Deuteronomy 33:19

19 They summon people [to the] mountains; there they sacrifice the sacrifices of righteousness, because the affluence of [the] seas they suck [out], and {the most hidden treasures of the sand}."

Deuteronomy 33:19 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 33:19

They shall call the people unto the mountain
To the mountain of the house of the sanctuary, as all the three Targums; to the temple built on a mountain, which Moses by a spirit of prophecy foresaw would be, to which the tribes of Zebulun and Issachar would not only come up themselves, though at the more distant parts of the land; but call and urge others, both Israelites and Gentiles, to do the same, partly by their example, and partly by persuasions and arguments; not the tribes of Israel that lay nearest them only, but the Heathens, the Tyrians and Sidonians, on whom they bordered, and the Gentiles in Galilee of the Gentiles, which were neighbours to them; a like instance see in ( Isaiah 2:2 Isaiah 2:3 ) ; and perhaps this may have respect to the times of Christ and his apostles, and to their being in those parts where the Gospel was preached, and many people were called, ( Matthew 4:13-16 ) ;

there they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness;
or true sacrifices, as the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem, in opposition to illegitimate ones, which were not according to the law, that had blemishes and defects in them, and to such as were gotten by robbery, or in an unlawful way; and may signify all righteous actions and good works done in faith, and from right principles, though not to be depended upon for a justifying righteousness before God; and all spiritual sacrifices, especially the sacrifices of praise for all blessings, and particularly for the righteousness of Christ; and these are to be offered in the church of God, and upon the altar, which sanctifies every gift, and from whence they come up with acceptance to God:

for they shall suck [of] the abundance of the sea;
get a great deal of riches by trading at sea, and therefore under great obligations to offer sacrifices to the Lord, by whom they were prospered:

and [of] the treasure hid in the sand;
as gold and silver, pearls and corals, and the like, extracted from thence; or riches buried there through shipwrecks; or it may design the great wealth and riches they got by glass made of sand, taken out of the river Belus, which washed the coast of the tribe of Zebulun, as many historians relate F26.


FOOTNOTES:

F26 Strabo. Geograph. l. 16. p. 521. Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 5. c. 19. Tacit. Hist. l. 5. c. 7.

Deuteronomy 33:19 In-Context

17 [As] the firstborn of his ox, majesty {belongs to him}, and his horns [are] [the] horns of a wild ox; with them he drives people together, and they [are] the myriads of Ephraim, and they [are] the thousands of Manasseh."
18 And of Zebulun he said, "Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out, and [rejoice], Issachar, in your tents;
19 They summon people [to the] mountains; there they sacrifice the sacrifices of righteousness, because the affluence of [the] seas they suck [out], and {the most hidden treasures of the sand}."
20 And of Gad he said, "Blessed [be] {the one who enlarges Gad}; like a lion he dwells, and he tears an arm as well as a scalp.
21 And he selected [the] best [part] for himself, for there [the] portion of a ruler [is] included, and he came [with the] heads of [the] people; he did the righteousness of Yahweh, and his regulations for Israel."

Footnotes 2

  • [a]. Hebrew "mountain"
  • [b]. Literally "[the] covered of [the] hidden of [the] sand"
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