This is the blessing with which Moses athe man of God 1blessed the sons of Israel before his death.Jacob’s (Israel’s) blessing on his twelve sons is recorded in Gen 49:1-27.Josh 14:6 2 He said,“aThe LORD came from Sinai,bAnd dawned on them from Seir;cHe shone forth from Mount Paran,And He came dfrom among ten thousand holy ones;eAt His right hand was a 1flaming fire, a law, for them.Or fiery law.Ex 19:18, 20; Ps 68:8, 17Judg 5:4Num 10:12; Hab 3:3Dan 7:10; Acts 7:53Ex 23:20-22
3 “aIndeed, He loves His people;bAll 1Your holy ones are in Your hand.cThey followed in Your steps;They accept and receive direction from You.Lit His.Deut 4:37; Mal 1:2Deut 7:6; 14:2Deut 6:1-9; Luke 10:394 “aMoses commanded us with a law,As ba possession for the assembly of Jacob.Deut 4:2; John 7:19Ps 119:1115 “aThe LORD was King in Jeshurun (Israel) ,When the heads of the people were gathered,The tribes of Israel together.Num 23:21 6 “aMay the tribe of Reuben live and not die out,1But let his men be few.”Or Nor. The Hebrew can be taken either way, though the parallelism of thought slightly favors “nor let.” However, some argue for the wording “but let” due to the fact that Reuben had committed the grave offense of fornication with Bilhah, his father’s concubine (Gen 49:3, 4; also see note Gen 22:24). It is maintained that Moses’ blessing for Reuben is somewhat mixed, asking that the tribe not become extinct, but that it always be few in number.Gen 49:3, 4 7 aAnd Moses said this of 1Judah:“Hear, O LORD, the voice of Judah,And bring him to his people.With his hands he contended for them,And may You be a help against his enemies.”The tribe of Judah later absorbed the tribe of Simeon (Josh 19:1-9), therefore, a specific blessing for Simeon is omitted from this passage.Gen 49:8-12
8 Of Levi he said,“Your 1aThummim and Your Urim belong to Your bgodly man Aaron,cWhom You tested and proved at Massah,With whom You contended at the waters of Meribah; Num 20:1-13I.e. unspecified articles used like lots when the high priest asked God’s counsel for Israel.Ex 28:30; Lev 8:8Ps 106:16Ex 17:7; Num 20:13, 24; Deut 6:16
9 aWho 1said of his father and mother,‘I did not consider them’;Nor did he acknowledge his brothers,Nor did he regard his own sons,For bthe priests observed Your word,And kept Your covenant.The law required that the high priest act just as impartially when one of his immediate family died, as if the departed were not related to him (Lev 21:10-12); however, another application may be intended—referring to the events at the foot of Sinai, when the Levites killed other Israelites as Moses directed them (Ex 32:26-28).Ex 32:27-29Mal 2:510 “aThe priests shall teach Your ordinances (judgments) to Jacob,And Your law to Israel.bThey shall put incense 1before You,And cwhole burnt offerings on Your altar.Lit in Your nose.Lev 10:11; Deut 31:9-13Lev 16:12, 13Ps 51:1911 “O LORD, bless Levi’s substance (ability) ,And accept and take pleasure in the work of his hands;Crush and shatter the loins of those who rise up against him,And of those who hate him, so that they do not rise again.” 12 Of Benjamin he said,“aMay the beloved of the LORD 1dwell in safety by Him;bHe shields and covers him all the day long,cAnd he dwells between His shoulders.”The temple in Jerusalem was located almost between the ridges of the territory of Benjamin, suggesting “between his shoulders” (see also Josh 15:8). Moses saw it as a symbol of the Lord’s presence covering Benjamin continually.Deut 4:37f; 12:10Deut 32:11Ex 28:12
13 And of 1Joseph he said,“aBlessed by the LORD be his land,With the precious things of heaven, with the dew,And from the deep water that lies beneath,Because of Reuben’s sin with Bilhah, Joseph received the double blessing of the firstborn. The descendants of Joseph became the tribes established by his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh (see v 17).Gen 27:27, 28; 49:22-26
14 With the precious fruits of the sun,And with the precious produce of the months.15 “With the best things of athe ancient mountains,And with the precious things of the everlasting hills,Hab 3:616 With the precious things of the earth and its fullness,And the favor and goodwill aof Him who dwelt in the bush.Let these blessings come upon the head of Joseph,And upon the crown of the head of him who was distinguished as a prince among his brothers. Ex 3:4Ex 2:2-6; 3:2, 417 “His majesty is like a firstborn young bull,And his horns like the horns of athe wild ox;With them he will bgore the peoples,All of them together, to the ends of the earth.And those are the ten thousands of Ephraim,And those are the thousands of Manasseh.”Num 23:221 Kin 22:11; Ps 44:5 18 aOf Zebulun he said,“1Rejoice, Zebulun, in your interests abroad,And, Issachar, in your tents at home.Not until 1934 was this prophecy notably in process of fulfillment, when Haifa’s bay became one of the great harbors of the Mediterranean Sea, with commerce affecting the whole world.Gen 49:13-15
19 “aThey will call the peoples to the mountain (Mount Carmel) ;There they will offer bsacrifices of righteousness;For they will draw out cthe abundance of the seas,And the hidden treasures of the sand.”Ex 15:17; Ps 2:6; Is 2:3Ps 4:5; 51:19Is 60:5 20 aOf Gad he said,“Blessed is the one who enlarges Gad;He lurks blike a lioness,And tears the arm and the crown of the head.Gen 49:19Gen 49:9
21 “aHe selected the best land for himself,bFor there the leader’s portion was reserved;cYet he came with the leaders of the people;dHe carried out the justice (righteous will) of the LORD,And His ordinances (judgments) with Israel.” Num 32:29-33Num 32:1-5Num 34:14Josh 4:12Josh 22:1-3 22 aOf Dan he said,“Dan is ba lion’s cub,That leaps forth from Bashan.”Gen 49:16Ezek 19:2, 3
23 Of Naphtali he said,“aO Naphtali, satisfied with favor,And full of the blessing of the LORD,Take possession of the sea of Galilee and the south.”Gen 49:21
24 aOf Asher he said,“More blessed than sons is Asher;May he be favored by his brothers,And bmay he dip his foot in oil.Gen 49:20Job 29:6
25 “aYour strongholds will be iron and bronze,bAnd as your days are, so will your strength, your rest and security be.Ps 147:13Deut 4:40; 32:47 26 “aThere is none like the God of Jeshurun (Israel) ,bWho rides the heavens to your help,And through the skies in His majestic glory.Ex 15:11; Deut 4:35; Ps 86:8; Jer 10:6Deut 10:14; Ps 68:33, 34; 104:3; Hab 3:827 “aThe eternal God is your refuge and dwelling place,bAnd underneath are the everlasting arms;cHe drove out the enemy from before you,dAnd said, ‘Destroy!’Ps 90:1, 2Gen 49:24Ex 34:11; Josh 24:18Deut 7:228 “So aIsrael dwells in safety and security,bThe fountain of Jacob alone and secluded,cIn a land of grain and new wine;dHis heavens also drop down dew.Deut 33:12; Jer 23:6Num 23:9; Deut 32:8Gen 27:28, 37Deut 33:1329 “aHappy and blessed are you, O Israel;bWho is like you, a people saved by the LORD,cThe Shield of your help,dAnd the Sword of your majesty!eYour enemies will cringe before you,fAnd you will tread on their high places tramping down their idolatrous altars.”Ps 1:1; 32:1, 2Deut 4:32; 2 Sam 7:23Gen 15:1; Ps 33:20; 115:9-11Ps 68:34Ps 66:3Num 33:52