Deuteronomy 33:2

The Lord Jehovah; as frequently, the Divine Name opens the poem; see on Deuteronomy 1:6.

Sinai See Deuteronomy 1:2; Deuteronomy 1:6, on Ḥoreb, and on the view that the mountain lay in Se-îr cp. Judges 5:4.

rose Like the sun: rays, or beams, forth.

unto them So Heb. and Sam. But LXX, Targ., Vulg. read to us. V. Gall (followed by Berth. and Marti) reads to his people.

shined forth Or flashed, so of God in Psalms 50:2; Psalms 80:1 (2), Psalms 94:1; and Job.

Paran See Deuteronomy 1:1; mount Paran, as in Habakkuk 3:3, is not to be identified with any one range in that mountainous wilderness: mountis collective.

came Better comes, hiesor is sped; a vb common in Aram. but in Heb. used only in poetry.

from Merîbath-Kadesh] A probable conjecture from the Heb. meribeboth-ḳodesh= from holy myriadsand LXX with myriads of Ḳadesh. Others propose, with him(so Sam. Pesh. Targ. instead of comes) were holy chariots(markeboth-kodesh). From the Targ. with him were holy myriadsarose the late Jewish belief that angels (cp. LXX ἄγγελοι in next clause) ministered at the giving of the Law, Acts 7:53; Galatians 3:19; Hebrews 2:2.

At his right hand Or from; confirmed by the Versions; yet it is possible that for mîmînowe should read miyyamîn= from the South, in parallel to the previous lines.

was a fiery law Very questionable. The Heb. consonants "sh d thare written as one word, but read by the Massoretes as two, "esh dath= fire, law; but their construction is awkward and dathis a late word from the Persian and improbable here. Sam. reads two words, each = light; if the first be read as a vb we get the probable there flashed light. Dillm. adding two consonants reads a burning fire. By reading one word we have an equivalent of the Aram. "ashidoth= lightning flashes; cp. Habakkuk 3:4, He had horns(i.e. rays) from his hand. LXX ἄγγελοι, cp. Psalms 104:4 his ministers a flame of fire. The line may be an intrusion; it is not one of a couplet.