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; 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 in hints here 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 seem 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. This time 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 on briefly, like a lion's cub, as if a child to Gad. A lion's cub is still 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 and 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 18: 10, Psalm 68: 33, 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.)
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