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33. Moses Blesses the Tribes

¹ This is the blessing that Moses the man of God pronounced on the Israelites before his death. ² He said:

   “The LORD came from Sinai
   and dawned over them from Seir;
   he shone forth from Mount Paran.
He came with Or from myriads of holy ones
   from the south, from his mountain slopes. The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
³ Surely it is you who love the people;
   all the holy ones are in your hand.
At your feet they all bow down,
   and from you receive instruction,
⁴ the law that Moses gave us,
   the possession of the assembly of Jacob.
⁵ He was king over Jeshurun Jeshurun means the upright one, that is, Israel; also in verse 26.
   when the leaders of the people assembled,
   along with the tribes of Israel.

⁶ “Let Reuben live and not die,
nor Or but let his people be few.”

⁷ And this he said about Judah:

   “Hear, LORD, the cry of Judah;
   bring him to his people.
With his own hands he defends his cause.
   Oh, be his help against his foes!”

⁸ About Levi he said:

   “Your Thummim and Urim belong
   to your faithful servant.
You tested him at Massah;
   you contended with him at the waters of Meribah.
⁹ 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.
¹⁰ He teaches your precepts to Jacob
   and your law to Israel.
He offers incense before you
   and whole burnt offerings on your altar.
¹¹ Bless all his skills, LORD,
   and be pleased with the work of his hands.
Strike down those who rise against him,
   his foes till they rise no more.”

¹² About Benjamin he said:

   “Let the beloved of the LORD rest secure in him,
   for he shields him all day long,
   and the one the LORD loves rests between his shoulders.”

¹³ About Joseph he said:

   “May the LORD bless his land
   with the precious dew from heaven above
   and with the deep waters that lie below;
¹⁴ with the best the sun brings forth
   and the finest the moon can yield;
¹⁵ with the choicest gifts of the ancient mountains
   and the fruitfulness of the everlasting hills;
¹⁶ with the best gifts of the earth and its fullness
   and the favor of him who dwelt in the burning bush.
Let all these rest on the head of Joseph,
   on the brow of the prince among Or of the one separated from his brothers.
¹⁷ 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.”

¹⁸ About Zebulun he said:

   “Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out,
   and you, Issachar, in your tents.
¹⁹ They will summon peoples to the mountain
   and there offer the sacrifices of the righteous;
they will feast on the abundance of the seas,
   on the treasures hidden in the sand.”

²⁰ About Gad he said:

   “Blessed is he who enlarges Gad’s domain!
   Gad lives there like a lion,
   tearing at arm or head.
²¹ He chose the best land for himself;
   the leader’s portion was kept for him.
When the heads of the people assembled,
   he carried out the LORD’s righteous will,
   and his judgments concerning Israel.”

²² About Dan he said:

“Dan is a lion’s cub,
springing out of Bashan.”

²³ About Naphtali he said:

   “Naphtali is abounding with the favor of the LORD
   and is full of his blessing;
   he will inherit southward to the lake.”

²⁴ About Asher he said:

   “Most blessed of sons is Asher;
   let him be favored by his brothers,
   and let him bathe his feet in oil.
²⁵ The bolts of your gates will be iron and bronze,
   and your strength will equal your days.

    ²⁶ “There is no one like the God of Jeshurun,
   who rides across the heavens to help you
   and on the clouds in his majesty.
²⁷ The eternal God is your refuge,
   and underneath are the everlasting arms.
He will drive out your enemies before you,
   saying, ‘Destroy them!’
²⁸ So Israel will live in safety;
   Jacob will dwell Septuagint; Hebrew Jacob’s spring is secure
in a land of grain and new wine,
   where the heavens drop dew.
²⁹ Blessed are you, Israel!
   Who is like you,
   a people saved by the LORD?
He is your shield and helper
   and your glorious sword.
Your enemies will cower before you,
   and you will tread on their heights.”

18. And of Zebulun he said. He compares two tribes with each other, which, although neighbors in position, were still very dissimilar; for the one being devoted to mercantile pursuits, went forth frequently in various directions; the other took more delight in quietude and repose; and this their great variety of condition is indicated, when he bids Zebulun rejoice in its expeditions, and Issachar in its domestic repose. Moses thus confirms the prophecy of Jacob, who said that Zebulun should “dwell at the haven of the sea,” so as to make voyages of traffic; whilst Issachar, as delighting more in repose, should be lazy and idle, so as to make no objections against paying tribute, in order to purchase peace. (Genesis 49:13-15.)

What follows I suppose to be added, as though Moses had said that their distant location should not prevent them from going up with the others to Jerusalem, for the purpose of performing their religious duties. For in that they were farther removed from the temple, their zeal in the legal service might have grown cold. Although, then, they dwelt in the utmost borders of the land, Moses says that they should nevertheless come to offer sacrifices to God. By the peoples some understand the other tribes, which does not appear at all consistent; and others, foreign nations, to which their commercial intercourse gave them access. My interpretation, however, is simply that, although the length of the journey should invite them to remain at home, still they should mutually exhort each other to betake themselves in large companies to the temple. The end of the verse may be the statement of a reason for this, as if it were said, that they will be more attentive to the service of God, because, being enriched by him, they will be desirous to offer Him the praise. And assuredly it is a sign of gross ingratitude, when we are not stimulated by God’s blessings to strive more earnestly to render thanks to him, in proportion as he deals more liberally with us. At the same time, Moses shows that, in consideration of their great wealth, the expenses of the journey would be by no means onerous to them; for, although their country was not very fertile, still its position was most advantageous for the acquirement of riches. Thus when it is here said, “they shall suck of the abundance of the seas,” an antithesis is to be understood between the fruits of the earth and the abundant revenues derived from merchandise. To the same effect, “the treasures hid in the sand” are spoken of. For the exposition given by some, that their treasures should be so great as that they should hide them in the sand; and by others, that the sands should there be so prolific in silver and gold; and by others, that they should collect what the sea should throw up, is poor and vapid. Whereas, therefore, others should grow rich from their lands, Moses says, by an elegant figure, that the sands of Zebulun should be filled with hidden treasures, on account of their foreign traffic.