Deuteronomy 33:13

Blessing on Joseph

33:13 Of Joseph he said:

May the Lord bless his land

with the harvest produced by the sky, ¹  by the dew,

and by the depths crouching beneath;

Deuteronomy 33:16

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

and the pleasure of him who resided in the burning bush. ² 

May blessing rest on Joseph’s head,

and on the top of the head of the one set apart ³  from his brothers.

Deuteronomy 27:12

27:12 “The following tribes ⁴  must stand to bless the people on Mount Gerizim when you cross the Jordan: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin.

[33:13]  ¹ tn Heb “from the harvest of the heavens.” The referent appears to be good crops produced by the rain that falls from the sky.

[33:16]  ² 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]  ³ 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.

[27:12]  ³ tn The word “tribes” has been supplied here and in the following verse in the translation for clarity.