ד"א מהו ויקרבו. אמר ריש לקיש א"ל הקב"ה חייך נטמן אתה ואין אתה מת, ויקרבו ימי ישראל למות. Another interpretation (of Gen. 47:29). What is the meaning of DREW NEAR? Resh Laqish said: The Holy One said to him (Jacob): By your life, you are being hidden (from the world), but you are not dying.9Gen. R. 96:4. (Gen. 47:29:) THEN, WHEN THE DAYS FOR ISRAEL TO DIE DREW NEAR.10I.e., since the time only DREW NEAR but never fully arrived, Jacob did not quite die. Thus, in the description of his so-called death (in vs. 31), Jacob merely BOWED DOWN UPON THE HEAD OF THE BED. Cf. Ta‘an. 5b, according to which Jacob lived on through his offspring.
ד"א מהו ויקרבו. היום קובל עליך לומר כי הוא יקום, כאדם שהוא אומר פלוני קרב על חבירו הוי ויקרבו. Another interpretation (of Gen. 47:29). What is the meaning of DREW NEAR? The day (of your death) cries out against you for saying that it should stand still. < The situation > is like someone who says: So-and-so has drawn near < to fight > against his friend. Ergo (in Gen. 47:29): DREW NEAR.11“Draw near” can be used in the sense of “attack” in Hebrew. The midrash here is picturing a person’s last day crying out against any attempt to extend life by trying to keep the day from ending.
אמרו רבותינו כל מי שנאמר בו קריבה לא הגיע לימי אבותיו, כתיב ויקרבו ימי דוד למות (מ"א ב א), שלא הגיע לימי אבותיו, בועז עובד וישי, אמרו רבותינו יותר מארבע מאות שנה היו חיין, דוד לא חיה אלא שבעים שנה, לא הגיע לימי אבותיו, לפיכך כתיב בו קריבה, עמרם חי מאה ושלשים (ושלש) [ושבע] שנה, ומשה לא חיה אלא מאה ועשרים, לפיכך כתיב בו קריבה, הן קרבו ימיך למות (דברים לא יד), ויעקב כתיב בו קריבה, שלא הגיע לימי אבותיו, אברהם חיה קע"ה שנה, יצחק ק"פ, ויעקב קמ"ז, לפיכך כתיב בו קריבה, ויקרבו ימי ישראל למות. Our masters have said: Everyone about whom a drawing near was stated never attained the age of his ancestors. It is written (in I Kings 2:1): THEN, WHEN THE DAYS FOR DAVID TO DIE DREW NEAR; so he did not attain the age of his ancestors Boaz, Obed, and Jesse. Our masters have said: They lived more than four hundred years < in all > ; David only lived seventy years. He did not reach the age of his ancestors; therefore, a drawing near was written about him. Amram was alive a hundred and thirty {-three} [-seven] years, but Moses (his son) only lived to a hundred and twenty. Therefore, a drawing near is written about him (in Deut. 31:14): BEHOLD, THE DAYS ARE DRAWING NEAR FOR YOU TO DIE. And in the case of Jacob, a drawing near is written about him because he did not attain the age of his ancestors. Abraham lived a hundred and seventy-five years; Isaac, a hundred and eighty; but Jacob, a hundred and forty-seven. Therefore, a drawing near is written about him (in Gen. 47:29): THEN, WHEN THE DAYS FOR ISRAEL TO DIE DREW NEAR.