Genesis 49:22
Joseph is Rachel’s first son.
Verses 22–26 are filled with praise for Joseph and are as warm in
blessings as those for Judah in verses 49:8–12. Each of these verses contains
serious textual problems.
Joseph is a fruitful bough: in this verse Joseph is praised for his
numerous descendants and is compared to a fruitful spreading vine that sends
out branches (see Deut 33:17, which speaks of the great numbers of offspring
from Ephraim and Manasseh). nrsv, unlike rsv, has a footnote, “Hebrew
uncertain.” Note that tev’s rendering is entirely different, as it continues
with animal metaphors similar to that in the previous verse.
The Hebrew text appears to say literally “son of a fruitful [vine]
Joseph” and then a second time “son of a fruitful [vine].” Speiser regards the
use of fruitful bough (or vine) inaccurate. He objects to breaking with the animal
metaphors in 9, 14, 17, 21, and 27. He observes that the first line in verse 22
is closely paralleled in Deut 33:17, where the ox and wild ox are used, and
then proposes that the Hebrew expression rendered fruitful, which is literally “son of fruitful,” should be
understood as “wild ass.” This is followed by tev and nab and is given as an
alternative translation by niv (footnote). tev gives the alternative
translation (as in rsv) in its footnote. (hottp, which does not consider the
Speiser argument, recommends a translation that is equivalent to that in rsv.)
The Handbook recommends either the rsv or the tev model. However, if
the tev is followed, the alternative translation should be given in a footnote.
His branches run over the
wall: branches is
literally “daughters.” Speiser finds the Hebrew of “daughters run” to be the
same as the Arabic for “wild asses.” Over
the wall he understands to refer to an elevated place, which tev renders as
“hillside.”
The recommendation of the Handbook is the same here as for the first
line. (William David Reyburn and Euan McG. Fry, A Handbook on Genesis [UBS Handbook
Series; New York: United Bible Societies, 1998], 1094-95)
