Deuteronomy 33:23
in Deuteronomy 33Concerning Naphtali he said: “Naphtali is abounding with favor, full of the blessing of the LORD; he shall take possession of the sea and the south.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And of Naphtali he said, O Naphtali, satisfied with favor, And full with the blessing of Jehovah, Possess thou the west and the south.
KJV
And of Naphtali he said, O Naphtali, satisfied with favour, and full with the blessing of the Lord: possess thou the west and the south.
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This verse in Deuteronomy 33
Commentary
6 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
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.
This site's exposition
Dan is a lion’s cub, leaping out of Bashan
on 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.
This site's exposition
possession of the sea and the south
Naphtali lay in the far north of the land. Albert Barnes reads sea and south as the lake and the sunny country. The tribe held nearly the whole west shore of the Sea of Galilee, the Lake of Merom and the watered country near the Jordan's springs.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
And of Naphtali he said,....
Be thou full with the blessing of the Lord, that is, not only with those good things that are the fruits of the blessing (corn, and wine, and oil), but with the blessing itself; that is, the grace of God, according to his promise and covenant.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
O Naphtali, satisfied with favor - Though this may refer to the very great fertility of the country that fell to this tribe, yet certainly something more is intended. Scarcely any of the tribes was more particularly favored by the wondrous mercy and kindness of God, than this and the tribe of Zebulun. The light of the glorious Gospel of Christ shone brightly here, Mat 4:13, Mat 4:15, Mat 4:16. Christ’s chief residence was at Capernaum in this tribe, Mat 9:1; Mar 2:1; and this city, through Christ’s constant residence, and the mighty miracles he wrought in it, is represented as being exalted unto heaven, Mat 11:23. And it is generally allowed that the apostles were principally of the tribe of Naphtali, who were to possess the west and the south - to dispense the Gospel through all the other tribes. The word ים yam, which we here translate west, literally signifies the sea, and probably refers to the sea of Gennesareth, which was in this tribe.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וּלְנַפְתָּלִ֣י | ulenaftali | and of Naphtali | H5321 → | 51 times |
| אָמַ֔ר | ʾamar | he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| נַפְתָּלִי֙ | naftali | Naphtali | H5321 → | 51 times |
| שְׂבַ֣ע | seva' | [is] satisfied of | H7649 → | |
| רָצ֔וֹן | ratzon | favor | H7522 → | |
| וּמָלֵ֖א | umale' | and full | H4392 → | 64 times |
| בִּרְכַּ֣ת | birkat | [the] blessing of | H1293 → | 69 times |
| יְהוָ֑ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| יָ֥ם | yam | [the] west | H3220 → | 396 times |
| וְדָר֖וֹם | vedarom | and [the] south | H1864 → | |
| יְרָֽשָׁה׃ ס | yerashah | take possession of ! | H3423 → | 231 times |
וּלְנַפְתָּלִ֣יand of Naphtali
ulenaftaliH5321 →51 times
אָמַ֔רhe said
ʾamarH559 →5305 times
נַפְתָּלִי֙Naphtali
naftaliH5321 →51 times
שְׂבַ֣ע[is] satisfied of
seva'H7649 →
רָצ֔וֹןfavor
ratzonH7522 →
וּמָלֵ֖אand full
umale'H4392 →64 times
בִּרְכַּ֣ת[the] blessing of
birkatH1293 →69 times
יְהוָ֑הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
יָ֥ם[the] west
yamH3220 →396 times
וְדָר֖וֹםand [the] south
vedaromH1864 →
יְרָֽשָׁה׃ סtake possession of !
yerashahH3423 →231 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
Matthew 4:16the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned.”
it leads to
- Isaiah 9:2
The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned.
- Isaiah 42:6–7
“I, the LORD, have called you for a righteous purpose, and I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and appoint you to be a covenant for the people and a…
- Luke 1:78–79
because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the Dawn will visit us from on high,
- Isaiah 9:2
Through
Psalms 36:8They feast on the abundance of Your house, and You give them drink from Your river of delights.
it leads to
- Psalms 16:11
You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand.
- Psalms 65:4
Blessed is the one You choose and bring near to dwell in Your courts! We are filled with the goodness of Your house, the holiness of Your temple.
- Isaiah 58:11
The LORD will always guide you; He will satisfy you in a sun-scorched land and strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.
- Jeremiah 31:12–14
They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion; they will be radiant over the bounty of the LORD—the grain, new wine, and oil, and the young of the flocks and…
- Isaiah 25:6
On this mountain the LORD of Hosts will prepare a banquet for all the peoples, a feast of aged wine, of choice meat, of finely aged wine.
- Psalms 16:11
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); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: The Pentateuch and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.