And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days.
All Commentaries on Genesis 49:1 Go To Genesis 49
Ambrose of Milan
AD 397
After the joyous conferral of this blessing, Jacob called his sons as well. Whereas before he had preferred the younger to the elder, he begins with the eldest. In the former case he preferred the symbolic gift; in this one he maintains the order of age. Likewise earlier he had blessed all men with all their posterity and offspring of times to come in the persons of the two brothers; a repetition of that blessing of the people might seem superfluous, or the earlier blessing might be considered invalid. And so it is with reason that Jacob says he is presenting anew his announcement of events that were to come in later ages, rather than a blessing.
