What the Holy Seed Defiled: The Textual Problem of Genesis 49:4

Abstract

Abstract The preservation of Gen 49:4c in the Masoretic Text presents readers with a notoriously difficult textual problem. Both ancient and contemporary interpreters disagree widely about its meaning. In this article, I summarize the lexical-syntactical difficulties of Gen 49:4c and survey its diverse interpretations throughout history. I then propose that the grammatical and hermeneutical difficulties of the phrase may be resolved in two steps. We should first modify the vocalization of the suffixed noun yeṣū‛î in order to create the construct form yeṣū‛ê. This suggestion only requires the addition of a single vocalic dot. Second, we must understand the construct form yeṣū‛ê as the head noun of an unmarked relative clause which embeds the following verb ‛ālāh. This proposal creates a precise parallel with the previous line and is corroborated by the genealogical summary in 1 Chron 5:1.

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