Bible Strands
Hebrews 11:21
By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jacob acts while dying, blessing each of Joseph’s sons and worshiping as he leans on the top of his staff. The text records a final, physical posture and declaration at the close of his life.
The words — Πίστει (Pistei) translates as by faith, and εὐλόγησεν (eulogēsen) translates as he blessed. These terms frame the patriarch’s closing actions as deliberate acts of reliance and declarative authority.
The thread — This verse continues the dying-patriarch pattern established in Hebrews 11:20 and Hebrews 11:22. It directly parallels Genesis 47:31, where Israel bows at the head of his bed, and Genesis 48:5, where Jacob formally assigns Joseph’s sons to his own lineage.
Why it lands — It requires the reader to observe that faith manifests at death through specific, physical acts of blessing and worship. The text demands recognition of how patriarchal declarations function as historical markers rather than abstract spiritual exercises.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff.
Cross-references
- Genesis 47:31 “Swear to me,” Jacob said. So Joseph swore to him, and Israel bowed in worship at the head of his bed.
- Genesis 48:5 And now your two sons born to you in Egypt before I came to you here shall be reckoned as mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, just as Reuben and Simeon are mine.