Genesis 48:16

Summary

Genesis 48:16 records Jacob's blessing invoking "the angel/messenger" who has redeemed him from harm, asking that this figure bless the boys (Joseph's sons), that Jacob's name and the names of his fathers Abraham and Isaac be called upon them, and that they multiply greatly on the earth.

Key words

• mal'akh ("angel/messenger", H4397H) — masculine singular noun with the definite article ha (H9009), identifying a specific figure referred to earlier in the blessing.
• go'el ("has redeemed", H1350A) — qal participle, masculine singular, functioning as "the one who redeems/has redeemed," describing an ongoing or characteristic action attributed to the mal'akh.
• yevarekh ("may he bless", H1288) — piel imperfect, third person, expressing an intensive form of "bless" with a jussive/optative nuance ("may he bless") rather than a simple future.
• yikare' ("may it be called", H7121H) — niphal (passive) imperfect with prefixed ve-, meaning the name is passively "called upon" the boys, not that they actively call it.
• yidgu ("may they multiply", H1711) — qal imperfect with prefixed ve-, continuing the chain of jussive verbs describing the intended future of the boys.

What the text says

The Hebrew sentence structure places the subject phrase first: ha-mal'akh ha-go'el 'oti mi-kol-ra' ("the angel/messenger, the one who has redeemed me from all harm"), a lengthy noun phrase built with two definite articles (ha, H9009) marking both "the angel" and "the one who redeems" as a participial clause modifying it. Only after this extended subject does the verb yevarekh ("may he bless", H1288) appear, in piel imperfect — a verbal stem often carrying intensified or causative force, here functioning with jussive meaning ("may he bless") rather than indicative future.

The following clauses are linked by ve- prefixed imperfects (yikare', yidgu), a chain typical of blessing formulas expressing wishes rather than certainties. The niphal form of yikare' ("may it be called", H7121H) is passive: the name is something "called upon" the boys (va-hem, "in/upon them", H9038) rather than something they themselves invoke. The construct chain shem 'avotai 'Avraham ve-Yitzchak ("the name of my fathers, Abraham and Isaac", H8034, H0001G) links Jacob's own name with those of his ancestors through construct nouns (H8034 appears twice, each in construct form, "X of…"). The final verb yidgu ("may they multiply", H1711) is qal imperfect, paired with la-rov ("to abundance", H7230) and be-qerev ha-'aretz ("in the midst of the earth", H7130G + H0776G), completing the wish for numerous descendants spread within the land.

Differences between versions

The LXX renders ha-mal'akh ha-go'el as ho angelos ho rhyomenos ("the angel/messenger, the one rescuing"), using a present participle where the Hebrew go'el (H1350A) is likewise a participle, so the grammatical aspect matches closely. The Vulgate translates go'el as eruit ("he snatched/delivered"), a perfect tense verb rather than a participle, shifting the Hebrew's participial "the one who redeems" into a completed past action. Where the Hebrew has singular shem ("name", H8034) used twice in construct, the Vulgate renders the second instance as plural nomina ("names"), whereas the LXX keeps singular onoma for both instances, following the Hebrew's singular form more closely.