Tyndale Open Study NotesDeuteronomy 33

On the day before he died, Jacob blessed his 12 sons (Genesis 49:1–28). Many years later, Moses also blessed these same sons. By that time, they had become large and powerful tribes. Moses, like Jacob, spoke as a founding father of the nation.

• This poetic passage does not describe an exact travel route that God followed. Instead, it uses vivid language to show God’s greatness. It pictures God coming at certain times and places to lead his people in battle against their enemies. This is sometimes described as God’s war, meaning that God fought on behalf of his people.

• Mount Paran refers to the highlands of Paran in the northeast part of the Sinai Peninsula (see 1:1).

• In covenant settings, to love often means "to choose." The Lord truly loves his people. But in this context, it means that he chose them as his special possession (4:20).

• Your hand: This phrase uses a picture to show safety. It means that Israel, called his holy ones, was secure in the Lord’s care.

• his steps: To follow the Lord means "to live as he teaches and to go where he leads." It describes a way of life that matches his ways.

• Your words: This refers especially to the Torah. The Torah is the law that God gave to Israel. It includes all of his instructions for their life together.

of Jacob: The Hebrew probably uses Jacob because the tribes descended from Jacob’s 12 sons are here listed by name as recipients of God’s blessing (33:6–25; compare Genesis 49:1–28).

Reuben was Jacob’s oldest son by Leah (see Genesis 29:32). His sin against his father might explain why his tribe did not become very important (Genesis 35:22; 49:3–4).

Judah was Jacob’s fourth son with Leah (Genesis 29:35). The Messiah (God's chosen one) would come from this tribe.

This promise was fulfilled first in David (Ruth 4:18–22; 1 Chronicles 2:3–15) and then in Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:1–6a; see Genesis 49:10).

• Levi 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” (see study note on Exodus 28:30).

• Massah means “[place of] testing.” This refers to the time the people ran out of water and tested the Lord (see study note on Deuteronomy 6:16; Exodus 17:1–7).

• Meribah means “[place of] contention.” This refers to the time the Israelites argued with the Lord until he provided water from a rock (Numbers 20:13, 24).

maintained 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 special honor described here.

• He will teach Your ordinances … law: Besides performing priestly duties like sacrifices and assisting at the Tent of Meeting and the temple, the Levites were responsible for teaching the Torah (31:9–13).

• set incense: Only Levitical priests could perform this ministry (Numbers 16:39–40). Later, when King Uzziah entered the temple to offer incense, he was strongly condemned. He was arrogant in violating what was only the privilege of the priests. He suffered from a skin disease for the rest of his life (2 Chronicles 26:16–21).

Benjamin was Jacob’s youngest son (Genesis 35:18; 49:27). Rachel was Jacob’s favorite wife, so he favored Benjamin. God blessed Benjamin's tribe with special protection.

Joseph was Jacob’s eleventh son and his favorite child (Genesis 30:23–24; Genesis 37:3). Joseph and his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, received Jacob’s special blessing (Genesis 48; 49:22–26). Because of this, the tribes of Joseph prospered and multiplied. They became two separate tribes.

• Him who dwelt in the burning bush: See Exodus 3:2–4. The same God who rescued Israel from slavery blessed the tribes of Joseph.

• the prince of his brothers: Joseph's dream of ruling over his siblings came true when they submitted to him in Egypt (Genesis 37:5–11; 42:6).

Ephraim 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 thousands. This shows greater strength and growth for Ephraim.

After Israel conquered the land and became a nation, Ephraim became the leading tribe in the north. Later, after Solomon died and the kingdom divided (1 Kings 12), the name Ephraim was often used to mean the northern kingdom of Israel.

• Zebulun and Issachar were the sixth and fifth sons born to Jacob by Leah (Genesis 30:18, 20).

• in your journeys … in your tents: This phrase uses a figure of speech called a merism (a way of speaking that uses two opposite ideas to mean “everything in between”). Here, it describes the whole of life. It includes times of movement and work (journeys) and times of rest at home (tents).

• to a mountain: The tribe of Issachar received much of the plain of Jezreel, also called Esdraelon. Mount Tabor was an important mountain in this area. It was likely the mountain being referred to here. Later tradition says this mountain was a place of worship (Hosea 5:1).

  We do not know exactly what kind of worship took place there. However, it was probably proper worship, even though it did not happen at the temple in Jerusalem (see 1 Kings 18:30, 32).

• The phrase the abundance of the sea might refer to trade and fishing. The tribe of Zebulun may have benefited from the sea when their western border reached the Mediterranean Sea( see Genesis 49:13).

Gad 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.

The 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).

Dan was the older of two sons born to Jacob by Rachel’s servant Bilhah (Genesis 30:5–6). His name means “he judged.”

The tribe of Dan first received land between Judah and the Mediterranean Sea (Joshua 19:40–48). However, the people who already lived there strongly opposed them. Because of this, the tribe of Dan could not settle in that area.

Later, the tribe moved far to the north. They attacked the people living in Laish, destroyed the city, and settled there. This new land was near Mount Hermon, north of the Sea of Galilee, and next to Bashan (Judges 18:27–28).

The Bible does not clearly say where Dan gathered its army before attacking Laish. However, the phrase leaping out of Bashan may suggest that the attack began from Bashan (see Genesis 49:16–17).

• Naphtali was the younger of two sons of Jacob by Rachel’s servant Bilhah (Genesis 30:7–8). His name means "my struggle."

• the sea and the south: The Hebrew word yam can mean either "west" or "sea." It may describe the area where the tribe of Naphtali settled. They lived near the Sea of Galilee, a region known for fishing and farming (see Matthew 4:12–17.

Asher was the younger of two sons of Jacob by Leah’s servant Zilpah (Genesis 30:12–13). The name Asher means “happy” or “blessed.” This is evident in the plentiful olive oil from the orchards on the lower Galilean hills and Mount Carmel. These hills and other natural formations also provided safety from danger (Deuteronomy 33:25).

who rides the heavens: Moses finished blessing the tribes by praising the Lord. Like a powerful warrior, God rides victoriously through the skies on chariots of clouds (see 1:30).

God's everlasting arms represent his eternal nature. This means God has always existed and always will. They also represent his power and care. God's power would remove the Canaanites from the promised land, allowing Israel to enter and settle there.

trample their high places: This means having complete victory over an enemy. The word high places refers to the heights of the land and traditional pagan worship sites. This suggests total physical and spiritual conquest. The Lord promised to lead the way and guarantee success in the upcoming conquest (see 11:24–25; Joshua 1:3; 14:9; compare Amos 4:13; Micah 1:3; Habakkuk 3:15).