Deuteronomy 33 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.
Time Period
Around 1406 BC, immediately before Moses' death at the end of the wilderness years
Location
The plains of Moab, on the east side of the Jordan River opposite Jericho
Audience
The generation of Israelites about to enter Canaan, listening to Moses' final words
Situation
Moses pronounces a farewell blessing over the tribes one by one, describing the character and future territory of each, and closes with a poem praising God as Israel's shield and dwelling place.
Key Background
A dying patriarch blessing his children was a recognised legal and family act in the ancient world, and the words carried weight as a kind of spoken will. Moses' blessing echoes the pattern of Jacob's blessing of his twelve sons in Genesis 49, which the audience would have known, so the tribal portraits are meant to be heard side by side with that earlier one. Several of the descriptions match real geography the tribes would later occupy, such as Zebulun and Issachar near trade routes and the coast, and Asher in olive-growing country.
This is the of that Moses, the of spoke over the people of Israel before he died:
He said: "Yahweh came from Sinai, he over them from Seir, he from Mount Paran. He arrived from among of own, lightning streaming from right hand."
Yes, he peoples. All who are own are held in your hand. They sat at your feet, each one receiving your words.
Moses gave us for — the of the community of Jacob.
And he became king over Jeshurun when the leaders of the people gathered, all the tribes of Israel together as one.
"Let live and not die out, though his numbers be few."
And this is what he said about Judah: "Hear, Yahweh, the voice of Judah, and bring him back to his people. With his own hands he fights for himself — be his help against his enemies."
About Levi he said: "Your and belong to — the you tested at Massah, the you challenged at the waters of
The one who said of his father and mother, 'I have no regard for them' — who refused to acknowledge his brothers and did not know his own children. For they guarded your word and kept your
They teach Jacob your rulings and Israel your for living. They place incense before you and on your altar.
to all he does, Yahweh, and be pleased with the work of his hands. Shatter the backs of those who rise against him, and of those who hate him — so they never rise again.
About Benjamin he said: "The one Yahweh secure beside him. He shelters him all day long, and the one who him
About Joseph he said: "Favored by Yahweh is his land — with the finest gifts from the skies above, with the
with the finest things the sun out, with the finest things each month pushes up,
with the best from the mountains, with the richness of the everlasting hills,
with the finest things of the earth and everything in it, and the of the who in the bush. Let all this rest on the head of Joseph, on the brow of the
His — what majesty is his! His horns are the horns of a ox. With them he gores the nations, driving them to the ends of the earth. These are the tens of thousands of Ephraim, these are the thousands of Manasseh.
About Zebulun he said: "Be of Zebulun, in your going out, and you, Issachar, in your tents."
They call peoples to the mountain where they offer of what is right. For they draw from the abundance of the seas and the of the
About Gad he said: "Favored is the one who makes room for Gad! He there a lion, tearing off an arm — even a head."
He chose the best portion for himself, for a was kept there. He marched at the head of the people, carrying out Yahweh's justice and his decisions alongside Israel.
About Dan he said: "Dan is a cub that leaps out from Bashan."
About Naphtali he said: "Naphtali, with favor, full to the brim with Yahweh's — take possession of the and the south."
About Asher he said: "Most of the sons is Asher. Let him be loved by brothers, and let him in
"Your will be iron and bronze, and your strength will last as long as your days."
"There is no one like the of — he the to help you, the skies in his majesty."
The who has been is your refuge, and underneath are the arms. He drove out the enemy before you and said, 'Destroy them!'
So Israel lives in safety, flows undisturbed in a land of grain and wine, where even the skies drip with dew.
is for you, Israel! Who is like you — a people by Yahweh? He is your shield, your helper, your sword. Your enemies will come crawling to you, and you will march across their backs.