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will save the world, so from the tribe of Dan a destructive serpent will come forth. For this it says: " and 97 let Dan be a serpent on the way, lying on the path, biting the horse's heel, and the rider will fall backward, awaiting the salvation of the Lord "; for since, having used all kinds of deceits, he tries to ensnare the deluded into destruction, it compares him to a certain serpent lurking by a certain path and harming those who pass by; and I think it calls the body a horse, and the soul the rider; and to fall backward, that is to lie supine, signifies death; for such is the posture of the dead. And through the heel it hinted at the deceit; for since it deceives some, but inflicts very harsh punishments on others, it has indicated the body through the horse, by whose biting and destruction death occurs, bringing the fruits of hope to those who endure; and the fruit of such hope is salvation. It also foretells to Gad the plots that will be against him from the raids of robbers; for this it says: " A raiding party will raid him ". And it also foretells his future victory: " And he," it says, "will raid him at the heel "; and likewise also of Asher the grain-bearing land, and of Naphtali the increase in number; for it said this: " a spreading shoot, giving beauty in its offspring ". Then, having shown the envy and all kinds of plots against Joseph, it praises the divine providence, by which he conquered those who had warred against him; "For their bows," it says, "were shattered with might, and the sinews of the arms of their hands were loosened by the hand of the mighty one of Jacob. Thence is the one who strengthened Israel, from the God of your father; and my God helped you and blessed you with a blessing of heaven from above and a blessing of the earth which holds all things. On account of the blessing of breasts and of womb, the blessings of your father and your mother, you have prevailed above the blessings of the enduring 98 mountains and the desire of the eternal hills; they will be on the head of Joseph and on the crown of him who led his brothers ". And through all these things he praised his own God who both declared him stronger than his brother who had warred against him, and showed his son to be unconquerable, having been plotted against by so many brothers; and he says you have received this providence, having received a reward for the care of your parents; for this it says: " on account of the blessing of breasts and of womb, the blessings of your father and your mother ". For he had been a zealous caregiver of his aged father. And the things that happened to him he says are common to both him and his mother. For she too would have enjoyed the same providence, if she had not departed from life sooner; then he prays for distinction for him, so that he might become eminent among all; "For you have prevailed," it says, "above the blessings of the enduring mountains and the desire of the eternal hills; they will be on the head of Joseph and on the crown of him who led his brothers ". Aquila indeed interpreted 'thinas' as 'hills'; therefore, since both the hills and the mountains are seen from afar, he prays that he may become well-known and most distinguished of all in a way similar to them. And Benjamin he has called a ravenous wolf, because of the suffering that befell his tribe; wherefore he added: " In the morning he shall devour, and in the evening he shall distribute food ". For having conquered in the first and the second engagement, they were later utterly destroyed, except for a very few in number, to whom the victors, taking pity, were wary of giving wives because of the oath, but contrived marriage for them in another way. But one must know that some have applied this prophecy to the divine Paul; for like a wolf he was ravaging the church, entering house after house; but later he distributed spiritual 99 food to the world. When Jacob had said these things, and had indicated his own death, the writer said: " And drawing up his feet onto the bed, he expired and was gathered to his people "; and through these words he hinted at the hope of the resurrection; for if they were utterly destroyed and did not pass into another life, he would not have said, " he was gathered to his

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διασώσει τὴν οἰκουμένην, οὕτως ἐκ τῆς τοῦ ∆ᾶν φυλῆς ὄφις ὀλέθριος ἐξελεύσεται. τοῦτο γὰρ λέγει· " καὶ 97 γενηθήτω ∆ὰν ὄφις ἐφ' ὁδοῦ, ἐγκαθήμενος ἐπὶ τρίβου, δάκνων πτέρναν ἵππου καὶ πεσεῖται ὁ ἱππεὺς εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω, τὴν σωτηρίαν περιμένων Κυρίου "· ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἀπάταις παντοδαπαῖς κεχρημένος, πειρᾶται τοὺς φενακιζομένους ἀγρεύειν εἰς ὄλεθρον, ὄφει τινὶ αὐτὸν ἀπεικάζει παρά τινα τρίβον φωλεύοντι καὶ τοῖς παριοῦσι λυμαινομένῳ· ἵππον δὲ οἶμαι καλεῖν αὐτὸν τὸ σῶμα, ἐπιβάτην δὲ τὴν ψυχήν· τὸ δὲ εἰς τοὐπίσω πεσεῖν, τουτέστιν ὕπτιον κεῖσθαι, τὸν θάνατον παραδηλοῖ· τοιοῦτο γὰρ τῶν τεθνεώτων τὸ σχῆμα. διὰ δὲ τῆς πτέρνης τὴν ἀπάτην ᾐνίξατο· ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τοὺς μὲν ἐξαπατᾷ, τοῖς δὲ παγχαλέπας ἐπιφέρει κολάσεις, διὰ τοῦ ἵππου τὸ σῶμα δεδήλωκεν, οὗ δακνομένου καὶ διαφθειρομένου ὁ θάνα τος γίνεται, τοὺς τῆς ἐλπίδος τοῖς ὑπομένουσι κομίζων καρπούς· καρπὸς δὲ τῆς τοιαύτης ἐλπίδος ἡ σωτηρία. προλέγει καὶ τῷ Γὰδ τὰς ἐσομένας αὐτῷ παρὰ τῶν λῃστρικῶν ἐφόδων ἐπιβουλάς· τοῦτο γὰρ λέγει· " πει ρατήριον πειρατεύσει αὐτόν ". προαγορεύει δὲ καὶ τὴν ἐσομένην αὐτοῦ νίκην· " καὶ αὐτός, γάρ φησι, πειρατεύσει αὐτὸν κατὰ πόδας "· ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ τοῦ Ἀσὴρ τὴν σιτο φόρον χώραν, καὶ τοῦ Νεφθαλεὶμ τὴν εἰς πλῆθος ἐπίδοσιν· τοῦτο γὰρ ἔφη· " στέλεχος ἀνειμένον ἐπιδιδοὺς ἐν τῷ γεννή ματι κάλλος ". εἶτα τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ τὸν φθόνον καὶ τὰς παντοδαπὰς ἐπιδείξας ἐπιβουλὰς τὴν θείαν ὑμνεῖ κηδεμονίαν, δι' ἧς τοὺς πεπολεμη κότας νενίκηκε· " συνετρίβη, γάρ φησι, μετὰ κράτους τὰ τόξα αὐτῶν καὶ ἐξελύθη νεῦρα βραχιόνων χει ρῶν αὐτῶν διὰ χεῖρα δυνατοῦ Ἰακώβ. ἐκεῖθεν ὁ κατισχύσας Ἰσραὴλ παρὰ Θεοῦ τοῦ πατρός σου· καὶ ἐβοήθησέ σοι ὁ Θεὸς ὁ ἐμὸς καὶ εὐλό γησέ σε εὐλογίαν οὐρανοῦ ἄνωθεν καὶ εὐλογίαν γῆς ἐχούσης πάντα. ἕνεκεν εὐλογίας μασθῶν καὶ μήτρας, εὐλογίας πατρός σου καὶ μητρός σου, ὑπερίσχυσας ὑπὲρ εὐλογίας ὀρέων μονί 98 μων καὶ ἐπιθυμίας θινῶν αἰωνίων ἔσονται ἐπὶ κεφαλῆς Ἰωσὴφ καὶ ἐπὶ κορυφῆς ὧν ἡγήσατο ἀδελφῶν ". διὰ πάντων δὲ τούτων ὕμνησε τὸν οἰκεῖον Θεὸν ὃς καὶ αὐτὸν κρείττονα τοῦ πεπολεμηκότος ἀπέφηνεν ἀδελφοῦ, καὶ τὸν υἱὸν ἄμα χον ἔδειξεν παρὰ τοσούτων ἀδελφῶν ἐπιβουλευθέντα· ταύτης δέ φησι τῆς κηδεμονίας τετύχηκας, τῆς εἰς τοὺς γεγεννηκότας θεραπείας μισθὸν κο μισάμενος· τοῦτο γὰρ λέγει· " ἕνεκεν εὐλογίας μασθῶν καὶ μήτρας, εὐλογίας πατρός σου καὶ μητρός σου ". γηροκόμος γὰρ σπουδαῖος τοῦ πατρὸς ἐγεγόνει. τὰ δὲ εἰς αὐτὸν γεγε νημένα κοινὰ αὐτοῦ τε καὶ τῆς μητρὸς εἶναί φησιν. τῆς γὰρ αὐτῆς ἂν κἀ κείνη τῆς κηδεμονίας ἀπήλαυσεν, εἰ μὴ θᾶττον ὑπεξῆλθε τὸν βίον· εἶτα ἐπεύχεται αὐτῷ περιφάνειαν, ὥστε γενέσθαι αὐτὸν παρὰ πᾶσιν ἐπίση μον· " ὑπερίσχυσας, γάρ φησιν, ὑπὲρ εὐλογίας ὀρέων μονίμων καὶ ἐπιθυμίας θινῶν αἰωνίων· ἔσονται ἐπὶ κεφαλῆς Ἰωσὴφ καὶ ἐπὶ κορυφῆς ὧν ἡγήσατο ἀδελφῶν ". τοὺς δὴ θῖνας ὁ Ἀκύλας " βουνοὺς " ἡρμήνευσεν· ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν πόρρωθεν ὁρῶνται καὶ οἱ βουνοὶ καὶ τὰ ὄρη, τούτοις παραπλη σίως εὔχεται γνώριμον αὐτὸν γενέσθαι καὶ πάντων περιφανέστατον. τὸν δὲ Βενιαμὶν λύκον ἅρπαγα κέκληκε, διὰ τὸ συμβεβηκὸς πάθος τῇ τούτου φυλῇ· διὸ ἐπήγαγε· " τὸ πρωϊνὸν ἔδεται, καὶ εἰς τὸ ἑσπέρας διαδώσει τροφήν ". ἐν γὰρ τῇ πρώτῃ καὶ τῇ δευτέρᾳ συμπλοκῇ νενικηκότες, ὕστερον ἄρδην ἀπώλοντο, πλὴν ὀλί γων τινῶν ἄγαν εὐαριθμήτων, οὓς οἱ νενικηκότες οἰκτίραντες δοῦναι μὲν αὐτοῖς γυναῖκας διὰ τὸν ὅρκον ὑπείδοντο, ἑτέρως δὲ αὐτοῖς τὸν γά μον ἐμηχανήσαντο. εἰδέναι δὲ χρὴ ὥς τινες εἰς τὸν θεσπέσιον Παῦλον τήνδε τὴν πρόρρησιν εἵλκυσαν· λύκου γὰρ δίκην ἐλυμαίνετο τὴν ἐκκλη σίαν κατὰ τοὺς οἴκους εἰσπορευόμενος· ὕστερον δὲ τὴν πνευματικὴν τρο 99 φὴν τῇ οἰκουμένῃ διέδωκε. ταῦτα τοῦ Ἰακὼβ εἰρηκότος, καὶ τὴν οἰκείαν τελευτὴν μεμηνυκότος, ὁ συγγραφεὺς ἔφη· " καὶ ἐξάρας τοὺς πόδας ἐπὶ τὴν κλίνην ἐξέλιπε καὶ προσετέθη πρὸς τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ "· διὰ δὲ τούτων τῶν λόγων ᾐνίξατο τὴν ἐλπίδα τῆς ἀναστάσεως· εἰ γὰρ παντάπασι διεφθείροντο καὶ μὴ εἰς ἕτερον μετέβαινον βίον, οὐκ ἂν εἶπε, " προσετέθη πρὸς τὸν