And for the chief things of the ancient mountains. In these words he shows that no part of the land would be barren. We know that the tops of mountains are generally and uncultivated, or at any rate bear nothing but trees that have no fruit. But Moses affirms that even there also there shall be the richest produce, for which reason, at least in my opinion, he calls the mountains ancient, and the hills lasting, as if being very highly renowned; for their antiquity is not praised, as if they were created before the rest of the world, but these mountains are honorably distinguished as the first-born, because God's blessing eminently rests upon them. Thus in the blessing of Jacob it is said, "unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills," as much as to say, that no corner of these most celebrated mountains should be devoid of fertility. (Genesis 49:26.) In the next verse he extends generally to the whole land what he had said of the mountains. Those are wide of the meaning of Moses, who translate what follows: "On account of the good-will of the dweller in the bush the blessing shall come;" and his rendering is altogether barbarous who gives it, "On account of the piety," etc. My opinion is that the word rtsvn, retzon, is in the nominative case; for it is quite in accordance with the context that the "favor of God would come upon the head of Joseph;" for, after Moses had magnified His bounty, he now points out its source or cause, viz., that this extraordinary fertility was the result of God's gratuitous favor. The words of Jacob, "by the God of thy father," and "by the Almighty," exactly correspond with these; where also I have explained why Joseph was called a Nazarene among his brethren. [1] God is called "the dweller in the bush" by periphrasis, with reference to the vision which was presented to Moses on Mount Sinai; for God then appeared a second time as the Redeemer and Father of His people; after having made His covenant with Abraham and Jacob. And this serves by way of confirmation; as if it were said, that the same God who had formerly blessed Joseph by the mouth of His servant Jacob, now repeated the same prophecy, in order to give fuller assurance of its truth.

Footnotes

1 - A. V., "Separated from his brethren." See on Genesis 49:26, C. Soc. Edit., [50]vol. 2, p. 470.

The chief things of the ancient mountains - ומראש הררי קדם umerosh harerey kedem, and from the head or top of the ancient or eastern mountains, the precious things or productions being still understood. And this probably refers to the large trees, etc., growing on the mountain tops, and the springs of water issuing from them. The mountains of Gilead may be here intended, as they fell to the half tribe of Manasseh. And the precious things of the lasting hills may signify the metals and minerals which might be digged out of them.

And for the chief things of the ancient mountains,.... Which were from the beginning of the world, and for which the land, possessed by the children of Joseph, Manasseh, and Ephraim, were famous; as the mountains of Gilead and Bashan, inherited by the former, and Mount Ephraim, and the mountains of Samaria, by the latter; which produced, besides great quantities of grass and corn, also vines, figs, olives, &c.
and for the precious things of the lasting hills; which will endure as long as the world, the same as before in other words; and which precious things may be emblems of the spiritual blessings of grace, provided in an everlasting covenant, and given to Christ for his people before the world began, or any mountains and hills were formed, and which are as lasting and as immovable as they are; see Proverbs 8:22, Isaiah 54:10.

The chief things - That is, the excellent fruits, as grapes, olives, figs, &c. which delight in mountains, growing upon, or the precious minerals contained in, their mountains and hills called ancient and lasting, that is, such as have been from the beginning of the world, and are likely to continue to the end of it, in opposition to those hills or mounts which have been cast up by man.