Jacob's Prophecies

In Genesis 48:17-19, when Jacob is blessing Joseph's sons Ephraim and Manasseh, he crosses his arms, which would give the younger son the greater blessing. When Joseph tries to correct his father, Jacobs tells him, "I know, my son, I know." He then goes on to explain that what God had shown him would happen. So again, like we saw with Noah (Genesis 9:24-27), these blessings of the patriarchs weren't just made up by them, but were true prophecies from God. Here are some highlights of Jacob's prophecies about his sons and the future tribes of Israel:

• Genesis 48:19 would come true as the tribe of Ephraim would be so great that in the divided kingdom of Israel the northern ten tribes would be called "Ephraim."
• See 49:5-7. Simeon and Levi would be "dispersed in Israel," as the tribe of Levi was the priests who were scattered throughout the land, and the tribe of Simeon would basically be absorbed into the tribe of Judah.
• Genesis 49:10 is fulfilled in Jesus coming from the tribe of Judah.