UNROLL
Dawn breaking over the jagged ranges of the southern wilderness, first gold light spilling across ridge after ridge, and a vast camp of small dark tents on the plain below.

The Book of

Deuteronomy 33

Moses’ last words to Israel are a blessing, tribe by tribe, and a God whose arms are underneath.

29 verses≈ 6 min1 personBSB

Images are artistic interpretations.

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In this chapter

Where we are

  1. 1–4Remember the wayFrom Horeb to Moab
  2. 5–11Love the LORDThe heart of the covenant
  3. 12–26Laws for the landWorship, justice, neighbor
  4. 27–30Blessing and curseChoose life
  5. 31–34Moses' farewellA song, a blessing, a deathChapter 33

Moses Blesses the Twelve Tribes

This is the blessing that Moses the man of God pronounced upon the Israelites before his death.

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Sunrise over the high granite peaks of the Sinai wilderness, light pouring over the summits and down the ridges into dark valleys.

He said:

“The LORD came from Sinai

and dawned upon us from Seir;

He shone forth from Mount Paran

and came with myriads of holy ones,

with flaming fire at His right hand.

Surely You love the people;

all the holy ones are in Your hand,

and they sit down at Your feet;

each receives Your words—

the law that Moses gave us,

the possession of the assembly of Jacob.

So the LORD became King in Jeshurun

when the leaders of the people gathered,

when the tribes of Israel came together.

0:31

Narrated by Bob Souer · BSB audio, public domain

The blessing

Reuben to Benjamin

  1. Reuben

    Let him live and not die

    Let Reuben live and not die,

    nor his men be few.”

  2. Judah

    Help against his foes

    And concerning Judah he said:

    “O LORD, hear the cry of Judah

    and bring him to his people.

    With his own hands he defends his cause,

    but may You be a help against his foes.”

  3. Levi

    Urim, teaching and the altar

    Concerning Levi he said:

    “Give Your Thummim to Levi

    and Your Urim to Your godly one,

    whom You tested at Massah

    and contested at the waters of Meribah.

    He said of his father and mother,

    ‘I do not consider them.’

    He disregarded his brothers

    and did not know his own sons,

    for he kept Your word

    and maintained Your covenant.

    He will teach Your ordinances to Jacob

    and Your law to Israel;

    he will set incense before You

    and whole burnt offerings on Your altar.

    Bless his substance, O LORD,

    and accept the work of his hands.

    Smash the loins of those who rise against him,

    and of his foes so they can rise no more.”

  4. Benjamin

    Secure on His shoulders

    Concerning Benjamin he said:

    “May the beloved of the LORD

    rest secure in Him;

    God shields him all day long,

    and upon His shoulders he rests.”

The square breastpiece of gold-worked linen lying on dark cloth, twelve different gemstones set in gold in four rows of three, gold rings at its corners and braided gold chains.

May the beloved of the LORD rest secure in Him; God shields him all day long, and upon His shoulders he rests.

Deuteronomy 33:12

Moses

The blessing

Zebulun to Asher

  1. Zebulun, Issachar

    Riches of the seas and sand

    Concerning Zebulun he said:

    “Rejoice, Zebulun, in your journeys,

    and Issachar, in your tents.

    They will call the peoples to a mountain;

    there they will offer sacrifices of righteousness.

    For they will feast on the abundance of the seas

    and the hidden treasures of the sand.”

  2. Gad

    A lion with the best land

    Concerning Gad he said:

    “Blessed is he who enlarges

    the domain of Gad!

    He lies down like a lion

    and tears off an arm or a head.

    He chose the best land for himself,

    because a ruler’s portion was reserved for him there.

    He came with the leaders of the people;

    he administered the LORD’s justice

    and His ordinances for Israel.”

  3. Dan

    A lion’s cub from Bashan

    Concerning Dan he said:

    “Dan is a lion’s cub,

    leaping out of Bashan.”

  4. Naphtali

    Full of the LORD’s favor

    Concerning Naphtali he said:

    “Naphtali is abounding with favor,

    full of the blessing of the LORD;

    he shall take possession

    of the sea and the south.”

  5. Asher

    A foot dipped in oil

    And concerning Asher he said:

    “May Asher be the most blessed of sons;

    may he be the most favored among his brothers

    and dip his foot in oil.

    May the bolts of your gate be iron and bronze,

    and may your strength match your days.”

In an olive grove on Asher's coastal hills, golden oil runs from a stone olive press into a clay vat; a bare foot rests beside the vat and baskets of black olives stand nearby.

Question

Quick question

Moses blessed each tribe in turn, and gave one of them a special task.

Which tribe did Moses say would teach God’s law to Israel?

“There is none like the God of Jeshurun,

who rides the heavens to your aid,

and the clouds in His majesty.

The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms.

Deuteronomy 33:27

Moses
Moses

He drives out the enemy before you, giving the command, ‘Destroy him!’

So Israel dwells securely;

the fountain of Jacob lives untroubled

in a land of grain and new wine,

where even the heavens drip with dew.

Blessed are you, O Israel!

Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD?

He is the shield that protects you,

the sword in which you boast.

Your enemies will cower before you,

and you shall trample their high places.”

Reflect

The everlasting arms

Moses was about to die, and Israel was about to cross into a land of walled cities. His last word to them was this: “The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms.” What are you leaning your weight on right now: a plan, a person, your own strength? Write it down, and then write what it would mean to rest on God instead. Eternal God, hold me up today. Amen.

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Deuteronomy 33

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A verse to carry with you

The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms.

Deuteronomy 33:27

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