John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Deuteronomy 33:12
And of Benjamin he said ,.... The tribe of Benjamin, as the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem; which is taken notice of next to Levi, because, as the priesthood was in the tribe of Levi, the temple in which the priests officiated was in the tribe of Benjamin, or near it; and is observed next but one to Judah, and before his elder brother Joseph, because his tribe lay between Judah and Joseph, Joshua 18:11 ; and Levi having no inheritance in the land: the beloved of the Lord shall... read more
Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Deuteronomy 33:12-17
Here is, I. The blessing of Benjamin, Deut. 33:12. Benjamin is put next to Levi, because the temple, where the priests? work lay, was just upon the edge of the lot of this tribe; and it is put before Joseph because of the dignity of Jerusalem (part of which was in this tribe) above Samaria, which was in the tribe of Ephraim, and because Benjamin adhered to the house of David, and to the temple of the Lord, when the rest of the tribes deserted both with Jeroboam. 1. Benjamin is here called the... read more