Deuteronomy 33:13

13 Joseph: "Blessed by God be his land: The best fresh dew from high heaven, and fountains springing from the depths;

Deuteronomy 33:13 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 33:13

And of Joseph he said
The tribe of Joseph, as the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem:

blessed of the Lord [be] his land;
as the lands inherited by his sons were extremely fruitful, the countries of lead and Bashan by Manasseh, and the fields of Samaria by Ephraim: Jarchi says,

``there was not in the inheritance of the tribes a land so full of all good things as the land of Joseph;''

typical of the church of Christ, the antitypical Joseph, which abounds with all good things through him, or of the better country in heaven:

for the precious things of heaven;
that is, the pleasant, precious, and excellent fruits, reproduced by the influence of the heavens, particularly showers of rain which descend from thence; emblems of the grace of God, and Gospel of Christ, which bring spiritual blessings to the sons of men on earth, and make them fruitful in every good word and work: for the dew; which descends also from heaven, and is of unspeakable use to the fruits of the earth, and is sometimes used as an emblem of the favour and goodness of God to his people, ( Hosea 14:5 ) ;

and for the deep that coucheth beneath;
that is, beneath the earth, and breaks out upon it, and waters it, and makes it fruitful, which happiness the land of Joseph had, as well as the rain and dew of heaven: this is to be understood of springs and fountains that flow out of the earth to the enriching of it; and so the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem paraphrase the words, and may be applied to Christ and to his Gospel, ( Song of Solomon 4:15 ) ( Isaiah 12:3 ) ( Joel 3:18 ) .

Deuteronomy 33:13 In-Context

11 God bless his commitment, stamp your seal of approval on what he does; Disable the loins of those who defy him, make sure we've heard the last from those who hate him."
12 Benjamin: "God's beloved; God's permanent residence. Encircled by God all day long, within whom God is at home."
13 Joseph: "Blessed by God be his land: The best fresh dew from high heaven, and fountains springing from the depths;
14 The best radiance streaming from the sun and the best the moon has to offer;
15 Beauty pouring off the tops of the mountains and the best from the everlasting hills;
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.