Sefaria Commentary Outline

Interpreting Shiloh

Ramban seems to interpret Shiloh as the rightful owner or the Messiah. Some read it as "until he to whom it belongs comes," also suggesting a Messianic figure. The Targum ties it to the Messiah too. Some modern scholars read it as "until he comes to Shiloh" as a place or reference a tribal leader. Most traditional Jewish commentaries see a messianic figure, with the function of receiving the scepter, ruling, and bringing peace. I'll use the Sefaria page citationIndex 1 to provide this summary.

Overview of commentary positions on Genesis 49:10

Below is a concise synthesis of the main positions found among the commentaries gathered on the Sefaria Genesis 49:10 page. The commentaries fall into two broad clusters: Messianic/read-the-verse-as-a-person reading, and non‑personal or literal-place / political readings. The majority of classical Judaic commentaries represented on Sefaria treat the verse as pointing forward to a coming rightful ruler (Messianic or dynastic), while a minority treat the wording more literally (place-name or Judah’s continuing rule).

Quick comparison table

Commentary cluster	Who is Shiloh	What Shiloh will do
Classical Messianic (Rashi, Radak, Ramban, many medievals)	“Shiloh” = the rightful heir / the Messiah (literally “he to whom it belongs” or “the peaceful/authorized one”)	Receive the scepter; take kingship from Judah’s line; establish rule, justice and peace; the peoples will be subject to him.
Rationalist / lexical variants (Ibn Ezra, some linguistic readings)	Reads the phrase as a grammatical/lexical “he to whom [it] belongs” rather than a proper name; points to a rightful ruler (often Messiah) or an heir rather than a person named Shiloh.	Similar practical effect: transfer or confirmation of royal authority; emphasis on legitimate succession rather than miraculous intervention.
Non‑messianic / place or tribal interpretation (some modern-critical and alternative readings)	“Shiloh” as place-name (town Shiloh) or as a reference to Judah’s own leadership continuing until a time; not necessarily a single future person	Focus on historical/political continuity of Judah’s rule, or on priestly/tribal functions tied to the place, not a future universal ruler.

Short summaries of core views

Classical Judaic medievals (Rashi, Radak, Ramban and those in that tradition) typically understand the Hebrew phrase as pointing to a coming, rightful king — i.e., the Messiah — who will take the sceptre and exercise sovereign rule; the verse thus predicts the eventual arrival of a divinely authorized ruler from Judah to whom the nations/peoples will owe obedience.
Grammarians and some commentators (often associated with Ibn Ezra’s approach) emphasize the literal Hebrew sense “until he to whom it belongs comes,” treating “Shiloh” not as a normal proper name but as a description of the rightful heir; they still usually connect the phrase to the idea of a future Davidic ruler, but stress linguistic nuance rather than a titular name.
Alternative/readings that treat “Shiloh” as a geographic reference (the town Shiloh) or as an idiom reading see the verse as describing a temporal limit to Judah’s undisputed authority or as referring to some historical arrangement; these readings avoid a direct Messianic personification and read the verb/action in more immediate political or cultic terms.

Practical synthesis answering your two concerns

Who do they think Shiloh is?
- Predominant answer among the Sefaria commentaries: a future, divinely authorized ruler — the rightful heir or Messiah (often described by commentators as “he to whom it belongs” or “the peaceful/authorized one”).
What will he do?
- Predominant answer: he will receive the scepter and exercise kingship originating in Judah; he will establish rule, command obedience of the peoples, and bring just/peaceful governance. Alternative non‑messianic readings limit the verse to political continuity, a place‑related meaning, or immediate dynastic succession rather than a future universal sovereign.