Jacob: Prophecies Concerning Himself and his Descendants
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Jacob, also known as Israel, is a pivotal figure in biblical history, being the son of Isaac and Rebekah and the grandson of Abraham. His life and the prophecies concerning him and his descendants are foundational to understanding the narrative of the Israelites and their role in God's redemptive plan.

Prophecies Concerning Jacob

1. The Birthright and Blessing: Jacob's life is marked by the prophecy given to his mother, Rebekah, before his birth. The Lord said to her, "Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger" (Genesis 25:23). This prophecy foretold the future dynamics between Jacob and his twin brother Esau, indicating that Jacob, though the younger, would receive the birthright and blessing traditionally reserved for the firstborn.

2. The Ladder to Heaven: In a dream at Bethel, Jacob saw a ladder reaching to heaven with angels ascending and descending on it. The Lord stood above it and said, "I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you now lie" (Genesis 28:13). This vision reaffirmed the Abrahamic covenant, promising Jacob the land of Canaan and numerous descendants.

3. Name Change to Israel: After wrestling with a divine being, Jacob's name was changed to Israel, meaning "he struggles with God." The being declared, "Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men, and you have prevailed" (Genesis 32:28). This name change signified a transformation in Jacob's character and his role as the father of the twelve tribes of Israel.

Prophecies Concerning Jacob's Descendants

1. The Twelve Tribes: Jacob's twelve sons became the patriarchs of the twelve tribes of Israel. Before his death, Jacob blessed each of his sons, prophesying their futures and the destinies of their tribes (Genesis 49). These blessings contained both immediate and far-reaching implications for the tribes' roles in Israel's history.

2. Judah's Leadership: Among the most significant of Jacob's prophecies is the blessing over Judah: "The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes, and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples" (Genesis 49:10). This prophecy foretold the leadership role of the tribe of Judah, culminating in the Davidic dynasty and ultimately pointing to the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, who is from the line of Judah.

3. Joseph's Fruitfulness: Jacob's blessing over Joseph was one of abundance and protection: "Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine by a spring, whose branches scale the wall" (Genesis 49:22). This prophecy highlighted Joseph's future prosperity and influence, which were realized in his leadership in Egypt and the survival of his family during famine.

4. The Future of Israel: Jacob's prophecies also encompassed the broader future of the nation of Israel. He spoke of the scattering and gathering of his descendants, their struggles, and their ultimate restoration. These themes are echoed throughout the prophetic literature of the Old Testament, underscoring God's enduring covenant with Israel.

Jacob's life and the prophecies concerning him and his descendants are integral to the biblical narrative, illustrating God's sovereign plan and the unfolding of His promises through the lineage of Israel.
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Genesis 25:23
And the LORD said to her, Two nations are in your womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from your bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.
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Genesis 27:28,29
Therefore God give you of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine:
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Genesis 28:10-15
And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran.
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Genesis 31:3
And the LORD said to Jacob, Return to the land of your fathers, and to your kindred; and I will be with you.
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Genesis 35:9-13
And God appeared to Jacob again, when he came out of Padanaram, and blessed him.
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Genesis 46:3
And he said, I am God, the God of your father: fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of you a great nation:
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Deuteronomy 1:8
Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give to them and to their seed after them.
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Psalm 105:10,11
And confirmed the same to Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant:
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Library

"The Fullness of the Time"
... understanding of the Scripture prophecies concerning the Messiah ... knowledge they still
possessed concerning the symbolic ... The dying words of Jacob filled them ...
//christianbookshelf.org/white/the desire of ages/chapter 3 the fullness of.htm

It is a Ground for Thanksgiving that During the Last Three or Four ...
... is so frequently the case in the prophecies of Isaiah ... thy people the house of Jacob,
because they ... Concerning Antichrist's relations with the godly Jewish Remnant ...
//christianbookshelf.org/pink/the antichrist/it is a ground for.htm

The Coming of a Deliverer
... to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to ... and a half years by Christ Himself, and
afterward ... The many prophecies concerning the Saviour's advent led the Hebrews ...
/.../white/the story of prophets and kings/chapter 58 the coming of.htm

The Prophecies
... I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob and out of ... them out of the land of Egypt,
concerning burnt offerings ... to accomplish the vision and the prophecies, and to ...
//christianbookshelf.org/pascal/pensees/section xi the prophecies.htm

The Blessing of Jacob Upon Judah. (Gen. Xlix. 8-10. )
... (Concerning this point, compare the inquiries in the ... rest, in general, on the
fundamental prophecies of Genesis ... especially on the blessing of Jacob upon Judah. ...
/.../hengstenberg/christology of the old testament/the blessing of jacob upon.htm

Summary view of the Pre-Existence and Divinity of Our Saviour and ...
... the divine Spirit says in the prophecies, "Who shall ... of Isaac, and the God of Jacob."
[41 ... clearly through Solomon the following mysteries concerning herself: "I ...
/.../pamphilius/church history/chapter ii summary view of the.htm

Fifthly, as this Revelation, to the Judgment of Right and Sober ...
... 19. From what has been said concerning the application of indirect prophecies, it
is ... Romans 9:10.) to both the sons of Isaac, but to Jacob only; and ...
/.../xiv proposition xiv fifthly as.htm

The Sovereignty of God in Operation
... Much of what He had purposed concerning the Crucifixion ... accurate and literal fulfilment
of these prophecies we have ... sojourn of the descendants of Jacob in the ...
/.../pink/the sovereignty of god/chapter six the sovereignty of.htm

What Messiah did the Jews Expect?
... taken to the fulfillment of individual prophecies in Jesus ... was also the Servant of
God - Jacob My Servant ... postulates of the New Testament concerning the Messiah ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter v what messiah did.htm

Translated from the Greek.
... If, therefore, the prophecies relating to Judea, and Jerusalem ... and Israel, and Judah,
and Jacob, not being ... follow also that the predictions concerning Egypt and ...
/.../origen/origen de principiis/translated from the greek.htm

Resources
Why is Jacob called Jacob and Israel alternately in the book of Genesis? | GotQuestions.org

What is the meaning of Jacob wrestling with God? | GotQuestions.org

What was the story of Jacob and Esau? | GotQuestions.org

Jacob: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

Bible ConcordanceBible DictionaryBible EncyclopediaTopical BibleBible Thesuarus
Subtopics

Iconoclasm: Destroyed by Jacob

Jacob

Jacob: 40 Days Mourning For

Jacob: Ancestor of Jesus

Jacob: Body of, Embalmed

Jacob: Burial of

Jacob: Changed to "Israel"

Jacob: Charges his Sons to Bury Him in the Field of Machpelah

Jacob: Death of

Jacob: Deborah, Rebekah's Nurse, Dies, and is Buried at Beth-El

Jacob: Descendants of

Jacob: Dissatisfied With Laban's Treatment and Returns to the Land of Canaan

Jacob: Dreads to Meet Esau; Sends Him Presents; Wrestles With an Angel

Jacob: Erects a Monument at Rachel's Grave

Jacob: Esau Seeks to Kill, Escapes to Padan-Aram

Jacob: Exacts a Promise from Joseph to Bury Him With his Forefathers

Jacob: Fradulently Obtains his Father's Blessing

Jacob: Given in Answer to Prayer

Jacob: Gives the Land of the Amorites to Joseph

Jacob: God Confirms the Covenant of Abraham To

Jacob: Hears That Joseph is Still Alive

Jacob: His Benediction Upon Joseph and his Two Sons

Jacob: His Daughter, Dinah, is Raped

Jacob: His Final Prophetic Benedictions Upon his Sons: Asher

Jacob: His Final Prophetic Benedictions Upon his Sons: Benjamin

Jacob: His Final Prophetic Benedictions Upon his Sons: Dan

Jacob: His Final Prophetic Benedictions Upon his Sons: Gad

Jacob: His Final Prophetic Benedictions Upon his Sons: Issachar

Jacob: His Final Prophetic Benedictions Upon his Sons: Joseph

Jacob: His Final Prophetic Benedictions Upon his Sons: Judah

Jacob: His Final Prophetic Benedictions Upon his Sons: Naphtali

Jacob: His Final Prophetic Benedictions Upon his Sons: Simeon and Levi

Jacob: His Final Prophetic Benedictions Upon his Sons: Upon Reuben

Jacob: His Final Prophetic Benedictions Upon his Sons: Zebulun

Jacob: His Grief Over the Detention of Simeon and the Demand for Benjamin to be Taken Into Egypt

Jacob: His Grief Over the Loss of Joseph

Jacob: His Love for Benjamin

Jacob: His Partiality for his Son, Joseph, and the Consequent Jealousy of his Other Sons

Jacob: His Vision of the Ladder

Jacob: His Wealth

Jacob: Joseph's Prophetic Dream Concerning

Jacob: Journeys to Ephrath

Jacob: Journeys to Shalem, where he Purchase a Parcel of Ground from Hamor and Erects an Altar

Jacob: Journeys to Succoth

Jacob: List of the Names of his Twelve Sons

Jacob: Lives in Egypt for Seventeen Years

Jacob: Lives in the Land of Canaan

Jacob: Meets Angels of God on the Journey, and Calls the Place "Mahanaim"

Jacob: Meets Joseph

Jacob: Moves to Egypt

Jacob: Obtains Esau's Birthright for Just One Bowl of Stew

Jacob: Pharaoh Receives Him, and is Blessed by Jacob

Jacob: Prophecies Concerning Himself and his Descendants

Jacob: Reconciliation of, With Esau

Jacob: Returns to Arbah, the City of his Father

Jacob: Returns to Beth-El, where he Builds an Altar, and Erects and Dedicates a Pillar

Jacob: Sends to Egypt to Buy Corn (Grain)

Jacob: Serves Fourteen Years for Leah and Rachel

Jacob: Sharp Practice of, With the Flocks and Herds of Laban

Jacob: Sojourns in Haran With his Uncle, Laban

Jacob: Son of Isaac, and the Twin Brother of Esau

Jacob: The Incest of his Son, Reuben, With his Concubine, Bilhah

Jacob: The Land of Goshen Assigned To

Jacob: The List of his Children and Grandchildren Who Went Down Into Egypt

Jacob: The Well of

Jacobs Well

Miscegenation: Jacob

Related Terms

Jacob's (34 Occurrences)

Paddan-aram (10 Occurrences)

Sychar (1 Occurrence)

Paddan (11 Occurrences)

Padanaram (10 Occurrences)

Padan-aram (10 Occurrences)

Bilhah (11 Occurrences)

Aram (130 Occurrences)

Hamor (13 Occurrences)

Birthright (10 Occurrences)

Blesseth (55 Occurrences)

Zilpah (7 Occurrences)

Patriarch (2 Occurrences)

Begat (112 Occurrences)

Shalem (1 Occurrence)

Beareth (108 Occurrences)

Kinsmen (74 Occurrences)

Birth-right (9 Occurrences)

Setteth (116 Occurrences)

Sojourned (20 Occurrences)

Souls (114 Occurrences)

Kissed (26 Occurrences)

Primogeniture

Betwixt (16 Occurrences)

Answereth (144 Occurrences)

Aramaean (13 Occurrences)

Aramean (17 Occurrences)

Syrian (12 Occurrences)

Succoth (18 Occurrences)

Bethel (67 Occurrences)

Pillar (72 Occurrences)

Benjamin (167 Occurrences)

Bare (250 Occurrences)

Shechem (61 Occurrences)

Calleth (261 Occurrences)

Saving (37 Occurrences)

Simeon (48 Occurrences)

Kiss (39 Occurrences)

Security (41 Occurrences)

Homeland (8 Occurrences)

Beersheba (33 Occurrences)

Asher (43 Occurrences)

Kissing (10 Occurrences)

Selah (76 Occurrences)

Pursued (75 Occurrences)

Pottage (7 Occurrences)

Pitched (101 Occurrences)

Peniel (4 Occurrences)

Peradventure (35 Occurrences)

Beth-el (65 Occurrences)

Beer-sheba (33 Occurrences)

Camped (100 Occurrences)

Conceiveth (27 Occurrences)

Acquired (32 Occurrences)

Seventeen (12 Occurrences)

Soup (10 Occurrences)

Sixty (70 Occurrences)

Stew (7 Occurrences)

Sepulchre (57 Occurrences)

Sweareth (34 Occurrences)

Slept (74 Occurrences)

Sister's (7 Occurrences)

Vision (106 Occurrences)

Animals (224 Occurrences)

Sware (90 Occurrences)

Se'ir (36 Occurrences)

Younger (39 Occurrences)

Buried (125 Occurrences)

Conceived (66 Occurrences)

Bore (221 Occurrences)

Almond (7 Occurrences)

Slay (189 Occurrences)

Six (198 Occurrences)

Arts (48 Occurrences)

Hebron (71 Occurrences)

Peoples (305 Occurrences)

Stayed (169 Occurrences)

Swore (109 Occurrences)

Jacob: Pharaoh Receives Him, and is Blessed by Jacob
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