Deuteronomy 33:1. The blessing wherewith Moses blessed Israel He is said to bless them, by praying to God with faith for his blessing upon them; and by foretelling the blessings which God would confer upon them. And Moses calls himself the man of God, that is, the servant or prophet of God, to acquaint them that the following prophecies were not his own inventions, but divine inspirations. read more
The blessing of Moses (32:48-33:29)As God had announced earlier, the time for Moses to die had come (48-52; see Numbers 27:12-14). The prophetic blessings that he gave Israel before he died foresaw the favours that God would give the various tribes. But first Moses recalled the giving of the law at Sinai. God appeared in flaming majesty, bursting forth in glory brighter than the rising sun. Accompanying him were multitudes of heavenly servants who carry out God’s purposes in the lives of... read more
this. Moses' tenth (and last) address. See note on Deuteronomy 1:1 . blessing. To be distinguished from the Song. the man of God. First occurrence. See App-49 . God. Hebrew. Elohim. App-4 . children = sons. read more
Critical commentators remain a mystery to this writer, despite the fact of our reading their writings for a full quarter of a century! The chapter before us contains the final blessing of Moses upon the Twelve Tribes of the Chosen People, and yet, Wade declared, apparently in all sincerity that, "This poem is quite unconnected with the context!"[1] How amazing that any man could fail to see the "connection" between the death of a mighty world leader and the last words of the man! The Book of... read more
Ver. 1. And this is the blessing— The word blessing is to be understood according to the custom of those ancient times, when fathers, about to die, blessed their children: whence, whatever fathers spoke to their children, as their last words, was called a blessing, though sometimes cursings were mixed with the blessings: for, as Jacob did not bless all his sons, so neither did Moses bless all the tribes. See Genesis 49:28. Dr. Durell is of opinion, that the words, the man of God, were added... read more
1. Moses the man of God—This was a common designation of a prophet (1 Samuel 2:27; 1 Samuel 9:6), and it is here applied to Moses, when, like Jacob, he was about to deliver ministerially before his death, a prophetic benediction to Israel. read more
After a brief introduction to the blessing (Deuteronomy 33:1), Moses began by presenting God. He pictured Him as the source of all blessing in the figure of the sun rising on His people gathered at Sinai. The sun is the source of physical blessing. Seir (Deuteronomy 33:2) refers to the mountain range in Edom over which the sun would apparently rise as seen from Sinai. Paran (Deuteronomy 33:2) refers to the mountains near Kadesh Barnea that separated the Sinai wilderness from Canaan."The... read more
D. Moses’ blessing of the tribes ch. 33After receiving this announcement of his death, and as one of his final official acts as Israel’s leader, Moses pronounced a prophetic blessing on the tribes of Israel (cf. Jacob’s blessing of the tribes in Genesis 49)."In the ancient Near East, a dying father’s final blessings spoken to his sons were an irrevocable legal testament, accepted as decisive evidence in court disputes. In the case of the Biblical patriarchs, the authority and potency of their... read more
The Blessing of MosesThis chapter contains the last words or ’swan-song’ of Moses. Immediately before his death he takes farewell of the people, and blesses each of the tribes in turn, as Jacob had done on his deathbed: see Genesis 49. The two blessings should be compared; see also on Deuteronomy 33:4.2-5. Introduction, describing the majestic appearance of Jehovah to His chosen people.2. Cp. Judges 5:4; Habakkuk 3:3. Seir] Edom (see on Numbers 20:22-29). Mount Paran] the S. boundary of Canaan.... read more
Get Bible verse every day in your inbox
Read on Mobile
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Deuteronomy 33:1
The title “the man of God” in the Old Testament is one who is favored with direct revelations, but not necessarily an official prophet. The occurrence of the title here is no doubt a token that the Blessing was not, as was the Song, transcribed by Moses himself. Compare Deuteronomy 31:27. read more