THE FINAL BLESSING OF MOSES ON HIS PEOPLE. The dying words of a righteous man were in those days seen as having special significance. It was recognised that at such a time a man might receive unusual insights, and his words were indeed seen as actually affecting that future in some way. We are give... [ Continue Reading ]
CHAPTER 33 THE FINAL BLESSING OF MOSES ON HIS PEOPLE. The dying words of a righteous man were in those days seen as having special significance. It was recognised that at such a time a man might receive unusual insights, and his words were indeed seen as actually affecting that future in some way.... [ Continue Reading ]
Deuteronomy 33:2 A ‘And he said, Yahweh came from Sinai, And rose from Seir to them; He shone forth from mount Paran, And he came from the ten thousands of holiness (quodesh), At his right hand was a fiery law for them. Yes, he loves the peoples;' This is a vivid description of Yahweh in His... [ Continue Reading ]
Deuteronomy 33:4 “Moses commanded us a law, An inheritance for the assembly of Jacob. And he was king in Jeshurun, When the heads of the people were gathered, All the tribes of Israel together.” “MOSES.” There is no reason for doubting that in the light of his coming death Moses could in such... [ Continue Reading ]
Deuteronomy 33:6 “Let Reuben live, and not die; And let his men be few (literally, ‘may his men be a number').” The first to be dealt with is the firstborn Reuben. Reuben's future was destined to be that they would wither as a nation, but would survive. As Jacob had said in his dying blessing, uns... [ Continue Reading ]
Deuteronomy 33:7 “And this is of Judah: and he said, Hear, Yahweh, the voice of Judah, And bring him in to his people. With his hands he contended for himself; And you will be a help against his adversaries.” Judah would tend to be a loner but must be welcomed as part of the greater confederacy... [ Continue Reading ]
Deuteronomy 33:8 And of Levi he said, Your Thummim and your Urim are with your godly one, Whom you proved at Massah, With whom you strove at the waters of Meribah; When he comes to Simeon and Levi (compare Genesis 49:5), what he has to say specifically concerns Levi predominantly and so Simeon'... [ Continue Reading ]
Deuteronomy 33:12 “Of Benjamin he said, The beloved of Yahweh shall dwell in safety by (on) him; He covers him all the day long, And he dwells between his shoulders (or ‘weapons'). ” As Benjamin had been the beloved son of Jacob (Genesis 42:4), his tribe were likewise the beloved of Yahweh. He... [ Continue Reading ]
Deuteronomy 33:13 “And of Joseph he said, Blessed of Yahweh be his land, For the precious things of heaven, for the dew, And for the deep that couches beneath, And for the precious things of the fruits of the sun, And for the precious things of the growth of the moons, And for the chief thing... [ Continue Reading ]
Deuteronomy 33:18 And of Zebulun he said, Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out; And, Issachar, in your tents. They shall call the peoples to the mountain; There shall they offer sacrifices of righteousness: For they shall suck the abundance of the seas, And the hidden treasures of the sand. Ze... [ Continue Reading ]
Deuteronomy 33:20 And of Gad he said, Blessed be he who enlarges Gad: He dwells as a lioness, And tears the arm, yes, the crown of the head. And he provides the first part for himself, For there was the commander's (or ‘lawgiver's) portion reserved; And he came at the heads of the people; He... [ Continue Reading ]
Deuteronomy 33:22 And of Dan he said, Dan is a lion's whelp, Who leaps forth from Bashan (or ‘from the viper'). Moses finds little inspiration in some of the tribes and cannot arouse any prophetic enthusiasm about them. In Jacob's blessing Dan was the snake. Here he is to leap forth from the sna... [ Continue Reading ]
Deuteronomy 33:23 And of Naphtali he said, O Naphtali, satisfied (satiated) with favour, And full with the blessing of Yahweh, Possess you the west (or ‘the sea' - yam) and the south (or ‘the south wind'). Naphtali is to be blessed, satiated with Yahweh's favour and blessing. Naphtali would late... [ Continue Reading ]
Deuteronomy 33:24 And of Asher he said, Blessed be Asher with children (or ‘above the children'); Let him be acceptable to his brethren (or ‘the favoured among his brethren'), And let him dip his foot in oil. Your bars shall be iron and bronze, And as your days, so shall your strength be. Ash... [ Continue Reading ]
Deuteronomy 33:26 There is none like to God, O Jeshurun, Who rides on the heavens for your help, And in his excellency on the skies. Israel is now assured that that what Moses has spoken of will be theirs, for there is no god like their God. He is king in Jeshurun (Deuteronomy 33:5), and now He i... [ Continue Reading ]
Deuteronomy 33:27 The eternal God is a dwelling-place, And underneath are the everlasting arms. And he thrust out the enemy from before you, And said, Destroy. But He does not just ride above them as their Deliverer, as the eternal God He is also a dwelling place for them, and His everlasting a... [ Continue Reading ]
Deuteronomy 33:28 And Israel dwells in safety, The fountain of Jacob alone, In a land of grain and new wine; Yes, his heavens drop down dew. Because of this Israel, once they had driven out their enemies and are alone in the land, will dwell in safety and prosperity, having reached the land of... [ Continue Reading ]
Deuteronomy 33:29 Happy are you, O Israel: Who is like to you, a people saved by Yahweh? The shield of your help, And the sword of your excellency! And your enemies will submit themselves to you, And you will tread on their high places. He finishes his poem in confidence. What a happy positio... [ Continue Reading ]