Jacobs promise can be interpreted in many ways but specifically taken in its literal form The Sceptre was his and no one elses. There is no interpretation before 400 CE is there ? Where in the Desert, in Canaan and in Jericho is the Tribe of Judah considered the leaders? Joshua from the tribe of Ephraim is the one who holds the sceptre Do Hillel and Shammai give any convincing answers.? Re Sauls daughter he married her to enhance his claim just as he used Ruth and Boaz to show his lineage. This is common with all rulers looking backwards to prove that they are royalty I still do not understand how the line of David was fit to produce the Messiah .Where is it mentioned? Still not convinced mike

Dear Mike, If you aren’t Jewish, you definitely are not bound by the Oral Tradition. Nevertheless, if you are interested in the Jewish tradition, Jacob was careful in his wording. He does not say "the scepter will always be Judah's" but: "the scepter shall not 'leave' Judah.". Ask yourself what is the difference between the wording and the possible wording (such deductions are very common in the Jewish tradition)? The answer is, that the chosen wording comes to infer that only once the kingship has come to Judah it should not leave him, but before it came to Judah's family it can be used by other tribes. Nobody knew how long that temporary line of Saul's would be (including Saul), and also nobody knew who from Judah would start the dynasty and when that would be. This and other oral traditions were written down about 1900 years ago, but beforehand they were passed down orally. Please see Samuel II, ch. 7; Chron. I ch. 17; Psalms 89 and 132 where the line of David is mentioned as ruling forever (i.e. will return in the days of Messiah). Again, if you don't identify with the Jewish tradition, there's no obligation for you, but we have so many prophecies and traditions that have come true, that it's definitely worth taking seriously! With Love of Israel, Rav Ari Shvat