Deuteronomy 33:18

18 About the tribe of Zebulun he said, "People of Zebulun, enjoy yourselves when you go to war, and you people of Issachar, enjoy yourselves when you stay at home.

Deuteronomy 33:18 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 33:18

And of Zebulun he said
The tribe of Zebulun, as the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem, with whom Issachar is joined, they being brethren, and of the same mother as well as father; though Zebulun the youngest is set before Issachar the older, as in Jacob's blessing, ( Genesis 49:13 Genesis 49:14 ) ;

rejoice, Zebulun, in thy going out;
in their going out to sea, to merchandise, to traffic in foreign parts, it being a maritime tribe, see ( Genesis 49:13 ) ; and so are called upon to rejoice and be thankful for their safe preservation on the seas, and success in trade; and to this sense are the paraphrases of Jonathan and Jerusalem: though Onkelos interprets it of their going out to war against their enemies, and certain it is that they were also a warlike as well as a seafaring tribe; see ( Judges 5:18 ) ;

and Issachar, in thy tents;
being a tribe that stayed at home, and attended to husbandry, and dwelt in tents, to take care of and feed their cattle; in doing which they should be prosperous, and have occasion to rejoice, and be thankful to the Lord: though the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem carry it to a different sense, to their schools, in which they dwelt: this tribe being, as supposed, a learned tribe, studious, in the law; which is gathered from ( 1 Chronicles 12:32 ) .

Deuteronomy 33:18 In-Context

16 and the most plentiful crops of the earth. May the LORD bless their land with the favor of the one who was in the burning bush. May these blessings come to the tribes of Joseph. May they crown the people who are like princes in Israel.

17 They will be as majestic as a firstborn bull. Their horns will be like the horns of a wild ox. They will use them to push away nations including those at the ends of the earth. The tens of thousands from the tribe of Ephraim and the thousands from the tribe of Manasseh will be like this."

18 About the tribe of Zebulun he said, "People of Zebulun, enjoy yourselves when you go to war, and you people of Issachar, enjoy yourselves when you stay at home.

19 They will invite nations to their mountain, and there they will offer the proper sacrifices. They will be nourished by the abundance from the seas and the treasures hidden in the sand."

20 About the tribe of Gad he said, "Blessed is the one who gives the people of Gad more land. They wait there like a lion. They can tear off an arm or a head.