Blessings of Moses on Israel

¹ Now¹ this is the blessing with which Moses, the man of God, blessed the ⌞Israelites⌟² ⌞before⌟³ his death.

1. Or “And”
2. Literally “sons/children of Israel”
3. Literally “to the face of”

² Then¹ he said, “Yahweh came from Sinai, and he dawned upon them from Seir; he shone forth from Mount Paran, and he came with myriads of holy ones, at his right hand a fiery law for them.²

1. Or “And”
2. This pointing of the MT is very difficult; here HALOT 93 suggests “fire a law for them” as a translation of the compound Hebrew word made up of “fire” + “law,” which I render as “a fiery law”

³ Moreover,¹ ⌞he loves his people⌟,² all the holy ones were in your hand, and they bowed down to³ your feet, ⌞each one accepted directions from you⌟.⁴

1. Or “Indeed”
2. Literally “a lover of peoples”
3. Or “at”
4. Literally “he takes up from your words”

⁴ A law Moses instructed for us, as a possession for the assembly of Jacob.

⁵ And then a king arose in Jeshurun, at the gathering of the leaders of the people, ⌞united were the tribes of Israel⌟.¹

1. Literally “together the tribes of Israel”

⁶ “May Reuben live, and may he not die, ⌞and let his number not be few⌟.”¹

1. Literally “let he be his people of number”

⁷ ⌞And he said this of Judah⌟,¹ “Hear, O Yahweh, the voice of Judah, and bring him to his people; his own hands strive² for him, and may you be a help ⌞against⌟³ his foes.”

1. Literally “and this concerning/to Judah, and he said”
2. Or “is/are great” on his behalf
3. Literally “from”

⁸ And of Levi he said, “Your Thummim and your Urim are for ⌞your faithful one⌟,¹ ⌞whom you tested at Massah⌟;² you contended with him at the waters of Meribah.

1. Literally “man, your faithful one”
2. Literally “whom you tested him at Massah”

⁹ The one saying of his father and of his mother, ‘I have not regarded them,’ and his brothers he did not acknowledge, and his children¹ he did not know, but rather they observed your word, and your covenant they kept.

1. Or “sons”

¹⁰ They taught¹ your regulations to Jacob, and your law to Israel; they placed incense smoke ⌞before you⌟,² and whole burnt offerings on your altar.

1. Or “teach/will teach”
2. Literally “in your nose”

¹¹ Bless, O Yahweh, his substance, and with the work of his hands you must be pleased; smite the loins of those who attack him, and those hating him, ⌞so that they cannot arise⌟.”¹

1. Literally “so that not they stand up”

¹² Of Benjamin he said, “The beloved of Yahweh dwells ⌞securely⌟,¹ the Most High² shields all around him, all the day, and between his shoulders he dwells.”

1. Literally “in confidence”
2. This is the most likely reading in context (Most High God). Literally the Hebrew text reads “upon him,” so the NASV translates the first line as: dwell in security “by him”

¹³ And of Joseph he said, “Blessed by Yahweh is his land, with¹ the choice things of heaven, with² dew, and with³ the deep lying down beneath,

1. Hebrew “from”
2. Hebrew “from”
3. Hebrew “from”

¹⁴ and with¹ the choice things of the fruits² of the the sun, and with the choice things of the yield of the ⌞seasons⌟,³

1. Hebrew “from”
2. Or “produce of”
3. Literally “months”

¹⁵ and with¹ the finest things of the ancient mountains, and with² the choice things of the ⌞eternal hills⌟,³

1. Hebrew “from”
2. Hebrew “from”
3. Literally “the hills of eternity never ending ages”

¹⁶ and with¹ the choice things of the earth and its fullness, and the favor of the one ⌞who dwelt⌟² in the bush.³ Let them come to the head of Joseph, and to the crown of the prince among his brothers.

1. Hebrew “from”
2. Literally “dwells” but context puts the event into the past; literally “dweller of the bush”
3. Some scholars suggest that this expression must be read as: on Sinai

¹⁷ As the firstborn of his ox, majesty ⌞belongs to him⌟,¹ and his horns are the horns of a wild ox; with them he drives people together,² and they are the myriads of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh.”

1. Literally “is for him”
2. Or “all at once” (NASB)

¹⁸ And of Zebulun he said, “Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out, and rejoice, Issachar, in your tents;

¹⁹ They summon people to the mountains;¹ there they sacrifice the sacrifices of righteousness, because the affluence of the seas they suck out, and ⌞the most hidden treasures of the sand⌟.”²

1. Hebrew “mountain”
2. Literally “the covered of the hidden of the sand”

²⁰ And of Gad he said, “Blessed be ⌞the one who enlarges Gad⌟;¹ like a lion he dwells, and he tears an arm as well as a scalp.

1. Literally “the enlarger of Gad”

²¹ And he selected¹ the best part for himself,² for there the portion of a ruler is included, and he came with the heads of the people;³ he did⁴ the righteousness of Yahweh, and his regulations for Israel.”

1. Or “provided”
2. Hebrew “for him”
3. Or possibly, “the heads of the people came/assembled” (compare NEB)
4. Or “worked”

²² And of Dan he said, “Dan is a cub of a lion; he leaps from Bashan.”¹

1. Hebrew “the Bashan,” referring to a well-known geographical and agricultural area

²³ And of Naphtali, he said, “Oh, Naphtali, sated of favor, and full of the blessing of Yahweh; take possession of the lake, and the land to the south.”

²⁴ And of Asher he said, “Blessed ⌞more than sons⌟¹ is Asher; ⌞may he be the favorite⌟² of his brothers, ⌞dipping his feet in the oil⌟.³

1. Literally “blessed from/of sons is” features the comparative use the Hebrew preposition min, “than”
2. Literally “may he be favored”
3. Literally “and dipping in the oil his feet”

²⁵ Your bars are¹ iron and bronze, and as your days, so is² your strength.”

1. Or “will be”
2. Or “so will be/may be”

²⁶ “There is no one like God, O, Jeshurun, who rides through the heavens to your help, and with his majesty through the skies.

²⁷ The God of ⌞ancient time⌟¹ is a hiding place, and underneath are the arms of eternity,² and he drove out ⌞from before⌟³ you your enemy, and he said, ‘Destroy them!’

1. Literally “before/earlier times”
2. Or “everlasting ages” or “everlasting arms”
3. Literally “from your face”

²⁸ So Israel dwells alone and carefree, the spring of Jacob in a land of grain and wine; his heavens even drip dew.

²⁹ Blessed are you, O Israel. Who is like you, a people who is saved by Yahweh, the shield of your help, and who is the sword of your triumph, and your enemies, they shall fawn before you,¹ and you shall tread on their backs.”

1. Hebrew “to you”