Deuteronomy 33:7-8

The Pulpit Commentary - Deuteronomy 33:6-25

Blessings on the tribes individually . With these may be compared the blessing which Jacob pronounced on his sons as representing the tribes of which they were the heads. The two resemble each other in many points; the differences are such as naturally arose from the different relations of the speakers to the objects of their address, and the changes in the condition and prospects of the tribes which during the lapse of centuries had come to pass. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Deuteronomy 33:6-25

Watchwords for the tribes. The blessings authoritatively pronounced by these old worthies amounted to watchwords for their future development. They were divinely suggested ideas regarding their future courses. We shall look at the ideals thus presented in their order. I. THE UNOSTENTATIOUS DEVELOPMENT OF REUBEN . Deposed from the primacy among the brethren, because of his self-indulgence, he is to content himself with pastoral progress amid the mountains of Moab. The blessing... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Deuteronomy 33:7

The blessing on Judah is in the form of prayer to Jehovah. As Jacobhad promised to Judah supremacy over his brethren and success in war, so Moses here names him next after Reuben, whose pre-eminence he had assumed, and prays for him that, going forth at the head of the tribes, he might return in triumph, being helped of the Lord. Let his hands be sufficient for him ; rather, with his hands he contendeth for it (to wit, his people ). רַב here is not the adj. much, enough, but the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Deuteronomy 33:7

The blessing of Judah; or, help needed to fulfill destiny. It cannot but suggest itself to the student to compare the blessing on Judah pronounced by Moses, with the renowned prophecy of Jacob concerning him and his tribe. That the patriarch's words declared the future pre-eminence of that tribe is well known; consequently, it could not be surprising to the other tribes to find precedence given to Judah in the order of encamping and of marching (cf. Numbers 2:1-4 ; Numbers 10:14 ).... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Deuteronomy 33:7

The royal house of Judah. The name Judah signifies praise. Here Moses represents Judah as the praying tribe—in this respect inheriting the spirit of its great father, Jacob. Prayer and praise usually wed; they make a happy pair in the habitation of the heart, and the offspring is royal nobleness. I. TRUE PRAYER PLEADS FOR AN APPOINTED DESTINY . What God has designed and destined for us— this is a proper object of prayer. For although God has designed some good for us,... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Deuteronomy 33:8-11

The blessing on Levi is also in the form of a prayer. In Jacob's blessing, Simeon is joined with Levi, but Moses passes him over altogether, probably because, as Jacob foretold, he was to be scattered among his brethren ( Genesis 49:7 ), and so lose his tribal individuality. Simeon, however, is included in the general blessing pronounced on Israel; and as this tribe received a number of towns within the territory of Judah ( Joshua 19:2-9 ), it was probably regarded as included in the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Deuteronomy 33:8-11

The blessing of Levi; or, entire devotion to God a necessary qualification for ministerial service. Moses and Aaron were themselves of the tribe of Levi. Consequently, Moses is here speaking of his own tribe; he forecasts its future; he seems in a remarkable manner to revoke the harsh sentence of the patriarch Jacob upon it. Nor is this altogether unaccounted for. The tribe had manifested a genuine repentance by a remarkable zeal for God's honor on several occasions. It was the tribe,... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Deuteronomy 33:8-11

Levi. The priestly tribe. Its curse ( Genesis 49:7 ) turned into a blessing. Repentance and zeal cut off the entail of a curse, or so transform it that out of the very curse God evokes a blessing (cf. Exodus 32:29 ; Psalms 106:31 ). I. THE GROUND OF THE BLESSING . 1. Levi's fidelity ( Deuteronomy 33:8 ). "Among the faithless, faithful only he." The zeal and constancy of the tribe on critical occasions had been remarkable. Learn how the wicked, returning to God... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Deuteronomy 33:8-11

The priestly tribe. The abuse of the priestly office has brought the name of priest into contempt. Best things, when corrupt, become the worst. Sour milk and rotten grapes and stained snow are things most obnoxious. Yet a true priest is the noblest form of man—the greatest benefactor of his species. A pompous, bedizened, arrogant ecclesiastic, is not a true priest. God's priest is meek, self-forgetful, saintly, Christlike. I. PURITY AND CONSECRATION ARE THE ESSENTIAL ... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Deuteronomy 33:7

Bring him unto his people - Moses, taking up the promise of Jacob, prays that Judah, marching forth at the head of the tribes, might ever be brought back in safety and victory; arm intimates that God would grant help to accomplish this. read more

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