Genesis 49:5
Simeon and Levi brethren: vessels of iniquity, waging war.
Open Genesis 49:5 in the Motif Searcher, word by word across all five texts →Show on the spiral →The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- Simeon et Levi fratres vasa iniquitatis bellantia.
- Septuagint (Swete)
- Συμεὼν καὶ Λευὶ ἀδελφοί. συνετέλεσαν ἀδικίαν ἐξ αἱρέσεως αὐτῶν.
- Hebrew (WLC)
- שִׁמְע֥וֹן וְלֵוִ֖י אַחִ֑ים כְּלֵ֥י חָמָ֖ס מְכֵרֹתֵיהֶֽם
Haydock's commentary
Brethren. Born of the same parents; similar in disposition.
Vessels; instruments. Septuagint and Chaldean, "they have completed wickedness," as they read calu, instead of the present Hebrew cele, which is adopted by Aquila. (Calmet)
From Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary, 1859, in the transcription made by Todd Easton and kept online by John Paul Wohlschied at johnblood.gitlab.io/haydock.
The Fathers on this verse
St Hippolytus On Genesis, Section I
Gen. xlix. 5 . Simeon and Levi, brethren.
St Hippolytus On Genesis, Section I
Gen. xlix. 5 Simeon and Levi, brethren, fulfilled iniquity of their own choice. Into their counsel let not my soul enter, and in their assembly let not my heart contend; for in their anger they slew men, and in their passion they houghed a bull.
St Augustine Expositions on the Book of Psalms, Psalm LXXVIII
34. “And He rejected,” he saith, “the tabernacle of Joseph, and the tribe of Ephraim He chose not” ( ver. 68 ). “And He chose the tribe of Judah” ( ver. 69 ). He hath not said, He rejected the tabernacle of Reuben, who was the first-born son of Jacob; nor them that follow, and precede Judah in order of birth; so that they being rejected and not chosen, the tribe of Judah was chosen. For it might have been said that they were deservedly rejected; because even in the blessing of Jacob wherewith he blessed his sons, he mentioneth their sins, and deeply abhorreth them; though among them the tribe of Levi merited to be the priestly tribe, whence also Moses was. …