New American Standard Bible 2020
Deuteronomy 33:21
211Then he 2selected the choicest part for himself, 3For there the ruler’s portion was 4reserved; 5And he came with the leaders of the people; 6He executed the justice of the Lord, And His ordinances with Israel.”
Deuteronomy 33:21 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And he provided the first part for himself, because there, in a portion of the lawgiver, was he seated; and he came with the heads of the people, he executed the justice of the Lord, and his judgments with Israel.
- New International Version (NIV)He chose the best land for himself; the leader’s portion was kept for him. When the heads of the people assembled, he carried out the Lord’s righteous will, and his judgments concerning Israel.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)He chose the best of the land for himself, for there a commander's portion was reserved; and he came with the heads of the people, with Israel he executed the justice of the Lord, and his judgments for Israel."
- New King James Version (NKJV)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.”
Context of Deuteronomy 33:21
19They will call peoples to the mountain; There they will offer righteous sacrifices; For they will draw out 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 as a lion, And tears the arm, also the crown of the head. Then he selected the choicest part for himself, For there the ruler’s portion was reserved; And he came with the leaders of the people; He executed the justice of the Lord, And His ordinances with Israel.” 22Of Dan he said, “Dan is a lion’s cub; He leaps out from Bashan.” 23Of Naphtali he said, “Naphtali, satisfied with favor, And full of the blessing of the Lord, Take possession of the sea and the south.”
Read all of Deuteronomy 33Deuteronomy 33:21 word by word
וַיַּ֤רְא רֵאשִׁית֙ ל֔וֹ כִּי־שָׁ֛ם חֶלְקַ֥ת מְחֹקֵ֖ק סָפ֑וּן וַיֵּתֵא֙ רָ֣אשֵׁי עָ֔ם צִדְקַ֤ת יְהוָה֙ עָשָׂ֔ה וּמִשְׁפָּטָ֖יו עִם־יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ סRead the interlinear
- selectedרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: selectH7200
- the choicestרֵאשִׁיתrê'shîyth · first: bestH7225
- For thereשָׁםshâm · thereH8033
- the ruler’sחָקַקchâqaq · to decreeH2710
- portionחֶלְקָהchelqâh · portionH2513
- reservedסָפַןsâphan · to coverH5603
- And he cameאָתָה'âthâh 'âthâ' · to comeH857
- the leadersרֹאשׁrô'sh · head: leaderH7218
- of the peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
- He executedעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
- the justiceצְדָקָהtsedâqâh · righteousnessH6666
- of the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- And His ordinancesמִשְׁפָּטmishpâţ · justice: judgementH4941
- with Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
Cross-references for Deuteronomy 33:21
- Numbers 32:1Now the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad had a very large number of livestock. So when they saw the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead, that it was indeed a place suitable for livestock,
- Numbers 32:33So Moses gave to them, to the sons of Gad, the sons of Reuben, and to the half-tribe of Joseph’s son Manasseh, the kingdom of Sihon, king of the Amorites and the kingdom of Og, the king of Bashan, the land with its cities with their territories, the cities of the surrounding land.
- Joshua 1:14Your wives, your little ones, and your livestock shall remain in the land which Moses gave you beyond the Jordan, but you shall cross ahead of your brothers in battle formation, all your valiant warriors, and shall help them,
- Joshua 22:4And now the Lord your God has given rest to your brothers, as He spoke to them; therefore turn now and go to your tents, to the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of the Lord gave you beyond the Jordan.
- Numbers 32:16Then they approached him and said, “We will build sheepfolds for our livestock here and cities for our little ones;
- Joshua 4:12The sons of Reuben, the sons of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over in battle formation before the sons of Israel, just as Moses had spoken to them;
- Judges 5:2“For the leaders leading in Israel, For the people volunteering, Bless the Lord!
Commentaries on Deuteronomy 33:21
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 21He provided the first part - That is, he chose for himself a very excellent portion, viz., the land of Sihon and Og, in which this tribe had requested to be settled by the lawgiver, viz., Moses, from whom they requested this portion, Numbers 32:1-5. He came with the heads of the people - Notwithstanding this portion fell unto them on the east side of Jordan, yet they proceeded with the heads of the people, the chiefs of the other tribes. To execute the…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 21The first fruits of the conquest made by Israel were assigned to Gad and Reuben by Moses, at their own request. Because seated - Render, because there was the leader‘s portion reserved, i. e., there was reserved the fitting portion for Gad as a leader in war. And he came - i. e., he joined the other leaders to fulfill the commands of God respecting the conquest of Canaan (compare Numbers 32:17, Numbers 32:21, Numbers 32:32; Joshua 1:14). Moses regards…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 6-23Verses 6-23 The order in which the tribes are here blessed, is not the same as is observed elsewhere. The blessing of Judah may refer to the whole tribe in general, or to David as a type of Christ. Moses largely blesses the tribe of Levi. Acceptance with God is what we should all aim at, and desire, in all our devotions, whether men accept us or not, 2Co 5:9. This prayer is a prophecy, that God will keep up a ministry in his church to the end of time. The…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 21The tribe of Gad chose this territory before the conquest of Canaan. It was the rich and productive land of Bashan (Numbers 32:1–5). God praises Gad for carrying out his justice and obeying his rules. This probably refers to the tribe’s faithfulness in helping the western tribes conquer Canaan (Joshua 22:1–3).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 20-2120-21. of Gad he said--Its possessions were larger than they would have been had they lain west of Jordan; and this tribe had the honor of being settled by Moses himself in the first portion of land conquered. In the forest region, south of the Jabbok, "he dwelt as a lion" (compare Ge 30:11; 49:19). Notwithstanding, they faithfully kept their engagement to join the "heads of the people" [De 33:21] in the invasion of Canaan.Read the comment
Topics related to Deuteronomy 33:21
In the dictionaries
Notes
- 1. Deuteronomy 33:21 Num 32:1-5 ↩
- 2. Deuteronomy 33:21 Lit saw ↩
- 3. Deuteronomy 33:21 Num 34:14 ↩
- 4. Deuteronomy 33:21 Lit covered ↩
- 5. Deuteronomy 33:21 Josh 4:12 ↩
- 6. Deuteronomy 33:21 Josh 22:1-3 ↩
Commentaries on Deuteronomy 33
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
New American Standard Bible 2020 — © 1960–2020 The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Commentaries