Deuteronomy 33:15
in Deuteronomy 33with the best of the ancient mountains and the bounty of the everlasting hills,
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And for the chief things of the ancient mountains, And for the precious things of the everlasting hills,
KJV
And for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills,
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This verse in Deuteronomy 33
Commentary
7 notes on this verseThe 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.
This site's exposition
Blessed of the Lord be his land
on Deuteronomy 33:13-15
Joseph's blessing runs so close to Genesis 49:25-26 that the two can be laid side by side line for line, with the deep that coucheth beneath, the everlasting hills and the head of him separated from his brethren all held in common. What Moses adds is farming: dew, the fruits the sun brings forth, what the moon puts forth month by month, and the chief things of the ancient mountains. The word rendered precious falls five times across verses 13 to 16, more often than in any other tribe's blessing here.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
He prays, [1.] For seasonable rains and dews, the precious things of heaven; and so precious they are, though but pure water, that without them the fruits of the earth would all fail and be cut off. [2.] For plentiful springs, which help to make the earth fruitful, called here the deep that coucheth beneath; both are the rivers of God ( Ps. lxv.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
They are called ancient mountains, not because prior in time to other mountains, but because , like the first-born, they were superior in worth and excellency; and lasting hills, not only because as other mountains they were immovable ( Hab. iii.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
The chief things - That is, the excellent fruits, as grapes, olives, figs, &c. which delight in mountains, growing upon, or the precious minerals contained in, their mountains and hills called ancient and lasting, that is, such as have been from the beginning of the world, and are likely to continue to the end of it, in opposition to those hills or mounts which have been cast up by man.
And for the chief things of the ancient mountains,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
"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).
The words behind it
6 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וּמֵרֹ֖אשׁ | umerosh | and from [the] top of | H7218 → | 599 times |
| הַרְרֵי־ | harei- | [the] mountains of | H2042 → | |
| קֶ֑דֶם | kedem | ancient time | H6924 → | |
| וּמִמֶּ֖גֶד | umimeged | and from [the] excellent gift of | H4022 → | 8 times |
| גִּבְע֥וֹת | givot | [the] hills of | H1389 → | |
| עוֹלָֽם׃ | olam | antiquity | H5769 → | 438 times |
וּמֵרֹ֖אשׁand from [the] top of
umeroshH7218 →599 times
הַרְרֵי־[the] mountains of
harei-H2042 →
קֶ֑דֶםancient time
kedemH6924 →
וּמִמֶּ֖גֶדand from [the] excellent gift of
umimegedH4022 →8 times
גִּבְע֥וֹת[the] hills of
givotH1389 →
עוֹלָֽם׃antiquity
olamH5769 →438 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
James 5:7Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer awaits the precious fruit of the soil—how patient he is for the fall and spring rains.
it leads to
- Hebrews 12:1–3
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off every encumbrance and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with endurance the race set…
- James 5:8–9
You, too, be patient and strengthen your hearts, because the Lord’s coming is near.
- Joel 2:23
Be glad, O children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God, for He has given you the autumn rains for your vindication. He sends you showers, both autumn and spring rains, as…
- Galatians 6:9
Let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
- Deuteronomy 11:14
then I will provide rain for your land in season, the autumn and spring rains, that you may gather your grain, new wine, and oil.
- Hebrews 12:1–3
Through
Genesis 49:26The blessings of your father have surpassed the blessings of the ancient mountains and the bounty of the everlasting hills. May they rest on the head of Joseph, on the brow of the prince…
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 33:15–16
with the best of the ancient mountains and the bounty of the everlasting hills,
- Deuteronomy 33:15–16
Through
Habakkuk 3:6He stood and measured the earth; He looked and startled the nations; the ancient mountains crumbled; the perpetual hills collapsed. His ways are everlasting.
it leads to
- Genesis 49:26
The blessings of your father have surpassed the blessings of the ancient mountains and the bounty of the everlasting hills. May they rest on the head of Joseph, on the brow of the prince…
- Nahum 1:5
The mountains quake before Him, and the hills melt away; the earth trembles at His presence—the world and all its dwellers.
- Genesis 49:26
About Deuteronomy
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); 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.