Deuteronomy 33:16

16 And for the precious things of the earth and fullness of it, and [for] the good will of him that dwelt in the bush; let [the blessing] come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him that was separated from his brethren.

Deuteronomy 33:16 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 33:16

And for the precious things of the earth, and fulness
thereof
Corn of all sorts produced out of the earth, and grass that grows out of it, and cattle that feed upon it; for all which some part of the land of Joseph, particularly Bashan, was famous; as for the oaks that grew on it, so for the pasturage of it, and the cattle it bred, ( Deuteronomy 32:14 ) ; see ( Psalms 22:12 ) ;

and [for] the good will of him that dwelt in the bush;
the angel of the Lord, the Word and Son of God, who appeared to Moses in the bush, and made himself known as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and expressed his good will to Israel, by sending Moses to deliver them out of their bondage: and the favour and good will of the same divine Person is here wished for, and which has appeared in his assumption of human nature, obedience, sufferings, and death, ( Luke 2:14 ) . The bush was an emblem of Israel, and the state they were then in, and of the church of Christ; of which (See Gill on Exodus 3:2); and where Christ may be said to dwell, as he did among men, when he was made flesh, and does dwell in the midst of his churches, and in the hearts of his people by faith:

let [the blessing] come upon the head of Joseph;
that is, in all things, as Onkelos; or all these blessings, as the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem; all before mentioned, let them come openly and visibly, and in great plenty, upon the posterity of Joseph, who was a type of Christ, the head of the righteous, on whom all the blessings of grace are, and from whom they descend to all his spiritual offspring, ( Proverbs 10:6 ) ( Ephesians 1:3 ) ;

and upon the top of the head of him [that was] separated from his
brethren;
when he was sold by them into Egypt; the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem are,

``and was shining in the glory of his brethren;''

that is, when he was a ruler in Egypt, and had honour from his brethren there, and was beautiful and glorious among them, as a Nazarite, as the word here used signifies, see ( Lamentations 4:7 ) ; and may he applied to Christ, who was chosen from among the people, and separated from sinners, and called a Nazarene, ( Psalms 89:19 ) ( Hebrews 7:26 ) ( Matthew 1:23 ) .

Deuteronomy 33:16 In-Context

14 And for the precious fruits [brought forth] by the sun, and for the precious things put forth by the moon,
15 And for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills,
16 And for the precious things of the earth and fullness of it, and [for] the good will of him that dwelt in the bush; let [the blessing] come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him that was separated from his brethren.
17 His glory [is like] the firstling of his bullock, and his horns [are like] the horns of unicorns: with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth: and they [are] the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they [are] the thousands of Manasseh.
18 And of Zebulun he said, Rejoice, Zebulun, in thy going out; and Issachar, in thy tents.
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