Joshua 3, Step into the River

Joshua is ready to enter the region around Jericho. But there are some preparations required....

Joshua 3:1-4, Follow the ark

Early in the morning Joshua and all the Israelites set out from Shittim and went to the Jordan, where they camped before crossing over.

    

After three days the officers went throughout the camp, giving orders to the people: "When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests, who are Levites, carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it. Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before. But keep a distance of about a thousand yards between you and the ark; do not go near it."

The Israelites are to follow the ark but to keep well away from it!  (There is no explanation for how the priests got these instructions.)

In verse 4 "about a thousand yards" is the translation for the Hebrew phrase literally "two thousand cubits."

Joshua 3:5-8, Consecrate yourselves

Joshua told the people, "Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do amazing things among you."

    

Joshua said to the priests, "Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on ahead of the people." So they took it up and went ahead of them.

    

And the LORD said to Joshua, "Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses. Tell the priests who carry the ark of the covenant: `When you reach the edge of the Jordan's waters, go and stand in the river.'"

It is clear that the people are to expect God to work.  Their instructions are to simply follow Him.

Jericho was just west of the Jordan River; the Israelites are currently on the east side, outside Canaan.

Joshua 3:9-13, Waters will be cut off

Joshua said to the Israelites, "Come here and listen to the words of the LORD your God. This is how you will know that the living God is among you and that he will certainly drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites. See, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth will go into the Jordan ahead of you.

    

"Now then, choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the LORD--the Lord of all the earth--set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap."

Joshua explains the miracle that is about to occur. (The numbers seven and twelve show up again in this passage.  The occurrence of twelve is obvious but do you see the appearance of seven?)

In verse 13, YHWH is described as the Lord of all the earth. He is not a regional God but Creator of the earth (universe) and thus has the power to change nature.

Joshua 3:14-17, The Jordan River stops flowing

So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water's edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho.

    

The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.

The Salt Sea in verse 16 is the Dead Sea.

The Jordan stops flowing just as those carrying the ark touch the water's edge.The ark plays a critical part throughout this story.

One can come up with a variety of "natural" explanations for this dry land crossing, just as one might for the Israelites crossing the Sea of Reeds in Exodus. Here people have suggested a large earthquake damming the river. The area does have earthquakes and this might also explain the walls of Jericho collapsing in chapter 6. But those of us who believe God acts through natural laws should not be surprised by this. 

Hubbard points out that the dry land crossings of Exodus and Joshua are bookends to the desert wanderings of the Jews. The forty years of wanderings began with YHWH's prophet Moses dividing the Sea of Reeds and ended with YHWH's prophet Joshua dividing the Jordan.

Some random thoughts

It is possible that there have been some places in my life in which I needed to "step into the river" before I began to see the miraculous dry land.

First published May 29, 2023; updated May 28, 2026

Joshua 2, Rahab and the Spies

The nation of Israel has been told to enter and conquer Canaan. Their new leader is Joshua.

Joshua 2:1, Joshua sends two spies

Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim. "Go, look over the land," he said, "especially Jericho." So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there.

Joshua sends two men into check out the surroundings of the town of Jericho.  This would presumably be a wise course of action -- although it backfired in Exodus when Joshua himself was one of twelve spies sent into the land.

The Hebrew word shittim (שִׁטִּים) apparently translates as acacia trees (see here.) There was a region of acacia trees northeast of the Dead Sea and so this valley was home for the Israelites for a time.

The Hebrew word describing Rahab is zanah (זָנָה.) Some have attempted to translated this word as "innkeeper"  -- Madvig says that first century historian Josephus did this -- but the Hebrew word is used throughout the Old Testament to mean prostitute (see Leviticus 19:29 for an example.) There is no reason to sanitize the Old Testament events -- here we have a pagan prostitute who will play an essential role in the kingdom of YHWH.

Joshua 2:2-7, Spies are chased

The king of Jericho was told, "Look! Some of the Israelites have come here tonight to spy out the land." So the king of Jericho sent this message to Rahab: "Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house, because they have come to spy out the whole land."
    

But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. She said, "Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they had come from. At dusk, when it was time to close the city gate, the men left. I don't know which way they went. Go after them quickly. You may catch up with them." (But she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them under the stalks of flax she had laid out on the roof.)
    

So the men set out in pursuit of the spies on the road that leads to the fords of the Jordan, and as soon as the pursuers had gone out, the gate was shut.

The "king" of the town is alerted to the spying. Rahab hides the men and then lies to the king about them.  We are not given (yet) a motive for her deceit. Rahab's lie is shrewd -- if the men have just left, the searchers need to hurry after them and thus leave her alone -- so that she can find another way for the spies to leave.

Joshua 2:8-13, Rahab's commitment

Before the spies lay down for the night, she went up on the roof and said to them, "I know that the LORD has given this land to you and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. We have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. When we heard of it, our hearts melted and everyone's courage failed because of you, for the LORD your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.

"Now then, please swear to me by the LORD that you will show kindness to my family, because I have shown kindness to you. Give me a sure sign that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and that you will save us from death."

This is the reason for Rahab's actions -- she has heard about this God of the Israelites, from His work in Egypt and afterwards. (The defeat of Sihon and Og is described in Numbers 21:21-26.)

The fact that the people of Jericho are frightened, based on YHWH's past action, must surely be encouraging to the spies and, eventually, to Israel.  A similar experience occurs to Gideon in Judges 7:13-15, as he prepares to attack a Midianite camp.

(NIV footnotes: In verse 10, the Hebrew term, "completely destroyed", refers to "devoting possessions to God"; this could be done by destroying these objects. This vague term "completely destroyed" will occur throughout the NIV translation of the book of Joshua, always with a footnote that is could have different meanings.)

Joshua 2:14-16, Gratitude

"Our lives for your lives!" the men assured her. "If you don't tell what we are doing, we will treat you kindly and faithfully when the LORD gives us the land." So she let them down by a rope through the window, for the house she lived in was part of the city wall.

    

Now she had said to them, "Go to the hills so the pursuers will not find you. Hide yourselves there three days until they return, and then go on your way."

The spies are grateful and promise to remember Rahab. She gives them instructions on getting away, apparently sending them west, away from the Jordan for a time. The term "three days", which also occurred in Joshua 1:11, is a common expression for an undetermined length of time (say commentators Hubbard, Madvig)  I suspect this is similar to the use, in my language, of "couple" (as in "a couple of days") to often mean something other than "two".

Joshua 2:17-21, A scarlet cord

The men said to her, "This oath you made us swear will not be binding on us unless, when we enter the land, you have tied this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and unless you have brought your father and mother, your brothers and all your family into your house.

    

"If anyone goes outside your house into the street, his blood will be on his own head; we will not be responsible. As for anyone who is in the house with you, his blood will be on our head if a hand is laid on him.  But if you tell what we are doing, we will be released from the oath you made us swear."            

"Agreed," she replied. "Let it be as you say." So she sent them away and they departed. And she tied the scarlet cord in the window.

The instructions to Rahab sound eerily like the Passover instructions to the people of Israel in the Exodus.  Death is coming and only in this house (with the blood red cord) will one be protected. We are given no clue as to why the spies think they can make this agreement.

Hubbard points out a subtle play on words here -- the Hebrew word translated "cord" is tikvat (תִּקְוַ֡ת) in which the woman places her "hope", tikvah (תִּקְוָה.)

Joshua 2:22-24, Report

When they left, they went into the hills and stayed there three days, until the pursuers had searched all along the road and returned without finding them.

    

Then the two men started back. They went down out of the hills, forded the river and came to Joshua son of Nun and told him everything that had happened to them. They said to Joshua, "The LORD has surely given the whole land into our hands; all the people are melting in fear because of us."

The spies return and report on their success. The spies, partly motivated by their conversation with Rahab, are enthusiastic about the upcoming conquest. This report is much better than the report given forty years before!

Some Random Thoughts

I find it eerie (and rather beautiful) that Rahab bases her hope on a scarlet hope (cord) hung over her door just as the Israelites forty years before placed their hope on scarlet blood painted over their doors. The emphasis on the unique value of a scarlet blood sacrifice persists throughout the Old Testament.

First published May 27, 2023; updated May 27, 2026

Joshua 1, Be Strong and Courageous!

Moses has died and the nation of Israel is now camped east of the Jordan, ready to go west into Canaan.

Joshua 1:1-4, Go possess the land

After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses' aide: "Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them--to the Israelites. I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates--all the Hittite country--to the Great Sea on the west.

Joshua, the "aide" of Moses (mentioned previously in Exodus, Numbers and Deuteronomy) is given instructions to finally enter the land west of the Jordan River. The Israelites are promised a large swath of land, from the Euphrates to the Mediterranean, land promised to Abraham's descendants in Genesis 17.  (This passage repeats the promise from Deuteronomy 11:24. Today the region described includes parts of Iraq, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and modern Israel.) 
The Septuagint (see here) renders Joshua's name as Ἰησοῦς, that is, Yeshua, the name of the future Messiah (Jesus.)

Joshua 1:5-8, Be strong and very courageous!

No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.

    

"Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 

Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

Twice these instructions include the command to "be courageous". Courage includes obedience to "this Book of the Law". The Book of the Law is presumably the Torah (five previous books of the Bible) or at least the instructions given to Moses throughout the Torah. The creation of this great nation depends on its faithfulness to YHWH as demonstrated in its obedience to the Torah. 

Joshua and the people are instructed to meditate on the Law daily. After reading some of the details of the Law in Leviticus, it is clear that in order to follow the regulations and sacrifices, one has to keep reviewing them and thinking about their implications.

Joshua is taking over the mantle of Moses. We will see, throughout this book, clear parallels between the calling of Moses and the calling of Joshua.

Joshua 1:9,  Be courageous, not terrified!

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

This is the theme of the book. For a third time we hear, "Be strong and courageous." As before, the command includes a promise, "YHWH will be with you wherever you go."

Joshua 1:10-15, Orders to the people

So Joshua ordered the officers of the people: Go through the camp and tell the people, `Get your supplies ready. Three days from now you will cross the Jordan here to go in and take possession of the land the LORD your God is giving you for your own.'"

    

But to the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh, Joshua said, "Remember the command that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you: `The LORD your God is giving you rest and has granted you this land.' Your wives, your children and your livestock may stay in the land that Moses gave you east of the Jordan, but all your fighting men, fully armed, must cross over ahead of your brothers. You are to help your brothers until the LORD gives them rest, as he has done for you, and until they too have taken possession of the land that the LORD your God is giving them. After that, you may go back and occupy your own land, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you east of the Jordan toward the sunrise."

Joshua gathers the people and they prepare for battle. (The "officers" are most likely tribal elders, says Robert L. Hubbard.)  

The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh, already possessing the east bank of the Jordan, are reminded that they too are committed to helping conquer the lands west of the Jordan. The people of Israel are to act as one united nation.

Joshua 1:16-18, The people say, "Yes!"

Then they answered Joshua, "Whatever you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. Just as we fully obeyed Moses, so we will obey you. Only may the LORD your God be with you as he was with Moses.

    

Whoever rebels against your word and does not obey your words, whatever you may command them, will be put to death. Only be strong and courageous!"

The people enthusiastically confirm that Joshua is replacing Moses and promise to follow Joshua just as they followed Moses. The people acknowledge that treason in this endeavor is to be met by death.

Once again, for the fourth time in the chapter, we hear the rallying cry, "Be strong and courageous!"

This enthusiastic, positive response is relatively easy; it is the future action that will be challenging!  How this response plays out will be the story of the book of Joshua.

First published May 26, 2023; updated May 26, 2026

Deuteronomy 34, Death of Moses

Moses has given his final messages to Israel, sung a worship song and then blessed the tribes.

Deuteronomy 34:1-4, Looking out from Mount Nebo

Then Moses climbed Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab to the top of Pisgah, across from Jericho. There the LORD showed him the whole land--from Gilead to Dan, all of Naphtali, the territory of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the western sea, the Negev and the whole region from the Valley of Jericho, the City of Palms, as far as Zoar.

Then the LORD said to him, "This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when I said, `I will give it to your descendants.' I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over into it."

Moses, from Mount Nebo, can see the eastern, transjordan region before him, and then west, almost to the Mediterranean Sea.  This is the future land of Israel. 

Pisgah may be an alternate name for Nebo or might be the name of a series of peaks of which Nebo is one.

Deuteronomy 34:5-7, Death of Moses

And Moses the servant of the LORD died there in Moab, as the LORD had said. He buried him in Moab, in the valley opposite Beth Peor, but to this day no one knows where his grave is.

Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were not weak nor his strength gone.

Moses dies on the mountain, his final resting place unknown. (NIV footnotes: In verse 5, the Hebrew could mean that Moses was buried, without naming who buried him.)

Deuteronomy 34:8-12, Epitaph

The Israelites grieved for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days, until the time of weeping and mourning was over.

Now Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him. So the Israelites listened to him and did what the LORD had commanded Moses.  

Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, who did all those miraculous signs and wonders the LORD sent him to do in Egypt--to Pharaoh and to all his officials and to his whole land. For no one has ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.

The people grieve over Moses, as is expected. The mantle of leadership passes on to Joshua, but the final sentences of this book, the final sentences of the Torah, state that no one like Moses had risen in Israel after that, and that Moses miraculously knew YHWH "face to face."

First published May 25, 2023; updated May 25, 2026

Conquest, An Introduction to Joshua

Later this week we finish the book of Deuteronomy. The book of Deuteronomy prepares us -- and the nation of Israel -- for the entrance into Canaan and the conquest of the Promised Land. We return then to a history, with a progression of the timeline of the Old Testament.

The book of Joshua makes it clear that the mantle of the prophet Moses, as leader of the nation and spokesperson of YHWH, had been passed on to the prophet Joshua. Repeatedly in the book, Joshua is compared with Moses in sentences that make it clear Joshua was the one to take the nation on the next step. As we read through the book, we will note the parallels with Moses's leadership -- repeating the covenant commitment, crossing over on dry land, initiating circumcision, celebrating Passover.

The book has two halves: chapters 1-12 show God's blessing in the conquest of the Promised Land and chapters 13-24 show God's completion of the promised distribution of the tribes.

As always, the Bible Project summary is excellent. The video breaks the first half of the book into two parts, chapters 1-5, Joshua's leadership of Israel and chapters 6-12, some battles in the conquest of the land. The second half of the book is also broken into two more parts: chapters 13-22, the distribution of the land to the twelve tribes and chapters 23-24, final speeches of Joshua.

Resources and References

In the online commentaries provided by EasyEnglishBible is one online commentary on Joshua. The Easy English Bible commentaries are easy to read, with deliberately simple language intended for those for whom English is a second language. The Old Testament text is included in the commentary. The commentaries provided by this charity include some simple maps on the Joshua campaigns and the distribution of the tribes.

The Gospel Coalition has a free twelve-week online class (twelve separate printed lectures) on the book. 

There is a free online four lecture class on Joshua offered by Third Millenium. That course takes over five hours to complete. The lectures are here. (Although these lectures are good, I must confess that I have been spoiled by Carmen Ime's course on Exodus -- I have not found anything of similar quality on Joshua.)

I have found several other online courses on Joshua but they come with a fee and so I have not explored them further.

I have found several commentaries helpful. Long ago, I fell in love with the book of Ruth, after reading an commentary by Old Testament scholar Robert L. Hubbard. Hubbard has also written an excellent commentary on Joshua and so I have purchased that for my Kindle. I have also used a commentary by Donald H. Madvig found in the third volume of the Expositor's Bible Commentary. (Madvig, in his commentary, says that NIV uses the Codex Leningradensis, dated about 1008 AD, as the "Hebrew" text for its translation.)

Questions and Problems

Several questions and problems are raised by the book of Joshua. Like the book of Exodus, there is a question of dating the events described. The dates for the exodus and the conquest of Canaan are separated by forty years so the dating of these events are clearly linked. Some argue for an early date, about 1400 BC.  Others argue for a later date, about 1220 BC. I won't elaborate further on those debates; I looked (very lightly) at these arguments in my blog post, Becoming a Nation, An Introduction to Exodus.

A significant question raised by the book is the commandment to annihilate the people of Canaan. These commands are explained as a reaction by YHWH to the gross immorality of the Canaanites (such as child sacrifice) as first suggested in Genesis 15:12-21 and as a protection against the rampant idolatry of the people. Still, as explained by others, this "total destruction" seemed to allow local inhabitants to convert to worship of YHWH (see Rahab in Joshua 2 and Ruth much later) or to make treaties (the Gibeonites in Joshua 9.)

(The Babylonia Bee, with its usual humor (?), has an article on "Precious Moments" from Joshua that tends to rub our face in this issue of annihilation and genocide.)

Format

The format I've selected for this blog is always centered on the Old Testament text, from the New International Version (NIV), italicized in blue.  At the head of each blue paragraph of text I place a short title; after the text I place my thoughts or comments in black.  (Those are my own reactions, with some gleanings from commentaries.  Feel free to disagree -- or to react in other ways!) I place hyperlinks in pink, created so that one can click on a link and see the linked site open in another window. (One pleasure of the blog is that I can create numerous hyperlinks, leading off into various rabbit holes!)

(On my Substack version of this blog these colors are lost.)

The real goal of this blog is to force me to read every verse thoughtfully. My comments are part of that process, creating a certain accountability for me in this study. I hope that you, too, read the passages thoughtfully!

We will begin the book of Joshua next week!

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First published May 21, 2023; updated May 24, 2026

Deuteronomy 33, Blessings on Eleven Tribes

As Moses prepares to climb Mount Nebo, he gives final blessings on the people. In doing so, he blesses eleven tribes.  (Which one is missing?)

Deuteronomy 33:1-5, Blessing

 This is the blessing that Moses the man of God pronounced on the Israelites before his death. He said: 

"The LORD came from Sinai 

and dawned over them from Seir; 

he shone forth from Mount Paran. 

He came with  myriads of holy ones from the south, 

from his mountain slopes.

Surely it is you who love the people; 

all the holy ones are in your hand. 

At your feet they all bow down,

 and from you receive instruction, 

the law that Moses gave us, 

the possession of the assembly of Jacob. 

He was king over Jeshurun 

when the leaders of the people assembled, 

along with the tribes of Israel.

In his final blessing, Moses reminds the people that they are loved. YHWH is introduced as greeting them from Sinai.

Jeshurun, meaning "the righteous one", is apparently synonymous with Jacob/Israel. As with many Old Testament songs, some of the Hebrew is ancient, unusual and not easily translated. (NIV footnotes: The meaning of the Hebrew in verse 2 for the phrase "from his mountain slopes" is uncertain.)

Moses is identified as a "king" of Israel; he ruled the tribes for forty years.

Deuteronomy 33:6, Reuben

"Let Reuben live and not die, 

nor his men be few."

The descendants of Reuben are to live and prosper (despite the fact that Reuben dishonored Jacob.) As in the blessing of Jacob in Genesis 49, the blessing begins with the firstborn of Israel. See Genesis 49:3-4 for Jacob's (not-)blessing of Reuben; here the blessing of Moses is slightly better, as he wants the descendants of Reuben to survive....

Deuteronomy 33:7, Judah

And this he said about Judah: 

"Hear, O LORD, the cry of Judah; 

bring him to his people. 

With his own hands he defends his cause. 

Oh, be his help against his foes!"

YHWH is to defend and protect Judah. This blessing skips Simeon and Levi and moves directly on to Judah. (See Genesis 49:8-12 for Jacob's blessing of Judah.) Commentators read here hints of Judah's later isolation from Israel, as a separate kingdom.

Deuteronomy 33:8-11, Levi

About Levi he said: 

"Your Thummim and Urim belong to the man you favored. 

You tested him at Massah; 

you contended with him at the waters of Meribah. 

He said of his father and mother, `I have no regard for them.' 

He did not recognize his brothers or acknowledge his own children, 

but he watched over your word and guarded your covenant.

He teaches your precepts to Jacob 

and your law to Israel. 

He offers incense before you 

and whole burnt offerings on your altar. 

Bless all his skills, O LORD, 

and be pleased with the work of his hands. 

Smite the loins of those who rise up against him; 

strike his foes till they rise no more."

 

After skipping (in birth order) Simeon and Levi, Moses returns to Levi, the tribe of priests. The priests are to be guided by the Thummim and Urim, which lie in the Tabernacle and are apparently used for detecting the will of YHWH. This tribe of priests are charged to continually teach the precepts of the Law to Jacob/Israel.

Simeon will be left out of Moses' blessings -- this chapter will only bless eleven, not twelve, tribes!

Deuteronomy 33:12, Benjamin

About Benjamin he said: 

"Let the beloved of the LORD rest secure in him, 

for he shields him all day long, 

and the one the LORD loves rests between his shoulders."

Now Moses' blessings, which began with the children of Leah, skips to the last two children of Jacob, Benjamin and Joseph, children of Rachel. Benjamin, the last son and most loved son of Jacob, is loved by YHWH, Who protects him and carries him on His shoulders. (This is an interesting image, of a small boy riding on his father's shoulders. I like this interpretation of the passage but commentators agree that the Hebrew is somewhat uncertain.)

Jacob's blessing of Benjamin is in Genesis 49:27.

Deuteronomy 33:13-17, Joseph

About Joseph he said: 

"May the LORD bless his land with the precious dew from heaven above

 and with the deep waters that lie below; 

with the best the sun brings forth 

and the finest the moon can yield; 

with the choicest gifts of the ancient mountains 

and the fruitfulness of the everlasting hills; 

with the best gifts of the earth 

and its fullness 

and the favor of him who dwelt in the burning bush. 

Let all these rest on the head of Joseph, 

on the brow of the prince among his brothers.

In majesty he is like a firstborn bull; 

his horns are the horns of a wild ox. 

With them he will gore the nations, 

even those at the ends of the earth. 

Such are the ten thousands of Ephraim; 

such are the thousands of Manasseh."

Joseph (and therefore his tribe) is highly praised. This tribe is to have "precious" dew in this desert land, with deep waters and the finest gifts of nature. They will have the favor of Him Who lived in the burning bush that introduced YHWH to Moses.

The tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh are mentioned briefly. At this point Moses is reversing the birth order, going from the youngest back up the line. And indeed, Moses, like Jacob, gives weight to Ephraim (second born of Joseph) over Manasseh (first born.)

Jacob's blessing of Joseph is in Genesis 49:22-26. There are some similarities between the blessing by Jacob and that given by Moses.

Deuteronomy 33:18-19, Zebulun and Issachar

About Zebulun he said: 

"Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out,

 and you, Issachar, in your tents.

They will summon peoples to the mountain 

and there offer sacrifices of righteousness;

they will feast on the abundance of the seas, 

on the treasures hidden in the sand."

Zebulun and Issachar are mentioned together. This has some similarities to the blessing by Jacob in Genesis 49:13-15; both blessings mention the sea. It is possible that the blessing in "going out" and in "your tents" is a blessing that covers both tribes: they will be successful in both going out and staying home.

In the distribution of land in  tribes of Zebulun and Issachar were just west of the Sea of Galilee and almost reached the Mediterranean.

Deuteronomy 33:20-21, Gad

About Gad he said: 

"Blessed is he who enlarges Gad's domain! 

Gad lives there like a lion, 

tearing at arm or head. 

He chose the best land for himself; 

the leader's portion was kept for him. 

When the heads of the people assembled, 

he carried out the LORD's righteous will, 

and his judgments concerning Israel."

Gad, like a lion, will receive the best land. Gad has already fought and won its land, east of the Jordan (see Numbers 32 for a description of that conquest; see Genesis 49:19 for the blessing of Gad by Jacob.)

Deuteronomy 33:22, Dan

About Dan he said: 

"Dan is a lion's cub, 

springing out of Bashan."

Dan is mentioned briefly, described a lion's cub. A lion's cub can be a powerful animal. Currid says the interpretation of Bashan is unclear. Is it the name of a land? It has been suggested that it is instead an Ugaritic loan word for "viper", which would fit in with the serpent mentioned in the earlier blessing by Jacob in Genesis 49:16-18. 

Deuteronomy 33:23, Naphtali

About Naphtali he said: 

"Naphtali is abounding with the favor of the LORD 

and is full of his blessing; 

he will inherit southward to the lake."

Naphtali is to receive a land "southward to the lake." That translation is unclear; it could be "south and sea". Eventually Naphtali's land would be north of Issachar and Zebulun, in northern Galilee, with the Sea of Galilee forming a southeastern boundary.

Deuteronomy 33:24-25, Asher

About Asher he said: 

"Most blessed of sons is Asher; 

let him be favored by his brothers, 

and let him bathe his feet in oil. 

The bolts of your gates will be iron and bronze, 

and your strength will equal your days.

Asher is favored, pampered and strong. Currid says that the land allotment for Asher (in Joshua 19) is a fertile region with olive trees.

Deuteronomy 33:26-27, Rides on the heavens

"There is no one like the God of Jeshurun, 

who rides on the heavens to help you 

and on the clouds in his majesty. 

The eternal God is your refuge, 

and underneath are the everlasting arms. 

He will drive out your enemy before you, saying, `Destroy him!'

Moses turns now to praise of the God of the covenant. YHWH is described as riding on the heavens, providing arms of support, driving out their enemies.

YHWH, riding on the clouds of heaven, is an image repeated elsewhere.  (Currid gives as examples: Psalm 1810, Psalm 68:33 and Isaiah 19:1.)

Deuteronomy 33:28-29, Blessed is Israel

So Israel will live in safety alone; 

Jacob's spring is secure in a land of grain and new wine, 

where the heavens drop dew. 

Blessed are you, O Israel! 

Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD? 

He is your shield and helper 

and your glorious sword. 

Your enemies will cower before you, 

and you will trample down their high places."

In summary, the God of Israel will guide and protect the nation, in a land of grain and new wine, "where the heavens drop dew", a land then of rains, not desert.

Notice that Simeon is missing in this list!  Why? (See this question and answer.)

First published May 24, 2023; updated May 23, 2026

Deuteronomy 32, Song of Moses, II

YHWH has given Moses a final song.  Moses sings a praise song that includes a reminder of the natural brokenness of the People. 

This is the second song by Moses. The other appears at the beginning of the desert wanderings, in Exodus 15, exulting over the triumph at the Sea of Reeds. This one appears at the end of their wanderings. A third song is recorded in Psalm 90. Carmen Imes, in her BibleProject class on Exodus, emphasizes that the real theology of the Torah occurs in the songs.

We repeat the last verse of the previous chapter, a verse that introduces this song. 

Deuteronomy 31:30, A final song of Moses

And Moses recited the words of this song from beginning to end in the hearing of the whole assembly of Israel:

Moses, repeating the issues of blessing and curse, prepares to recite the song YHWH has given him. 

Deuteronomy 32:1-4, "I proclaim the name of YHWH"

Listen, O heavens, and I will speak; 

hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.

 Let my teaching fall like rain 

and my words descend like dew, 

like showers on new grass, 

like abundant rain on tender plants.

 I will proclaim the name of the LORD. 

Oh, praise the greatness of our God!

He is the Rock, 

his works are perfect, 

and all his ways are just. 

A faithful God who does no wrong, 

upright and just is he.

The song begins with praise, emphasizing the righteousness of YHWH. The pleasure of a desert rain is associated with an attention to these teachings. 

Deuteronomy 32:5-6, and yet...

They have acted corruptly toward him; 

to their shame they are no longer his children, 

but a warped and crooked generation.

Is this the way you repay the LORD, 

O foolish and unwise people? 

Is he not your Father, your Creator,

who made you and formed you?

The people are chastised for their corruption, in the midst of YHWH's goodness.

Deuteronomy 32:7-8, Remember

Remember the days of old; 

consider the generations long past. 

Ask your father and he will tell you, 

your elders, and they will explain to you.

When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance,

when he divided all mankind, 

he set up boundaries for the peoples according to the number of the sons of Israel.

God has especially chosen Israel. The people of Israel are to remember that they are a special possession. If they have any doubts about God's work in their history, they should ask the generations before them! (This continues a theme of Deuteronomy: the older generation should make sure to pass on the knowledge to the younger.)

Deuteronomy 32:9-14, Allotted inheritance

For the LORD's portion is his people, 

Jacob his allotted inheritance.

In a desert land he found him, 

in a barren and howling waste. 

He shielded him and cared for him; 

he guarded him as the apple of his eye,

 like an eagle that stirs up its nest 

and hovers over its young,

 that spreads its wings to catch them 

and carries them on its pinions.

 The LORD alone led him; 

no foreign god was with him.

 He made him ride on the heights of the land 

and fed him with the fruit of the fields. 

He nourished him with honey from the rock, 

and with oil from the flinty crag,

with curds and milk from herd 

and flock and with fattened lambs and goats, 

with choice rams of Bashan 

and the finest kernels of wheat. 

You drank the foaming blood of the grape.

God first chose Jacob/Israel, then nourished and built up the descendants of Israel, guiding them through dry desert lands to prosperity. The images drawn here are beautiful, picturesque. The people of Israel are the apple (ie., pupil) of God's eye, ever in His vision and He acts as an eagle hovering over her young.

Deuteronomy 32:15-18, Fat Jeshurun

Jeshurun grew fat and kicked; 

filled with food, he became heavy and sleek. 

He abandoned the God who made him 

and rejected the Rock his Savior.

 They made him jealous with their foreign gods 

and angered him with their detestable idols.

They sacrificed to demons, 

which are not God--

 gods they had not known, 

gods that recently appeared, 

gods your fathers did not fear.

You deserted the Rock, who fathered you; 

you forgot the God who gave you birth.

Yet in their prosperity Jeshurun (Israel) has grown fat and abandoned God. (Jeshurun, a synonym for Israel, means "the upright one."  A similar sounding passage occurs in Isaiah 44:1-5.)

The result of YHWH's goodness in the previous paragraph is turned into "grew fat", "filled", "became heavy", as the people gorge themselves and turn away from the One who took care of them.

As Currid points out, the Hebrew word, lashshedim (לַשֵּׁדִים֙), translated "to demons" here, occurs only one other time in the Old Testament, in Psalm 106:37, where the NIV translates the word "to false gods". There the passage explicitly describes what is sacrificed: children. 

The song describes a cycle: despair, salvation, renewal, prosperity, self confidence, fall, despair....

Deuteronomy 32:19-21, Rejected

The LORD saw this and rejected them 

because he was angered by his sons and daughters.

"I will hide my face from them," he said, 

"and see what their end will be;

 for they are a perverse generation, 

children who are unfaithful.

They made me jealous by what is no god 

and angered me with their worthless idols. 

I will make them envious by those who are not a people; 

I will make them angry by a nation that has no understanding.

The people have rejected YHWH, who is a "jealous God", and YHWH responds that He will use another people to make the Israelites jealous. The apostle Paul, in his argument to fellow Jews in Romans 10:19, quotes verse 21.

There are echoes of this passage in the words of the prophet Hosea. (See, for example, Hosea 1:9 and Hosea 2:23.)

Deuteronomy 32:22-25, Wrath

For a fire has been kindled by my wrath, 

one that burns to the realm of death below. 

It will devour the earth and its harvests 

and set afire the foundations of the mountains.

 "I will heap calamities upon them 

and spend my arrows against them.

 I will send wasting famine against them, 

consuming pestilence and deadly plague; 

I will send against them the fangs of wild beasts, 

the venom of vipers that glide in the dust.

In the street the sword will make them childless;

 in their homes terror will reign. 

Young men and young women will perish, 

infants and gray-haired men.

If the people of Israel have abandoned God, destruction then follows -- descension even into Sheol. The people perish in famines, wild animal attacks, attacks by foreign armies. The last verse describes the calamity as coming upon all, from young men and women to infants and the elderly.

Deuteronomy 32:26-27, Destruction paused

I said I would scatter them 

and blot out their memory from mankind,

but I dreaded the taunt of the enemy, 

lest the adversary misunderstand and say, `Our hand has triumphed; 

the LORD has not done all this.'"

As Moses reminds YHWH in Exodus 32:11-14, YHWH has promised Egypt and other nations that Israel is His People. For this reason, YHWH holds back the destruction of this broken nation of idolaters.

The phrase translated here "our hand has triumphed" is literally "our hand is high."  A hand held high was a sign of confidence and triumph.

Deuteronomy 32:28-35, Vine from Sodom

They are a nation without sense,

 there is no discernment in them.

If only they were wise 

and would understand this 

and discern what their end will be!

How could one man chase a thousand, 

or two put ten thousand to flight,

unless their Rock had sold them, 

unless the LORD had given them up?

For their rock is not like our Rock, 

as even our enemies concede.

Their vine comes from the vine of Sodom 

and from the fields of Gomorrah. 

Their grapes are filled with poison, 

and their clusters with bitterness.

Their wine is the venom of serpents, 

the deadly poison of cobras.

"What a messed up people these are!" says YHWH. Despite God's intervention, the people of Israel lean on weak rocks, weak foundations, vines from Sodom and Gomorrah, poisonous grapes and venomous snakes.

Deuteronomy 32:34-35, Vengeance belongs to YHWH

"Have I not kept this in reserve and sealed it in my vaults?

 It is mine to avenge; I will repay. 

In due time their foot will slip; 

their day of disaster is near 

and their doom rushes upon them."

 

Vengeance belongs to YHWH. He holds off the vengeance but only for a time. (This is a common message of the future prophets of Israel.)

Deuteronomy 32:36-38, Do the other gods help you?

The LORD will judge his people 

and have compassion on his servants 

when he sees their strength is gone 

and no one is left, slave or free.

He will say: "Now where are their gods, 

the rock they took refuge in,

the gods who ate the fat of their sacrifices 

and drank the wine of their drink offerings?

Let them rise up to help you! 

Let them give you shelter!

Do the other gods really help? If the people of Israel worship them, then let those gods save Israel!

Deuteronomy 32:39-42, Only one God, only one Savior

"See now that I myself am He! 

There is no god besides me. 

I put to death and I bring to life, 

I have wounded and I will heal, 

and no one can deliver out of my hand.

I lift my hand to heaven and declare: 

As surely as I live forever,

when I sharpen my flashing sword 

and my hand grasps it in judgment, 

I will take vengeance on my adversaries 

and repay those who hate me.

I will make my arrows drunk with blood, 

while my sword devours flesh: 

the blood of the slain and the captives, 

the heads of the enemy leaders.

The song now turns from despair to victory. The people of Israel have only one Savior. In the end, this Savior will destroy Israel's enemies.

Deuteronomy 32:43, Atonement

"Rejoice, O nations, with his people,

for he will avenge the blood of his servants; 

he will take vengeance on his enemies 

and make atonement for his land and people.

At the end, YHWH avenges his people and provides atonement and salvation. At the end the nations, not just Israel, will rejoice. A version of this praise song appears in the New Testament in Revelation 15:2-4. 

Deuteronomy 32:44-47, "They are your life"

Moses came with Joshua son of Nun and spoke all the words of this song in the hearing of the people.  When Moses finished reciting all these words to all Israel, he said to them, "Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law.  They are not just idle words for you--they are your life. By them you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess."

The song of Moses is a summary of the book of Deuteronomy, a summary of the covenant, intended to be sung and remembered.

In verse 44 the Hebrew is "Hoshea", a variant of Joshua

Deuteronomy 32: 8-52, Land from a distance

On that same day the LORD told Moses, "Go up into the Abarim Range to Mount Nebo in Moab, across from Jericho, and view Canaan, the land I am giving the Israelites as their own possession. There on the mountain that you have climbed you will die and be gathered to your people, just as your brother Aaron died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people. This is because both of you broke faith with me in the presence of the Israelites at the waters of Meribah Kadesh in the Desert of Zin and because you did not uphold my holiness among the Israelites. Therefore, you will see the land only from a distance; you will not enter the land I am giving to the people of Israel."

At the end of the song, on that same day, Moses is to climb Mount Nebo and look into Canaan.

First published May 23, 2023; updated May 22, 2026