Deuteronomy 33

This is the blessing that Moses, the man of God, spoke over the people of Israel before he died.

1And this is the blessing, wherewith Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death.

Note"Man of God" was a standard title for a prophet, someone who spoke on God's behalf, rather than a comment on Moses' character. What follows is a poem blessing the tribes one by one, the same kind of deathbed blessing Jacob gives his sons in Genesis 49.

2He said: "The LORD came from Sinai and rose like the dawn over them from Seir. He shone out from Mount Paran. He came with tens of thousands of holy ones, and at his right hand was a flaming fire for them.

2And he said, The LORD came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from mount Paran, and he came with ten thousands of saints: from his right hand went a fiery law for them.

NoteSinai, Seir and Paran are mountain and desert regions south and east of Canaan; the poem pictures God advancing from there like a sunrise. "Holy ones" are members of the heavenly court, not human worshipers. The last line is one of the most obscure in the Hebrew Bible: the words can be read as "a fiery law," "flaming fire," or "fire of law at his right hand." The King James chose the first, most modern versions the second.

3Yes, he loved the people. All his holy ones are in your hand. They sat down at your feet, and each one takes in your words

3Yea, he loved the people; all his saints are in thy hand: and they sat down at thy feet; every one shall receive of thy words.

NoteSitting or bowing at someone's feet was the posture of a student before a teacher and of a subject before a ruler.

4the law that Moses commanded us, the possession of the assembly of Jacob.

4Moses commanded us a law, even the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob.

NoteJacob was the ancestor renamed Israel, so "the assembly of Jacob" means the whole nation gathered. Calling the law a "possession" (King James "inheritance") treats it as family property handed down, the one thing every Israelite owns by birth.

5And he became king in Jeshurun when the leaders of the people gathered and the tribes of Israel came together.

5And he was king in Jeshurun, when the heads of the people and the tribes of Israel were gathered together.

NoteThe Hebrew does not say who "he" is: it can be read as the LORD becoming king, or as Moses. Jeshurun is a rare, affectionate name for Israel built on a root meaning "upright"; it is used only four times in the Bible.

6Let Reuben live and not die, and let his men not be few."

6Let Reuben live, and not die; and let not his men be few.

NoteFrom here the poem goes tribe by tribe. Each tribe was named for a son (or, with Ephraim and Manasseh, a grandson) of Jacob and held its own block of territory. Reuben was the eldest son, but his tribe was small and lived on the far side of the Jordan. Simeon is absent from the list altogether, the only tribe not mentioned.

7This is what he said about Judah: "LORD, hear the voice of Judah, and bring him to his people. With his own hands he defends himself; be his help against his enemies."

7And this is the blessing of Judah: and he said, Hear, LORD, the voice of Judah, and bring him unto his people: let his hands be sufficient for him; and be thou an help to him from his enemies.

Note"Bring him back to his people" may picture Judah returning safely from battle, or being reunited with the other tribes. The Hebrew is compressed and its sense is disputed.

8About Levi he said: "Let your Thummim and your Urim belong to your faithful one, the man you tested at Massah and quarreled with at the waters of Meribah.

8And of Levi he said, Let thy Thummim and thy Urim be with thy holy one, whom thou didst prove at Massah, and with whom thou didst strive at the waters of Meribah;

NoteThe Urim and Thummim were two objects kept in the high priest's breastpiece and used to obtain yes-or-no answers to questions put to God, a form of sacred lot. Levi was the tribe that supplied the priests, which is why these belong to it. Massah and Meribah are wilderness sites whose names mean "testing" and "quarreling," named for a dispute there over water.

9He said about his father and mother, 'I do not take them into account.' He did not claim his brothers or recognize his own children. For the men of Levi obeyed your word and kept your covenant.

9Who said unto his father and to his mother, I have not seen him; neither did he acknowledge his brethren, nor knew his own children: for they have observed thy word, and kept thy covenant.

NoteThis looks back to an occasion when the Levites acted against members of their own families at Moses' order (Exodus 32). In Hebrew, to "not know" or "not acknowledge" a relative is legal language for refusing to let family ties count as a claim on you.

10They will teach your rulings to Jacob and your law to Israel. They will set incense before you and whole burnt offerings on your altar.

10They shall teach Jacob thy judgments, and Israel thy law: they shall put incense before thee, and whole burnt sacrifice upon thine altar.

NoteIncense was aromatic gum burned to make fragrant smoke as an offering. A "whole burnt offering" was one burned up entirely on the altar, unlike other sacrifices, where priests or worshipers ate part of the meat.

11LORD, bless everything he owns, and be pleased with the work of his hands. Strike the hips of those who rise against him and of those who hate him, so that they never rise again."

11Bless, LORD, his substance, and accept the work of his hands: smite through the loins of them that rise against him, and of them that hate him, that they rise not again.

NoteThe loins or hips were thought of as the seat of a man's physical strength; breaking them leaves an opponent unable to stand up again.

12About Benjamin he said: "The one the LORD loves lives in safety beside him. The LORD shields him all day long, and he rests between his shoulders."

12And of Benjamin he said, The beloved of the LORD shall dwell in safety by him; and the Lord shall cover him all the day long, and he shall dwell between his shoulders.

Note"Between his shoulders" is an unclear image. It can suggest being carried on someone's back, or resting against a hillside (the same Hebrew word is used for the slopes of a mountain) or lying between two ridges. Benjamin's territory was the hill country that later included Jerusalem.

13About Joseph he said: "May the LORD bless his land with the best gifts of the sky above, with the dew, and with the deep waters that lie below,

13And of Joseph he said, Blessed of the LORD be his land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth beneath,

Note"The deep" is the mass of fresh water believed to lie beneath the ground, feeding springs and wells. Rain from above and water from below were the two sources of a land's fertility.

14with the rich harvest the sun ripens, and the rich yield that each passing month brings out,

14And for the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, and for the precious things put forth by the moon,

NoteThe Hebrew literally says "what the moons bring out", the crops that ripen month by month across the year.

15with the finest gifts of the oldest mountains, and the best of the hills that last forever,

15And for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills,

16with the best gifts of the earth and everything in it, and with the favor of the one who lived in the burning bush. Let all of this rest on the head of Joseph, on the crown of the one set apart from his brothers.

16And for the precious things of the earth and fulness thereof, and for the good will of him that dwelt in the bush: let the blessing come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him that was separated from his brethren.

Note"The one who lived in the burning bush" refers to Exodus 3, where God speaks to Moses from a bush that burns without being consumed. "Set apart" translates a word that can mean either one consecrated and dedicated, or a prince among his brothers; Joseph was singled out by his father and also, at his brothers' hands, separated from them when they sold him.

17His splendor is like a firstborn bull, and his horns are like the horns of a wild ox. With them he will push the nations, all the way to the ends of the earth. Such are the tens of thousands of Ephraim, and such are the thousands of Manasseh."

17His glory is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns: with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth: and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh.

NoteWhere the King James has "unicorns," the Hebrew word is re'em, the wild ox or aurochs, a huge, now-extinct bovine that was a stock image of brute strength. Ephraim and Manasseh were Joseph's two sons; each became a full tribe, which is why Joseph's blessing covers two groups.

18About Zebulun he said: "Be glad, Zebulun, when you go out, and you, Issachar, in your tents.

18And of Zebulun he said, Rejoice, Zebulun, in thy going out; and, Issachar, in thy tents.

NoteZebulun and Issachar were neighboring tribes in the north. "Going out" and "staying in your tents" contrast a life of travel and trade with a settled life at home; the pair together covers all of life.

19They will call the peoples to the mountain. There they will offer the sacrifices that are right. They will feed on the riches of the seas and on treasure hidden in the sand."

19They shall call the people unto the mountain; there they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness: for they shall suck of the abundance of the seas, and of treasures hid in the sand.

Note"Treasure hidden in the sand" most likely refers to what the coastline yielded: the shellfish that produced purple dye, and sand used for glassmaking, trades of the Phoenician coast next to these tribes' land. Which mountain is meant is not stated.

20About Gad he said: "Blessed is the one who gives Gad more room. Gad lies down like a lion and tears off the arm and the top of the head.

20And of Gad he said, Blessed be he that enlargeth Gad: he dwelleth as a lion, and teareth the arm with the crown of the head.

NoteGad settled east of the Jordan on exposed frontier land, which is why room to expand and a fighter's ferocity are the terms of its blessing.

21He chose the best land for himself, because a ruler's share was kept for him there. He came with the leaders of the people. He carried out the LORD's justice and his rulings for Israel."

21And he provided the first part for himself, because there, in a portion of the lawgiver, was he seated; and he came with the heads of the people, he executed the justice of the LORD, and his judgments with Israel.

Note"A ruler's share" translates a Hebrew word meaning a commander's or lawgiver's portion. Gad asked for land east of the Jordan before the other tribes had any land, on condition that its fighting men cross over and go at the head of the army until the rest were settled (Numbers 32).

22About Dan he said: "Dan is a lion's cub, leaping out from Bashan."

22And of Dan he said, Dan is a lion’s whelp: he shall leap from Bashan.

NoteBashan is the high, fertile plateau east of the Sea of Galilee, proverbial for its cattle and its lions. Dan's tribe later left its original territory in the south and migrated to the far north.

23About Naphtali he said: "Naphtali, you have all the favor you need, and you are full of the LORD's blessing. Take the west and the south as your own."

23And of Naphtali he said, O Naphtali, satisfied with favour, and full with the blessing of the LORD: possess thou the west and the south.

NoteThe Hebrew reads "the sea and the south." Since Naphtali's land lay in the far north, this probably means the Sea of Galilee and the country south of it, but the line has never been explained with certainty.

24About Asher he said: "May Asher be the most blessed of sons. May his brothers favor him, and may he dip his foot in oil.

24And of Asher he said, Let Asher be blessed with children; let him be acceptable to his brethren, and let him dip his foot in oil.

NoteAsher's territory was olive-growing country in the north. Oil plentiful enough to wash your feet in is an image of extreme abundance; olive oil served as food, lamp fuel, medicine and cosmetic.

25May the bars of your gates be iron and bronze, and may your strength last as long as your days."

25Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be.

NoteTowns were shut at night by heavy bars laid across the gates, so iron and bronze bars mean a place that cannot be broken into. The Hebrew word translated "bars" occurs nowhere else, and its meaning is uncertain.

26"There is no one like the God of Jeshurun, who rides across the heavens to help you, and rides the clouds in his majesty.

26There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heaven in thy help, and in his excellency on the sky.

NoteRiding across the sky and on the clouds was standard poetic language across the ancient Near East for a god going out to war, normally used of storm gods; here it is applied to Israel's God.

27The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are arms that last forever. He drives the enemy out ahead of you, and he says, 'Destroy them!'

27The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them.

NoteThe Hebrew of this verse is obscure at several points. The word rendered "refuge" can also mean "dwelling place," and the second half is uncertain enough that translations differ widely.

28So Israel lives in safety, set apart. The spring of Jacob is in a land of grain and new wine, and its skies drip with dew.

28Israel then shall dwell in safety alone: the fountain of Jacob shall be upon a land of corn and wine; also his heavens shall drop down dew.

Note"The spring of Jacob" (King James "fountain") means Jacob's descendants, pictured as water flowing from its source. "New wine" is tirosh, the fresh juice of the current harvest; paired with grain, it is the standard shorthand for a good agricultural year.

29You are blessed, Israel! Who is like you, a people rescued by the LORD? He is the shield that protects you and the sword of your triumph. Your enemies will cower before you, and you will walk on their high places."

29Happy art thou, O Israel: who is like unto thee, O people saved by the LORD, the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency! and thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee; and thou shalt tread upon their high places.

NoteSetting your foot on a defeated enemy was a formal gesture of victory. "High places" here means their heights or ridges, though the same word is used elsewhere for hilltop worship sites, and the line may be playing on both senses.