Issachar
The name "Issachar" is derived from the Hebrew root "שָׂכָר" (sakar), meaning "reward" or "compensation." Issachar was the ninth son of Jacob and the fifth son of Leah. His name reflects Leah's gratitude for the reward of another son. In the context of the tribes of Israel, Issachar's descendants were known for their wisdom and understanding of the times (1 Chronicles 12:32). This name sets the stage for understanding the character and destiny of the tribe, which is often associated with labor and service.

is a strong donkey
The Hebrew word for "donkey" is "חֲמוֹר" (chamor), and it is often used in the Bible to symbolize strength, endurance, and service. The donkey was a valuable animal in ancient times, known for its ability to carry heavy burdens over long distances. By describing Issachar as a "strong donkey," Jacob is highlighting the tribe's physical strength and resilience. This imagery suggests that Issachar's descendants would be robust and capable, willing to bear burdens and work diligently.

lying down
The phrase "lying down" suggests a posture of rest or submission. In the context of Issachar, it implies a willingness to accept a position of servitude or to find contentment in a humble state. This can be seen as a reflection of the tribe's future, where they would be content to dwell in a land that required hard work and labor. It also suggests a sense of peace and satisfaction in fulfilling one's role, even if it is not one of prominence or power.

between the sheepfolds
The term "sheepfolds" refers to enclosures or pens where sheep are kept. In Hebrew, the word is "מִשְׁפְּתַיִם" (mishpetayim), which can also mean "saddlebags" or "burdens." This imagery evokes a pastoral setting, indicating that Issachar's inheritance would be in fertile, agricultural land. The tribe of Issachar settled in a region known for its rich soil, conducive to farming and livestock. The phrase suggests a life of agricultural prosperity, but also one of labor and toil, as they would be responsible for tending to the land and their flocks.

(14) Issachar.--The description of Issachar's lot is derived partly from the cognizance he had chosen for his signet, and partly from his personal character, He had taken for his symbol the ass--a very noble, active, spirited, and enduring animal in the East. (See Genesis 16:12, where Ishmael is compared to the wild ass, which adds to these qualities the love of freedom.) His real character was slothful, inactive, and commonplace. Jacob therefore likens him to a "strong ass;" Heb., an ass of bone, that is, one coarsely bred, as animals of high parentage have small bones. He is thus fit only to be a drudge, and with the laziness of a cart-horse lies down "between two burdens." The word occurs again in Judges 5:16, and is there more correctly rendered sheepfolds. More exactly it means the pens in which the cattle were folded during the nights of summer; and it is in the dual form, because these pens were divided into two parts for the larger and smaller cattle. Thus Issachar, stretched at ease between his cattle-pens, gives us the idea of a tribe occupied with pastoral pursuits, and destitute of all higher aspirations.

Verses 14, 15. - Issachar is a strong ass couching down between two burdens - literally, an ass of bone - hence a strong, powerful animal, asinus fortis (Vulgate), asinus walidi corporis (Gesenius), asinus robustus (Rosenmuller) - lying down between the folds, or cattle-pens, which received and protected the flocks by night, the dual being used probably because such pens were divided into two parts for different kinds of cattle (Gesenius, Keil, Kalisch, Murphy, 'Speaker s Commentary,' etc.), though the word mishpetaim has been also rendered ἀνὰ μέσον τῶν κλήρων (LXX.), inter terminos (Vulgate, Rosenmüller), "within their own boundaries" (Onkelos, Targums of Jerusalem and Jonathan), "between two burdens" (A. V., Lange, Murphy, etc.). And he saw that rest was good, and the land that it was pleasant. Issachar was to manifest a keen appreciation of the land or portion of territory that should be assigned to him, and to renounce the warlike spirit and military enterprises of his brethren for the indolent and luxurious repose of his fat pastures, crouching between his sheep-folds, or rejoicing within his tents, like a lazy ass, capable indeed of mighty efforts, but too self-satisfied to put forth much exertion, devoting himself to agriculture and pastoral pursuits, and preferring rather to pay tribute to his brethren, in order to secure their protection, than to leave his ploughshare and cast aside his shepherd's crook to follow them into the tented field of war, as the patriarch next describes. And bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute - or a tributary servant. The phrase מַס־עֹבֵד, though sometimes used of servitude under a foreign sovereignty (Deuteronomy 20:11; Joshua 16:10), commonly refers to tribute rendered by labor (1 Kings 9:21; 2 Chronicles 8:8), and is correctly rendered ἄνθρωπος εἴς φόρον δουλεύων (Aquila), factusque est tributo serviens (Vulgate). The translation καὶ ἐγενήθη ἀνὴο γεωργος (LXX.) discovers in the clause an allusion to Issachar's agricultural pursuits.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Issachar
יִשָּׂשכָ֖ר (yiś·śā·š·ḵār)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3485: Issachar -- perhaps 'there is recompense', a son of Jacob and Leah, also a son of Obed-edom

[is] a strong
גָּ֑רֶם (gā·rem)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1634: A bone, self, very

donkey,
חֲמֹ֣ר (ḥă·mōr)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 2543: A male ass

lying down
רֹבֵ֖ץ (rō·ḇêṣ)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 7257: To crouch, be implication, to recline, repose, brood, lurk, imbed

between
בֵּ֥ין (bên)
Preposition
Strong's 996: An interval, space between

the sheepfolds.
הַֽמִּשְׁפְּתָֽיִם׃ (ham·miš·pə·ṯā·yim)
Article | Noun - md
Strong's 4942: Perhaps fireplaces, ash heaps


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OT Law: Genesis 49:14 Issachar is a strong donkey lying down (Gen. Ge Gn)