Genesis 49:13

13 “Zebulun will live by the seashore and become a haven for ships; his border will extend toward Sidon.

Genesis 49:13 in Other Translations

KJV
13 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.
ESV
13 "Zebulun shall dwell at the shore of the sea; he shall become a haven for ships, and his border shall be at Sidon.
NLT
13 “Zebulun will settle by the seashore and will be a harbor for ships; his borders will extend to Sidon.
MSG
13 Zebulun settles down on the seashore; he's a safe harbor for ships, right alongside Sidon.
CSB
13 Zebulun will live by the seashore and will be a harbor for ships, and his territory will be next to Sidon.

Genesis 49:13 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 49:13

Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea
Of the sea of Galilee, sometimes called the sea of Tiberias and of Gennesaret; and of the Mediterranean sea; and accordingly we find that the border of this tribe, when settled in the land of Canaan, was toward the sea, ( Joshua 19:10 Joshua 19:11 ) and this was done, not at the discretion of Joshua, or at the choice of this tribe, but by lot; and which shows that Jacob said this under a spirit of prophecy, and which had its fulfilment two hundred years after; and is a full proof of the prescience and providence of God; and who, as he sets the bounds of the people, or of the nations of the world, and of the tribes of Israel, so the bounds of the habitations of particular persons, ( Acts 17:26 ) and he shall be for an haven of ships; shall have good ports commodious for ships to station in, and to cover them from storms and tempests; this tribe being situated by the sea shore F2: and his border shall be unto Zidon;
not the city Zidon, for the tribe of Zebulun reached no further than Carmel, as Josephus observes;

``the Zebulunites (says he) obtained the land from Carmel, and the sea to the lake of Gennesaret.''
Now Carmel was forty miles at least from Zidon; but Phoenicia is meant, of which Zidon was the chief city; and so the Septuagint in ( Isaiah 23:2 ) put Phoenicia instead of Zidon; and whereas Carmel was the border of this tribe that way, it is also said by Jerom F4 to be the border of Phoenicia; so that Zebulun reaching to Carmel, its border may be truly said to be to Zidon or Phoenicia.
FOOTNOTES:

F2 (Mymy Pwxl) "in litore maris", V. L. "ad litus marium", Drusius, Cocceius, Schmidt.
F4 Comment. in Amos, 9. 3.

Genesis 49:13 In-Context

11 He will tether his donkey to a vine, his colt to the choicest branch; he will wash his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes.
12 His eyes will be darker than wine, his teeth whiter than milk.
13 “Zebulun will live by the seashore and become a haven for ships; his border will extend toward Sidon.
14 “Issachar is a rawboned donkey lying down among the sheep pens.
15 When he sees how good is his resting place and how pleasant is his land, he will bend his shoulder to the burden and submit to forced labor.

Cross References 2

  • 1. S Genesis 30:20; Deuteronomy 33:18-19; Joshua 19:10-11
  • 2. S Genesis 10:19
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