Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations.
Parallel translations
- WEB “Simeon and Levi are brothers. Their swords are weapons of violence.
- BSB Simeon and Levi are brothers; their swords are weapons of violence.
- NKJV “Simeon and Levi are brothers; Instruments of cruelty are in their dwelling place.
- NASB ¶“Simeon and Levi are brothers; Their swords are implements of violence.
- NLT “Simeon and Levi are two of a kind; their weapons are instruments of violence.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Simeon and Levi are paired as brothers whose violence marks their character.
Overview
Their 'swords are weapons of violence' recalls their treacherous slaughter at Shechem (Genesis 34) in avenging Dinah. Jacob condemns the cruelty of their zeal, distinguishing righteous justice from vengeful rage. The verse sobers us against anger that wounds rather than heals, contrasting with Christ, who bore violence rather than inflicting it.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Gen 34:25–31And it came to pass on the third day, when they were sore, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brethren, took each man his sword, and came upon the city boldly, and slew all the males.
- Gen 29:33–34And she conceived again, and bare a son; and said, Because the LORD hath heard that I was hated, he hath therefore given me this son also: and she called his name Simeon.
- Gen 46:10–11And the sons of Simeon; Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanitish woman.
- Prov 18:9He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
From the first promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent (3:15), through Abraham's blessing to all nations and Judah's coming ruler, Genesis sows every seed that flowers in Christ — the true offspring, the better Adam, the ram caught for Isaac.
How Genesis 49:5 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.