Deuteronomy 33:11

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Deuteronomy 33:8-11

In blessing the tribe of Levi, Moses expresses himself more at large, not so much because it was his own tribe (for he takes no notice of his relation to it) as because it was God's tribe. The blessing of Levi has reference. I. To the high priest, here called God's holy one (Deut. 33:8), because his office was holy, in token of which, Holiness to the Lord was written upon his forehead. 1. He seems to acknowledge that God might justly have displaced Aaron and his seed, for his sin at Meribah,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Deuteronomy 33:11

Bless, Lord, his substance ,.... Which lay in tithes, firstfruits, &c.; for the priests and Levites had no share in the division of the land; unless this can be understood of the cities and suburbs which were given them, or of houses and fields devoted, which fell unto them, or rather of their cattle, for the use of which they had suburbs appointed them; for otherwise in husbandry and merchandise they were not employed: some render it "an host" or army F12 חילו "copiis ejus",... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Deuteronomy 33:11

Bless, Lord, his substance - The blessing of God to the tribe of Levi was peculiarly necessary, because they had no inheritance among the children of Israel, and lived more immediately than others upon the providence of God. Yet, as they lived by the offerings of the people and the tithes, the increase of their substance necessarily implied the increase of the people at large: the more fruitful the land was, the more abundant would the tithes of the Levites be; and thus in the increased... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Deuteronomy 33:11

Verse 11 11.Bless, Lord, his substance. This supplication appears to have been intended tacitly to provide against the poverty which awaited the Levites, if God had not supplied them with food from some other source besides the produce of the soil; for they were deprived of a share in the general inheritance, and God alone was their property. Lest, therefore, their condition should be painful to them, Moses offers them consolation, and bids them expect from God abundance for their support,... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Deuteronomy 33:1-29

EXPOSITION The blessing consists of a series of benedictions on the several tribes ( Deuteronomy 33:6-25 ), preceded by an introduction ( Deuteronomy 33:1-5 ), and followed by a conclusion ( Deuteronomy 33:26-29 ). read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

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 33:8-11

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

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