Deuteronomy 33:11-13

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.

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 ²  places him on his chest. ³ 

Blessing on Joseph

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;

[33:11]  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.

[33:12]  ² tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[33:12]  ³ tn Heb “between his shoulders.” This suggests the scene in John 13:23 with Jesus and the Beloved Disciple.

[33:13]  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.