Deuteronomy 33:6

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Deuteronomy 33:6-7

Here is, I. The blessing of Reuben. Though Reuben had lost the honour of his birthright, yet Moses begins with him; for we should not insult over those that are disgraced, nor desire to perpetuate marks of infamy upon any, though ever so justly fastened at first, Deut. 33:6. Moses desires and foretels, 1. The preserving of this tribe. Though a frontier tribe on the other side Jordan, yet, ?Let it live, and not be either ruined by its neighbours or lost among them.? And perhaps he refers to... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Deuteronomy 33:6

Let Reuben live, and not die ,.... As a tribe, continue and not be extinct, though they should not excel, because of the sin of their progenitor; and it may have a special regard to the preservation of them, of their families on the other side Jordan, while they passed over it with their brethren into Canaan, and of them in that expedition to help the other tribes in the conquest of the country and the settlement of them in it; which Jacob by a spirit of prophecy foresaw, and in a prayer of... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Deuteronomy 33:6

Let Reuben live, and not die - Though his life and his blessings have been forfeited by his transgression with his father's concubine, Genesis 49:3 , Genesis 49:4 ; and in his rebellion with Korah, Numbers 16:1-3 , etc., let him not become extinct as a tribe in Israel. "It is very usual," says Mr. Ainsworth, "in the Scripture, to set down things of importance and earnestness, by affirmation of the one part, and denial of the other; Isaiah 38:1 ; : Thou shalt die, and not live; ... 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

And let not his men be few. The negative, though not expressed in the Hebrew, is to be carried into this clause from the preceding. Though the rights of primogeniture had been withdrawn from Reuben, and Jacob had declared that he should not excel, Moses here assures the tribe of continuance, and even prosperity. Their number was not to be small; which was, perhaps, said to comfort them, in view of the fact that their numbers had greatly diminished in the course of their wanderings in the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Deuteronomy 33:6

The blessing of Reuben; or, life impoverished through ancestral sins. For a blessing, there seems something unusually weak in that pronounced on Reuben. Continuance—a preservation from being blotted out of existence—is all that the man of God seems to hope or expect from him. The English reader may wonder to see that the word "not" is in italics, as not being in the Hebrew, but supplied by the translators. It is, however, wisely done in this case, as will be seen if the reader will put... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Deuteronomy 33:6

A prayer for the firstborn. The personal character of Reuben had not been exemplary. His salient features were coarse. Moral qualities were entailed to posterity; and the tribe, generation after generation, occupied a low place in the history of the nation. Nothing noble seems ever to have been achieved by it. I. PRIORITY OF PLACE DOES NOT ENSURE NOBLENESS OF CHARACTER . Reuben was, in Jacob's household, first in the order of time, but not first in native dignity.... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Deuteronomy 33:6-7

Reuben and Judah. The tribe without a destiny and the tribe with one. I. THE PRESERVATION AND INCREASE OF EVERY PART OF THE CHURCH IS OF INTEREST TO EVERY OTHER . Reuben's sins had incurred the forfeiture of privilege. His numbers were diminishing. It had been predicted of him that he would not excel ( Genesis 49:4 ). But Moses desires that his tribe should not perish. He prays for its preservation and revival. Or, on another view, he prays that,... 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

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