Deuteronomy 33:15-25

15 "And with the best things of 1the ancient mountains, And with the choice things of the everlasting hills,
16 And with the choice things of the earth and its fullness, And the favor 2of Him who dwelt in the bush. Let it come to the head of Joseph, And to the crown of the head of the one distinguished among his brothers.
17 "As the firstborn of his ox, majesty is his, And his horns are the horns of 3the wild ox; With them he will 4push the peoples, All at once, to the ends of the earth. And those are the ten thousands of Ephraim, And those are the thousands of Manasseh."
18 5Of Zebulun he said, "Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going forth, And, Issachar, in your tents.
19 "6They will call peoples to the mountain; There they will offer 7righteous sacrifices; For they will draw out 8the abundance of the seas, And the hidden treasures of the sand."
20 9Of Gad he said, "Blessed is the one who enlarges Gad; He lies down 10as a lion, And tears the arm, also the crown of the head.
21 "11Then he provided the first part for himself, 12For there the ruler's portion was reserved; 13And he came with the leaders of the people; 14He executed the justice of the LORD, And His ordinances with Israel."
22 15Of Dan he said, "Dan is 16a lion's whelp, That leaps forth from Bashan."
23 Of Naphtali he said, "17O Naphtali, satisfied with favor, And full of the blessing of the LORD, Take possession of the sea and the south."
24 18Of Asher he said, "More blessed than sons is Asher; May he be favored by his brothers, 19And may he dip his foot in oil.
25 "20Your locks will be iron and bronze, 21And according to your days, so will your leisurely walk be.

Deuteronomy 33:15-25 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO DEUTERONOMY 33

This chapter relates the blessings Moses pronounced upon the people of Israel a little before his death; first, in general, on account of their having a law given them in so glorious a manner, De 33:1-5; then, in particular, each of the tribes distinctly is blessed, Reuben, De 33:6; Judah, De 33:7; Levi, De 33:8-11; Benjamin, De 33:12; Joseph, De 33:13-17; Zebulun and Issachar, De 33:18,19; Gad, De 33:20,21; Dan, De 33:22; Naphtali, De 33:23; Asher, De 33:24,25; and the chapter is concluded with some strong intimations of what God was unto the people of Israel in general, and of what he had done and would do for them; all which are expressive of their great happiness, De 33:26-29.

Cross References 21

Footnotes 6

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