Journal: Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society
Volume: JETS 29:4 (Dec 1986)
Article: Issachar: Slave Or Freeman? (Gen 49:14-15)
Author: Joel D. Heck

JETS 29:4 (December 1986) p. 385

Issachar: Slave Or Freeman? (Gen 49:14-15)

Joel D. Heck*

The blessing of Jacob (and the blessing of Moses in Deuteronomy 33) has long been considered by critical scholars to be a collection of originally independent oracles that circulated in oral form as folk literature, perhaps during the period of the judges. They are said to have been gathered together in this chapter by an unknown redactor, possibly J. Some of the oracles, therefore, are positive, and some are negative. Since they arose independently, there is no inherent unity in the chapter and no common author for the sayings.

One of the viewpoints that has contributed to this opinion is the negative appraisal of Issachar in Gen 49:14–15. If a redactor merely gathered the oracles, we ought not to expect to find any guiding principle in the organization of this chapter, apart from the genealogical sequence. We are not surprised by a couple of negative oracles (vv 3–7) followed by some positive oracles (vv 8–13) followed by the rebuke of Issachar (vv 14–15) and then some more positive oracles (vv 16–27).

If the exegesis presented in this article is correct, however, then we see unity in the deliberate two-part organization of the chapter: negative oracles (vv 3–7) followed by positive oracles (vv 8–27). The viewpoint presented here is that the blessing of Issachar is a statement about the good, hard-working character of Issachar, consistent with the statement of the author’s purpose in Gen 49:1. In this chapter Jacob is giving his blessings to his sons (49:28) as he tells them what will happen to them in days to come.

The RSV reflects the common understanding of most scholars and most translations regarding this oracle:

Issachar is a strong ass,

crouching between the sheepfolds;

he saw that a resting place was good,

and that the land was pleasant;

so he bowed his shoulder to bear,

and became a slave at forced labor.

In this article, however, I will defend the following translation:

Issachar is a sturdy donkey

lying down between two saddlebags.

When he sees how good is a resting place