The book of Genesis ends with a lyrical description of what will become of his twelve sons "in the end of days". Chapter 49 gets right to it and I will make comments pertaining to each verse. Whether these are prophecies, decrees, blessings or curses, remains open to interpretation.

Verses 2-4: Describes his oldest son Reuven.

• Jacob calls him "my might, and the first fruits of my strength". The implication is that the son inherits his father's attribute of fitness in more concentrated form than any other offspring.
• "The excellence of dignity, and the excellency of power". These are idealized attributes of leadership. Perhaps Jacob considers Reuven to be a future leader of the Jewish people, though we have to look at the remainder of the passage to draw such a conclusion.
• While I find the next verse confusing, it appears to cast doubt upon his leadership abilities: "Unstable as water, have not thou the excellency". If Reuven is unstable, he certainly won't become an effective leader. What is peculiar about this verse is the phrase "unstable as water". How does one interpret this? As vaporization of water, or even the motion of a flowing river? Perhaps it's even possible to interpret this instability favorably, for it could represent the innate ability to adapt to change while assuming the rigors of leading the people. I personally think this is a bit of a stretch.
• "Because thou wentest up to thy father's bed; Then defiledst thou it ..." Clearly Jacob finds disfavor with his son's actions. What's interesting is that he doesn't mention that Reuven convinced his other brothers to throw Joseph into the pit. I would think that was most deserving of at least a reprimand, if not of complete disownership.

Verses 5-7: Describes Simeon and Levi.

• "Weapons of violence their kinship." Obviously doesn't think too favorably of Simeon and Levi. Jacob might have his character flaws but evidently he abhors violence.
• "Let my soul not come into their council; Unto their assembly let my glory not be united." He essentially is disowning them at this point. Yes, Jacob evidently has a high opinion of himself if he believes that his great soul is needed for his sons to succeed; but nevertheless, he conveys to his sons that they have failed to measure up to his high standards.
• Then he addresses the vice of anger: "For in their anger they slew men, and in their self-will they houghed oxen."
• "Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; And their wrath, for it was cruel. I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel." They have become outcasts in Jacob's eyes. They certainly won't share in Jacob's legacy, not receive one penny of his inheritance!

Verses 8-12: Judah.

• Judah appears to be one of Jacob's favorites. "Thee shall thy brethren praise".
• "Thy hand shall be on the neck of thine enemies." I take this to mean that he will keep his adversaries in check.Whether or not this power derives from Jacob is not evident one way or another.
• "Thy father's sons shall bow down before thee." Err, I though one is supposed to bow down to none other than God. Guess he's a little forgetful, or he is using "bow" as a term connotating "respect".
• "Judah is a lion's whelp (offspring). From the prey, my son, thou art gone up. He stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as a lioness, who shall rouse him up?" There's that strength again, same as what he saw in Reuven.
• It's apparent he considers him to be a leader: "The sceptre (staff) shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet. As long as men come to Shiloh; and unto him shall the obedience of the peoples be.

Verse 13: Zebulun.

• "Zebulun shall dwell at the shore of the sea, and he shall be a shore for ships, and his flank shall be upon Zidon." Is this the Sidon that's in Lebanon? It's very poetic to describe someone as being a "shore for ships". Does he guide them in to shore? Or is he a visible marker for ships lost at sea? What this passage appears to be saying is that he will be in charge of sea mercantilism and trade.

Verses 14-15: Issachar

• Not a leader, that's for sure! "Issachar is a large-boned ass, couching down between the sheep-folds."
• He is a sight seer, and a lover of nature: "For he saw a resting-place that it was good, and the land that it was pleasant."
• He is meant to serve people; and is a follower. Maybe just a nice enough guy to have around, and that's about it: "And he bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant under task-work."

Verses 16-18: Dan

• "Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel." Evidently he feels this son is worthy of such a position requiring the exercising of wisdom, impartiality, interpretation and application of the "law". But then he goes on to contradict himself:
• "Dan shall be a serpent in the way, a horned snake in the path, that biteth the horse's heels, so that his rider falleth backward." How can a snake be a judge? And what type of judge would injure an animal so that it's rider falls off? It appears he's more like of a sabateur or guerilla fighter.
• "I wait for thy salvation, O Lord." What the heck is Jacob smoking? This whole bit is unintelligible.
  

Verse 19: Gad

• Good gad, more jibberish! "Gad, a troop shall troop upon him; but he shall troop upon their heel." Well, at least here, Jacob's making some sense. Gad will a soldier who honorably defends his people.

Verse 20: Asher

• "His bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal dainties." He is a baker, of course, who will create fine delicacies for royalty? Not sure what this is about; however, it's making me hungry.

Verse 21: Naphtali

• "Naphtali is a hind let loose: he giveth goodly words." One can interpret the word "hind" differently here. For example, he could be behind the others. Alternatively, it could represent a deer. Whatever the case, he is a kind person who speaks well of people. He has a knack for the spoken word, and perhaps was annointed the spokesperson, the Press Secretary of the Jewish people.
  

Verses 22-26: Joseph

•  "Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine by a fountain; Its branches run over the wall." In the midst of some fine poetic verse, we can vicariously experience Jacob's love for his favorite son. A vine is the source of growth and nourishment, a fountain the spring of life. Joseph is fortunate to be near the life spring, yet he exceeds all expectations as his vines grow rampant beyond all boundaries. In another vein, the wall represents a barrier of growth for those less fortunate in life, but Joseph is nevertheless there to offer these people the fruits of his vine.
• Jacob implicitly recognizes the hardships that his son endured: "The archers have dealt bitterly with him, and shot at him, and hated him." This group certainly includes his brothers who stole his coat and cast him into the pit.
• But his bow abode firm, and the arms of his hands were made supple." I think Jacob doesn't understand why Joseph overcame his suffering. He didn't do so because he was a fighter or from the strength of his hands, but rather because he was wise, intelligent, morally upright, and thoughtful. These attributes made Joseph who he was. He wasn't one who carelessly pursued revenge, but rather justice.
• "By the hands of the Mightly One of Jacob ..." Oh please! This Jacob guy has too great a sense of self-importance.
• Jacob gets a lot of blessings, that's for sure! From Jacob, "from the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel, Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee, and by the Almighty who shall bless thee." And he gets blessed in all places: "With blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that coucheth beneath, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb." Those are some fine places to be blessed!
• " ... They shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of the prince among his brethren." 

 Verse 27: Benjamin

• "Benjamin is a wolf that reveneth; In the morning he devoureth the prey, and at even he divideth the spoil." A very proud father indeed! 

These are the Twelve Tribes of Israel. In verse 28, Jacob blesses his sons. He cares very deeply for his offspring. Yet by his pronouncements, he lays the foundation for unique development of each of the 12 tribes. Through his characterizations of each son, the corresponding tribe will develop, blessed or cursed.

The book of Genesis concludes with the death of Jacob. After getting permission from the Pharaoh, Joseph and his brethren travel to the land of Canaan to bury their father (in the cave of Machpelah). It is a day of mourning for everyone. When they return to Egypt, the siblings fear Joseph's wrath, that he will be vengeful against them. "It may be that Joseph will hate us, and will fully requite us all the evil which we did unto him" (Chapter 50, verse 15). But in verses 19-21, Joseph reassures them that nothing of the sort will come of them. In these verses, we witness the greatness of Joseph as he speaks to his brothers: "Fear not, for am I in the place of God? And as for you, ye meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. Now therefore fear ye not; I will sustain you, and your little ones."

The last scene is the death of Joseph. He is embalmed in a coffin in Egypt.

Genesis is filled with great stories. It is a narrative which depicts the epic adventures & struggles, development & setbacks, beliefs & customs, nation building and exile of a people who created the pillars of Western Civilization. The covenant between God and the ancient Hebrews occurs in Genesis. At the same time, Israel is being created as a nation. We see the beginnings of the "Rule of Law" and the first commandments issued by God. In the stories of Abraham and Isaac, we witness the foundation of a market economy based upon innovation, resourcefulness, and trade through bartering. There are periods of peace and war, prosperity and destitution. Practices which would be taboo in our contemporary society were common in their society: incest, polygamy, and servitude.

From the prophets Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the Hebrews received the word of God. God's plan was directly revealed through their prophetic messages. Throughout the book of Genesis, the people have blind faith and acceptance of their God. This carries over into the book of Exodus.