New King James Version
Deuteronomy 33:17
17His 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.”
Deuteronomy 33:17 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)His glory is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns: with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth: and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh.
- New International Version (NIV)In majesty he is like a firstborn bull; his horns are the horns of a wild ox. With them he will gore the nations, even those at the ends of the earth. Such are the ten thousands of Ephraim; such are the thousands of Manasseh.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)A firstborn bull—he has majesty, and his horns are the horns of a wild ox; with them he shall gore the peoples, all of them, to the ends of the earth; they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh."
- New Living Translation (NLT)Joseph has the majesty of a young bull; he has the horns of a wild ox. He will gore distant nations, even to the ends of the earth. This is my blessing for the multitudes of Ephraim and the thousands of Manasseh.”
Context of Deuteronomy 33:17
15With the best things of the ancient mountains, With the precious things of the everlasting hills, 16With 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.” 18And of Zebulun he said: “Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out, And Issachar in your tents! 19They 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.”
Read all of Deuteronomy 33Deuteronomy 33:17 word by word
בְּכ֨וֹר שׁוֹר֜וֹ הָדָ֣ר ל֗וֹ וְקַרְנֵ֤י רְאֵם֙ קַרְנָ֔יו בָּהֶ֗ם עַמִּ֛ים יְנַגַּ֥ח יַחְדָּ֖ו אַפְסֵי־אָ֑רֶץ וְהֵם֙ רִבְב֣וֹת אֶפְרַ֔יִם וְהֵ֖ם אַלְפֵ֥י מְנַשֶּֽׁה׃ סRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- His gloryהָדָרhâdâr · gloryH1926
- the firstlingבְּכוֹרbekôr · firstbornH1060
- of his bullockשׁוֹרshôr · cattleH7794
- and his hornsקֶ֫רֶןqeren · hornH7161
- of unicornsרְאֵםre'êm re'êym rêym rêm · wild oxH7214
- with them he shall pushנָגַחnâgach · to goreH5055
- the peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
- togetherיָחְדָּוyachad · togetherH3162
- to the endsאֶ֫פֶס'ephes · endH657
- of the earthאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
- the ten thousandsרְבָבָהrebâbâh · myriadH7233
- of Ephraimאֶפְרַ֫יִם'ephrayim · EphraimH669
- the thousandsאֶ֫לֶף'eleph · thousandH505
- of Manassehמְנַשֶּׁהmenashsheh · ManassehH4519
Cross-references for Deuteronomy 33:17
- 1 Chronicles 5:1Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel—he was indeed the firstborn, but because he defiled his father’s bed, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph, the son of Israel, so that the genealogy is not listed according to the birthright;
- Numbers 23:22God brings them out of Egypt; He has strength like a wild ox.
- Numbers 24:8“God brings him out of Egypt; He has strength like a wild ox; He shall consume the nations, his enemies; He shall break their bones And pierce them with his arrows.
- Job 39:9“Will the wild ox be willing to serve you? Will he bed by your manger?
- Psalms 22:21Save Me from the lion’s mouth And from the horns of the wild oxen! You have answered Me.
- Psalms 29:6He makes them also skip like a calf, Lebanon and Sirion like a young wild ox.
- Psalms 92:10But my horn You have exalted like a wild ox; I have been anointed with fresh oil.
- Isaiah 34:7The wild oxen shall come down with them, And the young bulls with the mighty bulls; Their land shall be soaked with blood, And their dust saturated with fatness.”
- 1 Kings 22:11Now Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah had made horns of iron for himself; and he said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘With these you shall gore the Syrians until they are destroyed.’ ”
- 2 Chronicles 18:10Now Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah had made horns of iron for himself; and he said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘With these you shall gore the Syrians until they are destroyed.’ ”
- Psalms 44:5Through You we will push down our enemies; Through Your name we will trample those who rise up against us.
- Genesis 48:19But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great; but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations.”
- Numbers 26:34These are the families of Manasseh; and those who were numbered of them were fifty-two thousand seven hundred.
- Hosea 5:3I know Ephraim, And Israel is not hidden from Me; For now, O Ephraim, you commit harlotry; Israel is defiled.
- Hosea 6:4“O Ephraim, what shall I do to you? O Judah, what shall I do to you? For your faithfulness is like a morning cloud, And like the early dew it goes away.
- Hosea 7:1“When I would have healed Israel, Then the iniquity of Ephraim was uncovered, And the wickedness of Samaria. For they have committed fraud; A thief comes in; A band of robbers takes spoil outside.
Commentaries on Deuteronomy 33:17
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 17His glory is like the firstling of his bullock - This similitude is very obscure. A bullock was the most excellent of animals among the Jews, not only because of its acceptableness in sacrifice to God, but because of its great usefulness in agriculture. There is something peculiarly noble and dignified in the appearance of the ox, and his greatest ornament are his fine horns; these the inspired penman has particularly in view, as the following clause…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 13-17Verses 13-17 Comparing the words of Moses with those of Jacob, it will be seen that the patriarch dwells with emphasis on the severe conflicts which Joseph, i. e., Ephraim and Manasseh, would undergo (compare Genesis 49:23-24); while the lawgiver seems to look beyond, and to behold the two triumphant and established in their power. Deuteronomy 33:17 Rather: “The first-born of his” (i. e. Joseph‘s) “bullock is his glory”: the reference being to Ephraim…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. 17Ephraim is listed first because he received the blessing of the firstborn instead of Manasseh (Genesis 48:8–22). Manasseh was the older son. Normally, the firstborn son received a double portion of the inheritance (compare Deuteronomy 21:17). However, Jacob gave this special blessing to Ephraim, Joseph’s younger son. The blessing of Moses follows the same pattern. He describes Ephraim as having myriads (literally tens of thousands) and Manasseh as having…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 13-1713-17. of Joseph he said--The territory of this tribe, diversified by hill and dale, wood and water, would be rich in all the productions--olives, grapes, figs, &c., which are reared in a mountainous region, as well as in the grain and herbs that grow in the level fields. "The firstling of the bullock and the horns of the unicorn" (rhinoceros), indicate glory and strength, and it is supposed that under these emblems were shadowed forth the triumphs of…Read the comment
Topics related to Deuteronomy 33:17
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
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries