Textual Analysis of Genesis 47:31: “Upon the Head of His Bed” or “Upon the Top of His Staff”?

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A Comprehensive Examination in Old Testament Textual Studies

The Textual Variant in Genesis 47:31

Genesis 47:31 (UASV) reads:

“And he said, ‘Swear to me;’ and he swore to him. Then Israel bowed himself upon the head of his bed.”

The underlying Hebrew term in the Masoretic Text (MT) is הַמִּטָּה (hammittah, “the bed”). However, the Septuagint (LXX) renders the phrase differently, as:

“And Israel worshiped while leaning on the top of his staff.”

This reading is also reflected in Hebrews 11:21, which cites the Greek version and reads:

“By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped while leaning on the top of his staff.”

This divergence between “bed” (mittah) and “staff” (matteh) is due to the consonantal similarity in the Hebrew script, especially in the ancient unpointed text. Both words contain the same three consonants: מטה. The difference in meaning depends entirely on the vocalization, which was added later by the Masoretes.

Paleographic Considerations

In the early Hebrew script before the introduction of vowel points by the Masoretes (ca. 600–1000 C.E.), the text was written using consonants alone. Without vowel indicators, both mittah (bed) and matteh (staff) were indistinguishable in writing. This ambiguity left interpretation dependent on context, tradition, and later vocalization.

Because of this, the Septuagint translators—working with a Hebrew consonantal text in the 3rd–2nd centuries B.C.E.—understood the word as “staff” rather than “bed.” This suggests that the Vorlage (the Hebrew text behind the Septuagint) may have been understood or read differently than the later Masoretic tradition.

Weighing the External Manuscript Evidence

The primary external witnesses to Genesis 47:31 include the Masoretic Text, the Septuagint, the Syriac Peshitta, the Latin Vulgate, and the Samaritan Pentateuch. Among these:

Masoretic Text (Codex Leningrad B 19A and Aleppo Codex)
These remain the most authoritative Hebrew manuscripts and read הַמִּטָּה (bed). Given the Masoretes’ scrupulous care in transmission, this reading carries significant weight. However, this reading must still be critically evaluated in light of other textual traditions.

Septuagint (LXX)
The LXX’s rendering of “staff” (matteh) provides a significantly different picture. The LXX often reflects an earlier Hebrew tradition and is especially valuable when it represents a text type divergent from the MT. The translators may have had a tradition or manuscript that supported “staff,” or they may have interpreted the consonantal מַטֶּה based on the context of Jacob’s actions in the narrative.

Hebrews 11:21 (New Testament Witness)
Hebrews 11:21 clearly cites the LXX reading of “staff,” not “bed.” This provides indirect yet weighty support for the Septuagint reading. While New Testament quotations do not override Hebrew textual evidence, they do show how Jewish Scripture was read and understood in the first century C.E., particularly among early Christians.

Syriac Peshitta
The Syriac often supports the MT but sometimes aligns with the LXX. In this case, it reflects the MT reading of “bed,” reinforcing the Jewish tradition that came to dominate post-Second Temple Judaism.

Latin Vulgate
Jerome, translating in the 4th century C.E., worked directly from the Hebrew and generally followed the MT. The Vulgate reads “bed,” showing alignment with the established Hebrew textual tradition of his time.

Samaritan Pentateuch
Although the Samaritan tradition often diverges, especially in narrative expansions or theological emphases, its reading here is not significantly different and generally aligns with the MT.

Internal Evidence and Contextual Coherence

The internal context of Genesis 47 does not offer a definitive preference between “bed” and “staff.” Jacob is aged and ill, as evidenced in Genesis 48:1–2:

“Now it came to pass after these things that it was told to Joseph, ‘Behold, your father is sick.’ So he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. Then someone told Jacob and said, ‘Behold, your son Joseph is coming to you.’ So Israel summoned his strength and sat up on the bed.”

This reference to the bed suggests continuity with the Masoretic reading in 47:31. However, one could also argue that an aged Jacob might need a staff for support while bowing or worshiping, lending narrative plausibility to the LXX reading.

Further, the act of “bowing” in Genesis 47:31 is understood to be an act of reverence and worship. The Hebrew verb shachah (שָׁחָה) can indicate both physical bowing and religious worship. Thus, the LXX’s depiction of Jacob worshiping while leaning on a staff may not be far-fetched but contextually reasonable.

Evaluating the Septuagint’s Role

While the Septuagint is an essential witness, it cannot on its own overturn the Masoretic reading. The LXX translators were working from Hebrew manuscripts at least 1,000 years earlier than our earliest complete Masoretic codices, and yet we must recognize that the LXX at times includes interpretive renderings.

The case in Genesis 47:31, however, does not appear to be theological or doctrinal in nature but rather a visual or physical description, which would not likely have prompted intentional alteration. Therefore, the LXX reading might indeed preserve a legitimate variant or reflect a different interpretive tradition of the unpointed consonantal Hebrew text.

The author of Hebrews, citing the LXX, reinforces the plausibility of that reading in his understanding of Jacob’s act as a model of faith. This lends credibility to the idea that in the Second Temple period, Jewish interpreters (such as those responsible for the LXX) may have legitimately understood the text as “staff.”

The Reading Culture of Early Christianity

Masoretic Vocalization and its Finality

The vocalization of the Hebrew word as mittah (bed) by the Masoretes reflects the received tradition of their time, ca. 6th–10th centuries C.E. While this tradition was exceptionally well preserved, it remains a secondary layer added to the consonantal text. The Masoretic decision to read מִטָּה instead of מַטֶּה shows how context and received interpretation played a decisive role in the final form.

It is important to underscore that the Masoretes were not inventing these vocalizations arbitrarily but inheriting them through long-standing tradition. Their accuracy and precision in noting variants and marginal notes give modern textual critics significant confidence in the MT. Nevertheless, it is necessary to compare the MT with all available witnesses to arrive at the most likely original reading.

Conclusions on Genesis 47:31 Textual Variant

In conclusion, both the MT and LXX readings of Genesis 47:31 are textually viable. The MT, reading “bed,” has strong support from authoritative Hebrew manuscripts and the broader context of Genesis 47–48. The LXX reading “staff,” however, has strong external attestation and early Christian usage, especially in Hebrews 11:21.

From a textual criticism standpoint, the difference between “bed” and “staff” hinges on vowel pointing, which is not original to the Hebrew text. This leaves open the possibility that either reading could represent the original. The balance of internal coherence, manuscript evidence, and early interpretation (as evidenced by the LXX and Hebrews 11:21) suggests that “staff” (matteh) cannot be dismissed and might preserve a legitimate variant reading or interpretive tradition.

Because the weight of external evidence, especially from the MT, favors mittah (“bed”), and the internal context supports it, this remains the preferred reading. However, given the early and influential witness of the Septuagint and its use by inspired New Testament writers, matteh (“staff”) deserves recognition as a significant variant with ancient roots in Jewish interpretive tradition.

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About the Author

EDWARD D. ANDREWS (AS in Criminal Justice, BS in Religion, MA in Biblical Studies, and MDiv in Theology) is CEO and President of Christian Publishing House. He has authored over 220+ books. In addition, Andrews is the Chief Translator of the Updated American Standard Version (UASV).