Jacob utters his last sounds. They are difficult sounds. Some sons receive a good sound while others are given dissonant ones.
Rueben won’t excel, Simeon and Levi will be scattered.
Judah receives an extravagant and generous sound.
he washes his garments in wine
and his robe in the blood of grapes;
his eyes are darker than wine,
and his teeth whiter than milk.
Through these sounds Judah becomes a special one, holding a promise of kingship.
Depending on how you understand Jacob he riffs and improvises on all their names, sometimes with a blessing and sometimes with a harsh warning.
Jacob's sons
| Name | Meaning (all initially named by Leah and Rachel) | Jacob's last words |
|---|---|---|
| Reuben | See, a son | You shall not excel |
| Simeon | hearing | ... shall be scattered |
| Levi | joined | ... shall be scattered |
| Judah | God's Praise | Your brothers will praise you |
| Dan | Judge | Dan will provide justice for his people. |
| Naphtali | Wrestling | A doe who provides beautiful words |
| Gad | A troop | A band of raiders will attack you |
| Asher | Happy | Asher's food will be rich and he will provide royal delicacies |
| Issachar | Reward | A strong donkey who will be a slave of forced labour |
| Zebulun | Honoured dwelling | Will become a haven for ships |
| Joseph | May he add | blesses blessings blessings blessings blessings blessings |
| Benjamin | initially son of my trouble changed to son of my right hand | he is a ravenous wolf |
There are several puns and allusions that are silent to me here since I don’t inhabit the sounds of the language. Yet it’s clear to see Jacob’s manipulations of the sounds his wives recorded for his sons. The malleability of the sound is resonant with the malleability of personhood and identity. Jacob could be merely observing his son’s current state. But he is also sounding their possible future state of being.