Deuteronomy 31:12

31:12 Gather the people – men, women, and children, as well as the resident foreigners in your villages – so they may hear and thus learn about and fear the Lord your God and carefully obey all the words of this law.

Deuteronomy 31:28-29

31:28 Gather to me all your tribal elders and officials so I can speak to them directly about these things and call the heavens and the earth to witness against them. 31:29 For I know that after I die you will totally ¹  corrupt yourselves and turn away from the path I have commanded you to walk. Disaster will confront you in the days to come because you will act wickedly ²  before the Lord, inciting him to anger because of your actions.” ³ 

Deuteronomy 33:1-29

Introduction to the Blessing of Moses

33:1 This is the blessing Moses the man of God pronounced upon the Israelites before his death. 33:2 He said:

A Historical Review

The Lord came from Sinai

and revealed himself ⁴  to Israel ⁵  from Seir.

He appeared in splendor ⁶  from Mount Paran,

and came forth with ten thousand holy ones. ⁷ 

With his right hand he gave a fiery law ⁸  to them.

33:3 Surely he loves the people; ⁹ 

all your holy ones ¹⁰  are in your power. ¹¹ 

And they sit ¹²  at your feet,

each receiving ¹³  your words.

33:4 Moses delivered to us a law, ¹⁴ 

an inheritance for the assembly of Jacob.

33:5 The Lord ¹⁵  was king over Jeshurun, ¹⁶ 

when the leaders of the people assembled,

the tribes of Israel together. ¹⁷ 

Blessing on Reuben

33:6 May Reuben live and not die,

and may his people multiply. ¹⁸ 

Blessing on Judah

33:7 And this is the blessing ¹⁹  to Judah. He said,

Listen, O Lord, to Judah’s voice,

and bring him to his people.

May his power be great,

and may you help him against his foes.

Blessing on Levi

33:8 Of Levi he said:

Your Thummim and Urim ²⁰  belong to your godly one, ²¹ 

whose authority you challenged at Massah, ²² 

and with whom you argued at the waters of Meribah. ²³ 

33:9 He said to his father and mother, “I have not seen him,” ²⁴ 

and he did not acknowledge his own brothers

or know his own children,

for they kept your word,

and guarded your covenant.

33:10 They will teach Jacob your ordinances

and Israel your law;

they will offer incense as a pleasant odor,

and a whole offering on your altar.

33:11 Bless, O Lord, his goods,

and be pleased with his efforts;

undercut the legs ²⁵  of any who attack him,

and of those who hate him, so that they cannot stand.

Blessing on Benjamin

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 ²⁶  places him on his chest. ²⁷ 

Blessing on Joseph

33:13 Of Joseph he said:

May the Lord bless his land

with the harvest produced by the sky, ²⁸  by the dew,

and by the depths crouching beneath;

33:14 with the harvest produced by the daylight ²⁹ 

and by ³⁰  the moonlight; ³¹ 

33:15 with the best ³²  of the ancient mountains

and the harvest produced by the age-old hills;

33:16 with the harvest of the earth and its fullness

and the pleasure of him who resided in the burning bush. ³³ 

May blessing rest on Joseph’s head,

and on the top of the head of the one set apart ³⁴  from his brothers.

33:17 May the firstborn of his bull bring him honor,

and may his horns be those of a wild ox;

with them may he gore all peoples,

all the far reaches of the earth.

They are the ten thousands of Ephraim, ³⁵ 

and they are the thousands of Manasseh.

Blessing on Zebulun and Issachar

33:18 Of Zebulun he said:

Rejoice, Zebulun, when you go outside,

and Issachar, when you are in your tents.

33:19 They will summon peoples to the mountain,

there they will sacrifice proper ³⁶  sacrifices;

for they will enjoy ³⁷  the abundance of the seas,

and the hidden treasures of the shores. ³⁸ 

Blessing on Gad

33:20 Of Gad he said:

Blessed be the one who enlarges Gad.

Like a lioness he will dwell;

he will tear at an arm – indeed, a scalp. ³⁹ 

33:21 He has selected the best part for himself,

for the portion of the ruler ⁴⁰  is set aside ⁴¹  there;

he came with the leaders ⁴²  of the people,

he obeyed the righteous laws of the Lord

and his ordinances with Israel.

Blessing on Dan

33:22 Of Dan he said:

Dan is a lion’s cub;

he will leap forth from Bashan. ⁴³ 

Blessing on Naphtali

33:23 Of Naphtali he said:

O Naphtali, overflowing with favor,

and full of the Lord’s blessing,

possess the west and south.

Blessing on Asher

33:24 Of Asher he said:

Asher is blessed with children,

may he be favored by his brothers

and may he dip his foot in olive oil. ⁴⁴ 

33:25 The bars of your gates ⁴⁵  will be made of iron and bronze,

and may you have lifelong strength.

General Praise and Blessing

33:26 There is no one like God, O Jeshurun, ⁴⁶ 

who rides through the sky ⁴⁷  to help you,

on the clouds in majesty.

33:27 The everlasting God is a refuge,

and underneath you are his eternal arms; ⁴⁸ 

he has driven out enemies before you,

and has said, “Destroy!”

33:28 Israel lives in safety,

the fountain of Jacob is quite secure, ⁴⁹ 

in a land of grain and new wine;

indeed, its heavens ⁵⁰  rain down dew. ⁵¹ 

33:29 You have joy, Israel! Who is like you?

You are a people delivered by the Lord,

your protective shield

and your exalted sword.

May your enemies cringe before you;

may you trample on their backs.

Psalms 25:14

25:14 The Lord’s loyal followers receive his guidance, ⁵² 

and he reveals his covenantal demands to them. ⁵³ 

Psalms 105:15

105:15 saying, ⁵⁴  “Don’t touch my chosen ⁵⁵  ones!

Don’t harm my prophets!”

Isaiah 22:14

22:14 The Lord who commands armies told me this: ⁵⁶  “Certainly this sin will not be forgiven as long as you live,” ⁵⁷  says the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies.

Isaiah 53:1

53:1 Who would have believed ⁵⁸  what we ⁵⁹  just heard? ⁶⁰ 

When ⁶¹  was the Lord’s power ⁶²  revealed through him?

Daniel 2:47

2:47 The king replied to Daniel, “Certainly your God is a God of gods and Lord of kings and revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery!”

Daniel 10:1

An Angel Appears to Daniel

10:1 ⁶³ In the third ⁶⁴  year of King Cyrus of Persia a message was revealed to Daniel (who was also called Belteshazzar). This message was true and concerned a great war. ⁶⁵  He understood the message and gained insight by the vision.

Amos 3:7

3:7 Certainly the sovereign Lord does nothing without first revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.

Luke 2:26

2:26 It ⁶⁶  had been revealed ⁶⁷  to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die ⁶⁸  before ⁶⁹  he had seen the Lord’s Christ. ⁷⁰ 

Romans 1:17-18

1:17 For the righteousness ⁷¹  of God is revealed in the gospel ⁷²  from faith to faith, ⁷³  just as it is written, “The righteous by faith will live.” ⁷⁴ 

The Condemnation of the Unrighteous

1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people ⁷⁵  who suppress the truth by their ⁷⁶  unrighteousness, ⁷⁷ 

Hebrews 10:24-25

10:24 And let us take thought of how to spur one another on to love and good works, ⁷⁸  10:25 not abandoning our own meetings, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and even more so because you see the day ⁷⁹  drawing near. ⁸⁰ 

Hebrews 13:1

Final Exhortations

13:1 Brotherly love must continue.

Revelation 4:1

The Amazing Scene in Heaven

4:1 After these things I looked, and there was ⁸¹  a door standing open in heaven! ⁸²  And the first voice I had heard speaking to me ⁸³  like a trumpet ⁸⁴  said: “Come up here so that ⁸⁵  I can show you what must happen after these things.”

[31:29]  ¹ tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation indicates with “totally.”

[31:29]  ² tn Heb “do the evil.”

[31:29]  ³ tn Heb “the work of your hands.”

[33:2]  ⁴ tn Or “rose like the sun” (NCV, TEV).

[33:2]  ⁵ tc Heb “to him.” The LXX reads “to us” (לָנוּ [lanu] for לָמוֹ [lamo]), the reading of the MT is acceptable since it no doubt has in mind Israel as a collective singular.

[33:2]  ⁶ tn Or “he shone forth” (NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).

[33:2]  ⁷ tc With slight alteration (מִמְרִבַת קָדֵשׁ [mimrivat qadesh] for the MT’s מֵרִבְבֹת קֹדֶשׁ [merivvot qodesh]) the translation would be “from Meribah Kadesh” (cf. NAB, NLT; see Deut 32:51). However, the language of holy war in the immediate context favors the reading of the MT, which views the Lord as accompanied by angelic hosts.

[33:2]  ⁸ tc The mispointed Hebrew term אֵשְׁדָּת (’eshdat) should perhaps be construed as אֵשְׁהַת (’eshhat) with Smr.

[33:3]  ⁹ tc Heb “peoples.” The apparent plural form is probably a misunderstood singular (perhaps with a pronominal suffix) with enclitic mem (ם). See HALOT 838 s.v. עַם B.2.

[33:3]  ¹⁰ tc Heb “his holy ones.” The third person masculine singular suffix of the Hebrew MT is problematic in light of the second person masculine singular suffix on בְּיָדֶךָ (bÿyadekha, “your hands”). The LXX versions by Lucian and Origen read, therefore, “the holy ones.” The LXX version by Theodotion and the Vulgate, however, presuppose third masculine singular suffix on בְּיָדָיו (bÿyadayv, “his hands”), and thus retain “his holy ones.” The efforts to bring pronominal harmony into the line is commendable but unnecessary given the Hebrew tendency to be untroubled by such grammatical inconsistencies. However, the translation harmonizes the first pronoun with the second so that the referent (the Lord) is clear.

[33:3]  ¹¹ tn Heb “hands.” For the problem of the pronoun see note on the term “holy ones” earlier in this verse.

[33:3]  ¹² tn The Hebrew term תֻּכּוּ (tuku, probably Pual perfect of תָּכָה, takhah) is otherwise unknown. The present translation is based on the reference to feet and, apparently, receiving instruction in God’s words (cf. KJV, ASV). Other options are as follows: NIV “At your feet they all bow down” (cf. NCV, CEV); NLT “They follow in your steps” (cf. NAB, NASB); NRSV “they marched at your heels.”

[33:3]  ¹³ tn The singular verbal form in the Hebrew text (lit. “he lifts up”) is understood in a distributive manner, focusing on the action of each individual within the group.

[33:4]  ¹⁴ tn The Hebrew term תּוֹרָה (torah) here should be understood more broadly as instruction.

[33:5]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “he was king.” The present translation avoids the sudden shift in person and the mistaken impression that Moses is the referent by specifying the referent as “the Lord.”

[33:5]  ¹⁶ sn Jeshurun is a term of affection referring to Israel, derived from the Hebrew verb יָשַׁר (yashar, “be upright”). See note on the term in Deut 32:15.

[33:5]  ¹⁷ sn The following blessing is given to the tribes in order, although the tribe of Simeon is curiously missing from the list.

[33:6]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “and [not] may his men be few” (cf. KJV, NASB, NIV).

[33:7]  ¹⁹ tn The words “the blessing” are supplied in the translation for clarity and stylistic reasons.

[33:8]  ²⁰ sn Thummim and Urim. These terms, whose meaning is uncertain, refer to sacred stones carried in a pouch on the breastplate of the high priest and examined on occasion as a means of ascertaining God’s will or direction. See Exod 28:30; Lev 8:8; Num 27:21; 1 Sam 28:6. See also C. Van Dam, NIDOTTE 1:329-31.

[33:8]  ²¹ tn Heb “godly man.” The reference is probably to Moses as representative of the whole tribe of Levi.

[33:8]  ²² sn Massah means “testing” in Hebrew; the name is a wordplay on what took place there. Cf. Exod 17:7; Deut 6:16; 9:22; Ps 95:8-9.

[33:8]  ²³ sn Meribah means “contention, argument” in Hebrew; this is another wordplay on the incident that took place there. Cf. Num 20:13, 24; Ps 106:32.

[33:9]  ²⁴ sn This statement no doubt alludes to the Levites’ destruction of their own fellow tribesmen following the golden calf incident (Exod 32:25-29).

[33:11]  ²⁵ 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.

[33:12]  ²⁶ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[33:12]  ²⁷ tn Heb “between his shoulders.” This suggests the scene in John 13:23 with Jesus and the Beloved Disciple.

[33:13]  ²⁸ tn Heb “from the harvest of the heavens.” The referent appears to be good crops produced by the rain that falls from the sky.

[33:14]  ²⁹ tn Heb “goings forth of the sun.”

[33:14]  ³⁰ tn Heb “and from the harvest of the yield of.” This has been simplified in the translation to avoid redundancy.

[33:14]  ³¹ tn Heb “the moon.” Many English versions regard this as a reference to “months” (“moons”) rather than the moon itself (cf. NAB, NASB, NRSV, NLT).

[33:15]  ³² tn Heb “head” or “top.”

[33:16]  ³³ tn The expression “him who resided in the bush” is frequently understood as a reference to the appearance of the Lord to Moses at Sinai from a burning bush (so NIV, NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT; cf. Exod 2:2-6; 3:2, 4). To make this reference clear the word “burning” is supplied in the translation.

[33:16]  ³⁴ sn This apparently refers to Joseph’s special status among his brothers as a result of his being chosen by God to save the family from the famine and to lead Egypt.

[33:17]  ³⁵ sn Ephraim and Manasseh were the sons of Joseph who became founders of the two tribes into which Joseph’s descendants were split (Gen 48:19-20). Jacob’s blessing granted favored status to Ephraim; this is probably why Ephraim is viewed here as more numerous than Manasseh.

[33:19]  ³⁶ tn Or “acceptable”; Heb “righteous” (so NASB).

[33:19]  ³⁷ tn Heb “suck.”

[33:19]  ³⁸ tn Heb “of the sand” (so NRSV, NLT); CEV “the sandy beach.”

[33:20]  ³⁹ tn Heb “forehead,” picturing Gad attacking prey.

[33:21]  ⁴⁰ tn The Hebrew term מְחֹקֵק (mÿkhoqeq; Poel participle of חָקַק, khaqaq, “to inscribe”) reflects the idea that the recorder of allotments (the “ruler”) is able to set aside for himself the largest and best. See E. H. Merrill, Deuteronomy (NAC), 444-45.

[33:21]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “covered in” (if from the root סָפַן, safan; cf. HALOT 764-65 s.v. ספן qal).

[33:21]  ⁴² tn Heb “heads” (in the sense of chieftains).

[33:22]  ⁴³ sn He will leap forth from Bashan. This may refer to Dan’s conquest of Laish, a region just to the west of Bashan (Judg 18:27-28).

[33:24]  ⁴⁴ sn Dip his foot in olive oil. This is a metaphor for prosperity, one especially apt in light of the abundance of olive groves in the area settled by Asher. The Hebrew term refers to olive oil, which symbolizes blessing in the OT. See R. Way, NIDOTTE 4:171-73.

[33:25]  ⁴⁵ tn The words “of your gates” have been supplied in the translation to clarify the referent of “bars.”

[33:26]  ⁴⁶ sn Jeshurun is a term of affection referring to Israel, derived from the Hebrew verb יָשַׁר (yashar, “be upright”). See note on the term in Deut 32:15.

[33:26]  ⁴⁷ tn Or “(who) rides (on) the heavens” (cf. NIV, NRSV, NLT). This title depicts Israel’s God as sovereign over the elements of the storm (cf. Ps 68:33). The use of the phrase here may be polemical; Moses may be asserting that Israel’s God, not Baal (called the “rider of the clouds” in the Ugaritic myths), is the true divine king (cf. v. 5) who controls the elements of the storm, grants agricultural prosperity, and delivers his people from their enemies. See R. B. Chisholm, Jr., “The Polemic against Baalism in Israel’s Early History and Literature,” BSac 151 (1994): 275.

[33:27]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “and from under, arms of perpetuity.” The words “you” and “his” are supplied in the translation for clarification. Some have perceived this line to be problematic and have offered alternative translations that differ significantly from the present translation: “He spread out the primeval tent; he extended the ancient canopy” (NAB); “He subdues the ancient gods, shatters the forces of old” (NRSV). These are based on alternate meanings or conjectural emendations rather than textual variants in the mss and versions.

[33:28]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “all alone.” The idea is that such vital resources as water will some day no longer need protection because God will provide security.

[33:28]  ⁵⁰ tn Or “skies.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.

[33:28]  ⁵¹ tn Or perhaps “drizzle, showers.” See note at Deut 32:2.

[25:14]  ⁵² tn Heb “the advice of the Lord belongs to those who fear him.”

[25:14]  ⁵³ tn Heb “and his covenant, to make them know.”

[105:15]  ⁵⁴ tn The word “saying” is supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.

[105:15]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “anointed.”

[22:14]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “it was revealed in my ears [by?] the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts].”

[22:14]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “Certainly this sin will not be atoned for until you die.” This does not imply that their death will bring atonement; rather it emphasizes that their sin is unpardonable. The statement has the form of an oath.

[53:1]  ⁵⁸ tn The perfect has a hypothetical force in this rhetorical question. For another example, see Gen 21:7.

[53:1]  ⁵⁹ sn The speaker shifts here from God to an unidentified group (note the first person plural pronouns throughout vv. 1-6). The content of the speech suggests that the prophet speaks here as representative of the sinful nation Israel. The group acknowledges its sin and recognizes that the servant suffered on their behalf.

[53:1]  ⁶⁰ tn The first half of v. 1 is traditionally translated, “Who has believed our report?” or “Who has believed our message?” as if the group speaking is lamenting that no one will believe what they have to say. But that doesn’t seem to be the point in this context. Here the group speaking does not cast itself in the role of a preacher or evangelist. No, they are repentant sinners, who finally see the light. The phrase “our report” can mean (1) the report which we deliver, or (2) the report which was delivered to us. The latter fits better here, where the report is most naturally taken as the announcement that has just been made in 52:13-15.

[53:1]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “to whom” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[53:1]  ⁶² tn Heb “the arm of the Lord.” The “arm of the Lord” is a metaphor of military power; it pictures the Lord as a warrior who bares his arm, takes up his weapon, and crushes his enemies (cf. 51:9-10; 63:5-6). But Israel had not seen the Lord’s military power at work in the servant.

[10:1]  ⁶³ sn This chapter begins the final unit in the book of Daniel, consisting of chapters 10-12. The traditional chapter divisions to some extent obscure the relationship of these chapters.

[10:1]  ⁶⁴ tc The LXX has “first.”

[10:1]  ⁶⁵ tn The meaning of the Hebrew word צָבָא (tsava’) is uncertain in this context. The word most often refers to an army or warfare. It may also mean “hard service,” and many commentators take that to be the sense here (i.e., “the service was great”). The present translation assumes the reference to be to the spiritual conflicts described, for example, in 10:16–11:1.

[2:26]  ⁶⁶ tn Grk “And it.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[2:26]  ⁶⁷ tn The use of the passive suggests a revelation by God, and in the OT the corresponding Hebrew term represented here by κεχρηματισμένον (kecrhmatismenon) indicated some form of direct revelation from God (Jer 25:30; 33:2; Job 40:8).

[2:26]  ⁶⁸ tn Grk “would not see death” (an idiom for dying).

[2:26]  ⁶⁹ tn On the grammar of this temporal clause, see BDF §§383.3; 395.

[2:26]  ⁷⁰ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[1:17]  ⁷¹ tn The nature of the “righteousness” described here and the force of the genitive θεοῦ (“of God”) which follows have been much debated. (1) Some (e.g. C. E. B. Cranfield, Romans [ICC], 1:98) understand “righteousness” to refer to the righteous status given to believers as a result of God’s justifying activity, and see the genitive “of God” as a genitive of source (= “from God”). (2) Others see the “righteousness” as God’s act or declaration that makes righteous (i.e., justifies) those who turn to him in faith, taking the genitive “of God” as a subjective genitive (see E. Käsemann, Romans, 25-30). (3) Still others see the “righteousness of God” mentioned here as the attribute of God himself, understanding the genitive “of God” as a possessive genitive (“God’s righteousness”).

[1:17]  ⁷² tn Grk “in it”; the referent (the gospel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:17]  ⁷³ tn Or “by faith for faith,” or “by faith to faith.” There are many interpretations of the phrase ἐκ πίστεως εἰς πίστιν (ek pistew" ei" pistin). It may have the idea that this righteousness is obtained by faith (ἐκ πίστεως) because it was designed for faith (εἰς πίστιν). For a summary see J. Murray, Romans (NICNT), 1:363-74.

[1:17]  ⁷⁴ sn A quotation from Hab 2:4.

[1:18]  ⁷⁵ tn The genitive ἀνθρώπων could be taken as an attributed genitive, in which case the phase should be translated “against all ungodly and unrighteous people” (cf. “the truth of God” in v. 25 which is also probably an attributed genitive). C. E. B. Cranfield takes the section 1:18-32 to refer to all people (not just Gentiles), while 2:1-3:20 points out that the Jew is no exception (Romans [ICC], 1:104-6; 1:137-38).

[1:18]  ⁷⁶ tn “Their” is implied in the Greek, but is supplied because of English style.

[1:18]  ⁷⁷ tn Or “by means of unrighteousness.” Grk “in (by) unrighteousness.”

[10:24]  ⁷⁸ tn Grk “let us consider one another for provoking of love and good deeds.”

[10:25]  ⁷⁹ sn The day refers to that well-known time of Christ’s coming and judgment in the future; see a similar use of “day” in 1 Cor 3:13.

[10:25]  ⁸⁰ tn This paragraph (vv. 19-25) is actually a single, skillfully composed sentence in Greek, but it must be broken into shorter segments for English idiom. It begins with several subordinate phrases (since we have confidence and a great priest), has three parallel exhortations as its main verbs (let us draw near, hold, and take thought), and concludes with several subordinate phrases related to the final exhortation (not abandoning but encouraging).

[4:1]  ⁸¹ tn Grk “and behold.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) at the beginning of this statement has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).

[4:1]  ⁸² tn Or “in the sky” (the same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky”).

[4:1]  ⁸³ tn Grk “with me.” The translation “with me” implies that John was engaged in a dialogue with the one speaking to him (e.g., Jesus or an angel) when in reality it was a one-sided conversation, with John doing all the listening. For this reason, μετ᾿ ἐμοῦ (met’ emou, “with me”) was translated as “to me.”

[4:1]  ⁸⁴ sn The phrase speaking to me like a trumpet refers back to Rev 1:10.

[4:1]  ⁸⁵ tn The conjunction καί (kai), much like the vav-consecutive in Hebrew, appears to be introducing a final/purpose clause here rather than a coordinate clause.