Just before
his death he called before him his sons, that he might bestow upon them
his last blessings. From this time forward dates the history of the
nation of Israel. While pronouncing the blessing upon his various sons,
he said concerning his son Judah: "Judah is a lion's whelp: from the
prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion,
and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? The sceptre shall not depart
from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and
unto him shall the gathering of the people be." (Genesis 49:9,10) This
prophetic promise definitely shows that the mighty one to come through
whom the blessings of the people would flow must spring from the tribe
of Judah, the word Shiloh being one of the titles applied to the great
Prince of Peace, the Deliverer, the Savior of mankind.
[120]After the death of Jacob his offspring were known as the children
of Israel, or Israelites. Joseph when a lad had been sold into Egypt,
had grown to manhood, had become a mighty man and ruler in Egypt under
the king, and was dwelling there in power and glory when his father
Jacob and the other members of his family moved into Egypt to live.
During the lifetime of Joseph the Israelites were well treated. After
his death, however, a new king came to the throne of Egypt, who began to
oppress and persecute the Israelites.
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