Verse Lens · Context pointer
Genesis 49:5 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 5. 5Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Role in This Section
Simeon and Levi are paired as brothers whose weapons or plans are associated with violence. The difficult KJV wording introduces the judgment developed in verses 6–7.
Read It With
- Genesis 49:1–28
Read verses 5–7 with Genesis 34:25–31. The Shechem massacre explains why Jacob refuses their counsel, condemns killing and animal violence, and announces scattering.
Why It Needs Context
The obscure opening must be read through the explicit anger and violence that follow; it does not independently define every relationship between the two tribes.
Read Genesis 49:5–7 together
Why these verses belong together: Violent brotherhood, rejected counsel, cursed anger, and scattering form one paired saying.
Verse 5. 5 Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations.
Verse 6. 6 O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall.
Verse 7. 7 Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.
Continue in Context
Read the complete section for the connected explanation and how it should shape life. This verse is a doorway into that passage, not a saying that stands alone.
Read Genesis 49:1–28 — Jacob Speaks Over His Twelve SonsSources used for this context pointer
How certain is this explanation? strong
Where care is needed
The Hebrew word rendered 'habitations' in the KJV is difficult and is often understood as swords, weapons, or plans. Its exact derivation is uncertain.
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Displayed text, family antecedents, tribal reception, royal trajectory, and Christian canonical reception.
Exact location: Genesis 49:1–28 with Genesis 34:1–31; 35:22; 37–48; 50:15–26; Deuteronomy 33; Judges 5; 1 Chronicles 5:1–2; 2 Samuel 7; Psalm 60; and Revelation 5:5 in the pinned standardized 1769 KJV
Open source ↗hebrew text morphology and lemma data
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible — Genesis
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible Project
Open Scriptures, Version 2.2 released 2021; repository inspected 2026
Supports: Poetic structure, wordplay, difficult forms, leadership, animal images, divine titles, and Joseph's distinction.
Exact location: WLC Genesis 49:1–28, especially be'acharit hayyamim, pachaz kammayim, mekheroteihem, yiqqeru shor, shevet, mechoqeq, shiloh, mishpethayim, Gad wordplay, Naphtali wording, ben porat, avir ya'aqov, ro'eh, even yisra'el, and nezir echav
Open source ↗