Deuteronomy 33:13
in Deuteronomy 33Concerning Joseph he said: “May his land be blessed by the LORD with the precious dew from heaven above and the deep waters that lie beneath,
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And of Joseph he said, Blessed of Jehovah be his land, For the precious things of heaven, for the dew, And for the deep that coucheth beneath,
KJV
And of Joseph he said, Blessed of the Lord be his land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth beneath,
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This verse in Deuteronomy 33
Commentary
8 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
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.
This site's exposition
May his land be blessed by the LORD
on Deuteronomy 33:13-15
Joseph's blessing runs so close to Genesis 49:25-26 that the two can be read line by line. What Moses adds is farming: dew, the harvest of the sun, the yield of the seasons and the best of the ancient mountains.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church1 voice
A commentator
BonaventureCollations on the Hexaemeron, Collation 18 · Written in the 13th century.
proposed
Now, there arises from these twelve enlightenments a threefold fruit. From the first four comes forth the fruit of grace, from the intermediate four, the fruit of righteousness, from the last four, the fruit of wisdom. These fruits are referred to in Deuteronomy: "To Joseph …
The Puritans and the Awakening3 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
In Jacob's blessing that of Joseph's is the largest. His land - His portion shall be endowed with choice blessings from God. Of heaven - That is, the precious fruits of the earth brought forth by the influences of heaven, the warmth of the sun, and the rain which God will send from heaven.
And of Joseph he said,....
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).
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
Blessed - be his land - The whole of this passage certainly relates to the peculiar fertility of the soil in the portion that fell to this tribe which, the Jews say, yielded a greater abundance of all good things than any other part of the promised land. The precious things of heaven - The peculiar mildness and salubrity of its atmosphere. For the dew - A plentiful supply of which was a great blessing in the dry soil of a hot climate. The deep that coucheth beneath - Probably referring to the plentiful supply of water which should be found in digging wells: hence the Septuagint have αβυσσων πηγων, fountains of the deeps. Some suppose there has been a slight change made in the word מטל mittal, for the dew, which was probably at first מעל meal, From Above, and then the passage would read thus: For the precious things of heaven From Above, and for the deep that coucheth Beneath. This reading is confirmed by several of Kennicott’s and De Rossi’s MSS. The Syriac and Chaldee have both readings: The dew of heaven from above.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
“ Meged is an expression for dainty food and sweets. ‘UMIMEGED’ OF THE FRUITS OF THE SUN — for Joseph’s land was exposed to the sun and it sweetened the fruit. ‘GERESH YERACHIM’ (THE YIELD OF THE MOONS).
1 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
He called Benjamin the beloved of the Eternal, saying: “Benjamin, who is the beloved of G-d, will dwell in his land in safety relying on G-d and G-d will shelter him always and cause His Divine Presence to rest in his land.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 5 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וּלְיוֹסֵ֣ף | uleyosef | and of Joseph | H3130 → | 213 times |
| אָמַ֔ר | ʾamar | he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| מְבֹרֶ֥כֶת | mevorekhet | [be] blessed of | H1288 → | 330 times |
| יְהֹוָ֖ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| אַרְצ֑וֹ | ʾartzo | land his | H776 → | 2504 times |
| מִמֶּ֤גֶד | mimeged | from [the] excellent gift of | H4022 → | 8 times |
| שָׁמַ֙יִם֙ | shamayim | heaven | H8064 → | 421 times |
| מִטָּ֔ל | mital | from [the] dew | H2919 → | 31 times |
| וּמִתְּה֖וֹם | umitehom | and from [the] deep | H8415 → | |
| רֹבֶ֥צֶת | rovetzet | [which] lies | H7257 → | 30 times |
| תָּֽחַת׃ | tachat | beneath | H8478 → | 505 times |
וּלְיוֹסֵ֣ףand of Joseph
uleyosefH3130 →213 times
אָמַ֔רhe said
ʾamarH559 →5305 times
מְבֹרֶ֥כֶת[be] blessed of
mevorekhetH1288 →330 times
יְהֹוָ֖הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
אַרְצ֑וֹland his
ʾartzoH776 →2504 times
מִמֶּ֤גֶדfrom [the] excellent gift of
mimegedH4022 →8 times
שָׁמַ֙יִם֙heaven
shamayimH8064 →421 times
מִטָּ֔לfrom [the] dew
mitalH2919 →31 times
וּמִתְּה֖וֹםand from [the] deep
umitehomH8415 →
רֹבֶ֥צֶת[which] lies
rovetzetH7257 →30 times
תָּֽחַת׃beneath
tachatH8478 →505 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
Proverbs 19:12A king’s rage is like the roar of a lion, but his favor is like dew on the grass.
it leads to
- Hosea 14:5
I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like the lily and take root like the cedars of Lebanon.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Proverbs 20:2
The terror of a king is like the roar of a lion; whoever provokes him forfeits his own life.
- Hosea 14:5
Through
Isaiah 18:4For this is what the LORD has told me: “I will quietly look on from My dwelling place, like shimmering heat in the sunshine, like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.”
it leads to
- Hosea 5:15
Then I will return to My place until they admit their guilt and seek My face; in their affliction they will earnestly seek Me.”
- Isaiah 26:21
For behold, the LORD is coming out of His dwelling to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity. The earth will reveal her bloodshed and will no longer conceal her slain.
- Hosea 5:15
Through
Micah 5:7Then the remnant of Jacob will be in the midst of many peoples like dew from the LORD, like showers on the grass, which do not wait for man or linger for mankind.
it leads to
- Psalms 72:6
May he be like rain that falls on freshly cut grass, like spring showers that water the earth.
- Micah 5:3
Therefore Israel will be abandoned until she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of His brothers will return to the children of Israel.
- Isaiah 44:3
For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and currents on the dry ground. I will pour out My Spirit on your descendants, and My blessing on your offspring.
- Psalms 72:6
Through
Proverbs 3:20By His knowledge the watery depths were broken open, and the clouds dripped with dew.
it leads to
- Genesis 7:11
In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, on the seventeenth day of the second month, all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened.
- Genesis 7:11
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Deuteronomy
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Bonaventure, Collations on the Hexaemeron, Collation 18; 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.