Deuteronomy 33:2
in Deuteronomy 33He said: “The LORD came from Sinai and dawned upon us from Seir; He shone forth from Mount Paran and came with myriads of holy ones, with flaming fire at His right hand.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And he said, Jehovah came from Sinai, And rose from Seir unto them; He shined forth from mount Paran, And he came from the ten thousands of holy ones: At his right hand was a fiery law for them.
KJV
And he said, The Lord came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from mount Paran, and he came with ten thousands of saints: from his right hand went a fiery law for them.
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This verse in Deuteronomy 33
Commentary
11 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
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).
This site's exposition
This is the blessing that Moses the man of God pronounced upon the Israelites
on 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.
This site's exposition
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.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
Hippolytus, the expositor of the Targum, has said that Moses, when he had finished this prophecy, also pronounced a blessing upon all the children of Israel, by their several tribes, and prayed for them. Then God charged Moses, saying to him, Go up to Mount Nebo, which indeed is known by the name of the mount of the Hebrews, which is in the land of Moab over against Jericho. And He said to him: View the land of Chanaan, which I am to give to the children of Israel for an inheritance. Thou, however, shalt never enter it; wherefore view it well from afar off. When Moses therefore viewed it, he saw that land,-a land green, and abounding with all plenty and fertility, planted thickly with trees; and Moses was greatly moved, and wept. And when Moses descended from Mount Nebo, he called for Joshua the son of Nun, and said to him before the children of Israel: Prevail, and be strong; for thou art to bring the children of Israel into the land which God promised to fathers that He would give their them for an inheritance. Fear not, therefore, the people, neither be afraid of the nations: for God will be with thee. And Moses wrote that Senna, and gave it to the priests the sons of Levi, and commanded them, saying: For seven years keep this Senna hid, and show it not within the entire course of seven years. ("And then") in the feast of tabernacles, the priests the sons of Levi will read this law before the children of Israel, that the whole people, men and women alike, may observe the words of God: Command them to keep the word of God, which is in that law. And whosoever shall violate one of its precepts, let him be accursed. Accordingly, when Moses had finished the writing of the law, he gave it to Joshua the son of Nun, and enjoined him to give it to the sons of Levi, the priests. […]
The Medieval Church2 voices
A commentator
PateriusEXPOSITION OF THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENT, DEUTERONOMY 26 · Written before 606.
proposed
What does God's left hand mean, except the reprobate, who are to be placed at God's left hand? The elect are called God's right hand. For at God's right hand there is a fiery law, because by no means do the elect hear the heavenly …
Hence it is well said through Moses: "In His right hand was a fiery law." For the reprobate, who are also to be placed on the left, are indeed the left hand; but the elect are called the right hand of God. Therefore in God's right hand is the fiery law, because the elect by no means hear heavenly commandments with a cold heart, but are set ablaze toward them with the torches of inward love. The word is brought to the ear, and their mind, angry at itself, is consumed by the flame of inward sweetness.
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
), that is, in favour to them. Note, The law of God written in the heart is a certain evidence of the love of God shed abroad there: we must reckon God's law one of the gifts of his grace. Yea, he embraced the people, or laid them in his bosom; so the word signifies, which denotes not only the dearest love, but the most tender and careful protection.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
The Lord came - Namely, to the Israelites, manifested himself graciously and gloriously among them. From Sinai - Beginning at Sinai, where the first appearance of God was, and so going on with them to Seir and Paran.
3 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
And he said,....
His appearance was glorious: he shone forth like the sun when he goes forth in his strength. Even Seir and Paran, two mountains at some distance, were illuminated by the divine glory which appeared on Mount Sinai, and reflected some of the rays of it, so bright was the appearance, and so much taken notice of by the adjacent countries.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
In these descriptions of a theophania, God is represented as coming from the south, and the allusion is in general to the thunderings and lightnings of Sinai; but other mountains in the same direction are mentioned with it.
The words behind it
16 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּאמַ֗ר | vaiyomar | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| יְהוָ֞ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| מִסִּינַ֥י | misinai | from Sinai | H5514 → | |
| בָּא֙ | ba' | he came | H935 → | 2568 times |
| וְזָרַ֤ח | vezarach | and he dawned | H2224 → | |
| מִשֵּׂעִיר֙ | miseir | from Seir | H8165 → | 39 times |
| לָ֔מוֹ | lamo | to <the> them | ||
| הוֹפִ֙יעַ֙ | hofia' | he shone forth | H3313 → | |
| מֵהַ֣ר | mehar | from [the] mountain of | H2022 → | 546 times |
| פָּארָ֔ן | paran | Paran | H6290 → | |
| וְאָתָ֖ה | veatah | and he came | H857 → | |
| מֵרִבְבֹ֣ת | merivot | from ten thousands of | H7233 → | 16 times |
| קֹ֑דֶשׁ | kodesh | holy one[s] | H6944 → | 469 times |
| מִֽימִינ֕וֹ | mimino | from right [hand] his | H3225 → | 140 times |
| אֵ֥שׁדָּ֖ת | ʾeshedat | fire of law | H784 →H1881 → | 378 times |
| לָֽמוֹ׃ | lamo | for <the> them |
וַיֹּאמַ֗רand he said
vaiyomarH559 →5305 times
יְהוָ֞הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
מִסִּינַ֥יfrom Sinai
misinaiH5514 →
בָּא֙he came
ba'H935 →2568 times
וְזָרַ֤חand he dawned
vezarachH2224 →
מִשֵּׂעִיר֙from Seir
miseirH8165 →39 times
לָ֔מוֹto <the> them
lamo
הוֹפִ֙יעַ֙he shone forth
hofia'H3313 →
מֵהַ֣רfrom [the] mountain of
meharH2022 →546 times
פָּארָ֔ןParan
paranH6290 →
וְאָתָ֖הand he came
veatahH857 →
מֵרִבְבֹ֣תfrom ten thousands of
merivotH7233 →16 times
קֹ֑דֶשׁholy one[s]
kodeshH6944 →469 times
מִֽימִינ֕וֹfrom right [hand] his
miminoH3225 →140 times
אֵ֥שׁדָּ֖תfire of law
לָֽמוֹ׃for <the> them
lamo
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
Revelation 5:11Then I looked, and I heard the voices of many angels and living creatures and elders encircling the throne, and their number was myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands.
it leads to
- Daniel 7:10
A river of fire was flowing, coming out from His presence. Thousands upon thousands attended Him, and myriads upon myriads stood before Him. The court was convened, and the books were opened.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Daniel 7:10
Through
Jude 1:14Enoch, the seventh from Adam, also prophesied about them: “Behold, the Lord is coming with myriads of His holy ones
it leads to
- Psalms 50:3–5
Our God approaches and will not be silent! Consuming fire precedes Him, and a tempest rages around Him.
- 2 Thessalonians 1:7–8
and to grant relief to you who are oppressed and to us as well. This will take place when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels
- Hebrews 11:5–6
By faith Enoch was taken up so that he did not see death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one…
- 1 Thessalonians 3:13
so that He may establish your hearts in blamelessness and holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints. Amen.
- Matthew 16:27
For the Son of Man will come in His Father’s glory with His angels, and then He will repay each one according to what he has done.
- Psalms 50:3–5
Through
Acts 7:53you who received the law ordained by angels, yet have not kept it.”
it leads to
- Hebrews 2:2
For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every transgression and disobedience received its just punishment,
- Galatians 3:19
Why then was the law given? It was added because of transgressions, until the arrival of the seed to whom the promise referred. It was administered through angels by a mediator.
- Hebrews 2:2
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Deuteronomy
This page draws on 10 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Gregory the Dialogist, Forty Gospel Homilies, Homily 30; Hippolytus of Rome, Hippolytus Exegetical Fragments; 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; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Paterius, EXPOSITION OF THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENT, DEUTERONOMY 26.