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.

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Deuteronomy 33

Deuteronomy 33

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