Deuteronomy 33:20-29

20 And of Gad he said, Blessed be he that enlargeth Gad! As a lion doth he dwell, and teareth the arm, even the top of the head.
21 And he provided the first part for himself, For there was reserved the portion of the lawgiver; And he came with the heads of the people; The justice of Jehovah and his judgments Hath he executed with Israel.
22 And of Dan he said, Dan is a young lion; He shall spring forth from Bashan.
23 And of Naphtali he said, Naphtali, satisfied with favour, And full of the blessing of Jehovah, Possess thou the west and the south.
24 And of Asher he said, Asher shall be blessed with sons; Let him be acceptable to his brethren, And let him dip his foot in oil.
25 Iron and brass shall be thy bolts; And thy rest as thy days.
26 There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, Who rideth upon the heavens to thy help, And in his majesty, upon the clouds.
27 [Thy] refuge is the God of old, And underneath are the eternal arms; And he shall drive out the enemy from before thee, And shall say, Destroy [them]!
28 And Israel shall dwell in safety alone, The fountain of Jacob, in a land of corn and new wine; Also his heavens shall drop down dew.
29 Happy art thou, Israel! Who is like unto thee, a people saved by Jehovah, The shield of thy help, And the sword of thine excellency? And thine enemies shall come cringing to thee; And thou shalt tread upon their high places.

Deuteronomy 33:20-29 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.

Footnotes 8

  • [a]. Or 'to.'
  • [b]. Others read 'he hath practised the righteousness of Jehovah, and his judgements toward Israel.'
  • [c]. Or 'hidden,' Moses being buried in the territory of Gad.
  • [d]. Or 'the sea and Darom.'
  • [e]. Or 'more than sons.'
  • [f]. Others read 'favoured among.'
  • [g]. Some read 'thine old age.'
  • [h]. i.e. 'render forced or feigned obedience.'
The Darby Translation is in the public domain.