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Deuteronomy 33

1This is the blessing with which Moses, the man of God, blessed the sons of Israel before his death. 2He said:

“Yahweh came from Sinai and rose like the sun from Seir upon them; he shone forth from Mount Paran. He came from myriads of holy ones; from his right hand came fiery law for them. 3Indeed, he loves peoples; all his holy ones are in your hand. They gather at your feet; each receives your words. 4Moses commanded us an instruction, an inheritance for the assembly of Jacob. 5He became king in Jeshurun when the heads of the people gathered, the tribes of Israel together.

6“May Reuben live and not die, though his men be few.”

7And this he said for Judah:

“Listen, Yahweh, to Judah’s voice, and bring him to his people. With his hands he contends for himself; be a help against his adversaries.”

8Of Levi he said:

“Your Thummim and your Urim belong to your faithful man, whom you tested at Massah, with whom you contended at the waters of Meribah. 9He said of his father and mother, ‘I have not seen him’; he did not acknowledge his brothers or recognize his sons. For they kept your word and guarded your covenant. 10They will teach your judgments to Jacob and your instruction to Israel. They will place incense in your nostrils and whole burnt offerings on your altar. 11Bless his strength, Yahweh, and accept the work of his hands. Crush the loins of those who rise against him, and of those who hate him, so that they cannot rise.”

12Of Benjamin he said:

“Yahweh’s beloved dwells securely beside him; he shelters him all day, and he dwells between his shoulders.”

13Of Joseph he said:

“Blessed by Yahweh be his land, with the precious gifts of heaven, with dew, and with the deep lying beneath; 14with the precious yield of the sun and the precious produce of the months; 15with the choicest of the ancient mountains and the precious things of the everlasting hills; 16with the precious things of earth and its fullness, and the favor of the one who dwelt in the bush. May these come upon Joseph’s head, on the crown of the one set apart among his brothers. 17His firstborn bull has majesty, and his horns are the horns of a wild ox. With them he gores the peoples together, to the ends of the earth. These are the ten thousands of Ephraim; these are the thousands of Manasseh.”

18Of Zebulun he said:

“Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out, and Issachar, in your tents. 19They summon peoples to the mountain; there they sacrifice righteous sacrifices. For they suck the abundance of the seas and the hidden treasures of the sand.”

20Of Gad he said:

“Blessed is the one who enlarges Gad. He lies down like a lioness and tears off arm and crown of head. 21He chose the first portion for himself, for there a ruler’s allotment was reserved. He came with the heads of the people; he carried out Yahweh’s righteousness and his judgments with Israel.”

22Of Dan he said:

“Dan is a lion’s cub that leaps from Bashan.”

23Of Naphtali he said:

“Naphtali, satisfied with favor and full of Yahweh’s blessing, possess the west and the south.”

24Of Asher he said:

“Blessed above sons be Asher; may he be favored by his brothers and dip his foot in oil. 25Iron and bronze are your bars; as your days, so may your strength be.

26“There is none like God, Jeshurun, who rides the heavens to help you, and the clouds in his majesty. 27The God of old is a dwelling place, and underneath are everlasting arms. He drove the enemy out before you and said, ‘Destroy!’ 28Israel dwells securely; the fountain of Jacob is alone, in a land of grain and new wine; indeed, his heavens drip dew. 29Happy are you, Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by Yahweh, the shield of your help and the sword of your majesty? Your enemies will cringe before you, and you will tread upon their heights.”

Translation notes 9

33:2 — The coming from Sinai. The shining and sunrise images describe Yahweh’s appearance. “Myriads of holy ones” follows the received wording; “Meribah-kadesh” is an alternative based on changing its division or spelling. The last written form is traditionally read as two words, “fire” and “law,” but that reading and the whole phrase are uncertain. “Flashes of fire” or another description of a fiery manifestation is also proposed.

33:3–5 — Voices and pronouns. The poem moves from speaking about God to addressing him, then speaks as the community receiving Moses’ instruction. The difficult verb rendered “gather” has also been understood as sitting, bowing, or following. The king in verse 5 is often understood as Yahweh, though Moses has also been proposed; the Hebrew says only “he.”

33:6–7 — Reuben and Judah. Reuben’s final line says that his men are a number, an expression for few or countable men. Some translations carry the preceding “not” into this line to make it a wish for many; that negative is not repeated in the Hebrew. Judah’s line about his hands is also compressed; it may describe contending or having sufficient strength.

33:8–11 — Levi. Thummim and Urim are the named means of priestly inquiry. Massah means “testing,” and Meribah concerns contention. The refusal to recognize kin may recall the Levites’ actions in the golden-calf episode. “Incense in your nostrils” and crushing opponents’ loins retain the poem’s bodily language. The traditional reading has “his sons” where the written form can be read “his son.”

33:12 — Between his shoulders. The pronouns allow more than one understanding of who shelters or dwells. The image may picture Benjamin sheltered by Yahweh, or Yahweh dwelling within Benjamin’s territory. The translation leaves the pronouns visible rather than inserting a later scene or identification.

33:13–17 — Joseph’s abundance. “Months” represents the plural of the word for moon; the seasonal yield is in view. “The one who dwelt in the bush” recalls Yahweh’s appearance to Moses. The bull and horns picture power, and the parallel numbers distinguish Ephraim from Manasseh.

33:19–25 — Regional blessings. The mountain is not named. The sand’s hidden treasures, Gad’s ruler’s portion, Naphtali’s west or sea, and Asher’s iron and bronze bars admit different geographical explanations. The final word in verse 25, rendered “strength,” is rare; “security” or “rest” is also proposed. These uncertainties are not resolved by inserting specific later events into the poem.

33:24 — Blessed above sons. The phrase may compare Asher with the other sons or describe his blessing with children. The translation takes it comparatively and retains the family language.

33:26–29 — Secure dwelling. The final address returns to all Israel. The heavenly rider, everlasting arms, fountain of Jacob, and enemy heights are retained images. “Cringe” can also convey feigned submission; “heights” in verse 29 has also been interpreted as the enemies’ backs.