Jacob first prophesied concerning his eldest son, Reuben. In verse 3 Jacob said, “Reuben, you are my firstborn, / My might and the firstfruits of my vigor, / Preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power.” However, because Reuben was corrupted and defiled, in his prophecy with blessing Jacob specifically changed Reuben’s status by birth as the firstborn.
Because Reuben was boiling over with lust, he went up to his father’s bed and defiled his father’s couch. Hence, Jacob said that he would not have the preeminence (v. 4). The preeminence of Reuben’s birthright was taken away.
Before Jacob prophesied concerning Reuben in Genesis 49, he had already given the birthright to Joseph (48:5-6). In verse 5 Jacob said to Joseph, “Now your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine, as Reuben and Simeon are.”
The birthright is composed of the double portion of the land, the kingship, and the priesthood. As the firstborn, Reuben should have inherited all three blessings. However, due to his defilement, the double portion of the land was given to Joseph (48:22; cf. Josh. 16—17). In Genesis 48:22 Jacob said to Joseph, “I have given to you one portion more than your brothers, which I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow.” Joseph received the double portion of the land, one for Ephraim and the other for Manasseh. Eventually, this prophecy was fulfilled in Joshua 16 and 17. When the children of Israel divided the land by lot, Joseph, who fled from the defilement of lust (Gen. 39:7-12), received the double portion of the land; but Reuben, who indulged in the defilement of lust, lost the right to the double portion of the land. This allotment was not accomplished through human maneuvering but through the sovereignty of God for the fulfillment of Jacob’s prophecy. Moreover, the kingship of Reuben’s original birthright was given to Judah (1 Chron. 5:2), and the priesthood was given to Levi (Deut. 33:8-10).
Jacob considered Simeon and Levi as companions when he spoke concerning them. Jacob said, “Simeon and Levi are brothers; / Weapons of violence are their swords. / Come not into their council, O my soul; / Be not united with their assembly, O my glory; / For in their anger they slew men, / And in their self-will they hamstrung oxen” (Gen. 49:5-6). Glory in verse 6 refers to the spirit. Jacob was greatly shocked by what Simeon and Levi did in Genesis 34. Jacob had never been so frightened in his whole life. Simeon’s and Levi’s disposition left a deep impression in Jacob’s spirit that he could not forget. Therefore, although Jacob loved them, he could not give them any blessing. Instead, he cursed their fierce anger and cruel wrath (49:7).
Jacob was frightened by Simeon’s and Levi’s cruel disposition. Therefore, Jacob would not allow them to dwell together. Rather, he exercised judgment over them in his prophecy, dividing them in Jacob and scattering them in Israel (v. 7). In this way, they would not be able to behave cruelly according to their disposition. According to the record in Joshua, Simeon was eventually scattered among the people of Judah (19:1, 9), and Levi was scattered among the people of Israel (ch. 21). Through the casting of lots, Jacob’s prophecies concerning them were fulfilled.
Although Jacob prophesied that Levi would be scattered in Israel, the descendants of Levi were blessed because of Levi’s faithfulness and absoluteness to God (Exo. 32:26-28), and their scattering also became a blessing to the children of Israel. In Numbers 35:2 Jehovah said to Moses, “Command the children of Israel to give to the Levites some of the inheritance of their possession, cities to dwell in; and you shall give to the Levites pasture lands around their cities.” The selection of these cities was by lot. Altogether, the Levites were given forty-eight cities (v. 6). Under God’s sovereignty, out of these forty-eight cities six were to be cities of refuge (Josh. 20:7-9). Three were on the east side of the Jordan, and three were on the west side. Anyone among the people of Israel who killed a person by mistake could easily flee to one of these cities of refuge. Therefore, the scattering of Levi according to the curse became a blessing. The scattered Levites brought God’s refuge to people who sinned. Thus, in ancient times it was a blessing to have some Levites in your city or in your territory (Judg. 17:7-13).