The lion, king of the forest, is a fitting symbol of this tribe, from which came David, and the Son of David, Shiloh, the true "Lion of the tribe of Judah," to whom all powers shall finally bow and all nations render homage. For most of his children Jacob foretold a prosperous future. At last the name of Joseph was reached, and the father's heart overflowed as he invoked blessings upon "the head of him that was separate from his brethren": "Joseph is a fruitful bough, Even a fruitful bough by a well; Whose branches run over the wall: The archers have sorely grieved him, And shot at him, and hated him: But his bow abode in strength, And the arms of his hands were made strong By the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (From thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel;) 237 Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; And by the Almighty, who shall bless thee With blessings of heaven above, Blessings of the deep that lieth under, Blessings of the breasts, and of the womb: The blessings of thy father have prevailed Above the blessings of my progenitors Unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: They shall be on the head of Joseph, And on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren."

I sin første hilsen til Josef havde Jakob talt, som om han var parat til at dø umiddelbart efter denne lykkelige afslutning på de mange års ængstelse og sorg. Men han skulle få lov at leve i endnu 17 år i fredelig tilbagetrukkethed i Gosen. Disse år blev en lykkelig modsætning til dem, der gik forud. Han så beviser på sand anger hos sine sønner. Hans familie havde alle forudsætninger for at udvikle sig til et stort folk, og i tro greb han det sikre løfte, at de engang skulle komme til at bo i Kanaan. Han var selv omgivet af alle de tegn på kærlighed og gunst, som Ægyptens førsteminister kunne give ham, og lykkelig ved samværet med sin længe savnede søn gik han stille og fredeligt mod graven.