shall praise] The passages betwixt Judah, and Joseph his unknowne Brother, but knowne Lord of Egypt, Chap. 44. vers. 16. 18, &c. and his pleading and prevailing with his father for the sending of Benjamin thither, Chap. 43. 3, &c. shew him to be a man of good parts, and spirit, yet this seemes rather to be spoken not of the person of Judah (who died in Egypt, and while he lived did no great matters to make him famous, nor did appeare in any preeminence, being obscured with the splendour of Joseph, and in a state of subordination under him) but of the Tribe which excelled in courage, vers. 9. in dignitie, vers. 10. and in sinceritie to God; for when others are blamed for their deceit, Judah is commended for his fidelitie, as in the 11. of Hosea, Ephraim compasseth me about with lies, and the house of Israel with deceit, but Judah yet ruleth with God, and is faithfull with the Saints, Hosea 11:12. The word used by Jacob hath an elegant allusion to the name of Judah coming of Jadah, to praise, or to confesse; and while they praise him they shall confesse his prelation above them. It is observable that Judah having formerly offended with Thamar, his fault is passed over in silence, while the sinne of Simeon and Levi is remembred with reproach, and imprecation; whereof the reason may be, that as the crime of these conspiring brethren was more hainous, so their dispositions were more harsh, and hard hearted; for Judah confessed his fault with termes of aggravation, Chap. 38. 26. and they stubbornly stood to what they had done, when their good father with much griefe and anguish of heart rebuked them for it, as fearing the mischiefe that might come of it, even to the ruine of himselfe and all his family, Chap. 34. vers. 21. in the neck of thine] This implieth the courage of Judah to pursue his enemies, and his prevailing over them; which is observable in that Tribe above the rest, for it was the Tribe which was first in ranke in the Israelites marching in the wildernesse, Numbers 10:14. and first tooke the passage through the Red Sea, and the first that (when Joshua was dead, by the appointment of God, set upon the Canaanites, and got the victory, Judges 1. vers. 1, 2, 4. And of this Tribe was David, (whose speech, 2 Samuel 22:41. agreeth to this) Zerubbabel, and many other valorous, and victorious Warriours. thy fathers children shall how] He saith, thy fathers children, rather then thy mothers, as in Isaacs blessing of Jacob, Genesis 27:29. for Isaac had but one wife, so it was all one to have given the blessing to the issue of the parent of either sexe; but in Jacob the case was otherwise; where they that had all one father, had divers mothers; some whereof were wives, some handmaids. bow downe before thee] This was literally most verified in David, and Solomon, who were of this Tribe; and spiritually in Christ, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, Revelation 5:5. to whom all knees shall bow, Philippians 2:10.