Deuteronomy 33
33
Moses’ Final Blessing on Israel
1This is the blessing with which Moses #Josh. 14:6; 1 Chr. 23:14; 2 Chr. 30:16; Ezra 3:2the man of God blessed the people of Israel before his death. 2He said,
# [Ex. 19:18, 20; Judg. 5:4, 5; Ps. 68:7, 8; Hab. 3:3] “The Lord came from Sinai
and dawned from Seir upon us;#33:2 Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate; Hebrew them
he shone forth from Mount Paran;
he came #[Ps. 68:17; Dan. 7:10; Acts 7:53; Gal. 3:19; Heb. 2:2; Jude 14; Rev. 5:11]from the ten thousands of holy ones,
with flaming fire#33:2 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain at his right hand.
3Yes, #ch. 7:7, 8; 10:15; Hos. 11:1 he loved his people,#33:3 Septuagint; Hebrew peoples
# [John 10:27-29; Rom. 8:35, 38, 39] all his holy ones were in his#33:3 Hebrew your hand;
# [Luke 10:39; Acts 22:3] so they followed#33:3 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain in your steps,
receiving direction from you,
4when #John 1:17; 7:19Moses commanded us a law,
as a possession for the assembly of Jacob.
5Thus the Lord#33:5 Hebrew Thus he #Num. 23:21; [Judg. 8:23; Isa. 33:22] became king in #See ch. 32:15Jeshurun,
when the heads of the people were gathered,
all the tribes of Israel together.
6 # [Gen. 49:3, 4] “Let Reuben live, and not die,
but let his men be few.”
7And this he said of Judah:
“Hear, O Lord, the voice of Judah,
and bring him in to his people.
With your hands contend#33:7 Probable reading; Hebrew With his hands he contended for him,
and be a help against his adversaries.”
8And #[Gen. 49:5] of Levi he said,
“Give to Levi#33:8 Dead Sea Scroll, Septuagint; Masoretic Text lacks Give to Levi #See Ex. 28:30 your Thummim,
and your Urim to your godly one,
# See Ex. 17:7; Num. 20:13 whom you tested at Massah,
with whom you quarreled at the waters of Meribah;
9who said of his father and mother,
‘I regard them not’;
# See Ex. 32:26-29 he disowned his brothers
and ignored his children.
For #Mal. 2:4-6they observed your word
and kept your covenant.
10 # ch. 17:9-11; Ezek. 44:23; See Lev. 10:11 They shall teach Jacob your rules
and Israel your law;
#
Ex. 30:7, 8; 1 Sam. 2:28 they shall put incense before you
and #Ps. 51:19; Ezek. 43:27whole burnt offerings on your altar.
11Bless, O Lord, his substance,
and #Ezek. 20:40, 41; 43:27; [Amos 5:22]accept the work of his hands;
crush the loins of his adversaries,
of those who hate him, that they rise not again.”
12 # [Gen. 49:27] Of Benjamin he said,
“The beloved of the Lord dwells in safety.
The High God#33:12 Septuagint; Hebrew dwells in safety by him. He surrounds him all day long,
and dwells between his shoulders.”
13And #[Gen. 49:22] of Joseph he said,
#
Gen. 49:25 “Blessed by the Lord be his land,
with the choicest gifts of heaven #ver. 28; Gen. 27:28above,#33:13 Two Hebrew manuscripts and Targum; Hebrew with the dew
and of the deep that crouches beneath,
14with the choicest fruits of the sun
and the rich yield of the months,
15with the finest produce of the ancient mountains
and the abundance of #Gen. 49:26; Hab. 3:6; [Ps. 90:2]the everlasting hills,
16with the best gifts of the earth and #Ps. 24:1 its fullness
and the favor of #Ex. 3:2-4; Acts 7:30, 35him who dwells in the bush.
May these rest on the head of Joseph,
on the pate of him who is prince among his brothers.
17 # [1 Chr. 5:1] A firstborn bull#33:17 Dead Sea Scroll, Septuagint, Samaritan; Masoretic Text His firstborn bull—he has majesty,
and his horns are the horns of a #See Num. 23:22 wild ox;
with them #1 Kgs. 22:11; Ps. 44:5; Dan. 8:4 he shall gore the peoples,
all of them, to the ends of the earth;
# [Gen. 48:19; Num. 1:33, 35] they are the ten thousands of Ephraim,
and they are the thousands of Manasseh.”
18And of Zebulun he said,
# [Gen. 49:13-15] “Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out,
and Issachar, in your tents.
19They shall call peoples #Ex. 15:17; Isa. 2:3 to their mountain;
there they offer #Ps. 4:5; 51:19right sacrifices;
for they draw from the abundance of the seas
and the hidden treasures of the sand.”
20And #[Gen. 49:19] of Gad he said,
“Blessed be he who enlarges Gad!
Gad crouches #[1 Chr. 12:8]like a lion;
he tears off arm and scalp.
21 # See Num. 32:1-5, 16-19 He chose the best of the land for himself,
for there a commander’s portion was reserved;
and #Num. 32:31, 32; See Josh. 1:12-15; 1 Chr. 5:18-22he came with the heads of the people,
with Israel he executed the justice of the Lord,
and his judgments for Israel.”
22And #[Gen. 49:16] of Dan he said,
# [Gen. 49:9] “Dan is a lion’s cub
# [Josh. 19:47; Judg. 18:27] that leaps from Bashan.”
23And #[Gen. 49:21] of Naphtali he said,
“O Naphtali, sated with favor,
and full of the blessing of the Lord,
# See Josh. 19:32-39 possess the lake#33:23 Or west and the south.”
24And #[Gen. 49:20] of Asher he said,
“Most blessed of sons be Asher;
let him be the favorite of his brothers,
and let him #[Job 29:6]dip his foot in oil.
25Your bars shall be iron and bronze,
and as your days, so shall your strength be.
26 # See Ex. 15:11 “There is none like God, O #See ch. 32:15 Jeshurun,
#
Ps. 68:33, 34; 104:3; Isa. 19:1; Hab. 3:8 who rides through the heavens to your help,
through the skies in his majesty.
27The eternal God is your #Ps. 90:1; 91:9dwelling place,#33:27 Or a dwelling place
and underneath are the everlasting arms.#33:27 Revocalization of verse 27 yields He subdues the ancient gods, and shatters the forces of old
And he thrust out the enemy before you
and said, ‘Destroy.’
28So Israel lived in safety,
# [Ps. 68:26; Isa. 48:1] Jacob lived #Num. 23:9alone,#33:28 Hebrew the abode of Jacob was alone
in a land of grain and wine,
whose heavens drop down dew.
29Happy are you, O Israel! #[2 Sam. 7:23] Who is like you,
a people #Isa. 45:17 saved by the Lord,
#
Ps. 33:20; 115:9-11 the shield of your help,
and the sword of your triumph!
Your enemies shall come fawning to you,
and you shall tread upon their backs.”
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Deuteronomy 33: ESV
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