Deuteronomy 33:20

Deuteronomy 33:20 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And of Gad he said, Blessed be he that enlargeth Gad: he dwelleth as a lion, and teareth the arm with the crown of the head.
• New International Version (NIV)About Gad he said: “Blessed is he who enlarges Gad’s domain! Gad lives there like a lion, tearing at arm or head.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And of Gad he said, "Blessed be he who enlarges Gad! Gad crouches like a lion; he tears off arm and scalp.
• New Living Translation (NLT)Moses said this about the tribe of Gad: “Blessed is the one who enlarges Gad’s territory! Gad is poised there like a lion to tear off an arm or a head.

Context of Deuteronomy 33:20

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.” 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. 21He 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.” 22And of Dan he said: “Dan is a lion’s whelp; He shall leap from Bashan.”

Deuteronomy 33:20 word by word

וּלְגָ֣ד אָמַ֔ר בָּר֖וּךְ מַרְחִ֣יב גָּ֑ד כְּלָבִ֣יא שָׁכֵ֔ן וְטָרַ֥ף זְר֖וֹעַ אַף־קָדְקֹֽד׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And of Gadגָּדgâd · GadH1410
• he saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• Blessedבָּרַךְbârak · to blessH1288
• he that enlargethרָחַבrâchab · to enlargeH7337
• he dwellethשָׁכַןshâkan · to dwellH7931
• as a lionלָבִיאlâbîy' lebîyâ' lebâ'îym lebâ'ôth · lionH3833
• and tearethטָרַףţâraph · to tearH2963
• the armזְרוֹעַzerôa‛ zerôa‛ zerô‛âh zerô‛âh · armH2220
• withאַף'aph · alsoH637
• the crown of the headקׇדְקֹדqodqôd · crownH6936

Cross-references for Deuteronomy 33:20

• Genesis 9:26And he said: “Blessed be the Lord, The God of Shem, And may Canaan be his servant.
• Joshua 13:8With the other half-tribe the Reubenites and the Gadites received their inheritance, which Moses had given them, beyond the Jordan eastward, as Moses the servant of the Lord had given them:
• 1 Chronicles 4:10And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So God granted him what he requested.
• 1 Chronicles 12:8Some Gadites joined David at the stronghold in the wilderness, mighty men of valor, men trained for battle, who could handle shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and were as swift as gazelles on the mountains:
• Psalms 18:19He also brought me out into a broad place; He delivered me because He delighted in me.
• 1 Chronicles 5:18The sons of Reuben, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh had forty-four thousand seven hundred and sixty valiant men, men able to bear shield and sword, to shoot with the bow, and skillful in war, who went to war.

Commentaries on Deuteronomy 33:20

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 20Blessed be he that enlargeth Gad - As deliverance out of distress is termed enlarging, (see Psalm 4:1;), this may refer to God's deliverance of the tribe of Gad out of that distress mentioned Genesis 49:19, and to the enlargement obtained through means of Jephthah, Judges 11:33, and probably also to the victories obtained by Gad and Reuben over the Hagarites, 1 Chronicles 5:18-20. He dwelleth as a lion - Probably the epithet of lion or lion-like was…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 20i. e., Blessed be God who shall grant to Gad a spacious territory. Compare the blessing of Shem Genesis 9:26. With the crown - Rather, yea, the crown. The warlike character of this tribe is shown by their leading the van in the long campaigns of Joshua (compare Joshua 4:12-13; Joshua 22:1-4). Compare also 1 Chronicles 5:18-22; 1 Chronicles 12:8 ff, and the acts of Jehu, the Gadite, in 2 Kings 9; 10.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. 20Gad was the older of two sons born to Jacob by Leah’s servant Zilpah (Genesis 30:10–11). His name means “good fortune.” However, the main idea is that the one who helps the tribe gain more land is the truly fortunate one. The tribe of Gad settled east of the Jordan River and the Sea of Galilee.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 33:20

• Death
• Gad

In the dictionaries

• Gad
• Abundance
• Accept
• Bless
• Couch
• Dip
• Drops
• Eternal
• Simeon, The tribe of
• Sword

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