Deuteronomy 32:30

32:30 How can one man chase a thousand of them, ¹ 

and two pursue ten thousand;

unless their Rock had delivered them up, ² 

and the Lord had handed them over?

Deuteronomy 33:2

33:2 He said:

A Historical Review

The Lord came from Sinai

and revealed himself ³  to Israel ⁴  from Seir.

He appeared in splendor ⁵  from Mount Paran,

and came forth with ten thousand holy ones. ⁶ 

With his right hand he gave a fiery law ⁷  to them.

Deuteronomy 33:17

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, ⁸ 

and they are the thousands of Manasseh.

[32:30]  ¹ tn The words “man” and “of them” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[32:30]  ² tn Heb “sold them” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).

[33:2]  ³ tn Or “rose like the sun” (NCV, TEV).

[33:2]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ tn Or “he shone forth” (NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).

[33:2]  ⁶ 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]  ⁷ tc The mispointed Hebrew term אֵשְׁדָּת (’eshdat) should perhaps be construed as אֵשְׁהַת (’eshhat) with Smr.

[33:17]  ⁵ 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.