Genesis Chapter 49 Vs. 8-12

Lionlike Dominance of Judah

The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. Gen 49:10

sceptre... Hebrew: shebet, translated tribe and tribes 140 times; rod 34 times; staff (2Sa. 23:21; 1Ch. 11:23); darts (2Sa. 18:14); and sceptre (Gen. 49:10; Num. 24:17; Psm. 45:6; Isa. 14:5; Eze. 19:11, 19:14; Amos 1:5, 1:8; Zec. 10:11). It means the sceptre of government and rule shall not depart from Judah; i.e., Judah shall be the ruling tribe and from him shall come the Messiah who shall rule eternally and bring obedience to the people.

Lawgiver... Hebrew: chaqaq, translated lawgiver (Gen. 49:10; Num. 21:18; Deut. 33:21; Psm. 60:7; 108:8; Isa. 33:22); appointed (Pro. 8:29); decree (Pro. 8:15; Isa. 10:1); and governors (Jdg. 5:9, 5:14). The true meaning is, "the kingly sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor the lawgiver’s staff from between his feet until Shiloh come" (Gen. 49:10). Judah is called God’s lawgiver (Psm. 60:7; 108:8; cp. Isa. 33:22; Jas. 4:12). Some versions read "a leader’s staff," and others "a commander’s staff."

until Shiloh come... Judah’s dominion lasts until:

1. Shiloh comes (Gen. 49:10). Shiloh is an epithet of the Messiah and can have no other meaning. It refers to the second coming of Christ who will fulfill the next part of the verse.

2. He gathers the people (Gen. 49:10). Unto Him (Shiloh) shall the people gather; that is, at Christ’s second coming Israel will be gathered from the four quarters of the earth (Isa. 11:10-12; 60:8-9; 66:19-21; Eze. 37:1-28; Mat. 24:31). The Messiah will rule Israel (Isa. 9:6-7; Luke 1:32-33) and all nations when He comes (Dan. 2:44-45; 7:13-14, 7:27; Zec. 14:1-21; Rev. 11:15; 20:4-6; 22:5).

Genesis 49:8-12

Oracle of Jacob

In this oracle Jacob predicted a fierce lionlike dominance of Judah over his enemies and over his brothers who would praise him. A wordplay was made here on the name Judah which means “praise” (cf. Gen. 29:35 3, NIV. marg.). The oracle pivots on the word until (Gen. 49:10). When the Promised One who will rule the nations appears, the scene will become an earthly paradise. These verses anticipate the kingship in Judah culminating in the reign of Messiah (cf. the tribe of Judah, Rev. 5:5), in which nations will obey Him.

The NASB renders the third line of Gen. 49:10, “Until Shiloh comes.” Many sources, including the Targum (Aram. paraphrase of the OT), see “Shiloh” as a title of the Messiah. However, the Hebrew word šı̂lōh should be rendered “whose it is,” that is, the scepter will not depart from Judah… until He comes whose it (i.e., the scepter) is (or as the NIV. puts it, to whom it belongs). Similar words in Eze. 21:27, “until He comes to whom it (the crown, Eze. 21:26) rightfully belongs” were addressed to the last king of Judah.

With the coming of Messiah there will be paradise-like splendor. Kidner says that every line of Gen. 49:11-12 “speaks of exuberant, intoxicating abundance: it is the golden age of the Coming One, whose universal rule was glimpsed in Gen. 49:10”. For Judah, grapevines will be so abundant that they will be used for hitching posts; wine will be as abundant as wash water. In Judah, people’s eyes will be red or bright from wine and their teeth will be white from drinking much milk. These are picturesque ways of describing the suitability of Judah’s territory for vineyards. Such opulence will be evident in the Millennium (Isa. 61:6-7; 65:21-25; Zec. 3:10).