Moses blesses the tribes
Deuteronomy · Draft · BSB
Content revision: 1f557d2edc2eb903 · No editorial review date recorded
Date: c. 1406 BC · Year 40, month 11 (Deuteronomy 1:3). Dated from 1 Kings 6:1 (the Exodus c. 1446 BC). Many scholars instead date the Exodus to about 1260 BC, placing these speeches about 1220 BC.
Before his death Moses blesses the tribes one by one: the LORD came from Sinai; Judah is helped against his enemies; Levi guards God’s word and teaches his law; Benjamin dwells secure between his shoulders. He ends: there is none like the God of Jeshurun, and underneath are the everlasting arms; blessed are you, Israel, a people saved by the LORD.
Deuteronomy records Moses’ last speeches to the new generation of Israel on the plains of Moab, in the fortieth year after the Exodus (1:3). It looks back over the journey from Egypt and Horeb and forward to life in the land, calling Israel to love the LORD and remember what he has done. Each section below lists what Moses recalls, with links to those events on the timeline, and where the rest of Scripture takes up the passage.
Joshua commissioned, the Song of Moses, the blessing of the tribes, and Moses’ death (31–34).
Primary Scripture
33:1 This is the blessing that Moses the man of God pronounced upon the Israelites before his death.
33:2 He said: “The LORD came from Sinai and dawned upon us from Seir; He shone forth from Mount Paran and came with myriads of holy ones, with flaming fire at His right hand.
33:3 Surely You love the people; all the holy ones are in Your hand, and they sit down at Your feet; each receives Your words—
33:4 the law that Moses gave us, the possession of the assembly of Jacob.
33:5 So the LORD became King in Jeshurun when the leaders of the people gathered, when the tribes of Israel came together.
33:6 Let Reuben live and not die, nor his men be few.”
33:7 And concerning Judah he said: “O LORD, hear the cry of Judah and bring him to his people. With his own hands he defends his cause, but may You be a help against his foes.”
33:8 Concerning Levi he said: “Give Your Thummim to Levi and Your Urim to Your godly one, whom You tested at Massah and contested at the waters of Meribah.
33:9 He said of his father and mother, ‘I do not consider them.’ He disregarded his brothers and did not know his own sons, for he kept Your word and maintained Your covenant.
33:10 He will teach Your ordinances to Jacob and Your law to Israel; he will set incense before You and whole burnt offerings on Your altar.
33:11 Bless his substance, O LORD, and accept the work of his hands. Smash the loins of those who rise against him, and of his foes so they can rise no more.”
33:12 Concerning Benjamin he said: “May the beloved of the LORD rest secure in Him; God shields him all day long, and upon His shoulders he rests.”
33:13 Concerning Joseph he said: “May his land be blessed by the LORD with the precious dew from heaven above and the deep waters that lie beneath,
33:14 with the bountiful harvest from the sun and the abundant yield of the seasons,
33:15 with the best of the ancient mountains and the bounty of the everlasting hills,
33:16 with the choice gifts of the land and everything in it, and with the favor of Him who dwelt in the burning bush. May these rest on the head of Joseph and crown the brow of the prince of his brothers.
33:17 His majesty is like a firstborn bull, and his horns are like those of a wild ox. With them he will gore the nations, even to the ends of the earth. Such are the myriads of Ephraim, and such are the thousands of Manasseh.”
33:18 Concerning Zebulun he said: “Rejoice, Zebulun, in your journeys, and Issachar, in your tents.
33:19 They will call the peoples to a mountain; there they will offer sacrifices of righteousness. For they will feast on the abundance of the seas and the hidden treasures of the sand.”
33:20 Concerning Gad he said: “Blessed is he who enlarges the domain of Gad! He lies down like a lion and tears off an arm or a head.
33:21 He chose the best land for himself, because a ruler’s portion was reserved for him there. He came with the leaders of the people; he administered the LORD’s justice and His ordinances for Israel.”
33:22 Concerning Dan he said: “Dan is a lion’s cub, leaping out of Bashan.”
33:23 Concerning Naphtali he said: “Naphtali is abounding with favor, full of the blessing of the LORD; he shall take possession of the sea and the south.”
33:24 And concerning Asher he said: “May Asher be the most blessed of sons; may he be the most favored among his brothers and dip his foot in oil.
33:25 May the bolts of your gate be iron and bronze, and may your strength match your days.”
33:26 “There is none like the God of Jeshurun, who rides the heavens to your aid, and the clouds in His majesty.
33:27 The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He drives out the enemy before you, giving the command, ‘Destroy him!’
33:28 So Israel dwells securely; the fountain of Jacob lives untroubled in a land of grain and new wine, where even the heavens drip with dew.
33:29 Blessed are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD? He is the shield that protects you, the sword in which you boast. Your enemies will cower before you, and you shall trample their high places.”
Moses looks back
The LORD came from Sinai.
Massah and Meribah.
Compare Jacob’s blessing of his sons (Genesis 49).
Location evidence
Plains of Moab: Approximate region. Coordinates [longitude, latitude]: [35.64, 31.85]. Classification source: editorial.
Illustrative regional extent: [[35.56,31.77],[35.7,31.91]]; not a measured confidence interval.
Numbers 33:48–49 · extent of the camp
For the class
Compare Moses’ blessings with Jacob’s in Genesis 49. What has changed?
Interpretation and reuse
Narrative order is a reading arrangement, not a proven chronology. Dates retain their stated uncertainty. An identified locality does not establish the exact venue or prove an event. Region extents and routes are illustrative, not surveyed boundaries or ancient roads. Draft material has not completed editorial review.
Record source: editorial
Study guide: original editorial writing for Scripture Atlas.
Place coordinates: OpenBible.info, CC BY 4.0.
Berean Standard Bible (BSB), public domain. https://berean.bible/licensing.htm