Matthew Henry Commentary Genesis 49:1-2

"And Jacob called unto his sons, and said: gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the latter days. Assemble yourselves, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; And hearken unto Israel your father." — Genesis 49:1-2 (ASV)

All Jacob's sons were living. His calling them together was a precept for them to unite in love and not to mingle with the Egyptians. It also foretold that they would not be separated, as Abraham's sons and Isaac's sons had been, but would all make one people.

We are not to consider this address merely as an expression of Jacob's private feelings of affection, resentment, or partiality. Rather, it is the language of the Holy Spirit, declaring God's purpose concerning the character, circumstances, and situation of the tribes that descended from Jacob's sons—a purpose that can be traced throughout their histories.