Deuteronomy 33:13

13 And of Joseph he said: -- Blessed of Jehovah [is] his land, By precious things of the heavens, By dew, and by the deep crouching beneath,

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 Bless, O Jehovah, his strength, And the work of his hands Thou acceptest, Smite the loins of his withstanders, And of those hating him -- that they rise not!
12 Of Benjamin he said: -- The beloved of Jehovah doth tabernacle confidently by him, Covering him over all the day; Yea, between his shoulders He doth tabernacle.
13 And of Joseph he said: -- Blessed of Jehovah [is] his land, By precious things of the heavens, By dew, and by the deep crouching beneath,
14 And by precious things -- fruits of the sun, And by precious things -- cast forth by the moons,
15 And by chief things -- of the ancient mountains, And by precious things -- of the age-during heights,
Young's Literal Translation is in the public domain.