Chapter Thirty-Three

The blessing of Moses upon the people of Israel.

Deuteronomy 33:2. He said: The Lord came from Sinai, and dawned from Seir upon them; he shone forth from Mount Paran, and came with ten thousands of holy ones; at his right hand a fiery law. These are the moments of miraculous manifestation of divine almightiness, wisdom, and goodness during the journey of the Hebrews from Egypt to Canaan.

Deuteronomy 33:3. Yes, he loves [his] people; all his holy ones are in your hand, and they bowed down at your feet, to receive the direction of your words. Cf. Exod 19:5-8.

Deuteronomy 33:5. And he was king in Israel, when the heads of the people were gathered together with the tribes of Israel. “And he (Moses) was (as it were) king in Israel, when (around him) the heads of the people were gathered together with the tribes of Israel.”

Deuteronomy 33:6. Let Reuben live and not die, and [let Simeon] not be few in number! In the Hebrew text the name of Simeon is omitted. “Simeon is not blessed,” observes Ephrem the Syrian, “because he was cursed by his father Jacob for the massacre of the Shechemites and, instead of repenting of his first offense, added to it a new one in the person of Zimri, son of Salu, bringing destruction upon twenty-four thousand (Num 25:9), who were struck by the plague for his sins. Levi, however, though cursed together with Simeon, received a blessing from Moses — first, for the zeal of the Levites who struck down those who worshiped the calf; and second, for the zeal of the Levite Phinehas, with which he rushed at Zimri, son of Salu, and killed him” (Commentary on Deut., ch. XXXIII); and finally, by virtue of the divine election of the tribe of Levi for service at the tabernacle of the Lord. In the Greek text of the LXX the name of Simeon is not omitted.

Deuteronomy 33:7. And of Judah he said: Hear, O Lord, the voice of Judah, and bring him to his people; with his own hands he contends for himself, and you be a help against his enemies. “Bring him to his people,” as a leader and defender, guarded by help from above.

Deuteronomy 33:8. And of Levi he said: Your Thummim and your Urim belong to your godly man, whom you tested at Massah, with whom you contended at the waters of Meribah, “Upon your godly man (Aaron), whom you tested (together with Moses) at Massah (Exod 17:1-7), with whom you contended at the waters of Meribah” (Num 20:1-13).

Deuteronomy 33:9. who said of his father and mother: ‘I regard them not’; he did not acknowledge his brothers or know his own children; for they, the Levites, observed your word and kept your covenant, Deuteronomy 33:10. They teach Jacob your ordinances and Israel your law; they place incense before you and whole burnt offerings on your altar; This refers to the selfless service of the Levites at the tabernacle of the Lord and among the people.

Deuteronomy 33:12. Of Benjamin he said: The beloved of the Lord dwells in safety beside him; [God] shelters him all day long, and he rests between his shoulders. In the expression “and he rests between his shoulders” some commentators see a prefiguration of the Jerusalem Temple, built in the territory of Benjamin, on Mount Moriah, between the heights of Zion and the Mount of Olives.

Deuteronomy 33:19. They summon peoples to the mountain; there they offer lawful sacrifices; for they draw from the abundance of the seas and the hidden treasures of the sand. By “hidden treasures of the sand” commentators understand: 1) wealth obtained through agriculture; 2) wealth obtained through the manufacture of glass, known from deepest antiquity in Egypt, Phoenicia, and other lands; 3) wealth obtained through trade in purple shells found on the Phoenician coast.

Deuteronomy 33:21. He chose the best of the land for himself; there a portion was reserved for him by the lawgiver, and he came with the heads of the people and carried out the righteousness of the Lord and his judgments with Israel. Gad “chose the best of the land for himself,” that is, (together with Reuben and the half-tribe of Manasseh) received, before the other tribes, the territory that was due to him (within the bounds of the first conquests of Israel). “There (in Transjordan) a portion was reserved for him by the lawgiver.” “And he came with the heads of the people and carried out the righteousness of the Lord and his judgments with Israel,” that is, he fulfilled all that was required of him as an indispensable condition for the granting of the land allotment (Num 32:1; Deut 3:12-20; Josh 4:12).

Deuteronomy 33:22. Of Dan he said: Dan is a young lion that leaps forth from Bashan. A comparison expressing the strength and courage of the Danites.

Deuteronomy 33:23. Of Naphtali he said: O Naphtali, satisfied with favor, and full of the blessing of the Lord; possess the sea and the south. “The sea and the south are his possession.” By “the sea” one must understand the Sea of Kinneret, that is, the Sea of Galilee. In the word “south” many commentators see a reference to the luxuriant southern climate and rich vegetation of the shores of the Sea of Galilee.

Deuteronomy 33:24. And of Asher he said: Most blessed of sons is Asher; he will be favored by his brothers, and let him dip his foot in oil; Deuteronomy 33:25. iron and bronze shall be your bolts; and as your days, so shall your wealth increase. “He will dip his foot in oil; iron and bronze are your bolts” — a figurative reference to the material prosperity of Asher: “his wealth will increase with each passing day.”

Deuteronomy 33:28. Israel lives in safety; the eye of Jacob looks out on a land of grain and wine, and his heavens drip with dew. Cf. Num 23:9. “Israel lives in safety, alone,” dwelling “under the arms” of divine Providence (Deut 33:27).