have prevailed] That is, I have blessed thee in thy two sonnes, more then my father, or grandfather blessed their two sonnes; for my grandfather Abraham gave way that Ishmael should be cast out, and my father Isaac gave the blessing to me from my brother Esau; but I have blessed thy two sonnes with a fatherly affection to them both, though I gave the preeminence to Ephraim the younger; Or the blessings of me thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors, for though thou hast had crosses notwithstanding my blessing, I, though I had their blessing, have had more in number, and longer in continuance; or I have more expresly, or with more tendernesse of affection blessed thee, then my progenitors blessed their children; because from a child thou wast most dear unto me, both for thy beloved mothers sake, and for thine own: and finding thee alive, whom I supposed to be slaine, and not onely so, but so highly favoured of God and man, and so good and kind a son to me, and brother to thy brethren, that by thy meanes we enjoyd a safe, and comfortable, and honourable condition in a strange land, and an hard time, by the greatnesse and generalitie of the famine, I cannot but inlarge my benedictions towards thee, and strive to out-blesse my forefathers in multiplication of blessings upon thy head, above their measure; and my blessing added unto theirs will make thy condition more happy then mine hath beene. utmost bound of the everlasting hils] Moses in the 33. of Deut. pronounceth a benediction of Joseph in these words; Blessed be his land, for the chiefe things of the ancient mountaines, and for the precious things of the lasting hils, Deuteronomy 33. vers. 13. 15. for there be precious blessings upon the hils, as Olives upon Mount Olivet, called (for the plenty and goodnes of them growing there) commonly in the Scripture the mount of Olives, as Matthew 21:1. Luke 19:37. Acts 1:12. See Adrich. Delph. Theatr. p. 170. And on Mount Libanus there grow Olives, Cedars, Pine trees, sweet Cypresse trees, Fankincense, and other sweet gummes; besides, out of it flow many excellent vines of water, and from thence have many famous Rivers their Originall, Adrich. Ibid. p. 110. Expounding then the words of Jacob by the words of Moses, the meaning is, that he wisheth unto Joseph all manner of blessings, both from places neere and farre off, to come upon his head, as water falleth from the hils unto the valleys. everlasting hils] Some hils, are hils of sand, or rubbish, lately heaped up; some are raised up by industrie of men, some are made, and some swallowed up by Earthquakes; but there are hils of more soliditie, and firmenesse, and such as are like to last to the worlds end: Jacob here meaneth the blessing of Joseph for continuance to be like unto them, and not onely to be plentifull in measure, but perpetuall in duration, and to hold out as long as the everlasting hils; and so it must imply the condition of obedience, as Deuteronomy 28:1. 15. And he saith hils rather then vallies (though they also be perpetuall) because h implyeth an eminent happinesse, as discernible as an high hill, as well as an happinesse permanent. that was separated] (Deuteronomy 33:16.) When he was sold from his brethren into Egypt, and exalted to such an height abov them, by his high and great authoritie in Egypt.