New International Version
Deuteronomy 33:8
8About Levi he said: “Your Thummim and Urim belong to your faithful servant. You tested him at Massah; you contended with him at the waters of Meribah.
Deuteronomy 33:8 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And of Levi he said, Let thy Thummim and thy Urim be with thy holy one, whom thou didst prove at Massah, and with whom thou didst strive at the waters of Meribah;
- English Standard Version (ESV)And of Levi he said, "Give to Levi your Thummim, and your Urim to your godly one, whom you tested at Massah, with whom you quarreled at the waters of Meribah;
- New King James Version (NKJV)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,
- New Living Translation (NLT)Moses said this about the tribe of Levi: “O Lord, you have given your Thummim and Urim—the sacred lots— to your faithful servants the Levites. You put them to the test at Massah and struggled with them at the waters of Meribah.
Context of Deuteronomy 33:8
6“Let Reuben live and not die, nor his people be few.” 7And this he said about Judah: “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!” About Levi he said: “Your Thummim and Urim belong to your faithful servant. You tested him at Massah; you contended with him at the waters of Meribah. 9He said of his father and mother, ‘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. 10He teaches your precepts to Jacob and your law to Israel. He offers incense before you and whole burnt offerings on your altar.
Read all of Deuteronomy 33Deuteronomy 33:8 word by word
וּלְלֵוִ֣י אָמַ֔ר תֻּמֶּ֥יךָ וְאוּרֶ֖יךָ לְאִ֣ישׁ חֲסִידֶ֑ךָ אֲשֶׁ֤ר נִסִּיתוֹ֙ בְּמַסָּ֔ה תְּרִיבֵ֖הוּ עַל־מֵ֥י מְרִיבָֽה׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And of Leviלֵוִיlêvîy · LeviH3878
- he saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- thy Thummimתֻּמִּיםtûmmîym · ThummimH8550
- and thy Urimאוּרִים'ûrîym · UrimH224
- with thy holyחָסִידchâsîyd · piousH2623
- oneאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
- whom thou didst proveנָסָהnâsâh · to testH5254
- at Massahמַסָּהmassâh · MassahH4532
- whom thou didst striveרִיבrîyb rûb · to contendH7378
- at the watersמַיmayim · waterH4325
- of Meribahמְרִיבָהmerîybâh · MeribahH4809
Cross-references for Deuteronomy 33:8
- Exodus 28:30Also put the Urim and the Thummim in the breastpiece, so they may be over Aaron’s heart whenever he enters the presence of the Lord. Thus Aaron will always bear the means of making decisions for the Israelites over his heart before the Lord.
- Leviticus 8:8He placed the breastpiece on him and put the Urim and Thummim in the breastpiece.
- Numbers 27:21He is to stand before Eleazar the priest, who will obtain decisions for him by inquiring of the Urim before the Lord. At his command he and the entire community of the Israelites will go out, and at his command they will come in.”
- 1 Samuel 28:6He inquired of the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him by dreams or Urim or prophets.
- Ezra 2:63The governor ordered them not to eat any of the most sacred food until there was a priest ministering with the Urim and Thummim.
- Nehemiah 7:65The governor, therefore, ordered them not to eat any of the most sacred food until there should be a priest ministering with the Urim and Thummim.
- Leviticus 21:7“ ‘They must not marry women defiled by prostitution or divorced from their husbands, because priests are holy to their God.
- Numbers 16:5Then he said to Korah and all his followers: “In the morning the Lord will show who belongs to him and who is holy, and he will have that person come near him. The man he chooses he will cause to come near him.
- 2 Chronicles 23:6No one is to enter the temple of the Lord except the priests and Levites on duty; they may enter because they are consecrated, but all the others are to observe the Lord’s command not to enter.
- Ezra 8:28I said to them, “You as well as these articles are consecrated to the Lord. The silver and gold are a freewill offering to the Lord, the God of your ancestors.
- Psalms 16:10because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay.
- Psalms 106:16In the camp they grew envious of Moses and of Aaron, who was consecrated to the Lord.
- Hebrews 7:26Such a high priest truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens.
- Revelation 3:7“To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.
- Deuteronomy 8:2Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.
- Exodus 17:7And he called the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the Lord saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”
Commentaries on Deuteronomy 33:8
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 8Of Levi he said - Concerning the Urim and Thummim, see Exodus 28:30; (note). Thy holy one - Aaron primarily, who was anointed the high priest of God, and whose office was the most holy that man could be invested with. Therefore Aaron was called God's holy one, and the more especially so as he was the type of the Most Holy and blessed Jesus, from whom the Urim - all light and wisdom, and Thummim - all excellence, completion, and perfection, are derived…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 8Thy holy one - i. e., Levi, regarded as the representative of the whole priestly and Levitical stock which sprang from him. The contrast between the tone of this passage and that of Genesis 49:5-7 is remarkable. Though the prediction of Jacob respecting the dispersion of this tribe held good, yet it was so overruled as to issue in honor and reward. The recovery of God‘s favor is to be traced to the faithfulness with which Moses and Aaron, who came of this…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. 8Levi was Jacob’s third son by Leah (Genesis 29:34). His descendants were called Levites. The Levites, especially those descended from Aaron, were given responsibility for the priesthood (see Exodus 28:1; 32:29; Numbers 3:9). Thummim … Urim: These were precious stones placed in or attached to the breastpiece of the ephod (a special garment worn by the chief priest). The stones were used to seek God’s will. Their names may mean “perfections” and “lights”…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 8-108-10. of Levi he said--The burden of this blessing is the appointment of the Levites to the dignified and sacred office of the priesthood (Le 10:11; De 22:8; 17:8-11), a reward for their zeal in supporting the cause of God, and their unsparing severity in chastising even their nearest and dearest relatives who had participated in the idolatry of the molten calf (Ex 32:25-28; compare Mal 2:4-6).Read the comment
Topics related to Deuteronomy 33:8
In the dictionaries
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
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