The majesty of God, 1-5. The blessings of the twelve tribes, 6-25. The excellency of Israel, 26-29.
1 And this is the blessing with which Moses, the man of God, blessed the children of Israel before his death:
2 And he said, "The LORD came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir to them. He shined forth from mount Paran, and he came with tens of thousands of saints. From his right hand went a fiery law for them.
3 Indeed, he loved the people. All his saints are in your hand, and they sat down at your feet. Each receives your words.
4 Moses commanded us a law, even the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob.
5 And he was king in Jeshurun when the heads of the people and the tribes of Israel were assembled.
6 "Let Reuben live, and not die, and do not let his men be few."
7 And this is the blessing of Judah: "Hear, LORD, the voice of Judah, and bring him to his people. Let his hands be sufficient for him. May you be a help to him from his enemies."
8 And of Levi he said, "Let your Thummim and your Urim be with your holy one, whom you proved at Massah and with whom you strove at the waters of Meribah,
9 Who said to his father and to his mother, 'I have not seen him,' neither did he acknowledge his brothers, nor know his own children, for they have observed your word and kept your covenant.
10 They shall teach Jacob your judgments and Israel your law. They shall put incense before you and whole burnt sacrifice upon your altar.
11 Bless, LORD, his substance, and accept the work of his hands. Smite through the loins of those who rise against him and of those who hate him, so that they do not rise again."
12 And of Benjamin he said, "The beloved of the LORD shall dwell in safety by him, and the LORD shall cover him all day long, and he shall dwell between his shoulders."
13 And of Joseph he said, "Blessed of the LORD be his land for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, for the deep that couches beneath,
14 For the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, for the precious things put forth by the moon,
15 For the chief things of the ancient mountains, for the precious things of the lasting hills,
16 For the precious things of the earth and its fullness, and for the good will of him who dwelt in the bush. Let the blessing come upon the head of Joseph and upon the top of the head of him who was separated from his brothers.
17 His glory is like the first-born of his bull, and his horns are like the horns of wild oxen. With them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth. And they are the tens of thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh."
18 And of Zebulun he said, "Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out, and Issachar, in your tents.
19 They shall call the people to the mountain. There they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness, for they shall draw out the abundance of the seas and of treasures hid in the sand."
20 And of Gad he said, "Blessed is he who enlarges Gad. He dwells as a lion and tears the arm with the crown of the head.
21 And he provided the first part for himself, because there, in a portion of the lawgiver, he was seated. And he came with the heads of the people. He executed the justice of the LORD and his judgments with Israel."
22 And of Dan he said, "Dan is a lion's whelp. He shall leap from Bashan."
23 And of Naphtali he said, "O Naphtali, satisfied with favor and full with the blessing of the LORD, possess the west and the south."
24 And of Asher he said, "Let Asher be blessed with children. Let him be acceptable to his brothers, and let him dip his foot in oil.
25 Your shoes shall be iron and brass. And as your days, so your strength shall be.
26 "There is no one like the God of Jeshurun, who rides upon the heaven to your help and in his excellence on the sky.
27 The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. And he shall thrust out the enemy from before you, and shall say, 'Destroy them.'
28 Israel then shall dwell in safety alone. The fountain of Jacob shall be upon a land of grain and wine. His heavens shall also drop down dew.
29 Happy are you, O Israel! Who is like you, O people saved by the LORD, the shield of your help, and who the sword of your excellence is? And your enemies shall be found liars to you, and you shall tread upon their high places."
Matthew Henry Commentary - Deuteronomy, Chapter 33[➚]
[v.27a] - "The eternal God" - Reference, Psalm 90:1-2, 102:24-28; Isaiah 9:6, 57:15; Jeremiah 10:10; Micah 5:2; 1st Timothy 1:17; Hebrews 9:14.
[v.27b] - "your refuge" - Reference, Psalm 18:2, 27:5, 36:7, 46:1, 7, 11, 48:3, 91:1, 2, 9, 15; Proverbs 18:10; Luke 13:34.
[v.27c] - "underneath are the everlasting arms" - Reference, Genesis 49:24; Proverbs 10:25; Song of Solomon 2:6; Isaiah 26:4; 1st Peter 1:3-5; Jude 1:24.
[v.27d] - "thrust out the enemy from before you" - Reference, Deuteronomy 9:3-5; John 10:28-29; Romans 8:2, 16:20; Revelation 20:2-3, 10.