"BLESSED ARE YOU, ISRAEL"
Key verse: 29
NIV
Moses Blesses the Tribes(A)
33 This is the blessing(B) that Moses the man of God(C) pronounced on the Israelites before his death. 2 He said:
“The Lord came from Sinai(D)
and dawned over them from Seir;(E)
he shone forth(F) from Mount Paran.(G)
He came with[a] myriads of holy ones(H)
from the south, from his mountain slopes.[b]
3 Surely it is you who love(I) the people;
all the holy ones are in your hand.(J)
At your feet they all bow down,(K)
and from you receive instruction,
4 the law that Moses gave us,(L)
the possession of the assembly of Jacob.(M)
5 He was king(N) over Jeshurun[c](O)
when the leaders of the people assembled,
along with the tribes of Israel.
7 And this he said about Judah:(Q)
“Hear, Lord, the cry of Judah;
bring him to his people.
With his own hands he defends his cause.
Oh, be his help against his foes!”
8 About Levi(R) he said:
“Your Thummim and Urim(S) belong
to your faithful servant.(T)
You tested(U) him at Massah;
you contended with him at the waters of Meribah.(V)
9 He said of his father and mother,(W)
‘I have no regard for them.’
He did not recognize his brothers
or acknowledge his own children,
but he watched over your word
and guarded your covenant.(X)
10 He teaches(Y) your precepts to Jacob
and your law to Israel.(Z)
He offers incense before you(AA)
and whole burnt offerings on your altar.(AB)
11 Bless all his skills, Lord,
and be pleased with the work of his hands.(AC)
Strike down those who rise against him,
his foes till they rise no more.”
12 About Benjamin(AD) he said:
“Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in him,(AE)
for he shields him all day long,(AF)
and the one the Lord loves(AG) rests between his shoulders.(AH)”
13 About Joseph(AI) he said:
“May the Lord bless his land
with the precious dew from heaven above
and with the deep waters that lie below;(AJ)
14 with the best the sun brings forth
and the finest the moon can yield;
15 with the choicest gifts of the ancient mountains(AK)
and the fruitfulness of the everlasting hills;
16 with the best gifts of the earth and its fullness
and the favor of him who dwelt in the burning bush.(AL)
Let all these rest on the head of Joseph,
on the brow of the prince among[e] his brothers.(AM)
17 In majesty he is like a firstborn bull;
his horns(AN) are the horns of a wild ox.(AO)
With them he will gore(AP) the nations,
even those at the ends of the earth.
Such are the ten thousands of Ephraim;(AQ)
such are the thousands of Manasseh.(AR)”
18 About Zebulun(AS) he said:
“Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out,
and you, Issachar,(AT) in your tents.
19 They will summon peoples to the mountain(AU)
and there offer the sacrifices of the righteous;(AV)
they will feast on the abundance of the seas,(AW)
on the treasures hidden in the sand.”
20 About Gad(AX) he said:
“Blessed is he who enlarges Gad’s domain!(AY)
Gad lives there like a lion,
tearing at arm or head.
21 He chose the best land for himself;(AZ)
the leader’s portion was kept for him.(BA)
When the heads of the people assembled,
he carried out the Lord’s righteous will,(BB)
and his judgments concerning Israel.”
22 About Dan(BC) he said:
“Dan is a lion’s cub,
springing out of Bashan.”
23 About Naphtali(BD) he said:
“Naphtali is abounding with the favor of the Lord
and is full of his blessing;
he will inherit southward to the lake.”
24 About Asher(BE) he said:
“Most blessed of sons is Asher;
let him be favored by his brothers,
and let him bathe his feet in oil.(BF)
25 The bolts of your gates will be iron and bronze,(BG)
and your strength will equal your days.(BH)
26 “There is no one like the God of Jeshurun,(BI)
who rides(BJ) across the heavens to help you(BK)
and on the clouds(BL) in his majesty.(BM)
27 The eternal(BN) God is your refuge,(BO)
and underneath are the everlasting(BP) arms.
He will drive out your enemies before you,(BQ)
saying, ‘Destroy them!’(BR)
28 So Israel will live in safety;(BS)
Jacob will dwell[f] secure
in a land of grain and new wine,
where the heavens drop dew.(BT)
29 Blessed are you, Israel!(BU)
Who is like you,(BV)
a people saved by the Lord?(BW)
He is your shield and helper(BX)
and your glorious sword.
Your enemies will cower before you,
and you will tread on their heights.(BY)”
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 33:2 Or from
- Deuteronomy 33:2 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
- Deuteronomy 33:5 Jeshurun means the upright one, that is, Israel; also in verse 26.
- Deuteronomy 33:6 Or but let
- Deuteronomy 33:16 Or of the one separated from
- Deuteronomy 33:28 Septuagint; Hebrew Jacob’s spring is
Cross references
- Deuteronomy 33:1 : 33:1-29Ref — Ge 49:1-28
- Deuteronomy 33:1 : S Ge 27:4
- Deuteronomy 33:1 : Jos 14:6; 1Sa 2:27; 9:6; 1Ki 12:22; 13:1; 2Ki 1:9-13; 5:8; Jer 35:4
- Deuteronomy 33:2 : Ex 19:18; Ps 68:8
- Deuteronomy 33:2 : Jos 11:17; Jdg 5:4
- Deuteronomy 33:2 : Ps 50:2; 80:1; 94:1
- Deuteronomy 33:2 : S Nu 10:12
- Deuteronomy 33:2 : Ps 89:7; Da 4:13; 7:10; 8:13; Zec 14:5; Ac 7:53; Gal 3:19; Heb 2:2; Rev 5:11
- Deuteronomy 33:3 : S Dt 4:37
- Deuteronomy 33:3 : Dt 7:6
- Deuteronomy 33:3 : Lk 10:39; Rev 4:10
- Deuteronomy 33:4 : Dt 4:2; Jn 1:17; 7:19
- Deuteronomy 33:4 : Ps 119:111
- Deuteronomy 33:5 : S Ex 16:8; 1Sa 10:19; Ps 10:16; 149:2
- Deuteronomy 33:5 : S Nu 23:21; S Dt 32:15
- Deuteronomy 33:6 : S Ge 34:5
- Deuteronomy 33:7 : S Ge 49:10
- Deuteronomy 33:8 : S Ge 29:34
- Deuteronomy 33:8 : Ex 28:30
- Deuteronomy 33:8 : Ps 106:16
- Deuteronomy 33:8 : S Nu 14:22
- Deuteronomy 33:8 : S Ex 17:7
- Deuteronomy 33:9 : Ex 32:26-29
- Deuteronomy 33:9 : Ps 61:5; Mal 2:5
- Deuteronomy 33:10 : Ezr 7:10; Ne 8:18; Ps 119:151; Jer 23:22; Mal 2:6
- Deuteronomy 33:10 : S Lev 10:11; Dt 17:8-11; 31:9-13
- Deuteronomy 33:10 : S Ex 30:7; Lev 16:12-13
- Deuteronomy 33:10 : Ps 51:19
- Deuteronomy 33:11 : 2Sa 24:23; Ps 20:3; 51:19
- Deuteronomy 33:12 : S Ge 35:18
- Deuteronomy 33:12 : Dt 4:37-38; 12:10; S 32:8
- Deuteronomy 33:12 : S Ex 19:4
- Deuteronomy 33:12 : Ps 60:5; 127:2; Isa 5:1
- Deuteronomy 33:12 : S Ex 28:12
- Deuteronomy 33:13 : S Ge 30:24
- Deuteronomy 33:13 : Ge 27:28; Ps 148:7
- Deuteronomy 33:15 : Hab 3:6
- Deuteronomy 33:16 : S Ex 3:2
- Deuteronomy 33:16 : S Ge 37:8
- Deuteronomy 33:17 : 1Sa 2:10; 2Sa 22:3; Eze 34:21
- Deuteronomy 33:17 : S Nu 23:22
- Deuteronomy 33:17 : 1Ki 22:11; Ps 44:5
- Deuteronomy 33:17 : S Ge 41:52
- Deuteronomy 33:17 : S Ge 41:51
- Deuteronomy 33:18 : S Ge 30:20
- Deuteronomy 33:18 : S Ge 30:18
- Deuteronomy 33:19 : S Ex 15:17; Ps 48:1; Isa 2:3; 65:11; 66:20; Jer 31:6
- Deuteronomy 33:19 : Ps 4:5; 51:19
- Deuteronomy 33:19 : Isa 18:7; 23:18; 45:14; 60:5, 11; 61:6; Hag 2:7; Zec 14:14
- Deuteronomy 33:20 : Ge 30:11
- Deuteronomy 33:20 : Dt 3:12-17
- Deuteronomy 33:21 : Nu 32:1-5, 31-32
- Deuteronomy 33:21 : S Nu 34:14
- Deuteronomy 33:21 : Jos 22:1-3
- Deuteronomy 33:22 : Ge 49:16; S Nu 1:38
- Deuteronomy 33:23 : S Ge 30:8
- Deuteronomy 33:24 : S Ge 30:13
- Deuteronomy 33:24 : S Ge 49:20; S Dt 32:13
- Deuteronomy 33:25 : Ne 3:3; 7:3; Ps 147:13
- Deuteronomy 33:25 : S Dt 32:47
- Deuteronomy 33:26 : S Dt 32:15
- Deuteronomy 33:26 : Ps 18:10; 68:33
- Deuteronomy 33:26 : S Dt 10:14; S Ps 104:3
- Deuteronomy 33:26 : 2Sa 22:10; Ps 18:9; 68:4; Da 7:13
- Deuteronomy 33:26 : S Ex 15:7
- Deuteronomy 33:27 : Ex 15:18; Isa 40:28; 57:15
- Deuteronomy 33:27 : Ps 9:9; 84:1; 90:1; 91:9
- Deuteronomy 33:27 : S Ge 21:33
- Deuteronomy 33:27 : Ex 34:11; Jos 24:18
- Deuteronomy 33:27 : S Dt 7:2
- Deuteronomy 33:28 : S Ex 33:16; S Lev 25:18; S Dt 32:8; Ps 16:9; Pr 1:33; Isa 14:30
- Deuteronomy 33:28 : ver 13; Ge 27:28
- Deuteronomy 33:29 : Ps 1:1; 32:1-2; 144:15
- Deuteronomy 33:29 : 2Sa 22:45; Ps 18:44; 66:3; 81:15
- Deuteronomy 33:29 : Dt 4:7
- Deuteronomy 33:29 : Ge 15:1; Ex 18:4; Ps 10:14; 18:1; 27:1, 9; 30:10; 54:4; 70:5; 115:9-11; 118:7; Isa 45:24; Hos 13:9; Hab 3:19
- Deuteronomy 33:29 : S Nu 33:52; S Dt 32:13
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway
ESV
Moses' Final Blessing on Israel
33 This is the blessing with which Moses (A)the man of God blessed the people of Israel before his death. 2 He said,
(B)“The Lord came from Sinai
and dawned from Seir upon us;[a]
he shone forth from Mount Paran;
he came (C)from the ten thousands of holy ones,
with flaming fire[b] at his right hand.
3 Yes, (D)he loved his people,[c]
(E)all his holy ones were in his[d] hand;
(F)so they followed[e] in your steps,
receiving direction from you,
4 when (G)Moses commanded us a law,
as a possession for the assembly of Jacob.
5 Thus the Lord[f] (H)became king in (I)Jeshurun,
when the heads of the people were gathered,
all the tribes of Israel together.
6 (J)“Let Reuben live, and not die,
but let his men be few.”
7 And this he said of Judah:
“Hear, O Lord, the voice of Judah,
and bring him in to his people.
With your hands contend[g] for him,
and be a help against his adversaries.”
8 And (K)of Levi he said,
“Give to Levi[h] (L)your Thummim,
and your Urim to your godly one,
(M)whom you tested at Massah,
with whom you quarreled at the waters of Meribah;
9 who said of his father and mother,
‘I regard them not’;
(N)he disowned his brothers
and ignored his children.
For (O)they observed your word
and kept your covenant.
10 (P)They shall teach Jacob your rules
and Israel your law;
(Q)they shall put incense before you
and (R)whole burnt offerings on your altar.
11 Bless, O Lord, his substance,
and (S)accept the work of his hands;
crush the loins of his adversaries,
of those who hate him, that they rise not again.”
12 (T)Of Benjamin he said,
“The beloved of the Lord dwells in safety.
The High God[i] surrounds him all day long,
and dwells between his shoulders.”
13 And (U)of Joseph he said,
(V)“Blessed by the Lord be his land,
with the choicest gifts of heaven (W)above,[j]
and of the deep that crouches beneath,
14 with the choicest fruits of the sun
and the rich yield of the months,
15 with the finest produce of the ancient mountains
and the abundance of (X)the everlasting hills,
16 with the best gifts of the earth and (Y)its fullness
and the favor of (Z)him who dwells in the bush.
May these rest on the head of Joseph,
on the pate of him who is prince among his brothers.
17 (AA)A firstborn bull[k]—he has majesty,
and his horns are the horns of a (AB)wild ox;
with them (AC)he shall gore the peoples,
all of them, to the ends of the earth;
(AD)they are the ten thousands of Ephraim,
and they are the thousands of Manasseh.”
18 And of Zebulun he said,
(AE)“Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out,
and Issachar, in your tents.
19 They shall call peoples (AF)to their mountain;
there they offer (AG)right sacrifices;
for they draw from the abundance of the seas
and the hidden treasures of the sand.”
20 And (AH)of Gad he said,
“Blessed be he who enlarges Gad!
Gad crouches (AI)like a lion;
he tears off arm and scalp.
21 (AJ)He chose the best of the land for himself,
for there a commander's portion was reserved;
and (AK)he came with the heads of the people,
with Israel he executed the justice of the Lord,
and his judgments for Israel.”
22 And (AL)of Dan he said,
23 And (AO)of Naphtali he said,
“O Naphtali, sated with favor,
and full of the blessing of the Lord,
(AP)possess the lake[l] and the south.”
24 And (AQ)of Asher he said,
“Most blessed of sons be Asher;
let him be the favorite of his brothers,
and let him (AR)dip his foot in oil.
25 Your bars shall be iron and bronze,
and as your days, so shall your strength be.
26 (AS)“There is none like God, O (AT)Jeshurun,
(AU)who rides through the heavens to your help,
through the skies in his majesty.
27 The eternal God is your (AV)dwelling place,[m]
and underneath are the everlasting arms.[n]
And he thrust out the enemy before you
and said, ‘Destroy.’
28 So Israel lived in safety,
(AW)Jacob lived (AX)alone,[o]
in a land of grain and wine,
whose heavens drop down dew.
29 Happy are you, O Israel! (AY)Who is like you,
a people (AZ)saved by the Lord,
(BA)the shield of your help,
and the sword of your triumph!
Your enemies shall come fawning to you,
and you shall tread upon their backs.”
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 33:2 Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate; Hebrew them
- Deuteronomy 33:2 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain
- Deuteronomy 33:3 Septuagint; Hebrew peoples
- Deuteronomy 33:3 Hebrew your
- Deuteronomy 33:3 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain
- Deuteronomy 33:5 Hebrew Thus he
- Deuteronomy 33:7 Probable reading; Hebrew With his hands he contended
- Deuteronomy 33:8 Dead Sea Scroll, Septuagint; Masoretic Text lacks Give to Levi
- Deuteronomy 33:12 Septuagint; Hebrew dwells in safety by him. He
- Deuteronomy 33:13 Two Hebrew manuscripts and Targum; Hebrew with the dew
- Deuteronomy 33:17 Dead Sea Scroll, Septuagint, Samaritan; Masoretic Text His firstborn bull
- Deuteronomy 33:23 Or west
- Deuteronomy 33:27 Or a dwelling place
- Deuteronomy 33:27 Revocalization of verse 27 yields He subdues the ancient gods, and shatters the forces of old
- Deuteronomy 33:28 Hebrew the abode of Jacob was alone
Cross references
- Deuteronomy 33:1 : Josh. 14:6; 1 Chr. 23:14; 2 Chr. 30:16; Ezra 3:2
- Deuteronomy 33:2 : [Ex. 19:18, 20; Judg. 5:4, 5; Ps. 68:7, 8; Hab. 3:3]
- Deuteronomy 33:2 : [Ps. 68:17; Dan. 7:10; Acts 7:53; Gal. 3:19; Heb. 2:2; Jude 14; Rev. 5:11]
- Deuteronomy 33:3 : ch. 7:7, 8; 10:15; Hos. 11:1
- Deuteronomy 33:3 : [John 10:27-29; Rom. 8:35, 38, 39]
- Deuteronomy 33:3 : [Luke 10:39; Acts 22:3]
- Deuteronomy 33:4 : John 1:17; 7:19
- Deuteronomy 33:5 : Num. 23:21; [Judg. 8:23; Isa. 33:22]
- Deuteronomy 33:5 : See ch. 32:15
- Deuteronomy 33:6 : [Gen. 49:3, 4]
- Deuteronomy 33:8 : [Gen. 49:5]
- Deuteronomy 33:8 : See Ex. 28:30
- Deuteronomy 33:8 : See Ex. 17:7; Num. 20:13
- Deuteronomy 33:9 : See Ex. 32:26-29
- Deuteronomy 33:9 : Mal. 2:4-6
- Deuteronomy 33:10 : ch. 17:9-11; Ezek. 44:23; See Lev. 10:11
- Deuteronomy 33:10 : Ex. 30:7, 8; 1 Sam. 2:28
- Deuteronomy 33:10 : Ps. 51:19; Ezek. 43:27
- Deuteronomy 33:11 : Ezek. 20:40, 41; 43:27; [Amos 5:22]
- Deuteronomy 33:12 : [Gen. 49:27]
- Deuteronomy 33:13 : [Gen. 49:22]
- Deuteronomy 33:13 : Gen. 49:25
- Deuteronomy 33:13 : ver. 28; Gen. 27:28
- Deuteronomy 33:15 : Gen. 49:26; Hab. 3:6; [Ps. 90:2]
- Deuteronomy 33:16 : Ps. 24:1
- Deuteronomy 33:16 : Ex. 3:2-4; Acts 7:30, 35
- Deuteronomy 33:17 : [1 Chr. 5:1]
- Deuteronomy 33:17 : See Num. 23:22
- Deuteronomy 33:17 : 1 Kgs. 22:11; Ps. 44:5; Dan. 8:4
- Deuteronomy 33:17 : [Gen. 48:19; Num. 1:33, 35]
- Deuteronomy 33:18 : [Gen. 49:13-15]
- Deuteronomy 33:19 : Ex. 15:17; Isa. 2:3
- Deuteronomy 33:19 : Ps. 4:5; 51:19
- Deuteronomy 33:20 : [Gen. 49:19]
- Deuteronomy 33:20 : [1 Chr. 12:8]
- Deuteronomy 33:21 : See Num. 32:1-5, 16-19
- Deuteronomy 33:21 : Num. 32:31, 32; See Josh. 1:12-15; 1 Chr. 5:18-22
- Deuteronomy 33:22 : [Gen. 49:16]
- Deuteronomy 33:22 : [Gen. 49:9]
- Deuteronomy 33:22 : [Josh. 19:47; Judg. 18:27]
- Deuteronomy 33:23 : [Gen. 49:21]
- Deuteronomy 33:23 : See Josh. 19:32-39
- Deuteronomy 33:24 : [Gen. 49:20]
- Deuteronomy 33:24 : [Job 29:6]
- Deuteronomy 33:26 : See Ex. 15:11
- Deuteronomy 33:26 : See ch. 32:15
- Deuteronomy 33:26 : Ps. 68:33, 34; 104:3; Isa. 19:1; Hab. 3:8
- Deuteronomy 33:27 : Ps. 90:1; 91:9
- Deuteronomy 33:28 : [Ps. 68:26; Isa. 48:1]
- Deuteronomy 33:28 : Num. 23:9
- Deuteronomy 33:29 : [2 Sam. 7:23]
- Deuteronomy 33:29 : Isa. 45:17
- Deuteronomy 33:29 : Ps. 33:20; 115:9-11
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway
1. Moses blesses the tribes (1-25)
Jacob prophetically blessed his sons and focused, on the Judah's scepter and Joseph's role (Gen 49) but Moses' blessing focuses on God as their king, the importance of the law, and the priestly role of Levi. To be God's blessed people and maintain his blessing is to listen and obey God's words and precepts in covenant with him. Incense and offerings are the acts of worship and prayer. May God bless the skills of our pastors and priests today and be pleased with the work of their hands.
2. There is no one like the God of Jeshurun (26-29)
Moses blessed each tribe individually but also focused on God who blessed all of Israel as a whole. God is the eternal God, the source of blessing and security. He holds them in his everlasting arms. The most blessed people are those saved by the LORD. In Jesus, we are the most blessed people who belong to and are upheld by the God of Jeshurun.
Prayer: Father, thank you for reigning over us in Jesus. We are most blessed to have your word of promise and covenant of grace. Help us remember how blessed we are each day.
One Word: We are so blessed