Deuteronomy 33 – Moses Blesses the Tribes of Israel

A. Introduction to the blessing of the tribes.

1. (1) Now this is the blessing.

Now this is the blessing with which Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death.

a. Moses the man of God: As he looked at Israel with a shepherd’s heart, Moses could not leave without blessing them. This blessing of Israel was the appropriate gift of Moses to the people he loved and served for 40 years.

i. “The introductory statement very fittingly calls Moses ‘the man of God.’ Never before in the Pentateuch had this designation been used. The second occurrence also is a reference to Moses as the man of God (Joshua 14:6). Subsequently, messengers of God (prophets especially) are called men of God (Judges 13:6, 8, and more often in 1-2 Kings). Moses is again designated as the man of God in the superscription to Psalm 90.” (Kalland)

ii. Deuteronomy 33 appears to have been based on the words of Moses, but written by an editor, possibly Joshua or Eleazar the priest. “This chapter has every appearance of being reported by one other than the speaker.” (Kalland)

b. This is the blessing: This chapter is like the blessing Israel (Jacob) gave his twelve sons in Genesis 49. Since Moses was the one who recorded the blessing of Israel in Genesis 49, it is not unreasonable to think he consciously modeled his blessing on Jacob’s prior words.

i. “He is pictured as giving a blessing (beraka) before his death, rather like the patriarchs (Genesis 27:7; 49:1; 50:16). Such blessings were more than empty wishes and, once uttered, they carried the promise of fulfilment.” (Clarke)

ii. The order in which the tribes are blessed is different than Jacob’s blessing in Genesis 49. These words of Moses are more in the form of blessings, while Jacob’s words were more predictive, prophetic. Finally, the tribe of Simeon is not included among the tribes blessed by Moses (with a possible exception of Deuteronomy 33:6). The fact that Simeon is not mentioned may also be because this tribe’s fate was to be essentially absorbed into Judah (Joshua 19:9).

2. (2-5) The context of the blessing: The glory of God’s revelation to Israel.

And he said:

“The LORD came from Sinai,
And dawned on them from Seir;
He shone forth from Mount Paran,
And He came with ten thousands of saints;
From His right hand
Came a fiery law for them.
Yes, He loves the people;
All His saints are in Your hand;
They sit down at Your feet;
Everyone receives Your words.
Moses commanded a law for us,
A heritage of the congregation of Jacob.
And He was King in Jeshurun,
When the leaders of the people were gathered,
All the tribes of Israel together.

a. The LORD came from Sinai: The blessing Moses gave to the tribes of Israel came in the context of images of God’s glory in revealing Himself and His word to Israel (He shone…with ten thousands of saints…a fiery law…. He was King). This added a sense of drama and grandeur to Moses’ prophetic words to each tribe.

i. Came…dawned…shone forth: “The verbs…indicate that the coming of the Lord on Mount Sinai was like the sun flooding the desert area bounded by Sinai on the south, Seir on the northeast, and Paran on the north.” (Kalland)

b. He loves the people; all His saints are in Your hand: The glory of God was displayed not only in awesome and glorious events. It was also evident in His great love for His people, and His care for them. His saints are securely in His hand.

i. He loves the people: “The word is in a form in the Hebrew which implies that the act spoken about is neither past, present, nor future only, but continuous and perpetual.” (Maclaren)

B. The blessing of the individual tribes of Israel.

1. (6) Reuben: Nor let his men be few.

“Let Reuben live, and not die,
Nor let his men be few.”

a. Let Reuben live: This was a general blessing for the tribe of Reuben. Moses prayed, nor let his men be few, asking that the tribe of Reuben be blessed with growth.

b. Live, and not die: This tepid blessing was consistent with Jacob’s prophecy concerning the tribe of Reuben (you shall not excel, Genesis 49:4). The tribe of Reuben never did excel. As far as is known, there never came a prophet, a judge, or a king from the tribe of Reuben.

i. The tribe of Simeon is not mentioned in this blessing. According to Adam Clarke, in one ancient copy of the Septuagint, the name Simeon is inserted in Deuteronomy 33:6 and the line should be understood as, “Let Simeon be few.” If so, it would fit with the radical decline of the tribe of Simeon through the 40 years of the wilderness, from a tribe of 59,300 (Numbers 1:23) to 22,200 (Numbers 26:14). This decline of 37,100 men (more than 62%) was the largest decline of any tribe of Israel in the wilderness years.

2. (7) Judah: May You be a help.

And this he said of Judah:

“Hear, LORD, the voice of Judah,
And bring him to his people;
Let his hands be sufficient for him,
And may You be a help against his enemies.”

a. Hear, LORD, the voice of Judah: Since the name Judah means praise, Moses prayed that the LORD would hear the voice of praise.

b. Let his hands be sufficient: Moses prayed for the blessing and sustaining of the tribe of Judah, so that it would fulfill its prophetic destiny to bring the Messiah. He prayed that God would help Judah against his enemies.

i. “Let him have a sufficiency of warriors always to support the tribe, and vindicate its rights; and let his enemies never be able to prevail against him!” (Clarke)

ii. Moses knew this destiny for the tribe of Judah from Jacob’s prophecy in Genesis 49:10: The scepter shall not depart from Judah.

3. (8-11) Levi: They shall teach…Israel Your law.

And of Levi he said:

“Let Your Thummim and Your Urim be with Your holy one,
Whom You tested at Massah,
And with whom You contended at the waters of Meribah,
Who says of his father and mother, ‘I have not seen them’;
Nor did he acknowledge his brothers,
Or know his own children;
For they have observed Your word
And kept Your covenant.
They shall teach Jacob Your judgments,
And Israel Your law.
They shall put incense before You,
And a whole burnt sacrifice on Your altar.
Bless his substance, LORD,
And accept the work of his hands;
Strike the loins of those who rise against him,
And of those who hate him, that they rise not again.”

a. They have observed Your word and kept Your covenant: Because of their obedience and loyalty to God, Levi had a blessed place among the tribes of Israel. Moses prayed that the substance of Levi would be blessed and that their enemies would be defeated.

i. They have observed: In the golden calf incident, “Moses had asked ‘whoever is for the Lord’ (Exodus 32:26) to come forward and punish the Israelite idolaters even to the extent of ‘brother and friend and neighbor’ (Deuteronomy 33:27). Levi volunteered and proceeded to slay their own ‘sons and brothers’ (Deuteronomy 33:29).” (Merrill)

ii. Bless his substance: “The blessing of God to the tribe of Levi was peculiarly necessary, because they had no inheritance among the children of Israel, and lived more immediately than others upon the providence of God.” (Clarke)

b. They shall teach Jacob Your judgments, and Israel Your law: The tribe of Levi had the blessed place of teaching Israel the word of God. The work of the teaching priest and Levite was important in ancient Israel (2 Chronicles 17:9, 15:3; Leviticus 10:11). The Levites would accomplish this as they were scattered in Israel, as Jacob had prophesied (Genesis 49:7).

i. The teaching role of the priests “is supported by the edict given to Aaron and his sons at the commencement of their priestly ministry that they ‘teach the Israelites all the decrees (ḥuqqim) the LORD [had] given them through Moses’ (Leviticus 10:11; cf. Deuteronomy 31:9–13).” (Merrill)

ii. The prophecy I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel (Genesis 49:7) was given to both the tribes of Simeon and Levi. For the tribe of Levi, it was a blessing, as they were scattered throughout the nation to minister to the people and to bring God’s word to the whole nation. For the tribe of Simeon, the scattering was a significant curse. Simeon had no land allotment of their own and were scattered in a region of the tribe of Judah (Joshua 19:1-9). Here, the tribe of Simeon is not even mentioned among the tribes that Moses blessed.

iii. The tribe of Levi also held the Thummim and Urim. Thompson had an interesting explanation of what they may have been: “One conjecture is that each was inscribed on each side with the words Urim (derived from arar, ‘to curse’) and Thummim (derived from tamam, ‘to be perfect’). When the stones were taken from the high priest’s breastplate (Exodus 28:30; Leviticus 8:8) and thrown, if both sides showed Urim the answer was No, and if Thummim the answer was Yes.”

4. (12) Benjamin: The beloved of the LORD.

Of Benjamin he said:

“The beloved of the LORD shall dwell in safety by Him,
Who shelters him all the day long;
And he shall dwell between His shoulders.”

a. The beloved of the LORD: The place of special love and blessing Benjamin had would be prophetically fulfilled in a Benjamite city becoming the center of the nation – Jerusalem. When the tabernacle was at Nob (1 Samuel 21:1), that was also in the territory of Benjamin.

b. Shall dwell in safety by Him: Thus, though the tribe of Benjamin was indeed fierce and warlike (Jacob’s prophecy described Benjamin as a ravenous wolf, Genesis 49:27), the tribe was greatly beloved of the LORD.

i. “The final phrase and makes his dwelling between his shoulders may mean that Benjamin rests between Yahweh’s shoulders, i.e. in the place of affection and protection.” (Thompson)

ii. “The anthropomorphism here is suggestive of the most tender compassion and solid security at the same time. The phrase speaks not of carrying on the back but of being held close to the breast or bosom.” (Merrill)

5. (13-17) Joseph: Let the blessing come.

And of Joseph he said:

“Blessed of the LORD is his land,
With the precious things of heaven, with the dew,
And the deep lying beneath,
With the precious fruits of the sun,
With the precious produce of the months,
With the best things of the ancient mountains,
With the precious things of the everlasting hills,
With the precious things of the earth and its fullness,
And the favor of Him who dwelt in the bush.
Let the blessing come ‘on the head of Joseph,
And on the crown of the head of him who was separate from his brothers.’
His glory is like a firstborn bull,
And his horns like the horns of the wild ox;
Together with them He shall push the peoples
To the ends of the earth;
They are the ten thousands of Ephraim,
And they are the thousands of Manasseh.”

a. Blessed of the LORD is his land: The two tribes that came from Joseph – Ephraim and Manasseh – were indeed blessed numerically and with land in Israel. The descendants of this one son among twelve sons of Jacob were far more numerous than all the other tribes.

i. “Joseph is thus described as the dominant figure in the tribal confederacy. The tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh occupied such a position more or less continuously, since they were the largest of the northern tribes.” (Thompson)

ii. The favor of Him who dwelt in the bush: It was at the burning bush that Moses found the favor of God (Exodus 3:1-6), and he blessed the tribes of Joseph with that same favor. “That was a strange shrine for God, that poor, ragged, dry desert bush, with apparently no sap in its gray stem, prickly with thorns, with ‘no beauty that we should desire it,’ fragile and insignificant, yet it was ‘God’s house.’ Not in the cedars of Lebanon, not in the great monarchs of the forest, but in the forlorn child of the desert did He abide.” (Maclaren)

b. Ten thousands of Ephraim…thousands of Manasseh: This fulfilled Jacob’s prophecy regarding the prosperity and growth of the descendants of the sons of Joseph in Genesis 49:22 (Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a well; his branches run over the wall).

i. “Like a firstborn bull…or a wild ox, he would rise to ascendancy and exercise dominion (thus thrusting with a horn).” (Merrill)

6. (18-19) Zebulun and Issachar: They shall partake of the abundance of the seas.

And of Zebulun he said:

“Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out,
And Issachar in your tents!
They shall call the peoples to the mountain;
There they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness;
For they shall partake of the abundance of the seas
And of treasures hidden in the sand.”

a. They shall partake of the abundance of the seas: Both the tribes of Zebulun and Issachar were in the Galilee region and were blessed to take advantage of the Sea of Galilee.

i. “That is, as Zebulun should be prosperous in his shipping and traffic, so should Issachar be in his tents—his agriculture and pasturage.” (Clarke)

ii. “While this cannot be documented as having taken place in biblical times, the promise has found startling fulfillment in the modern state of Israel, whose major port is Haifa, located in the area of ancient Zebulun.” (Merrill)

b. Treasures hidden in the sand: This is consistent with what Jacob said of Zebulun in Genesis 49:13 (Zebulun shall dwell by the haven of the sea).

7. (20-21) Gad: He dwells as a lion.

And of Gad he said:

“Blessed is he who enlarges Gad;
He dwells as a lion,
And tears the arm and the crown of his head.
He provided the first part for himself,
Because a lawgiver’s portion was reserved there.
He came with the heads of the people;
He administered the justice of the LORD,
And His judgments with Israel.”

a. He dwells as a lion: The lion-like character of the tribe of Gad was shown by the fact that Gad furnished many fine troops for David (1 Chronicles 12:14). This is in fulfillment of Jacob’s words in Genesis 49:19: he shall triumph at last.

b. A lawgiver’s portion: Gad held the central area of land among the Israelite tribes on the eastern side of the Jordan, with Manasseh to the north and Reuben to the south. This was the best, choice part of the region.

i. “Gad’s area was by far the largest and best, conforming well to its description as ‘the leader’s portion.’” (Merrill)

8. (22) Dan: A lion’s whelp.

And of Dan he said:

“Dan is a lion’s whelp;
He shall leap from Bashan.”

a. He shall leap from Bashan: This may not be a complimentary phrase. History records that Dan was a troublesome tribe. They were the tribe to introduce idolatry into Israel (Judges 18:30); Jeroboam set up one of his idolatrous golden calves in Dan (1 Kings 12:26-30), and later Dan became a center of idol worship in Israel (Amos 8:14). Indeed, Jacob said of Dan in Genesis 49:17, Dan shall be a serpent by the way.

b. From Bashan: The tribe of Dan originally was allotted land in the southern part of Israel but migrated to the north hundreds of years after this (Judges 18). Moses’ reference to Bashan (a region in northern Israel) prophetically anticipated this migration.

9. (23) Naphtali: Full of the blessing of the LORD.

And of Naphtali he said:

“O Naphtali, satisfied with favor,
And full of the blessing of the LORD,
Possess the west and the south.”

a. O Naphtali, satisfied with favor: The tribe of Naphtali was indeed satisfied with favor. Naphtali’s land was in a key portion near the Sea of Galilee, the region where Jesus did much of His teaching and ministry.

b. Full of the blessing of the LORD: Since the ministry of Jesus was based in the tribal lands of Naphtali, his blessing was indeed full. Jacob said of Naphtali in Genesis 49:21, he uses beautiful words.

i. “Scarcely any of the tribes was more particularly favoured by the wondrous mercy and kindness of God, than this and the tribe of Zebulun. The light of the glorious Gospel of Christ shone brightly here, Matthew 4:13, 15, 16. Christ’s chief residence was at Capernaum in this tribe, Matthew 9:1; Mark 2:1; and this city, through Christ’s constant residence, and the mighty miracles he wrought in it, is represented as being exalted unto heaven.” (Clarke)

10. (24-25) Asher: Most blessed of sons.

And of Asher he said:

“Asher is most blessed of sons;
Let him be favored by his brothers,
And let him dip his foot in oil.
Your sandals shall be iron and bronze;
As your days, so shall your strength be.”

a. Asher is most blessed of sons: The abundance of the tribe of Asher was also expressed by Jacob in Genesis 49:20 (he shall yield royal dainties). Here, Moses blessed Asher with an abundance of olive oil, plenty to dip one’s foot in.

i. “The Galilean highlands were famous for olives and both Josephus and one of the Jewish Midrashim refer to this fact.” (Thompson)

b. Your sandals shall be iron and bronze: The tribe of Asher would be blessed with wealth so that even their sandals would be made of the best, strongest, most durable materials.

i. Sandals of iron and bronze have a spiritual sense for the believer. Spurgeon suggested several applications.

· Such sandals would protect tender feet, and God protects.

· Such sandals would be sturdy for travel, and God enables us to walk difficult paths.

· Such sandals would be good for soldiers, and we wage war in the Spirit and crush spiritual adversaries under our feet.

· Such sandals would be good for climbing mountains, and God has heights for His people to climb.

· Such sandals would last a long time, needed for our long journey with the LORD.

c. As your days, so shall your strength be: This wonderful promise meant that their strength would match their days. This can be understood in many blessed aspects.

i. “The saying, I have no doubt, has comforted the souls of multitudes. The meaning is obvious: ‘Whatever thy trials or difficulties may be, I shall always give thee grace to support thee under and bring thee through them.’” (Clarke)

ii. Spurgeon suggested many applications of the truth, as your days, so shall your strength be.

· We receive strength from God as we do our days – day by day, piece by piece. We receive one day at a time and receive strength for that day.

· We receive strength from God proportionally. A day of little service or little suffering may receive little strength; but days of greater service or greater suffering will receive greater strength.

· We receive strength from God in many ways. As our days differ, so does the strength God gives us, always suited to the day.

· We receive strength from God as long as our days continue; it is a constant provision.

11. (26-29) Conclusion: Happy are you, O Israel!

“There is no one like the God of Jeshurun,
Who rides the heavens to help you,
And in His excellency on the clouds.
The eternal God is your refuge,
And underneath are the everlasting arms;
He will thrust out the enemy from before you,
And will say, ‘Destroy!’
Then Israel shall dwell in safety,
The fountain of Jacob alone,
In a land of grain and new wine;
His heavens shall also drop dew.
Happy are you, O Israel!
Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD,
The shield of your help
And the sword of your majesty!
Your enemies shall submit to you,
And you shall tread down their high places.”

a. The eternal God is your refuge: What blessing God gave to Israel! As Paul wrote in Romans 3:2: To them were committed the oracles of God. The true greatness of Israel is the same as the greatness of the Christian: not in and of themselves, but in their God, that there is no one like the God of Jeshurun.

b. Who rides the heavens to help you: God is great and uses His greatness on behalf of His people, upholding them with the everlasting arms. When believers are a people saved by the LORD, it means that God is for them, and heaven is on their side. If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31). He is the shield of the believer’s help.

i. “The figure of deity riding on a chariot through the heavens is an ancient Near Eastern motif known to the Canaanites, but occurring also in the Old Testament (Psalm 18:10; 68:33; Isaiah 19:1; Ezekiel 1).” (Thompson)

ii. The fountain of Jacob: “It is a figurative way of describing Jacob’s offspring, the descendants of his sons who came to comprise the nation Israel.” (Merrill)

iii. Then Israel shall dwell…alone: “This people shall not be incorporated with any other people under heaven. A prophecy which continues to be fulfilled to the very letter. Every attempt to unite them with any other people has proved absolutely ineffectual.” (Clarke)

c. Underneath are the everlasting arms: The hymn Leaning on the Everlasting Arms gets its title and theme from this phrase. The sense of this simple and powerful image gives great comfort and courage to those who believe and receive its truth.

i. The everlasting arms of God are underneath, as a foundation for everything. Everything in the universe, all creation, the church, the individual believer – all built on a firm foundation, with God’s everlasting, strong, arms underneath. They are also underneath the believer as a place of rest. Our Father’s arms are a perfect pillow, giving perfect rest. We can put all our weight on these strong arms, leaning heavily on them.

ii. If we sink deep from humiliation, from trials, inner conflict, weary working, illness, or impending death – no matter what brings us low – we have God’s everlasting arms underneath us. “You cannot go so low but that God’s arms of love are lower still. You get poorer and poorer; but ‘underneath are the everlasting arms.’ You get older and feebler; your ears are failing, your eyes are growing dim; but ‘underneath are the everlasting arms.’” (Spurgeon)

iii. “I recollect being at the funeral of one of our brethren, and a dear friend in Christ offered prayer in which there was a sentence which struck me, ‘O Lord,’ he said, ‘thou hast laid our friend low, but we thank thee that he cannot go any lower, for underneath him are the everlasting arms.’ Yes, underneath the bodies of the saints are the everlasting arms of God.” (Spurgeon)

iv. Everlasting arms: “They are arms which always were, and always will be: arms which always were strong, and never will grow faint or weary; arms which once outstretched will never be drawn back again; arms which once engaged for the defense of the chosen people shall never cease to work for their good world without end. Not failing arms, nor dying arms, but everlasting arms, are underneath the saints of God.” (Spurgeon)

d. Happy are you, O Israel: With this salvation, with God as their shield and sword, with victory assured, all this gave God’s people great reason to be happy. These blessings, in their spiritual sense, were not limited to Israel. Believers, God’s people under the new covenant, also have such blessings and reasons to be happy.

i. A people saved by the LORD: “If you are indeed believers in Christ, you are ‘a people saved by the Lord.’ If you only read as far as the word ‘saved’ and there pause, what music there is in the words—‘a people saved’! Not a people who may be saved, who are in process of being saved, but a people saved; for he that believes in Jesus is saved. The work is done.” (Spurgeon)

ii. “Remember that, O believer. Not half saved, but completely saved; saved in the Lord with an everlasting salvation; you shall not be ashamed nor confounded, world without end. Why, that one word ‘saved’ is enough to make the heart dance as long as life remains.” (Spurgeon)

e. Your enemies shall submit to you: The last recorded words of Moses were full of confidence that Israel would defeat the Canaanites and occupy the land Yahweh had promised them.

i. “On the eve of conquest it was assuring to know that Yahweh, the Divine Warrior (cf. Deuteronomy 33:27), would lead his elect nation to victory. Their enemies would submit to them, and they would tread upon the high places of their foes.” (Merrill)

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