in expression; the wine imagery is preserved without adding its later sacramental interpretation [G49].

Verse 49:12 Different

Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth(Rabbinic Priority)

49:12 “His eyes are dark with wine,
and his teeth white with milk.”

Greek–English: Literal-Smooth(Saints Priority)

49:12 “His eyes are joyful from wine,
and his teeth are whiter than milk.”

Classification & Notes

Different — Hebrew’s color term and the from/with relation remain difficult; dark with wine is provisional. Greek describes joyful eyes from wine and expressly compares the teeth with milk; it does not compare the joy with wine. [G49]

Zebulun, Issachar, Dan

Verse 49:13 Similar

Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth(Rabbinic Priority)

49:13 “Zebulun will dwell by the seashore;
he will be a haven for ships,
and his flank will reach Sidon.”

Greek–English: Literal-Smooth(Saints Priority)

49:13 “Zebulun will dwell by the sea,
beside a haven for ships,
and extend as far as Sidon.”

Classification & Notes

Similar — The coastal descriptions correspond without identifying a modern boundary [G49].

Verse 49:14 Disparate

Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth(Rabbinic Priority)

49:14 “Issachar is a strong-boned donkey,
lying between the sheepfolds.”

Greek–English: Literal-Smooth(Saints Priority)

49:14 “Issachar desired what is good,
resting between the inheritances.”

Classification & Notes

Disparate — Greek has no donkey image; the resting places also differ. Sheepfolds is a provisional rendering of the difficult Hebrew term [H49; G49].

Verse 49:15 Disparate

Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth(Rabbinic Priority)

49:15 “He saw that rest was good
and the land pleasant.
He bent his shoulder to bear burdens
and became subject to forced labor.”

Greek–English: Literal-Smooth(Saints Priority)

49:15 “He saw that rest was good
and the land fertile.
He bent his shoulder to labor
and became a tiller of the soil.”

Classification & Notes

Disparate — Forced labor/tilling differs materially in the final social description [G49].

Verse 49:16 Same

Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth(Rabbinic Priority)

49:16 “Dan will judge his people
as one of the tribes of Israel.”

Greek–English: Literal-Smooth(Saints Priority)

49:16 “Dan will judge his people
as one of the tribes of Israel.”

Classification & Notes

Same — The corresponding meaning and content agree.

Verse 49:17 Different

Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth(Rabbinic Priority)

49:17 “Let Dan be a serpent by the road,
a horned snake by the path,
biting a horse’s heels
so its rider falls backward.”

Greek–English: Literal-Smooth(Saints Priority)

49:17 “Let Dan be a serpent by the road,
lying in wait by the path,
biting a horse’s heel
and its rider will fall backward.”

Classification & Notes

Different — The Hebrew snake description and Greek ambush expression differ [G49].

Verse 49:18 Similar

Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth(Rabbinic Priority)

49:18 “I wait for Your salvation, YHWH.”

Greek–English: Literal-Smooth(Saints Priority)

49:18 “I wait for the Lord’s salvation.”

Classification & Notes

Similar — Rahlfs–Hanhart has the first-person verb I wait, not a participle continuing verse 17. Hebrew addresses YHWH; Greek speaks of the Lord’s salvation. [G49]

Gad, Asher, Naphtali

Verse 49:19 Same

Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth(Rabbinic Priority)

49:19 “Gad, a raiding band will raid him,
but he will raid at their heels.”

Greek–English: Literal-Smooth(Saints Priority)

49:19 “Gad, a raiding band will raid him,
but he will raid at their heels.”

Classification & Notes

Same — The repeated raid wording retains the Hebrew name-play and the corresponding Greek repetition [G49].

Verse 49:20 Similar

Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth(Rabbinic Priority)

49:20 “Asher’s bread will be rich,
and he will provide royal delicacies.”

Greek–English: Literal-Smooth(Saints Priority)

49:20 “Asher’s bread is rich,
and he will provide delicacies for rulers.”

Classification & Notes

Similar — Royal/rulers corresponds in the provision image [G49].

Verse 49:21 Disparate

Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth(Rabbinic Priority)

49:21 “Naphtali is a doe set free,
giving beautiful words.”

Greek–English: Literal-Smooth(Saints Priority)

49:21 “Naphtali is a spreading tree,
yielding beauty in its fruit.”

Classification & Notes

Disparate — Animal and speech imagery differs from Greek’s tree and produce. Both clauses are difficult; spreading tree is provisional, without importing a botanical species [H49; G49].

Joseph and Benjamin

Verse 49:22 Disparate

Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth(Rabbinic Priority)

49:22 “Joseph is a fruitful bough,
a fruitful bough beside a spring;
its branches climb over the wall.”

Greek–English: Literal-Smooth(Saints Priority)

49:22 “Joseph is a grown son,
a grown son, envied;
my youngest son, return to me.”

Classification & Notes

Disparate — The Hebrew poetic construction is difficult; the traditional fruitful-bough reading is provisional. Greek has repeated son language and a direct summons; these are not blended [H49; G49].

Verse 49:23 Different

Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth(Rabbinic Priority)

49:23 “The archers bitterly attacked him,
shot at him, and bore him hatred.”

Greek–English: Literal-Smooth(Saints Priority)

49:23 “They plotted against him and reviled him;
the archers pressed him hard.”

Classification & Notes

Different — The hostile actions differ in expression and detail [G49].

Verse 49:24 Disparate

Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth(Rabbinic Priority)

49:24 “But his bow remained firm,
and his arms were made strong
by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob,
from there, the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel,”

Greek–English: Literal-Smooth(Saints Priority)

49:24 “Their bows were powerfully shattered,
and the sinews of their arms grew slack
by the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob;
from there is the One who strengthened Israel,”

Classification & Notes

Disparate — Hebrew describes Joseph’s bow and arms; Greek describes his attackers’ broken bows and weakened arms. Shepherd/Stone and the strengthening clause differ. V1’s abbreviated Hebrew is completed; the syntax remains difficult [H49; G49].

Verse 49:25 Disparate

Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth(Rabbinic Priority)

49:25 “by the God of your father, who will help you,
and by the Almighty, who will bless you
with blessings of heaven above,
blessings of the deep lying beneath,
blessings of breasts and womb.”

Greek–English: Literal-Smooth(Saints Priority)

49:25 “from the God of your father;
my God helped you and blessed you
with a blessing of heaven above
and a blessing of the earth that holds all things,
because of a blessing of breasts and womb,”

Classification & Notes

Disparate — The source verse begins with from the God of your father, continuing verse 24. The Almighty / my God, future / past blessing, and deep / all-containing earth give substantially different descriptions. [G49]

Verse 49:26 Disparate

Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth(Rabbinic Priority)

49:26 “Your father’s blessings exceed the blessings of my forebears,
reaching the bounty of the everlasting hills.
May they rest on Joseph’s head,
on the crown of the one set apart from his brothers.”

Greek–English: Literal-Smooth(Saints Priority)

49:26 “a blessing of your father and your mother;
it has prevailed over the blessings of lasting mountains
and the blessings of everlasting dunes.
They will rest on Joseph’s head
and on the crown of the brothers whom he led.”

Classification & Notes

Disparate — Greek continues the singular blessing expression, then has a singular prevailed verb: it is understood here of the blessing. Its mother, mountains, and dunes differ from Hebrew’s forebears and hills. The final Greek genitive refers to the brothers whom Joseph led; the earlier rendering had substituted the crown of their leader. Both the Hebrew poetry and Greek syntax still need specialist review. [H49; G49].

Verse 49:27 Different

Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth(Rabbinic Priority)

49:27 “Benjamin is a ravenous wolf;
in the morning he devours prey,
and in the evening he divides spoil.”

Greek–English: Literal-Smooth(Saints Priority)

49:27 “Benjamin is a ravenous wolf;
in the morning he will still eat,
and toward evening he will distribute food.”

Classification & Notes

Different — Hebrew has prey and spoil; Greek has still and food. Rahlfs–Hanhart’s final verb is future: he will distribute. [G49]

Israel’s Final Charge

Verse 49:28 Different

Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth(Rabbinic Priority)

49:28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel. This is what their father said to them as he blessed them, blessing each according to his blessing.

Greek–English: Literal-Smooth(Saints Priority)

49:28 All these are Jacob’s twelve sons. Their father spoke these things to them and blessed them, blessing each according to his blessing.

Classification & Notes

Different — Tribes of Israel/sons of Jacob differs in perspective. V1’s unique is unnecessary [G49].

Verse 49:29 Similar

Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth(Rabbinic Priority)

49:29 He charged them, saying, “I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite,”

Greek–English: Literal-Smooth(Saints Priority)

49:29 He said to them, “I am about to be added to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite,”

Classification & Notes

Similar — Greek lacks a separate charge verb; the death formulas correspond [G49].

Verse 49:30 Divergent

Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth(Rabbinic Priority)

49:30 “in the cave in the field of Machpelah, opposite Mamre in Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite as a burial holding.”

Greek–English: Literal-Smooth(Saints Priority)

49:30 “in the double cave opposite Mamre in Canaan, the cave Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite as a burial holding.”

Classification & Notes

Divergent — Machpelah/double cave repeats the established name/translation distinction. Greek here lacks the separate purchase of the field, named in verse 32 [G49].

Verse 49:31 Same

Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth(Rabbinic Priority)

49:31 “There they buried Abraham and his wife Sarah; there they buried Isaac and his wife Rebekah; and there I buried Leah,”

Greek–English: Literal-Smooth(Saints Priority)

49:31 “There they buried Abraham and his wife Sarah; there they buried Isaac and his wife Rebekah; and there I buried Leah,”

Classification & Notes

Same — Rahlfs–Hanhart has I buried Leah, agreeing with Hebrew. The earlier draft’s plural they is corrected. [G49]

Verse 49:32 Similar

Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth(Rabbinic Priority)

49:32 “The field and the cave in it were purchased from the sons of Heth.”

Greek–English: Literal-Smooth(Saints Priority)

49:32 “in the holding of the field and the cave in it, acquired from the sons of Heth.”

Classification & Notes

Similar — Greek continues the preceding burial statement; V1’s added permanent is removed [G49].

Verse 49:33 Similar

Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth(Rabbinic Priority)

49:33 When Jacob finished charging his sons, he drew his feet into the bed, breathed his last, and was gathered to his people.

Greek–English: Literal-Smooth(Saints Priority)

49:33 When Jacob finished charging his sons, he raised his feet onto the bed, expired, and was added to his people.

Classification & Notes

Similar — The bed movement and death formulas correspond. No soul leaving the body is added to the wording [G49].