Deuteronomy 33:21

21 And he saw his princehood, that he was kept a teacher in his part; the which was with (the) princes of the people, and he did the rightfulnesses of the Lord, and his doom with Israel. (And they chose the best land for themselves, a ruler's portion, when the leaders of the people were gathered together; and they did the justice of the Lord, and his laws, or his judgements, with 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 the hill, [and] there they shall offer sacrifices of rightfulness; which shall suck the flowing(s) of the sea as milk, and hid treasures of gravel. (They shall call the peoples to the mountain, and there they shall offer the right sacrifices; they shall suck up the wealth of the sea like milk, and they shall dig up hidden treasures out of the gravel.)
20 And he said to Gad, Gad is blessed in broadness; he rested as a lion, and he took from his adversary the arm and the noll. (And he said of the tribe of Gad, Gad is blessed in their broad places; they rest like a lion, but they tear off the arms and the tops of the heads of their adversaries.)
21 And he saw his princehood, that he was kept a teacher in his part; the which was with (the) princes of the people, and he did the rightfulnesses of the Lord, and his doom with Israel. (And they chose the best land for themselves, a ruler's portion, when the leaders of the people were gathered together; and they did the justice of the Lord, and his laws, or his judgements, with Israel.)
22 Also he said to Dan, Dan, a whelp of a lion, shall flow largely from Bashan. (And he said of the tribe of Dan, Dan is a whelp of a lion, leaping out from Bashan.)
23 And he said to Naphtali, Naphtali shall use abundance, and he shall be full with blessings of the Lord; and he shall wield the sea and the south. (And he said of the tribe of Naphtali, Naphtali shall have great abundance, and they shall be full of the Lord's blessings; they shall take the land southward from Lake Galilee.)
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.