New Jacob

Genesis ends with Jacob blessing his sons (Genesis 49). Deuteronomy ends with Moses blessing the tribes that have descended from Jaob’s sons (Deuteronomy 33). Moses is a new Jacob, the father of the tribes of Israel as Jacob was the father of the tribal ancestors.

As the father of a new Israel, Moses adds to and sometimes reverses the destinies that were spelled out by Jacob. The most striking example is the tribe of Levi. Because Levi joined with Simeon to slaughter the Shechemites, Jacob curses the two tribes by saying they will be scattered throughout the land of Israel, and have no tribal area. Moses, however, commends the violent zeal of the Levites, who did not consider father, mother, or brothers in avenging Yahweh’s name at Sinai and Massah and Meribah (Deuteronomy 33:8-11). Moses does not cancel Jacob’s curse, but he turns it inside out. Because Levi showed such zeal for the word of Yahweh, they shall teach that word to Jacob (33:10), and because of the prior curse of Jacob, that teaching will be widely scattered throughout the land.