33:11 Bless, O Lord, his goods,
and be pleased with his efforts;
undercut the legs 1 of any who attack him,
and of those who hate him, so that they cannot stand.
33:12 Of Benjamin he said:
The beloved of the Lord will live safely by him;
he protects him all the time,
and the Lord 2 places him on his chest. 3
33:13 Of Joseph he said:
May the Lord bless his land
with the harvest produced by the sky, 4 by the dew,
and by the depths crouching beneath;
1 tn Heb “smash the sinews [or “loins,” so many English versions].” This part of the body was considered to be center of one’s strength (cf. Job 40:16; Ps 69:24; Prov 31:17; Nah 2:2, 11). See J. H. Tigay, Deuteronomy (JPSTC), 325.
2 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the
3 tn Heb “between his shoulders.” This suggests the scene in John 13:23 with Jesus and the Beloved Disciple.
4 tn Heb “from the harvest of the heavens.” The referent appears to be good crops produced by the rain that falls from the sky.