Deuteronomychapter 33
29 verses · Moses, by tradition · 15th to 13th century BC · The Law
The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them.
Introduction
Moses, by tradition, The Law, Deuteronomy Overview.
These are the last words Moses speaks to Israel in the five books of the Law. He speaks as a father does at the end of life, naming each tribe in turn before the whole people. A first hearer would catch the echo of Jacob, who had blessed his twelve sons the same way in Egypt. The tribes are about to receive their land, and many of the blessings look toward the ground each would farm or guard. Listen for how little rebuke there is, and for the praise of God that frames the blessings at both ends. It teaches a people whose they are before they lose their leader.
Context
- Who
- The twelve tribes, each hearing its own portion spoken aloud before the man who led them out died
- What
- A poem of blessing in which Moses speaks over the tribes of Israel by name, framed by praise of the LORD who came from Sinai.
- Where
- The plains of Moab, with the tribes assembled before crossing the Jordan.
- When
- The day Moses died, between the order to climb Mount Nebo and his going up, about 1406 BC on the early date for the exodus.
- Why
- To send each tribe into the land with a word from God about its future, and the whole nation with the assurance that the LORD is its refuge.
Historical context
The chapter is Moses blessing the tribes by name before his death, which the heading at verse 1 states. It falls in the fortieth year on the plains of Moab, between the order to climb Nebo and its carrying out. The occasion is his death, and the form is the one Jacob used, since Genesis 49 is the only other place in Scripture where a dying man blesses the tribes by name. A first hearer knew what each tribe's portion meant on the ground. Zebulun's going out and Issachar's tents at verses 18 and 19 fit two tribes drawn the same way at Genesis 49:13-15. Asher's foot dipped in oil at verse 24 fits the olive country Joshua 19:24-31 gives him. He knew the Urim and Thummim handed to Levi at verse 8 as the means of decision carried on the high priest's breastplate at Exodus 28:30. He also knew what verse 9 was recalling, the golden calf at Exodus 32:26-29, where Levi answered Moses' call and used the sword on brother and son. Simeon is the one tribe the chapter never names, and the text gives no reason for the silence.
Significance
The blessing told each tribe what kind of life it was being given, and most of the portions are about land, produce and safety rather than rank. Levi, who had no territory, was given an office in place of one, with teaching named before incense and sacrifice. For a people who had just heard the Song's charge against them, the near absence of rebuke in these blessings was itself the point. The last words Moses speaks in the Torah ask who is like Israel, a people saved by the LORD, which turns the question of Exodus 15:11 from God to the people he kept.
This chapter in Jewish lifeWhat this chapter is in Jewish life and reading.
How it is read
The blessing is read as an act of intercession rather than as a list of gifts. Rashi says Moses left it as late as he could, reasoning that if he did not bless them now he never would (Rashi on Deuteronomy 33:1:1, citing Sifrei Devarim 342:7). He opened with the praise of God and only then turned to Israel, putting Israel's merit inside the praise (Rashi on Deuteronomy 33:2:1, citing Sifrei Devarim 343:1). The whole therefore reads as a plea that these people deserve a blessing to rest on them. The tribes are called peoples in 33:3, which Rashi takes as love for each tribe separately (Rashi on Deuteronomy 33:3:1). On the Torah as the inheritance of Jacob's congregation, Rashi adds one line in the voice of Israel, that they have taken it and will not let it go (Rashi on Deuteronomy 33:4:1).
The order of the tribes carries meaning here. Judah follows Reuben because both confessed their wrong (Rashi on Deuteronomy 33:7:1). Benjamin follows Levi because Levi's blessing concerns the Temple service and Benjamin's concerns the Temple standing in his territory (Rashi on Deuteronomy 33:12:1). Joseph follows Benjamin because the Tabernacle at Shiloh stood in his, with the Temple set before the Tabernacle in worth. Rashi reads the firstborn of the ox at 33:17 as a term of rank, and takes it of Joshua, whose strength would subdue many kings (Rashi on Deuteronomy 33:17:1).
Levi's own blessing rests on what the tribe did after the golden calf. Rashi explains that the father and brothers the verse names must be maternal relatives who were ordinary Israelites (Rashi on Deuteronomy 33:9:1, citing Sifrei Devarim 350:1 and Yoma 66b). No one of the tribe of Levi had sinned. The Deuteronomy corpus holds no commentator on this chapter without a text, so this row cites no linked commentary.
What the rabbis say
The rabbis told a story about Judah's bones. Rashi carries it. Through the whole forty years in the wilderness Judah's bones rolled about in his coffin (Rashi on Deuteronomy 33:7:1, citing Sotah 7b and Bava Kamma 92a). The cause was the ban he had called down on himself. He had promised his father he would answer for Benjamin. Moses prayed for him because it was Judah who had brought Reuben to confess. This site reports it as the teaching of the rabbis.
They read the blessing of Levi forward into a later war. Rashi gives a second explanation of the prayer that God smite the loins of Levi's opponents. Moses foresaw that Hasmon and his sons would one day fight the Greeks, a dozen men against many thousands. He prayed for their army (Rashi on Deuteronomy 33:11:1, citing Genesis Rabbah 99:2 and Midrash Tanchuma, Vayechi 14).
Five tribes are blessed last, Zebulun, Gad, Dan, Naphtali and Asher. The rabbis taught that their names are repeated to give them strength, because they were the weakest (Rashi on Deuteronomy 33:18:1, citing Bava Kamma 92a). They are the same five Joseph chose to present to Pharaoh, so that they would not be made his officers. On Asher's blessing Rashi reports what he found in the Sifrei, that no tribe was blessed with children as Asher was (Rashi on Deuteronomy 33:24:1, citing Sifrei Devarim 355:19). He then says outright that he does not know how that came about.
The corpus carries more locators on this chapter, given for a reader to follow. Aggadat Bereshit 43:4 and Aggadat Bereshit 83:1 stand at 33:1. Bava Batra 8a:3 stands at 33:3. Bava Batra 14a:7 and Berakhot 57a:4 stand at 33:4. Bamidbar Rabbah 15:13 and Bamidbar Rabbah 15:18 stand at 33:5. Avodah Zarah 25a:13 stands at 33:7, Bamidbar Rabbah 12:1 at 33:8. Bereshit Rabbah 99:2 stands at 33:11, Avot DeRabbi Natan 35:3 at 33:12. Bamidbar Rabbah 14:5 stands across 33:13 to 33:17. Bava Kamma 81b:1 stands at 33:14, Bereshit Rabbah 100:9 at 33:16. Bamidbar Rabbah 13:15 stands at 33:18, Bereshit Rabbah 82:5 at 33:19. Bamidbar Rabbah 13:8 stands at 33:22, Bereshit Rabbah 71:10 at 33:24.
Sources: Rashi, Rashi on Deuteronomy 33:1 to 33:24, Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, public domain, 1929-1934; The Sefaria corpus on disk, scripts/data/sources/sefaria/deuteronomy/33.json, fetched 2026-09-19, 2026.
The heads below are this chapter's scenes. The numbered points under each are its verses.
The LORD came from Sinai with ten thousands
Deuteronomy 33:1-2
Moses ends as Jacob ended, blessing the tribes by name before death, as nowhere else in Scripture. Verse 2 has God come from Sinai, Seir and Mount Paran, the picture Judges 5:4-5 and Habakkuk 3:3 draw of the same event. The “myriads of holy ones” are the ground on which Acts 7:53, Galatians 3:19 and Hebrews 2:2 speak of the law given by angels.
Deuteronomy 33:1
“Moses the man of God--This was a common designation of a prophet (1Sa 2:27; 9:6), and it is here applied to Moses, when, like Jacob, he was about to deliver ministerially before his death, a prophetic benediction to Israel.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
1 more voice on this verseWhat preachers and commentators have said about this verse, in their own words.
Deuteronomy 33:1
“The title “the man of God” in the Old Testament is one who is favored with direct revelations, but not necessarily an official prophet. The occurrence of the title here is no doubt a token that the Blessing was not, as was the Song, transcribed by Moses himself. Compare Deu 31:27.”
The Lord came from Sinai: Dawned and shone forth are words of sunrise, and they picture the coming of the LORD as light spreading across the hills. Albert Barnes places Seir in the mountains of Edom and Paran on the northern edge of the Sinai desert. Israel had crossed that whole ground.
Deuteronomy 33:2
“By “Seir” is to be understood the mountain-land of the Edomites, and by “mount Paran” the range which forms the northern boundary of the desert of Sinai (compare Gen 14:6 note). Thus the verse forms a poetical description of the vast arena upon which the glorious manifestation of the Lord in the giving of the covenant took place. With ten thousands of saints - Render, from amidst ten thousands of holy ones: literally from myriads of holiness, i. e., holy Angels (compare Zec 14:5).”
Deuteronomy 33:3-5
A people gathered at God's feet stands between the theophany and the tribes, and verse 4 calls the law “the possession of the assembly of Jacob”, the language used elsewhere of land. Jeshurun is a name for Israel found four times, at 32:15, 33:5, 33:26 and Isaiah 44:2. Commentators divide over whether the King of verse 5 is God or Moses.
Deuteronomy 33:3
“These words are spoken to God: the change of persons, his and thy, is most frequent in the Hebrew tongue. This clause may farther note God's kindness to Israel, in upholding them when the fiery law was delivered, which was done with so much terror that not only the people were ready to sink under it, but even Moses did exceedingly fear and quake.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament (1765)evangelical
1 more voice on this verse
Deuteronomy 33:3
“The people” are the twelve tribes, not the Gentiles; and his saints refer to God’s chosen people just before spoken of. Compare Deu 7:18, Deu 7:21; Exo 19:6; Dan 7:8-21.
Moses speaks of himself here in the third person, and the line belongs to the assembly of Jacob that received the law. John Wesley reads the law as their possession because its duty passed from parents to children in every generation. Each child of Jacob inherited it.
Deuteronomy 33:4
“Moses - He speaks this of himself in the third person, which is very usual in the Hebrew language. The law is called their inheritance, because the obligation of it was hereditary, passing from parents to their children, and because this was the best part of their inheritance, the greatest of all those gifts which God bestowed upon them.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament (1765)evangelical
The leaders and tribes gathered together point back to Sinai, where the elders received the covenant and the whole people answered as one at Exodus 19:7-8. The Berean names the LORD as that King. First Samuel 8:7 later treats Israel's demand for a human king as a rejection of this rule.
Deuteronomy 33:5
“He was king in Jeshurun - Moses was their king not in title, but in reality, being under God, their supreme governor, and law giver. Gathered together - When the princes and people met together for the management of public affairs, Moses was owned by them as their king and lawgiver.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament (1765)evangelical
Reuben, Judah, Levi, Benjamin, and Joseph
Let Reuben live, and not die: Reuben lost the birthright at Genesis 49:3-4 and is here asked survival and numbers. Simeon is the one tribe this chapter never names, and the Septuagint adds a clause for Simeon that the Hebrew lacks. Readers who look for a reason point to Genesis 49:7, where Simeon is scattered in Jacob, and to Joshua 19:1-9, where Simeon's inheritance lies inside Judah's.
Deuteronomy 33:6
Moses wished by his priestly power to absolve Reuben from his transgression and sin, in that he had lain with Bilhah, his father's concubine, so that when his brothers should rise, he might not be cut off from their number. So he said in the beginning of his blessing, "Reuben shall live and not die and shall be in the number."
Aphrahat the Persian Sage · written before 345 · DEMONSTRATION 8.8patristic
1 more voice on this verse
Deuteronomy 33:6
"Though he must not expect to flourish ( Gen. xlix. 4 ), yet let him not perish." All the Chaldee paraphrasts refer this to the other world: Let Reuben live in life eternal, and not die the second death, so Onkelos.
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
Judah gets a prayer where Genesis 49:8-12 gave a sceptre and Shiloh, and the whole of it asks for help in a fight and for the tribe to be brought home to its people. Judah marched first at Numbers 10:14 and went up first at Judges 1:2, which is the position this prayer assumes. The royal promise is left to Jacob's words to carry, and Moses adds nothing to it here.
Deuteronomy 33:7
“Hear, Lord - God will hear his prayer for the accomplishment of those great things promised to that tribe, Gen. xlix, 8-12. This implies the delays and difficulties Judah would meet with, that would drive him to his prayers, which would be with success.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament (1765)evangelical
Deuteronomy 33:8-9
Levi receives the Urim and Thummim of the breastpiece at Exodus 28:30, so the tribe's first privilege is asking God and getting an answer. Readers differ over whether the one tested at Massah and Meribah is Levi, Aaron or Moses. Verse 9 recalls the golden calf at Exodus 32:26-29, where Levi used the sword on brother and son, turning the fierceness Genesis 49:7 had cursed.
Deuteronomy 33:8
“Of Levi he said - Concerning the Urim and Thummim, see Exo 28:30 (note). Thy holy one - Aaron primarily, who was anointed the high priest of God, and whose office was the most holy that man could be invested with. Therefore Aaron was called God’s holy one, and the more especially so as he was the type of the Most Holy and blessed Jesus, from whom the Urim - all light and wisdom, and Thummim - all excellence, completion, and perfection, are derived.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
1 more voice on this verse
Deuteronomy 33:8
“Whom thou didst prove - Altho' thou didst try him, and rebuke him, yet thou didst not take away the priesthood from him. At Massah - Not at that Massah mentioned Exod. xvii, 7, which is also called Meribah, but at that other Meribah, Num. xx, 13.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament (1765)evangelical
Adam Clarke reads it first of Aaron and Levi. The same loyalty became law for the priests, since Leviticus 21:11 forbids the high priest to defile himself even for his father or mother. At Leviticus 10:6-7 Aaron and his sons were told to keep from mourning Nadab and Abihu while they served.
Deuteronomy 33:9
“The sense is, who followed God and his command fully, and executed the judgment enjoined by God without any respect of persons, Exod. xxxii, 26, 27. They kept thy covenant - When the rest broke their covenant with God by that foul sin of idolatry with the calf, that tribe kept themselves pure from that infection, and adhered to God and his worship.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament (1765)evangelical
1 more voice on this verse
Deuteronomy 33:9
“Who said unto his father, etc. - There are several difficulties in this and the following verses. Some think they are spoken of the tribe of Levi; others, of all the tribes; others, of the Messiah, etc.; but several of the interpretations founded on these suppositions are too recondite, and should not be resorted to till a plain literal sense is made out. I suppose the whole to be primarily spoken of Aaron and the tribe of Levi.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Deuteronomy 33:10-11
Teaching comes before incense and burnt offering, so the priest's first work here is instruction, as Leviticus 10:11 assigns it and Malachi 2:7 remembers it. The tribe with no territory is given an office in place of one. Verse 11 asks that “the work of his hands” be accepted and his enemies struck down, and Numbers 16 shows the danger was real.
Levi owned no fields, so its substance came from the tithes and offerings of the other tribes at Numbers 18:21-24. Adam Clarke notes that a fruitful land meant fuller tithes, so this prayer for Levi was also a prayer for every farm in Israel. The priests prospered as the people did.
Deuteronomy 33:11
“Bless, Lord, his substance - The blessing of God to the tribe of Levi was peculiarly necessary, because they had no inheritance among the children of Israel, and lived more immediately than others upon the providence of God. Yet, as they lived by the offerings of the people and the tithes, the increase of their substance necessarily implied the increase of the people at large: the more fruitful the land was, the more abundant would the tithes of the Levites be; and thus in the increased fertility of the land the substance of Levi would be blessed.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Benjamin is the only tribe called “beloved” in the chapter, and the shielding lasts “all day long”. Resting “upon His shoulders” has been read of land lying between ridges and of a child carried on the back. Readers from early times tie the verse to the sanctuary, since Joshua 18:28 lists Jerusalem among Benjamin's cities, on the border with Judah.
Deuteronomy 33:12
“Of Benjamin - the beloved of the Lord - Alluding to his being particularly beloved of his father Jacob, Gen 49:27, etc. Shall dwell in safety by him - That is, by the Lord, whose temple, which is considered as his dwelling-place, was in the tribe of Benjamin, for a part of Jerusalem belonged to this tribe.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
1 more voice on this verse
Deuteronomy 33:12
“Shall dwell in safety by him - Shall have his lot nigh to God's temple, which was both a singular comfort and safeguard to him. Shall cover - Shall protect that tribe continually while they cleave to him. He - The Lord shall dwell, that is, his temple shall be placed, between his shoulders, that is, in his portion, or between his border's as the word shoulder is often used.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament (1765)evangelical
Deuteronomy 33:13-15
Joseph's blessing runs so close to Genesis 49:25-26 that the two can be read line by line, sharing the deep waters beneath, the everlasting hills and the prince of his brothers. What Moses adds is farming: dew, the harvest of the sun, the yield of the seasons and the best of the ancient mountains. The Hebrew word behind “precious” in verse 13 falls five times in verses 13 to 16.
Deuteronomy 33:13
“Comparing the words of Moses with those of Jacob, it will be seen that the patriarch dwells with emphasis on the severe conflicts which Joseph, i. e., Ephraim and Manasseh, would undergo (compare Gen 49:23-24); while the lawgiver seems to look beyond, and to behold the two triumphant and established in their power. Deu 33:17 Rather: “The first-born of his” (i. e. Joseph’s) “bullock is his glory”: the reference being to Ephraim, who was raised by Jacob to the honors of the firstborn (Gen 48:20, and is here likened to the firstling of Joseph’s oxen, i. e., of Joseph’s offspring.”
1 more voice on this verse
Deuteronomy 33:13
"The firstling of the bullock and the horns of the unicorn" (rhinoceros), indicate glory and strength, and it is supposed that under these emblems were shadowed forth the triumphs of Joshua and the new kingdom of Jeroboam, both of whom were of Ephraim (compare Ge 48:20).
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
The word rendered seasons is the Hebrew for months or moons. Deuteronomy 4:19 had warned Israel against bowing to the sun, moon and stars that the nations around them worshipped. In this blessing sun and moon work for the LORD, ripening the crops of Joseph's land.
Deuteronomy 33:14
“By the sun - Which opens and warms the earth, cherishes and improves and in due time ripens the seeds and fruits of it. The moon - Which by its moisture refreshes and promotes them. Of the moons, or months, that is, which it bringeth forth in the several months or seasons of the year.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament (1765)evangelical
The Hebrew word rendered ancient, qedem, can also mean eastern. Adam Clarke takes the line to include the mountains of Gilead east of the Jordan, which Moses gave to Manasseh's clan of Machir at Numbers 32:39-40. He reads the everlasting hills as holding timber, springs and metals.
Deuteronomy 33:15
“The chief things of the ancient mountains - ומראש הררי קדם umerosh harerey kedem, and from the head or top of the ancient or eastern mountains, the precious things or productions being still understood. And this probably refers to the large trees, etc., growing on the mountain tops, and the springs of water issuing from them. The mountains of Gilead may be here intended, as they fell to the half tribe of Manasseh. And the precious things of the lasting hills may signify the metals and minerals which might be digged out of them.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Deuteronomy 33:16-17
God is named as “Him who dwelt in the burning bush”, a title found nowhere else in the Old Testament, and Jesus points to the same passage at Mark 12:26. The “prince of his brothers” repeats Genesis 49:26, and Joseph's separation was his sale. Verse 17 gives Ephraim myriads against Manasseh's thousands, the order Jacob set at Genesis 48:19 when he crossed his hands.
Deuteronomy 33:16
“Many a time had God appeared to Moses; but now he is just dying, he seems to have the most pleasing remembrance, of the first time that he saw the visions of the Almighty. It was here God declared himself the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and so confirmed the promise made to the father, that promise which our Lord shews, reaches as far as the resurrection and eternal life.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament (1765)evangelical
Bashan, known for its bulls at Psalm 22:12, fell to Manasseh, and John Gill ties the firstborn bull to those herds. Horns stand for strength throughout Scripture. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown see the horns that gore the nations fulfilled in Joshua and Jeroboam, both of Ephraim.
Deuteronomy 33:17
“His glory is like the firstling of his bullock,.... Such as were in Bashan, a country possessed by the posterity of Joseph, see Psa 22:12; and so might be called "his" bullock, or a young bull, was reckoned both comely and majestic; so Menis or Mnevis, king of Egypt, preferred a bull above all animals to be worshipped, because the most beautiful of all, as Aelianus (w) relates; and Astarte, according to Sanchoniatho (x), put a bull's head upon her own, as a sign of royalty or kingly power.”
Zebulun, Gad, Dan, Naphtali, and Asher
Deuteronomy 33:18-19
Two tribes share one blessing, split between going out and staying in tents, as Genesis 49:13-15 had drawn them. They call peoples to a mountain for “sacrifices of righteousness”, so their trade feeds worship. The “hidden treasures of the sand” have been read of glass, purple dye or shipping, and Matthew 4:13-16 places Jesus' first preaching in Zebulun and Naphtali.
Deuteronomy 33:18
“Rejoice, Zebulun, in thy going out - That is, Thou shalt be very prosperous in thy coasting voyages; for this tribe’s situation was favorable for traffic, having many sea-ports. See Gen 49:13 (note). And, Issachar, in thy tents - That is, as Zebulun should be prosperous in his shipping and traffic, so should Issachar be in his tents - his agriculture and pasturage.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
The word rendered peoples, ammim, is plural, and Adam Clarke takes it of Gentile nations met through trade on the coast. On that reading the sea routes of Zebulun carry outsiders toward the worship of Israel's God. Isaiah 60:5 pictures the abundance of the sea turned toward Zion.
Deuteronomy 33:19
“They shall call the people unto the mountain - By their traffic with the Gentiles (for so I think עמים ammim should be understood here) they shall be the instruments in God’s hands of converting many to the true faith; so that instead of sacrificing to idols, they should offer sacrifices of righteousness. They shall suck of the abundance of the seas - That is, grow wealthy by merchandise.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
1 more voice on this verse
Deuteronomy 33:19
“This prophecy concerning Zebulun perhaps looks as far as the preaching of Christ and his apostles, which began in the land of Zebulun ( Matt. iv. 14, 15 ); then they called the people to the mountain, that is, to the kingdom of the Messiah, which is called the mountain of the Lord's house, Isa. ii.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
Deuteronomy 33:20-21
Gad asked for land east of the Jordan at Numbers 32:1-5, and choosing “the best land for himself” is commonly read of that request. The clause about a ruler's portion is obscure in the Hebrew. What follows can be checked, since Joshua 4:12 has the eastern tribes cross armed ahead of the rest and Joshua 22 sends them home afterward.
Deuteronomy 33:20
“Blessed be he that enlargeth Gad - As deliverance out of distress is termed enlarging, (see Psa 4:1), this may refer to God’s deliverance of the tribe of Gad out of that distress mentioned Gen 49:19, and to the enlargement obtained through means of Jephthah, Jdg 11:33, and probably also to the victories obtained by Gad and Reuben over the Hagarites, 1Ch 5:18-20. He dwelleth as a lion - Probably the epithet of lion or lion-like was applied to this tribe from their fierce and warlike disposition.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Moses speaks of Gad administering the LORD's justice in the past tense, though the crossing still lay ahead. Albert Barnes reads this as Moses counting the promise of Numbers 32:17 as already kept, when Gad came with the leaders of the people. Gad had already chosen the best land for himself.
Deuteronomy 33:21
“The first fruits of the conquest made by Israel were assigned to Gad and Reuben by Moses, at their own request. Because ... seated - Render, because there was the leader’s portion reserved, i. e., there was reserved the fitting portion for Gad as a leader in war. And he came ... - i. e., he joined the other leaders to fulfill the commands of God respecting the conquest of Canaan (compare Num 32:17, Num 32:21, Num 32:32; Jos 1:14). Moses regards the promise of the Gadites to do this as already redeemed.”
Deuteronomy 33:22-23
Genesis 49:17 called Dan a serpent and this calls him “a lion’s cub”, and the two pictures stand together. Judges 18:27-29 has the tribe leave its allotment and take Laish in the far north, near the Bashan this verse names. Naphtali is to possess “the sea and the south”, and his border ran along the water at Galilee.
Deuteronomy 33:22
“Dan is a lion’s whelp: he shall leap from Bashan - The Jewish interpreters observe that Bashan was a place much frequented by lions, who issued thence into all parts to look for prey. By this probably Moses intended to point out the strength and prowess of this tribe, that it should extend its territories, and live a sort of predatory life.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
3 more voices on this verse
Deuteronomy 33:22
“Moses blessed this tribe, saying: Dan is a lion's cub that shall leap forth from Bashan (Deut. XXXII, 22), that is, from confusion. Hence, according to the Greek translation, we should understand that Dan himself became a serpent sitting on the way. Dan means judgement. And therefore, this tribe underwent a grave risk of judgement, as the serpent, Antichrist, slipped in and wounded it with his venoms.”
Ambrose of Milan · written before 397 · On the Blessings of the Patriarchs, Chapter VIIpatristic
Deuteronomy 33:22
“To the particular victories obtained by Samson (who was of this tribe) over the Philistines. The Spirit of the Lord began to move him in the camp of Dan when he was very young, as a lion's whelp, so that in his attacks upon the Philistines he surprised them, and overpowered them by main strength, as a lion does his prey; and one of his first exploits was the rending of a lion.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
Deuteronomy 33:22
“Dan is a lion's whelp--His proper settlement in the south of Canaan being too small, he by a sudden and successful irruption, established a colony in the northern extremity of the land.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Naphtali lay in the far north of the land. Albert Barnes reads sea and south as the lake and the sunny country, naming what the land was like. The tribe held nearly the whole west shore of the Sea of Galilee, the Lake of Merom and the watered country near the springs of the Jordan.
Deuteronomy 33:23
“Satisfied with favor - Compare Gen 49:21 and note. The west and the south - i. e., taking the words as referring not to geographical position but to natural characteristics, “the sea and the sunny district.” The possession of Naphtali included nearly the whole west coast of the Sea of Galilee, the Lake of Merom, the modern Bahr el Hulch, and the well watered district near the springs of Jordan. It contained some of the grandest scenery and some of the most fertile land in Palestine.”
Deuteronomy 33:24-25
Asher held olive country, and to “dip his foot in oil” pictures a press running over. Genesis 49:20 had promised him rich food, and Joshua 19:24-31 puts his land on the hills above the sea. The closing line, “may your strength match your days”, is the clause readers have carried furthest from this chapter after verse 27.
The Hebrew word behind bolts appears only here, and translators render it either as a bar on a gate or as a shoe. Barnes records that some read strength as rest. John Wesley ties the iron and bronze to mines in Asher's portion, next to Sidon.
Deuteronomy 33:25
The strength and firmness of Asher is as if he were shod with iron and brass (compare Rev 1:15). The territory of this tribe probably contained iron and copper. Compare the marginal reference. As thy days, so shall thy strength be - i. e., “thy strength” (some prefer “thy rest”) “shall be continued to thee as long as thou shalt live: thou shalt never know feebleness and decay.”
1 more voice on this verse
Deuteronomy 33:25
“Iron and brass - The mines of iron and copper, which were in their portion, whence Sidon their neighbour was famous among the Heathens for its plenty of brass, and Sarepta is thought to have its name from the brass and iron which were melted there in great quantity.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament (1765)evangelical
Underneath are the everlasting arms
Deuteronomy 33:26-27
The tribes are finished, and the last four verses turn back to God with the name Jeshurun from verse 5. God is called Israel's “dwelling place”, as in Psalm 90:1, the one psalm the titles give to Moses. The “everlasting arms” set a floor under a people about to lose their leader, and the same verse ends with an order to destroy, joining comfort and war in one sentence.
Deuteronomy 33:26
“There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun--The chapter concludes with a congratulatory address to Israel on their peculiar happiness and privilege in having Jehovah for their God and protector. who rideth upon the heaven in thy help--an evident allusion to the pillar of cloud and fire, which was both the guide and shelter of Israel.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
1 more voice on this verse
Deuteronomy 33:26
“There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun - We have already seen the literal meaning of Jeshurun, Deu 32:15; but besides its literal meaning, it seems to be used as an expression of particular affection: hence Calmet understands it as a diminutive of the word Israel. We know that τεκνοι, sons, in the mouth of St. John, signifies much less than τεκνια, which, properly translated, would be beloved children, a term which at once shows the helplessness of the offspring, and the tender affection of the parent.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Charles Spurgeon preached this passage as God surrounding His people: above them riding the heavens, around them as their dwelling, before them driving out the enemy, and beneath them with the arms. The word rendered eternal is qedem, the word used of the ancient mountains in verse 15. God is older than the hills.
Deuteronomy 33:27
GOD surrounds His children on all sides—they dwell in Him. The passage before us shows that the Lord is above, for we read, "There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rides upon the Heaven to help you, and in His excellency on the sky." Assuredly He is around them, for, "The eternal God is your refuge." And He is before them, for, "He shall thrust out the enemy from before you; and shall say, Destroy them." Here, according to the text, the Lord is also under His saints, for, "Underneath are the everlasting arms."
1 more voice on this verse
Deuteronomy 33:27
“The eternal God - He who was before all worlds, and will be, when time shall be no more: Is thy refuge - Or, thy habitation or mansion-house (so the word signifies) in whom thou art safe, and easy, and at rest, as a man is in his own house.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament (1765)evangelical
Deuteronomy 33:28-29
Balaam saw a people dwelling apart at Numbers 23:9, and here that is a blessing. The question “Who is like you” was asked of God at the sea in Exodus 15:11, and Moses' last words in the Torah ask it of the people, “a people saved by the LORD”. God is named the shield and the sword, so the strength is his and the happiness theirs.
Deuteronomy 33:28
“Israel then shall dwell - alone - This people shall not be incorporated with any other people under heaven. A prophecy which continues to be fulfilled to the very letter. Every attempt to unite them with any other people has proved absolutely ineffectual. The fountain of Jacob - His offspring, shall possess a most fertile land; such was Palestine.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
2 more voices on this verse
Deuteronomy 33:28
“Israel then shall dwell in safety alone,.... The Canaanites being thrust out of their land, and Israel put into the possession of it, should dwell in safety, or "confidently" (l); without fear of enemies, though surrounded with them on all hands; and though alone, a separate people, distinct from all others their neighbours round about them; see Num 23:9. So the spiritual Israel dwell in the eternal God, their mansion, or dwelling place; in Christ, their rock; and in a strong city, the church, where they are in the utmost safety.”
Deuteronomy 33:28
“Distinct and separated from all other nations, with whom I will not have them mingle themselves. The fountain - That is, the posterity of Jacob, which flowed from him as waters from a fountain, in great abundance. The fountain is here put for the river or streams which flow from it, as Jacob or Israel who is the fountain is often put for the children of Israel.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament (1765)evangelical
The verb rendered cower describes feigned submission, the bowing of an enemy who yields from fear. Barnes reads high places as the land's commanding heights. The same Hebrew word, bamot, later names the hill shrines where Canaanite gods were worshipped.
Deuteronomy 33:29
“Be found liars unto thee - Perhaps rather, “cringe before thee.” The verb means to show a feigned or forced obedience: see the marginal references. Tread upon their high places - i. e., occupy the commanding positions in their land, and so have it in subjection.”
How this psalm is built
The form: A tribal blessing in poetry, framed by a theophany at the opening and a hymn at the close, as Keil and Delitzsch classes it.
The patterns in this chapter
| Device | What it does | Where to see it |
|---|---|---|
| The tribes named one by one | Eleven tribes are named between verses 6 and 25, and Joseph's two sons make up the twelfth portion at verse 17. Simeon is the one tribe the chapter never names, and the text gives no reason for the silence. The Septuagint carries a clause at verse 6 asking that Simeon be many in number, which the Hebrew does not have.Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible, 1832, on Deuteronomy 33:6. | Deuteronomy 33:6, Deuteronomy 33:7, Deuteronomy 33:17, Deuteronomy 33:24, Deuteronomy 33:25 |
| Jeshurun at both ends | The name stands at verse 5 before the tribes are named and again at verse 26 after they are finished, so the blessing is framed by it. Jeshurun falls four times in Scripture, three of them in this book at 32:15, 33:5 and 33:26, and once at Isaiah 44:2. The last four verses turn back from the tribes to God, picking the name up again.Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: The Pentateuch, on Deuteronomy 33:26. | Deuteronomy 33:5, Deuteronomy 33:26 |
| From Sinai, from Seir, from mount Paran | Verse 2 opens with God coming from three directions in three matching clauses. Judges 5:4-5 and Habakkuk 3:3 draw the same three-cornered picture of the same event, so the figure was carried in Israel's poetry beyond this chapter.Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: The Pentateuch, on Deuteronomy 33:2. | Deuteronomy 33:2 |
| The precious things of Joseph | The word rendered precious falls five times across verses 13 to 16, more often than in any other tribe's blessing here. What Moses adds to Jacob's words is farming, the dew, the fruits the sun brings forth, what the moon puts forth month by month, and the chief things of the ancient mountains.Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: The Pentateuch, on Deuteronomy 33:13. | Deuteronomy 33:13, Deuteronomy 33:14, Deuteronomy 33:15, Deuteronomy 33:16 |
The tribe that is missing
11 more paragraphs on the patterns
Simeon is never named. Readers who look for a reason point to Genesis 49:7, where Simeon and Levi are to be divided in Jacob, and to Joshua 19:1-9, where Simeon's inheritance lies inside Judah's. The Septuagint supplies a clause at verse 6 asking that Simeon be many in number, and the Hebrew does not carry it.
Levi's office in place of a territory
Levi is handed the Urim and Thummim at verse 8, the means of decision carried on the high priest's breastplate at Exodus 28:30. The tribe's first named privilege is therefore asking God and getting an answer. Teaching is named at verse 10 before incense and burnt sacrifice, which is how Leviticus 10:11 assigns it and how Malachi 2:7 remembers it. The tribe with no territory of its own is given an office in place of one. Verse 9 recalls the golden calf at Exodus 32:26-29, where Levi answered Moses' call and used the sword on brother and son. Genesis 49:7 had cursed that same fierceness before it was turned to this account.
The clauses translators have never settled
Two phrases in the chapter remain open. The clause rendered a fiery law at verse 2 rests on two Hebrew words whose division translators have never agreed on. The clause about a portion of the lawgiver at verse 21 is obscure in the Hebrew and has never been settled either. Verse 12's dwelling between his shoulders has been read two ways, of land lying in a fold between ridges and of a child carried on the back.
What can be checked against the record
Several blessings can be set beside the later history. Gad asked for land east of Jordan at Numbers 32:1-5 and received it. Verse 21 says he came with the heads of the people and executed the justice of the LORD, which Joshua 4:12 gives as the eastern tribes crossing armed ahead of their brethren. Dan is called a lion's whelp that leaps from Bashan at verse 22, and Judges 18:27-29 has the tribe leaving its allotted coast and taking Laish in the far north. Asher's oil at verse 24 fits the olive country Joshua 19:24-31 gives him.
Where the New Testament touches it
God is identified at verse 16 by the burning bush of Exodus 3:2, a title that appears nowhere else in the Old Testament. Jesus points at the same passage the same way at Mark 12:26. Matthew 4:13-16 places the start of Jesus' preaching in the land of Zabulon and Nephthalim, the two tribes blessed at verses 18 and 23. The ten thousands of saints at verse 2 is the ground on which Acts 7:53, Galatians 3:19 and Hebrews 2:2 speak of the law being given by angels.
The verses readers have carried furthest
Verse 27 and the closing line of verse 25 are the two clauses most often quoted out of this chapter. The word rendered refuge at verse 27 is a word for a dwelling place, and Psalm 90:1, the one psalm the titles give to Moses, opens with the same thought. Underneath are the everlasting arms sets a floor under a people about to lose the man who has led them. The same verse ends with an order to destroy, so the comfort and the war stand together in one sentence.
Keep studying
Sources for this chapter
The summary
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory; John Calvin, Commentaries; John Wesley, Notes on the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Complete Commentary.
The form and classifications
Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament, on Deuteronomy 33:1; Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: The Pentateuch, on Deuteronomy 33 and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible, 1710, on Deuteronomy 33:7.
The exposition
Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes; Alfred Edersheim, The Temple: Its Ministry and Services; Charles Spurgeon, The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Sermon No. 1413: “Underneath” (lightly modernized text, CCEL edition); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Calvin, Commentary on the Four Last Books of Moses Arranged in the Form of a Harmony; John Gill; John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: The Pentateuch and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.