Joshua 3

Joshua 3

Joshua 3:1 Joshua started early the following day and left the Acacia Grove with all the Israelites. They went as far as the Jordan and stayed there before crossing.

Joshua 3:2 After three days, the officers went through the camp

Joshua 3:3 commanding the people: “When you see the ark of the covenant of Yahveh your God carried by the Levitical priests, you are to break camp and follow it.

Joshua 3:4 But keep a distance of about a thousand yards between yourselves and the ark. Don’t go near it so that you can see the way to walk because you haven’t traveled this way before.”

Joshua 3:5 Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves because Yahveh will do miracles among you tomorrow.”

Joshua 3:6 Then he said to the priests, “Carry the ark of the covenant and go on ahead of the people.” So they carried the ark of the covenant and went ahead of them.

Joshua 3:7 Yahveh spoke to Joshua: “Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, so they will know that I will be with you just like I was with Moses.

Joshua 3:8 Command the priests carrying the ark of the covenant: When you reach the edge of the water, stand in the Jordan.”

Joshua 3:9 Then Joshua told the Israelites, “Come closer and listen to the words of Yahveh your God.”

Joshua 3:10 He said, “You will know that the living God is among you and that he will undoubtedly dispossess the Canaanites, Hethites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites before you.

Joshua 3:11 when the ark of the covenant of Yahveh of the whole land goes ahead of you into the Jordan.

Joshua 3:12 Now choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man for each tribe.

Joshua 3:13 When the feet of the priests who carry the ark of Yahveh, Yahveh of the whole land, come to rest in the Jordan’s water, its water will be cut off.[1] The water flowing downstream will stand up in a mass.”

Joshua 3:14 When the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carried the ark of the covenant ahead of the people.

Joshua 3:15 Now the Jordan overflows its banks throughout the harvest season. But as soon as the priests carrying the ark reached the Jordan, their feet touched the water at its edge.

Joshua 3:16 and the water flowing downstream stood still, rising in a mass that extended as far as Adam, a city next to Zarethan. The water flowing downstream into the Sea of the Arabah – the Dead Sea – was completely cut off, and the people crossed opposite Jericho.

Joshua 3:17 The priests carrying the ark of Yahveh’s covenant stood firmly on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, while all of Israel crossed on dry ground until the entire nation had finished crossing the Jordan.

[1] כָּרָת = cut off, exterminate, make a treaty or covenant. Joshua 3:13, 16; 4:7; 7:9; 9:6, 7, 11, 15, 16, 23; 11:21; 23:4; 24:25.

Joshua 3 quotes:

“The action of the story slows down in the crossing narrative (Josh. 3-4). Commands are repeated and events are described in laborious detail to indicate the importance of crossing the Jordan for the faith of Israel. The narrator also describes a liturgical drama that would be used for instruction of the young. The fords of the Jordan River and then Gilgal, the camp after Israel crossed the river, become the central locations for the narrative and the events to follow. The Israelite narrator’s point of view dominates the two chapters. Officers, Joshua, the Lord, and finally Joshua again give commands. Then the tribes cross the Jordan as a result of their obedience and God’s miracle.”

Harris J. Gordon et al. Joshua Judges Ruth. Hendrickson Publishers ; Paternoster Press 2000. p. 32.

“After certain preparatory communications and actions took place (Joshua 3:1-6), the Lord instructed Joshua concerning the crossing of the Jordan River (Josh. 3:7-8). Then Joshua communicated further words to the people (3:9-13).”

Lyles, Ron, et al. Joshua and Judges. 1st ed, Baptistway Press, 2005. p. 34.

“At Joshua’s command all necessary preparations are made, and the Israelites cross to the west bank of the Jordan River and so set foot on Canaan, the promised land. The passage is accomplished by a miraculous cessation of the flow of the river, recalling the drying up of the Sea of Reeds at the departure from Egypt. Memorial stones in the Jordan and at Gilgal, on the west side of the river, mark the event. Everything is ready for the conquest of the land.”

Bratcher Robert G and Barclay Moon Newman. A Handbook on the Book of Joshua. United Bible Societies 1992. p. 36.

The JOSHUA shelf in Jeff’s library

Joshua 2

Joshua 2

Joshua 2:1 Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two men as spies from the Acacia Grove, saying, “Go and the land, especially Jericho.” So they left, and they came to the house of a prostitute named Rahab, and stayed there.

Joshua 2:2 The king of Jericho was told, “Notice,[1] some of the Israelite men have come here tonight to investigate[2] the land.”

Joshua 2:3 Then the king of Jericho sent word to Rahab and said, “Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house, because they came to investigate the entire land.”

Joshua 2:4 But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. So she said, “Yes, the men did come to me, but I didn’t know where they were from.

Joshua 2:5 At nightfall, when the city gate was about to close, the men went out, and I don’t know where they were going. Chase after them quickly, and you can catch up with them!”

Joshua 2:6 But she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them among the stalks of flax that she had arranged on the roof.

Joshua 2:7 The men pursued them along the road to the fords of the Jordan, and as soon as they left to pursue them, the city gate was shut.

Joshua 2:8 Before the men fell asleep, she went up on the roof

Joshua 2:9 and said to them, “I know that Yahveh has given you this land and that the terror of you has fallen on us, and everyone who lives in the land is panicking because of you.

Joshua 2:10 You see, we have heard how Yahveh dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two Amorite kings you set apart for destruction[3] across the Jordan.

Joshua 2:11 When we heard this, our heart melted, and everyone’s breath[4] continually[5] failed because of you, because Yahveh your God is God in the sky above and on land below.

Joshua 2:12 Now please swear to me by Yahveh that you will also show kindness to my father’s family, because I showed kindness to you. Give me a sure sign

Joshua 2:13 that you will spare the lives of my father, mother, brothers, sisters, and all who belong to them, and save us from death.”

Joshua 2:14 The men answered her, “We will give our lives for yours. If you don’t report our mission, we will show kindness and faithfulness to you when Yahveh gives us the land.”

Joshua 2:15 Then she let them down by a rope through the window, because she lived in a house that was built into the wall of the city.

Joshua 2:16 “Go to the hill country so that the men pursuing you won’t find you,” she said to them. “Hide there for three days until they return; afterward, go on your way.”

Joshua 2:17 The men said to her, “We will be free from this oath you made us swear,

Joshua 2:18 unless, when we enter the land, you tie this scarlet cord to the window through which you let us down. Bring your father, mother, brothers, and all your father’s family into your house.

Joshua 2:19 If anyone goes out the doors of your house, his death will be on his own head, and we will be innocent. But if anyone with you in the house should be harmed, his death will be on our head.

Joshua 2:20 And if you report our mission, we are free from the oath you made us swear.”

Joshua 2:21 “Let it be as you say,” she replied, and she sent them away. After they had gone, she tied the scarlet cord to the window.

Joshua 2:22 So the two men went into the hill country and stayed there three days until the pursuers had come back. They searched all along the way, but did not find them.

Joshua 2:23 Then the men came back, came down from the hill country, and crossed the Jordan. They went to Joshua son of Nun and reported everything that had happened to them.

Joshua 2:24 They told Joshua, “Yahveh has handed over the entire land to us. Everyone who lives in the land is also panicking because of us.”

[1] הִנֵּה = notice. Joshua 2:2, 18; 3:11; 5:13; 7:21, 22; 8:20; 9:12, 13, 25; 14:10; 22:11; 23:14; 24:27.

[2] חָפַר = investigate. Joshua 2:2, 3.

[3] חָרָם = set apart for destruction. Joshua 2:10; 6:18, 21; 8:26; 10:1, 28, 35, 37, 39, 40; 11:11, 12, 20, 21.

[4]רוּחַ= breath. Joshua 2:11; 5:1.

[5]עוֹד = continually. Joshua 1:11; 2:11; 5:1, 12; 14:11.

Joshua 2 quotes:

“The Bible gives a mixed picture of the importance of spies for warfare. In the wilderness of Sinai, Moses sent spies to gather intelligence on Canaan, but fearfulness spread when the majority brought back a negative recommendation (Num. 21:32, Jazer; Num. 13; Deut. 1:22—23). At other times skillful reconnaissance provided opportunities for surprise in warfare and ensured victory (Judg. 7:10-11; 1 Sam. 26:6-7). Faulty reconnaissance (Josh. 7:3; 8:1) cost Joshua and the people the element of surprise, and disobedience cost them a victory at Ai (Josh. 7:1, 2-5, 10-12). Ultimately the support of the Lord, not clever reconnaissance, enabled the people to possess the land of Canaan. In the book of Joshua, intelligence gathering was a dangerous enterprise that produced mixed results.”

Harris J. Gordon et al. Joshua Judges Ruth. Hendrickson Publishers ; Paternoster Press 2000. p. 27.

“Joshua’s instructions concerning the total destruction included a reminder about the need to spare Rahab and her family (6:17). When the city fell, the Israelites obeyed those instructions. It is logical that Joshua assigned the responsibility for the actual deliverance of Rahab to the two spies who had made an oath to her (6:22). Rahab and her family were placed “outside the camp of Israel” (6:23) due to principles of ceremonial uncleanness (see, for example, Leviticus 13:46; Deut. 23:3).”

Lyles, Ron, et al. Joshua and Judges. 1st ed, Baptistway Press, 2005. p. 27.

“The first part of the book of Joshua (1.1—12.24) narrates the conquest of Canaan, that is, the land west of the Jordan River. The first chapter is an introduction to the narrative, and it divides into three parts: (1) Joshua is ordered to cross the Jordan and occupy the land (1.1-9); (2) preparations are made to cross (1.10-11); and (3) the two and one-half tribes east of the Jordan promise to help (1.12-18).”

Bratcher Robert G and Barclay Moon Newman. A Handbook on the Book of Joshua. United Bible Societies 1992. p.

Joshua 2 links:

a pair of scouts
faith that sees beyond
God’s sovereignty and missions
her only hope
Maranatha Daily Devotional – October 2, 2015
Maranatha Daily Devotional – Wednesday, June 16, 2021
Rahab’s biggest fear
Rahab’s only hope
the body apart from the spirit – spirit in man
tying the scarlet cord
where did all the spirits go?

The JOSHUA shelf in Jeff’s library

Joshua 1

Joshua 1

Joshua 1:1 It happened after the death of Moses, Yahveh’s slave.[1] Yahveh spoke to Joshua, son of Nun, Moses’s assistant:

Joshua 1:2 “Moses my slave is dead. Now, you and all the people get ready to cross over the Jordan to the land I am giving the Israelites.

Joshua 1:3 I have given you every place where the sole of your foot marches, just like I said to Moses.

Joshua 1:4 Your territory will be from the open country[2] and Lebanon to the great river, the Euphrates River – all the land of the Hittites – and west to the Mediterranean Sea.

Joshua 1:5 No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. I will be with you, just like I was with Moses. I will not leave you or abandon you.

Joshua 1:6 “Be strong and courageous, because you will distribute the land I swore to their fathers to give them as an inheritance.

Joshua 1:7 Above all, be strong and very courageous to keep the whole instruction[3] my slave Moses commanded you carefully. Do not turn from it to the right or the left so that you will have success wherever you go.

Joshua 1:8 This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth; you are to meditate on it day and night so that you may carefully observe everything written in it. You see, then you will prosper and succeed in whatever you do.

Joshua 1:9 Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged because Yahveh, your God, is with you wherever you go.”

Joshua 1:10 Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people:

Joshua 1:11 “Go through the camp and tell the people, ‘Get provisions ready for yourselves, because within three days you will be crossing the Jordan to go in and take possession of the land Yahveh is giving you to inherit.'”

Joshua 1:12 Joshua said to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh:

Joshua 1:13 “Remember what Moses Yahveh’s slave commanded you when he said, ‘Yahveh your God will give you rest, and he will give you this land.’

Joshua 1:14 Your wives, dependants, and livestock may remain in the land Moses gave you on this side of the Jordan. But your most capable[4] soldiers must cross over in battle formation ahead of your brothers and help them.

Joshua 1:15 until Yahveh gives your brothers rest, as he has given you, and they too possess the land Yahveh your God is giving them. You may then go back to the land of your inheritance and take possession of what Moses Yahveh’s slave gave you on the east side of the Jordan.”

Joshua 1:16 They answered Joshua, “We will do Everything you have commanded us, and everywhere you send us, we will go.

Joshua 1:17 We will obey you, just like we obeyed Moses in everything. Certainly, Yahveh, your God, will be with you as he was with Moses.

Joshua 1:18 Anyone who rebels against your order and does not obey your words in all that you command him will be put to death. Above all, be strong and courageous!”

[1] עֶבֶד = slave. Joshua 1:1, 2, 7, 13, 15; 5:14; 8:31, 33; 9:8, 9, 11, 23, 24; 10:6; 11:12, 15; 12:6; 13:8; 14:7; 18:7; 22:2, 4, 5; 24:17, 29.

[2] מִדְבָּר = open country. Joshua 1:4; 5:4, 5, 6; 8:15, 20, 24; 12:8; 14:10; 15:1, 61; 16:1; 18:12; 20:8; 24:7.

[3] תּוֹרָה = instruction. Joshua 1:7, 8; 8:31, 32, 34; 22:5; 23:6; 24:26.

[4] חַיִל = capable. Joshua 1:14; 6:2; 8:3; 10:7.

Joshua 1 quotes:

“God challenges Joshua also to be strong and very courageous in keeping the law (torah). The teachings of Moses will show the tribes how to take the land. The law, or instruction, was what Moses gave to Joshua. The Book of the Law ensures success (1:8) when Joshua follows it, keeps it in his mouth for speaking, thinks about it day and night, and obeys it carefully. If Joshua obeys the law in this way, God promises him, Then you will be prosperous and successful. Joshua will achieve prosperity and success (regular victories against the enemies) by following the instructions of the divine warrior. The passage should not be interpreted as promising financial security. Instead, God connects obedience to Moses’ gift, the law, to successfully receiving God’s gift, the land. Faithfulness te both gifts demands courage and strength.”

Harris J. Gordon et al. Joshua Judges Ruth. Hendrickson Publishers ; Paternoster Press 2000. p. 18.

“The Israelites no longer had Moses, but they still had God. Previously God designated Joshua to be the successor to Moses (Numbers 27:12-23). In fact Joshua served alongside Moses as his “aide” (Josh. 1:1). Frequently this word carried the connotation of one who served God in the context of worship, but it also (as it does here) denoted one who served under or alongside another. This verse describes Moses in relation to God, while it mentions Joshua in relation to Moses. By the end of the book, however, Joshua earned the title, “servant of the Lord” (Josh. 24:29).”

Lyles, Ron, et al. Joshua and Judges. 1st ed, Baptistway Press, 2005. p. 14.

“This is the first great lesson we must learn: that Joshua, not Moses, leads the people into the land. Joshua’s name means “Salvation of Jehovah,” or “Jehovah Salvation” and the New Testament form of it is Jesus (see Matt. 1:21 and the meaning of the name). Oh, that all Christians would simply trust their faithful Joshua, leaning only upon Him, and His atoning work, following only Him! How quickly would He lead them all into the full realization in experience of what He has so wondrously purchased for us in His Cross! May Moses (our works) die now with each of us that we may know none else hereafter as our Leader but our Joshua, our Lord Jesus Christ! For He not only “bare our sins in his own body on the tree” (I Pet. 2:24), but our connection with Adam the first was ended at the cross (see Rom. 6:6).”

Newell William R. Studies in Joshua-Job. Kregel Publications 1983. p. 39.

Joshua 1 links:

a mission manual
a theology of missions
encouraging our leaders
Immanuel – part 1
Maranatha Daily Devotional – Friday, June 14, 2019
Maranatha Daily Devotional – Friday, June 16, 2023
Maranatha Daily Devotional – October 1, 2015
our most capable
provisions for possessing the land
sources of strength and courage
the land of the Hittites

The JOSHUA shelf in Jeff’s library

Deuteronomy 34

Deuteronomy 34

Deuteronomy 34:1 Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which faces Jericho, and Yahveh showed him all the land: Gilead as far as Dan,

Deuteronomy 34:2 all of Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Mediterranean Sea,

Deuteronomy 34:3 the Negev, and the plain in the Valley of Jericho, the City of Palms, as far as Zoar.

Deuteronomy 34:4 Yahveh then spoke to him, and this is what he said: “This is the land I promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have let you see it with your own eyes, but you will not cross into it.”

Deuteronomy 34:5 So Moses, the servant of Yahveh, died there in the land of Moab, according to Yahveh’s word.

Deuteronomy 34:6 He buried him in the valley in the land of Moab facing Beth-peor, and no one to this day knows where his grave is.

Deuteronomy 34:7 Moses was one hundred twenty years old when he died; his eyes were not weak, and his vitality had not run away from him.

Deuteronomy 34:8 The Israelites wept for Moses in the plains of Moab for thirty days. Then, the days of weeping and mourning for Moses finished.

Deuteronomy 34:9 Joshua, son of Nun, was filled with the breath of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him. So, the Israelites obeyed him and did as Yahveh had commanded Moses.

Deuteronomy 34:10 No prophet has arisen again in Israel like Moses, whom Yahveh knew face to face.

Deuteronomy 34:11 He was unparalleled for all the signs and wonders Yahveh sent him to do against the land of Egypt – to Pharaoh, to all his officials, and all his land,

Deuteronomy 34:12 and for all the mighty acts of power and terrifying deeds that Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.

Deuteronomy 34 quotes:

“The death of Moses has been awaited since Numbers 27:12–23, and so provides an important frame around the book of Deuteronomy. Within these frame passages Moses is also forbidden to enter the land, which in turn is linked to the succession of Joshua seven times (1:37–38; 3:23–29; 31:2, 14, 16, 27–29; 32:48–52), followed by an eighth in 34:4. Moses must therefore die before God’s plan of salvation history can continue through Joshua. This succession is further linked to the realization of the promise of the land to the Patriarchs also framing the book at 1:8 and 34:4. At the centre of the epilogue (vv. 5–8) is the report of the death of Moses, the servant of the LORD, thus adding further mystery and poignancy to his life and authority as a true prophet, whose word must be listened to and obeyed because of the witness of the many mighty deeds that he performed. Moses will speak even louder in death than in life, as the temptation to revive a cult of the dead gives way to the enduring legacy of his word and obedience to it, which alone gives the promise of life and not death (30:11–20; cf. Isa. 8:18–20).”

Woods, Edward J.. Deuteronomy: An Introduction and Commentary (Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries Book 5) . InterVarsity Press. Kindle Edition.

“The last three verses of the book constitute, as it were, the literary epitaph of Moses; they form a fitting conclusion to the Pentateuch, of which the last four books contain an account of the life and work of Moses in Israel. Moses was a prophet, but in his epitaph it is not his knowledge of God that is stressed, but rather the Lord’s knowledge of him. God had sought him out and appointed him to a particular task; over the years, the relationship had become intimate, so that to those Israelites who knew Moses, it was evident that his highest communion was with God. And so in his epitaph, written in a book because the grave was not known, God’s intimate knowledge of Moses was the most striking memory of the man now departed.”

Craigie, Peter C.. The Book of Deuteronomy (The New International Commentary on the Old Testament) (p. 406). Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.. Kindle Edition.

Deuteronomy 34 links:

in retrospect- the end
living long and strong
Maranatha Daily Devotional – Tuesday, June 15, 2021
preview at Pisgah
this extraordinary man

The DEUTERONOMY shelf in Jeff’s library.

Deuteronomy 33

Deuteronomy 33

Deuteronomy 33:1 This is the empowerment that Moses, the man of God, empowered the Israelites with before his death.

Deuteronomy 33:2 He said: Yahveh came from Sinai and appeared to them from Seir; he shone on them from Mount Paran and came with ten thousand holy ones, with lightning from his right hand for them.

Deuteronomy 33:3 Indeed, he cares about the people. All your sacred ones are in your hand, and they assemble at your feet. Each receives your words.

Deuteronomy 33:4 Moses commanded us an instruction, a possession for the assembly of Jacob.

Deuteronomy 33:5 So he became King in Jeshurun when the leaders of the people gathered with the tribes of Israel.

Deuteronomy 33:6 Let Reuben stay alive and not die though his people become few.

Deuteronomy 33:7 He said this about Judah: Yahveh, hear Judah’s cry and bring him to his people. He fights for his cause with his own hands, but may you be a partner[1] against his foes.

Deuteronomy 33:8 He said about Levi: Your Darks and Lights[2] belong to your faithful one; you tested him at Massah and contended with him at the Water of Meribah.

Deuteronomy 33:9 He said about his father and mother, “I do not regard them.” He disregarded his brothers and didn’t acknowledge his sons because they watched your word and maintained your covenant.

Deuteronomy 33:10 They will teach your rules to Jacob and your instruction to Israel; they will place incense before you and whole burnt offerings on your altar.

Deuteronomy 33:11 Yahveh empower his possessions, and accept the work of his hands. Break the back of his adversaries and enemies so that they cannot rise again.

Deuteronomy 33:12 He said about Benjamin: Yahveh’s cared about one rests securely on him. He shields him all day long, and he rests on his shoulders.

Deuteronomy 33:13 He said about Joseph: May his land be empowered by Yahveh with the dew of the sky’s bounty and the watery depths that lie beneath;

Deuteronomy 33:14 with the bountiful harvest from the sun and the abundant yield of the seasons;

Deuteronomy 33:15 with the best products of the primeval mountains and the bounty of the ancient hills;

Deuteronomy 33:16 with the choice gifts of the land and everything in it; and with the favor of him who appeared in the burning bush. May these rest on the head of Joseph, on the brow of the prince of his brothers.

Deuteronomy 33:17 His firstborn bull has splendor and horns like those of a wild ox; he gores all the peoples with them to the ends of the land. Such are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and such are the thousands of Manasseh.

Deuteronomy 33:18 He said about Zebulun: Enjoy, Zebulun, your journeys, and Issachar, your tents.

Deuteronomy 33:19 They summon the peoples to a mountain; there, they offer acceptable sacrifices. For they draw from the wealth of the seas and the hidden treasures of the sand.

Deuteronomy 33:20 He said about Gad: The one who enlarges Gad’s territory will be empowered. He lies down like a lion and tears off an arm or even a head.

Deuteronomy 33:21 He chose the first for himself because a ruler’s portion was assigned there for him. He came with the people’s leaders; he carried out Yahveh’s justice and his rules for Israel.

Deuteronomy 33:22 He said about Dan: Dan is a young lion, leaping out of Bashan.

Deuteronomy 33:23 He said about Naphtali: Naphtali, enjoying approval, full of Yahveh’s empowerment, take possession of it west and the south.

Deuteronomy 33:24 He said about Asher: May Asher be the most empowered of the sons; may he be the most favored among his brothers and dip his foot in olive oil.

Deuteronomy 33:25 May the bolts of your gate be iron and bronze, and your strength last as long as you live.

Deuteronomy 33:26 There is none like the God of Jeshurun, who rides the sky as your partner, the clouds in his majesty.

Deuteronomy 33:27 The God of old is your dwelling place, and underneath are the permanent arms. He drives out the enemy before you and commands, “Exterminate!”

Deuteronomy 33:28 So Israel dwells securely; Jacob lives untroubled in a land of grain and new wine; even his skies drip with dew.

Deuteronomy 33:29 How happy you are, Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by Yahveh? He is the shield that partners with you, the sword you boast in. Your enemies will cringe before you, and you will tread on their backs.

[1] עֵזֶר = partner. Deuteronomy 33:7, 26, 29.

[2] תֻּמִּיםand אוּרִים = Darks and Lights.

Deuteronomy 33 quotes:

The final blessing of Moses (33:1–29) follows the tribal blessings of Jacob just before he died (Gen. 49:1–28), thus replicating the canonical end frame of the first book of the Pentateuch. Here, these blessings are framed by the notice of Moses’ impending death and the Lord’s showing him the Promised Land (32:48–52; 34:1–12). This suggests that Moses’ role in these final blessings is to express God’s approval of the one who was excluded from the land because of Israel’s sin. Also, God’s primary intent is to ‘bless’ Israel rather than bring ‘curse’ upon her (cf. Num. 22– 24). Now Moses can even bless the tribes of Israel in ways that often depart from Jacob’s original words to them, especially in deviating from the original prominence given to Judah, and drawing attention to a fresh importance given to the tribes of Levi and Joseph. The Levites are given the role of teaching the Torah to all Israel (33:8–11), and the tribe of Joseph is pictured as enjoying the most abundant part of the land (33:13–17). This is a way of emphasizing the participation of all of the tribes in the blessing and systematic filling of the land from south to north, including the Levitical priests, who are otherwise excluded from its inheritance. The tribes of Levi and Joseph also symbolize the theological importance for Deuteronomy of Torah obedience, and its connection to the possession and enjoyment of the rich abundance of the land. This is a picture of theological history unfolding, with shifting centres of gravity for all the tribes. But framing this blessing is the Lord, who shines forth from Sinai as king over Jeshurun in giving Israel the law (33:1–5), and finally as warrior king who rides on the clouds of heaven and drives out the enemy from the land, so that Israel might possess it in fulfilment of the Abrahamic promise (33:26–29).”

Woods, Edward J.. Deuteronomy: An Introduction and Commentary (Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries Book 5) . InterVarsity Press. Kindle Edition.

“The Blessing of Moses concludes with, a meditation on the blessed estate of Israel: How blessed you are…! Who is like you?—the answer could only be, “None.” But Israel’s preeminence lay not in its own merit, but because there is none like the God of Jeshurun (v. 26). The power and incomparability of Israel’s God imparted to Israel power and incomparability. Israel would be a victorious army, not through military genius, but because God, a Man in Battle (Exod. 15:3), would be fighting on behalf of Israel (3:22). Israel would be protected in battle by the shield, which was God (see also Exod. 15:2).55 Israel would be granted victory by the sword of God’s presence. Enemies, cringing in terror, would be trampled underfoot by the victorious people of God.”

Craigie, Peter C.. The Book of Deuteronomy (The New International Commentary on the Old Testament) (pp. 403-404). Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.. Kindle Edition.

The DEUTERONOMY shelf in Jeff’s library.

Category: Jeff’s translation

Joshua 3

Joshua 3

Joshua 3 quotes:

Joshua 3 links:

Joshua 2

Joshua 2

Joshua 2 quotes:

Joshua 2 links:

Joshua 1

Joshua 1

Joshua 1 quotes:

Joshua 1 links:

Deuteronomy 34

Deuteronomy 34

Deuteronomy 34 quotes:

Deuteronomy 34 links:

Deuteronomy 33

Deuteronomy 33

Deuteronomy 33 quotes:

Deuteronomy 33 links: