New Living Translation
Deuteronomy 33:9
9The Levites obeyed your word and guarded your covenant. They were more loyal to you than to their own parents. They ignored their relatives and did not acknowledge their own children.
Deuteronomy 33:9 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Who said unto his father and to his mother, I have not seen him; neither did he acknowledge his brethren, nor knew his own children: for they have observed thy word, and kept thy covenant.
- New International Version (NIV)He 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.
- English Standard Version (ESV)who said of his father and mother, 'I regard them not'; he disowned his brothers and ignored his children. For they observed your word and kept your covenant.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Who says of his father and mother, ‘I have not seen them’; Nor did he acknowledge his brothers, Or know his own children; For they have observed Your word And kept Your covenant.
Context of Deuteronomy 33:9
7Moses said this about the tribe of Judah: “O Lord, hear the cry of Judah and bring them together as a people. Give them strength to defend their cause; help them against their enemies!” 8Moses 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. The Levites obeyed your word and guarded your covenant. They were more loyal to you than to their own parents. They ignored their relatives and did not acknowledge their own children. 10They teach your regulations to Jacob; they give your instructions to Israel. They present incense before you and offer whole burnt offerings on the altar. 11Bless the ministry of the Levites, O Lord, and accept all the work of their hands. Hit their enemies where it hurts the most; strike down their foes so they never rise again.”
Read all of Deuteronomy 33Deuteronomy 33:9 word by word
הָאֹמֵ֞ר לְאָבִ֤יו וּלְאִמּוֹ֙ לֹ֣א רְאִיתִ֔יו וְאֶת־אֶחָיו֙ לֹ֣א הִכִּ֔יר וְאֶת־בָּנָ֖יו לֹ֣א יָדָ֑ע כִּ֤י שָֽׁמְרוּ֙ אִמְרָתֶ֔ךָ וּבְרִֽיתְךָ֖ יִנְצֹֽרוּ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Who saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- unto his fatherאָב'âb · fatherH1
- and to his motherאֵם'êm · motherH517
- I have not seenרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: seeH7200
- him; neither did he acknowledgeנָכַרnâkar · to recognizeH5234
- his brethrenאָח'âch · brother: male-siblingH251
- nor knewיָדַעyâda‛ · to knowH3045
- his own childrenבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
- for they have observedשָׁמַרshâmar · to keep: obeyH8104
- thy wordאִמְרָה'imrâh 'emrâh · wordH565
- and keptנָצַרnâtsar · to watchH5341
- thy covenantבְּרִיתberîyth · covenantH1285
Cross-references for Deuteronomy 33:9
- Exodus 32:25Moses saw that Aaron had let the people get completely out of control, much to the amusement of their enemies.
- Leviticus 10:6Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, “Do not show grief by leaving your hair uncombed or by tearing your clothes. If you do, you will die, and the Lord’s anger will strike the whole community of Israel. However, the rest of the Israelites, your relatives, may mourn because of the Lord’s fiery destruction of Nadab and Abihu.
- Leviticus 21:11He must not defile himself by going near a dead body. He may not make himself ceremonially unclean even for his father or mother.
- Matthew 10:37“If you love your father or mother more than you love me, you are not worthy of being mine; or if you love your son or daughter more than me, you are not worthy of being mine.
- Matthew 12:48Jesus asked, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?”
- Matthew 22:16They sent some of their disciples, along with the supporters of Herod, to meet with him. “Teacher,” they said, “we know how honest you are. You teach the way of God truthfully. You are impartial and don’t play favorites.
- Luke 14:26“If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple.
- 2 Corinthians 5:16So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now!
- Galatians 1:10Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.
- 1 Thessalonians 2:4For we speak as messengers approved by God to be entrusted with the Good News. Our purpose is to please God, not people. He alone examines the motives of our hearts.
- 1 Timothy 5:21I solemnly command you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus and the highest angels to obey these instructions without taking sides or showing favoritism to anyone.
- Genesis 29:32So Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben, for she said, “The Lord has noticed my misery, and now my husband will love me.”
- 1 Chronicles 17:17And now, O God, in addition to everything else, you speak of giving your servant a lasting dynasty! You speak as though I were someone very great, O Lord God!
- Job 37:24No wonder people everywhere fear him. All who are wise show him reverence.”
- Jeremiah 18:18Then the people said, “Come on, let’s plot a way to stop Jeremiah. We have plenty of priests and wise men and prophets. We don’t need him to teach the word and give us advice and prophecies. Let’s spread rumors about him and ignore what he says.”
- Malachi 2:5“The purpose of my covenant with the Levites was to bring life and peace, and that is what I gave them. This required reverence from them, and they greatly revered me and stood in awe of my name.
Commentaries on Deuteronomy 33:9
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 9Who said unto his father, etc. - There are several difficulties in this and the following verses. Some think they are spoken of the tribe of Levi; others, of all the tribes; others, of the Messiah, etc.; but several of the interpretations founded on these suppositions are too recondite, and should not be resorted to till a plain literal sense is made out. I suppose the whole to be primarily spoken of Aaron and the tribe of Levi. Let us examine the words…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 9Who said unto his father and to his mother - Compare Matthew 10:37; Luke 14:26.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. 9maintained Your covenant: This verse refers to the sin of the gold calf at Mount Sinai and to what happened at Baal-peor (Exodus 32:25–29; Numbers 25:6–9). At those times, the Levites chose to stand with the Lord. Their love for the Lord and their loyalty to his covenant (his binding agreement with his people) were stronger than their loyalty to their own families. Because of this, God did not destroy the whole nation. Instead, the Levites received the…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 33:9
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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