Deuteronomy 33:18
in Deuteronomy 33Concerning Zebulun he said: “Rejoice, Zebulun, in your journeys, and Issachar, in your tents.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And of Zebulun he said, Rejoice, Zebulun, in thy going out; And, Issachar, in thy tents.
KJV
And of Zebulun he said, Rejoice, Zebulun, in thy going out; and, Issachar, in thy tents.
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This verse in Deuteronomy 33
Commentary
6 notes on this verseRejoice, 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.
This site's exposition
Rejoice, Zebulun, in your journeys
on 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.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
To war, as this phrase is often used. To sea, in way of traffick, because their portion lay near the sea. And in both respects his course is opposite to that of Issachar, who was a lover of peace and pasturage.
And of Zebulun he said,....
And Issachar must rejoice in his tents, that is, in his business at home, his husbandry, to which the men of that tribe generally confined themselves, because they saw that rest was good, and when the sea was rough the land was pleasant, Gen. xlix.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Zebulun possessed a commodious sea-shore and the fisheries of the Lake of Tiberias: and was therefore to thrive by commerce, and to rejoice in his “going out,” i. e., in his mercantile enterprises. Issachar possessed a fertile inland district, and would therefore dwell at home and prosper in agriculture. Both tribes distinguished themselves in the contest with Jabin (compare Jdg 5:14-15, Jdg 5:18): and of Zebulun it is particularly noted that it produced the officers and tacticians who led and marshalled the host which vanquished Sisera (see Jdg 5:14, and compare 1Ch 12:33). Deu 33:19 Unto the mountain - Compare Exo 15:17. Sacrifices of righteousness - Sacrifices offered in a righteous spirit, and therefore well pleasing to God (compare Psa 4:5; Psa 51:19). Treasures hid in the sand - The riches of the seas in general. However, it is noteworthy that the sand of these coasts was especially valuable in the manufacture of glass; and glass was a precious thing in ancient times (compare Job 28:17). The murex from which the highly-prized purple dye was extracted, was also found here. A typical reference to the conversion of the Gentiles is strongly suggested by Isa 60:5-6, Isa 60:16; Isa 66:11-12.
The words behind it
7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְלִזְבוּלֻ֣ן | velizvulun | and of Zebulun | H2074 → | 45 times |
| אָמַ֔ר | ʾamar | he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| שְׂמַ֥ח | semach | rejoice | H8055 → | 155 times |
| זְבוּלֻ֖ן | zevulun | O Zebulun | H2074 → | 45 times |
| בְּצֵאתֶ֑ךָ | betzetekha | when going out you | H3318 → | 1067 times |
| וְיִשָּׂשכָ֖ר | veyisoshkhar | and Issachar | H3485 → | |
| בְּאֹהָלֶֽיךָ׃ | beohaleikha | in tents your | H168 → | 345 times |
וְלִזְבוּלֻ֣ןand of Zebulun
velizvulunH2074 →45 times
אָמַ֔רhe said
ʾamarH559 →5305 times
שְׂמַ֥חrejoice
semachH8055 →155 times
זְבוּלֻ֖ןO Zebulun
zevulunH2074 →45 times
בְּצֵאתֶ֑ךָwhen going out you
betzetekhaH3318 →1067 times
וְיִשָּׂשכָ֖רand Issachar
veyisoshkharH3485 →
בְּאֹהָלֶֽיךָ׃in tents your
beohaleikhaH168 →345 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
Joshua 19:11The border of their inheritance stretched as far as Sarid. It went up westward to Maralah, reached Dabbesheth, and met the brook east of Jokneam.
it leads to
- Joshua 12:22
the king of Kedesh, one; the king of Jokneam in Carmel, one;
- 1 Chronicles 6:68
Jokmeam, Beth-horon,
- 1 Kings 4:12
Baana son of Ahilud in Taanach, in Megiddo, and in all of Beth-shean next to Zarethan below Jezreel, from Beth-shean to Abel-meholah and on past Jokmeam;
- Joshua 12:22
Through
Judges 5:14Some came from Ephraim, with their roots in Amalek; Benjamin came with your people after you. The commanders came down from Machir, the bearers of the marshal’s staff from Zebulun.
it leads to
- Judges 3:13
After enlisting the Ammonites and Amalekites to join forces with him, Eglon attacked and defeated Israel, taking possession of the City of Palms.
- Numbers 32:39–40
The descendants of Machir son of Manasseh went to Gilead, captured it, and drove out the Amorites who were there.
- Judges 12:15
Then Abdon son of Hillel, from Pirathon, died, and he was buried at Pirathon in Ephraim, in the hill country of the Amalekites.
- Judges 3:27
On arriving in Seirah, he blew the ram’s horn throughout the hill country of Ephraim. The Israelites came down with him from the hills, and he became their leader.
- Judges 4:14
Then Deborah said to Barak, “Arise, for this is the day that the LORD has delivered Sisera into your hand. Has not the LORD gone before you?” So Barak came down from Mount Tabor…
- Judges 3:13
Where this verse is studied
About Deuteronomy
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.