Deuteronomy 33:21

21 ¹He chose the best of the land for himself, for there a commander's portion was reserved; and ²he came with the heads of the people, with Israel he executed the justice of the LORD, and his judgments for Israel."

Deuteronomy 33:21 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 33:21

And he provided a first part for himself
That is, the portion of the land of Sihon and Og, as Jarchi rightly interprets it; which was the beginning or firstfruits of the subduing of the land that was promised; this he looked at, chose, and desired it as his inheritance, ( Numbers 32:1 Numbers 32:2 ) ;

because there, [in] a portion of the lawgiver, [was he] seated;
or in the portion and part of the inheritance of Israel was he placed by Moses the lawgiver, according to the will of God; or because there were in it palaces and towers of great personages, lawgivers, kings, and princes, well covered and strongly fortified; or here he was "hid", or "protected", i.e. their families, wives, and children, while they assisted their brethren in subduing Canaan:

and he came with the heads of the people;
either "to" them, to Moses, Eleazar, and the seventy elders, and the heads of the tribes of Israel, to ask leave to have his part and portion on the other side Jordan, or "with" them, as we supply it; came with them over Jordan armed, to assist in the conquest and subduing of the land of Canaan:

he executed the justice of the Lord, and his judgments with Israel;
that is, either he justly and truly fulfilled all his promises and engagements, on condition of which he was placed on the other side; or he, together with the rest of the Israelites, executed the righteous judgment of God upon the Canaanites, in the expulsion and destruction of them.

Deuteronomy 33:21 In-Context

19 They shall call peoples to their mountain; there they offer right sacrifices; for they draw from the abundance of the seas and the hidden treasures of the sand."

20 And of Gad he said, "Blessed be he who enlarges Gad! Gad crouches like a lion; he tears off arm and scalp.

21 He chose the best of the land for himself, for there a commander's portion was reserved; and he came with the heads of the people, with Israel he executed the justice of the LORD, and his judgments for Israel."

22 And of Dan he said, "Dan is a lion's cub that leaps from Bashan."

23 And of Naphtali he said, "O Naphtali, sated with favor, and full of the blessing of the LORD, possess the lake and the south."

Cross References

• 1. See Num. 32:1-5, 16-19
• 2. Numbers 32:31, 32; See Joshua 1:12-15; 1 Chronicles 5:18-22