Discovery BoxDeuteronomy 33:6-8
Context33:6 May Reuben live and not die,
and may his people multiply. 1
33:7 And this is the blessing 2 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.
33:8 Of Levi he said:
Your Thummim and Urim 3 belong to your godly one, 4
whose authority you challenged at Massah, 5
and with whom you argued at the waters of Meribah. 6
[33:6] 1 tn Heb “and [not] may his men be few” (cf. KJV, NASB, NIV).
[33:7] 2 tn The words “the blessing” are supplied in the translation for clarity and stylistic reasons.
[33:8] 3 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] 4 tn Heb “godly man.” The reference is probably to Moses as representative of the whole tribe of Levi.
[33:8] 5 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] 6 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.
