Still another possible rendering is, "until he come whose it is." This translation follows a variant reading of the Septuagint which has ᾧ άπόκειται. The Greek versions current in the early centuries of the present dispensation had this reading, or a variant of it, as is evident from quotations of the writers of the period. See chapter 9 of the Epistle of Ignatius to the Philadelphians (longer form) and chapter 32 of the First Apology of Justin Martyr. The Targum of Onkelos gives, "the Messiah, whose is the kingdom," as a paraphrase of this passage. The well known passage of Ezekiel 21:27 undoubtedly is an echo of these words, if we accept the Septuagint translation as a faithful reflection of the original. The prophet's statement is עַד־בֹּא אֲשֶׁר־לוֹ הַמִּשְׁפָּט "until he come whose right it is." Ezekiel's referring to this one in so familiar and so brief a manner without any explanation proves that he assumed, on the part of his audience, a general knowledge and common expectation of the coming of this great Autocrat. A parallel to this case is found in the expression "the day of the Lord." The prophets frequently spoke of it, giving no explanation. Their audiences without further details understood the reference. In the same way the mention of the coming of this future Ruler in the general statement, "until he come whose right it is," shows that this clause was a household expression understood generally. It is undoubtedly an echo of Jacob's prediction, since there is no other passage to which it can point.

The context of Ezekiel's statement proves that he is talking about the Messiah of Israel concerning whom the prophets constantly spoke.

And thou, O deadly wounded wicked one, the prince of Israel, whose day is come, in the time of the iniquity of the end, thus saith the Lord God: Remove the mitre, and take off the crown; this shall be no more the same; exalt that which is low, and abase that which is high. I will overturn, overturn, overturn it: this also shall be no more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it him (Ezek. 21:25-27).

A casual glance at this quotation shows that the prophet, looking into the future, saw the course of Israel's history. As will be seen in Chapter V, the blending of the present with the future constantly appears in the prophets. This practice is largely due to the fact that the Hebrew verb does not express the time element. In these verses the principal political actors of Israel's future appear upon the stage. Ezekiel's language shows that abortive efforts would be made at various times to place the royal crown and priestly mitre upon the brows of these political aspirants to prestige and power. The statement, "I will overthrow," etc., is the divine decree which announces the judgment that shall fall upon all such efforts. The last one attempting to seize these honors is addressed by the prophet: "And thou, O deadly wounded wicked one, the prince of Israel, whose day is come, in the time of the iniquity of the end, thus saith the Lord God: Remove the mitre, and take off the crown; this shall be no more the same." According to these verses, this last tyrant is a prince of Israel who seizes power in the time of the iniquity of the end but in some way is wounded with a deadly stroke. The prophet's words commanding this wicked prince to remove the crown and the mitre and informing him that such a thing shall be no more "until he come whose right it is" shows that this future one for whom both the royal and priestly dignities are reserved is a king and a priest at the same time. From these facts it is evident that the Messiah of Israel is referred to by the clause, "whose right it is." Since these words in Ezekiel's passage clearly refer to Israel's future king, and since they unmistakably point backward to Genesis 49:10, it is evident that the similar phrase in Jacob's prediction also refers to her Messiah.

In the preceding paragraphs it has been seen that the clause, "until he come whose right it is," had the definite messianic import in the days of Ezekiel and was a clear echo of Jacob's language. Inasmuch as he used words almost identical with those of Ezekiel without any explanation, it follows that he too assumed on the part of his sons a common knowledge of the coming deliverer. Therefore this statement in his mouth points backward to former predictions--those which we have already studied.

The conclusions reached in the discussion of this last translation are confirmed by the statement of Jacob when he summoned his sons to him and pronounced his blessings upon them: "Gather yourselves together, that I may tell that which shall befall you in the latter days." This view is confirmed by a statement of Rabbi David Kimchi who, in his commentary on Isaiah 2:2, says, "Wherever it is said, 'in the last days,' it means the days of the Messiah." A careful study of the following passages in the light of their contexts establishes this conclusion: Isa. 2:2f; Mic. 4:1f; Hos. 3:5; and Joel 2. In view of all the facts we are confident that Genesis 49:10 is a definite prediction of the coming of the Hebrew Messiah who will triumph over all enemies.

Some scholars have objected to the interpretation just given on the grounds that Judah is the subject of the clauses found in the preceding and following verses--Genesis 49:9 and 11. This contention at first sight seems plausible but a more careful study of the passage clears away the difficulty. Undoubtedly Judah is the subject of the verse preceding and that following the one under consideration. The words שֵׁבֶט and מְחֹקֵק form the key to the understanding of this point. The primary meaning of שֵׁבֶט is rod, staff, sceptre; a secondary definition, tribe (see Gen. 49:16). It is clear from the statements, "The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, Nor the ruler's staff from between his feet," that governmental authority and power as represented in the chief executive shall continue with the tribe of Judah until the one "whose right it is" comes. Hence in these lines is the promise that an unbroken line of rulers will continue in Judah and reach its climax in the coming of the world deliverer or redeemer for the promise is that all nations shall obey Him. Judah, of course, will come into her own under the reign of this great King. From the facts just presented it is certain that King Messiah occupies the central position of the stage in verse 10.

The late David Baron summarizes the consensus of scholars concerning Genesis 49:10 as reflected in the earliest versions and commentaries of the Hebrew people:

"With regard to this prophecy, the first thing I want to point out is that all antiquity agrees in interpreting it of a personal Messiah. This is the view of the LXX. version; the Targumim of Onkelos, Yonathan, and Jerusalem; the Talmud; the Sohar; the ancient book of 'Bereshith Rabba'; and among modern Jewish commentators, even of Rashi, who says, 'Until Shiloh come that is King Messiah, Whose is the kingdom.'"--Rays of Messianic Glory, p. 258.

The conclusions that have been reached concerning the messianic elements in this passage are also confirmed by the data set forth by the late Dr. Delitzsch in the following statement:

"Considering that מחקק has no less frequently the meaning ruler's staff, suggested by the parallel שֵׁבֶט (Num. xxi. 18, Ps. lx. 9), than the personal meaning ruler; secondly, that a long staff held by the upper end is the insigmum of the Assyrian kings, and that the Persian king represented in a sitting posture upon the monuments of Persepolis holds it between his feet and thirdly, that the choice of more dignified expressions than the objectionable מִבֵּין רַגְלָיו (especially so as a declaration concerning an ancestor) were furnished by the language (see xlvi. 26, xxxv. 11, Jer. xxxiii. 26, Ps. cxxxii. 11), on which account the Hebraeo-Samar. writes מבין רגליו (from his banners), it must be explained: Judah will ever bear the sceptre, and the ruler's staff ever rest between his feet."--New Commentary on Genesis, Vol. II, p. 376.

Again, Dr. Delitzsch gives some most illuminating statistical data that corroborate our conclusions. Hear him.

"יִקְּהָה is neither equivalent to תִּקְוָה (LXX, Syr. Vulg.) nor to the Talmudic קְהִיָּה assembly (both Arabic translations), but as at Prov. xxx. 17, obedience, from יָקַהּ (for which also יָקָה whence the nom. pers. יָקֶה the obedient, the pious); here, as at Prov. xxx. 17 with Dagesh dirimens a connective form, not of יְקָהָה but יִקְהָה, like קִרְבָה the approach and נִצְּרָה (parallel שָׁמַרָה) the watch, Ps. cxli. 3. עַמִּים might mean the Israelitish tribes, as at Deut. xxxiii. 3, Hos. x. 14 and frequently. But the leadership of the tribes was already awarded to Judah in in לא יסור וגו׳, and the question as to whether he would maintain this with respect to the peoples around was pressing; hence עַמִּים will not have the meaning of Deut. xxxiii. 3, but of Deut. xxx. 17. But if the nations of the world are intended, this suggests taking שִׁילֹה (such is the Masoretic writing, see Frensdorff, Masora magna, p. 322 sq., besides which however שִׁלֹה and שִׁלוֹ occur in the MSS.) as a name of the Messiah. Jacob has before him in his sons the twelve-tribed nation. A nation however needs a single leader. This suggests taking שׁילה personally. The king of the latter days exalted above the heathen might be meant as at Num. xxiv, 15 sqq.; moreover, the Messianic interpretation of שׁילה has the recommendation of being ancient (Sanhedrin 98b). But it rests in its traditional form upon an explanation of the word which cannot be accepted. When the Samar. texts write שׁלה, and Onkelos, Targ. Jer. II. Syr., whom Aphraates, Ephrem, Bar--Hebraeus (see his Scholia published by R.Schroter in DMZ. xxiv.) and Saadia follow, translate: donec veniat Messias cujus est regnum, Aquila and Symmachus (comp. Constitut. apost. 6. 11): ᾧ άπόκειται (whom it is reserved for and belongs to, viz., η βασιλεία), Peshitto: is cujus illud (sc. regnum) est, all these proceed upon the assumption that שׁילה (the Masor. reading) or שׁלה (an ancient variation) is equivalent אֲשֶׁר לוֹ=שֶׁלּוֹ. The translation also of the LXX (Theod) ἕως ἂν ἔλθῃ τὰ ἀποκείμενα αὐτῷ (continuing: και αύτος ποοσδοκία εθνων) proceeds from the reading השֶׁ, only it does not directly make the person of the Messiah the subject, on which account Justin, Dial. c. 120, would willingly stamp the ᾧ άπόκειται of Aq. and Symm. as the original reading of the Alexandrine translation."-- New Commentary on Genesis, Vol. 11, pp. 377, 378.

The historical and linguistic facts presented in these quotations prove that the great world redeemer and deliverer stood in vision before the venerable patriarch when he pronounced this prediction relative to the descendants of Judah in the end time.*

Some have incorrectly concluded that the forecast here presented indicates that, when this great ruler comes, Judah loses her position of preeminence and power. This reasoning is based upon the understanding that עַד till is here used in the exclusive sense. Though it may have this significance in certain passages that so indicate, it cannot in this instance, for there is nothing in the context to give that idea. It is true that עַד שׁ (Cant. 1:12) and עַד with a following infinitive (Ex. 33:22; Judg. 3:26; Jonah 4:2) may have the meaning as long as, but עַד כִּי never indicates limited duration but the terminus ad quem. Professor Delitzsch has cogently stated the facts and the conclusion to be drawn there from in the following quotation:

"עַד כִּי with the impf. following has the same temporal sense as עַד אֲשֶׁר 'until that' (elsewhere followed by a perf. of gradative meaning, xxvi. 13, xli. 49, 2 Sam. xxiii. 10, 2 Chron. xxvi. 15), and here denotes the turning point to which Judah's greatness lasts, not then to cease, but to be enlarged to sovereignty over the peoples, comp. on this use of עַד xxvi. 13, xxviii. 15, Ps. cx. 1, cxii. 8."--New Commentary on Genesis, Vol. II, p. 377.

In this quotation Delitzsch correctly discerned the force of עַד כִּי but did not call our attention to the application of the principle of the double or manifold fulfillment of prophecy in this particular passage. Hence his application is misleading. A failure to recognize, in a given case, this most important law, peculiar to Hebrew prophecy, will lead the most thorough and scholarly exegete to form wrong conclusions. For a full discussion of this principle see pages 150-161; section 7.

In his foreview of the future Jacob saw this prince who would rise out of Judah receiving homage and obedience from all nations. But some have understood that עַמִּים refers to the tribes of Israel. Such significance is not its usual and primary meaning. Inasmuch as each word is to be taken at its original import unless the context indicates otherwise, we must not choose a definition for this word other than its customary meaning, since nothing in the passage warrants a departure from the ordinary usage. Hence we are to understand the oracle as a prediction that all nations will render willing obedience to this great descendant of Judah. Willing obedience, we conclude, is here foretold since יִקְּהַת carries the element of piety and desire along with that of obedience. In a figure, this one will be the lodestone of the nations, the magnetic pole which will draw all peoples unto Himself in loving obedience.

All conquerors who have ruled any considerable portion of the peoples have done so by sheer physical force and power. Their administrations have been marred by imperfections and injustices. Never has there been one king who has reigned in equity, justice, and impartiality. This future king of the tribe of Judah, on the contrary, evidently will administer world affairs in such a way as to gain the confidence and love of all. The fact that he will be able to solve all problems to the satisfaction of the nations and have their love and hearty cooperation is proof that he will be an extraordinary person--a superman such as the world at this hour apparently needs.

In our study of the primitive promise we saw that the seed of the woman is to be the world deliverer. The study of the Abrahamic covenant convinced us that this great Saviour of the world is to come from the seed of the progenitor of the Hebrew race. The facts revealed by a further study of this covenant as it was reaffirmed to Isaac and then to Jacob show that the expected redeemer was to come through these patriarchs. Our investigation of Jacob's blessing upon Judah indicates that this original promise of hope was further limited to the tribe of Judah.

After Jacob's prediction, the next messianic prophecy, chronologically¹ considered, is found in the oracles of Balaam (Num. 23,24). In answer to the summons of Balak, king of Moab, the disobedient prophet, overpowered by his love for money, responded to the call of pronouncing a curse upon Israel who at the time was encamped along the borders of the king's country.

In giving the willful prophet permission to answer the call of the insistent king, God forbade his cursing Israel and demanded that he speak only those things concerning which He instructed him. After the proper sacrifices had been offered, according to the ritual of the Moabites, Balaam went forth from his position near the king, looked toward the camp of Israel, and then pronounced his oracle. In his first prophecy he foretold the great increase of the people of Israel and her separation from the nations. The final blessed and happy condition of the Chosen People called forth from the prophet's soul the following ejaculation: "Let me die the death of the righteous, And let my last end be like his!"

Being disappointed by the pronouncement of this blessing upon his enemies, Balak took Balaam to another position and insisted that the latter should then curse Israel. After the customary ritualistic ceremonies had been observed, Balaam made his second attempt to prophesy against the Chosen People. He prefaced his oracle by stating that God does not change His mind and that he himself could not speak anything other than what God had commanded. The following verses constitute this oracle:

לֹא־הִבִּיט אָוֶן בְּיַעֲקֹב וְלֹא־רָאָה עָמָל בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל יְהוָה אֱלֹהָיו עִמּוֹ וּתְרוּעַת מֶלֶךְ בּוֹ׃ אֵל מוֹצִיאָם מִמִּצְרָיִם כְּתוֹעֲפֹת רְאֵם לוֹ׃ כִּי לֹא־נַחַשׁ בְּיַעֲקֹב וְלֹא־קֶסֶם בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל כָּעֵת יֵאָמֵר לְיַעֲקֹב וּלְיִשְׂרָאֵל מַה־פָּעַל אֵל׃ הֶן־עָם כְּלָבִיא יָקוּם וְכַאֲרִי יִתְנַשָּׂא לֹא יִשְׁכַּב עַד־יֹאכַל טֶרֶף וְדַם־חֲלָלִים יִשְׁתֶּה׃