Deuteronomy · 29 verses
Deuteronomy 33
Every verse links to the people and places named in it, and to the passages readers connect it with.
The chapter
What happens here
Atlas's own reading, written from this chapter and nothing else, and published only once a person has approved it. Each scene names the verses it covers; the names inside it link to the people and places they name.
Levi's blessing is a family rupture in miniature: parents are not considered, brothers disregarded, sons unknown—and this is presented as part of keeping the covenant.
The King in Jeshurunvv. 1–5
Before his death, Moses blesses Israel with a vision of the LORD arriving from Sinai, Seir, and Mount Paran, accompanied by holy ones and flaming fire. The holy ones sit at His feet to receive His words, and the law becomes the possession of Jacob's assembly. When the tribes gather, the LORD becomes King in Jeshurun—a coronation conducted by an assembled people rather than a palace.
A Blessing for Every Tribe, with Lions and Oilvv. 6–25
The tribal blessings now arrive one by one, and Moses is not shy of peculiar pictures. Reuben is told to live; Judah is asked to be heard and helped against his foes. Levi's devotion is described with startling severity: family ties are set aside so that the LORD's word and covenant may be kept, after which Levi teaches, offers incense, and receives a request for strong protection. Benjamin rests under God's shield, while Joseph receives dew, deep waters, harvests, mountains, hills, and the favor of the One who dwelt in the burning bush; Ephraim and Manasseh appear as the horns of a wild ox. Zebulun travels, Issachar stays in tents, and both call peoples to a mountain for sacrifices and feasting. Gad lies down like a lion and then tears off an arm or a head, which is a rather abrupt change of posture. Dan leaps from Bashan, Naphtali takes possession of sea and south, and Asher is blessed with gates of iron and bronze and the wonderfully specific prospect of dipping a foot in oil.
The Everlasting Armsvv. 26–29
The blessings gather themselves into a final portrait of Israel's God: riding the heavens, dwelling eternally, driving out the enemy, and holding Israel beneath everlasting arms. Israel then dwells securely in grain, new wine, and dew. The closing flourish makes the people both saved and formidable: the LORD is shield and sword, while their enemies cower and their high places are trampled.
The text
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Berean Standard Bible, public domain. Names the Hebrew and Greek put in the verse link to the person, place or people they name; the address beside each verse is a link to that verse, which is what a reader copies and shares.
Deut 33:1This is the blessing that Moses the man of God pronounced upon the Israelites before his death.
Deut 33:2He said: “The LORD came from Sinai and dawned upon us from Seir; He shone forth from Mount Paran and came with myriads of holy ones, with flaming fire at His right hand.
Deut 33:3Surely You love the people; all the holy ones are in Your hand, and they sit down at Your feet; each receives Your words—
Deut 33:4the law that Moses gave us, the possession of the assembly of Jacob.
Deut 33:5So the LORD became King in Jeshurun when the leaders of the people gathered, when the tribes of Israel came together.
Deut 33:7And concerning Judah he said: “O LORD, hear the cry of Judah and bring him to his people. With his own hands he defends his cause, but may You be a help against his foes.”
Deut 33:8Concerning Levi he said: “Give Your Thummim to Levi and Your Urim to Your godly one, whom You tested at Massah and contested at the waters of Meribah.
Deut 33:9He said of his father and mother, ‘I do not consider them.’ He disregarded his brothers and did not know his own sons, for he kept Your word and maintained Your covenant.
Deut 33:10He will teach Your ordinances to Jacob and Your law to Israel; he will set incense before You and whole burnt offerings on Your altar.
Deut 33:11Bless his substance, O LORD, and accept the work of his hands. Smash the loins of those who rise against him, and of his foes so they can rise no more.”
Deut 33:12Concerning Benjamin he said: “May the beloved of the LORD rest secure in Him; God shields him all day long, and upon His shoulders he rests.”
Deut 33:13Concerning Joseph he said: “May his land be blessed by the LORD with the precious dew from heaven above and the deep waters that lie beneath,
Deut 33:14with the bountiful harvest from the sun and the abundant yield of the seasons,
Deut 33:15with the best of the ancient mountains and the bounty of the everlasting hills,
Deut 33:16with the choice gifts of the land and everything in it, and with the favor of Him who dwelt in the burning bush. May these rest on the head of Joseph and crown the brow of the prince of his brothers.
Deut 33:17His majesty is like a firstborn bull, and his horns are like those of a wild ox. With them he will gore the nations, even to the ends of the earth. Such are the myriads of Ephraim, and such are the thousands of Manasseh.”
Deut 33:18Concerning Zebulun he said: “Rejoice, Zebulun, in your journeys, and Issachar, in your tents.
Deut 33:19They will call the peoples to a mountain; there they will offer sacrifices of righteousness. For they will feast on the abundance of the seas and the hidden treasures of the sand.”
Deut 33:20Concerning Gad he said: “Blessed is he who enlarges the domain of Gad! He lies down like a lion and tears off an arm or a head.
Deut 33:21He chose the best land for himself, because a ruler’s portion was reserved for him there. He came with the leaders of the people; he administered the LORD’s justice and His ordinances for Israel.”
Deut 33:22Concerning Dan he said: “Dan is a lion’s cub, leaping out of Bashan.”
Deut 33:23Concerning Naphtali he said: “Naphtali is abounding with favor, full of the blessing of the LORD; he shall take possession of the sea and the south.”
Deut 33:24And concerning Asher he said: “May Asher be the most blessed of sons; may he be the most favored among his brothers and dip his foot in oil.
Deut 33:25May the bolts of your gate be iron and bronze, and may your strength match your days.”
Deut 33:26“There is none like the God of Jeshurun, who rides the heavens to your aid, and the clouds in His majesty.
Deut 33:27The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He drives out the enemy before you, giving the command, ‘Destroy him!’
Deut 33:28So Israel dwells securely; the fountain of Jacob lives untroubled in a land of grain and new wine, where even the heavens drip with dew.
Deut 33:29Blessed are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD? He is the shield that protects you, the sword in which you boast. Your enemies will cower before you, and you shall trample their high places.”
01 — Also here
Who else the chapter reaches
Names written in the English are linked in the text above. These are the ones that are not: an entity the Hebrew or Greek names under a spelling the translation does not use, or one reached only by an assertion about a verse of this chapter.
Named in the Hebrew or Greek somewhere in this chapter, under a form the English renders differently — the registry's Ludim against the translation's Ludites — so there is no word in the sentence to hang the link on.
Reached by an assertion Atlas extracted from a verse of this chapter rather than by a name written in it — a pronoun, a title, or a participant the sentence carries without naming. This layer is model-read and measured at 88.6–90.3% precision, and it is kept separate from the names above for that reason.
02 — Read alongside
Where this is echoed
Readers' own connections, from OpenBible's crowd-voted cross-references — agreement about relevance, and not scholarly confidence. 441 passages were voted onto 29 verses of this chapter; the 16 shown lead on votes, and each is listed at the verse it was voted onto most strongly.
- 25Isaiah 41:10Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will surely help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.
- 25Psalms 138:3On the day I called, You answered me; You emboldened me and strengthened my soul.
- 25Isaiah 40:29He gives power to the faint and increases the strength of the weak.
- 25Colossians 1:11being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have full endurance and patience, and joyfully
- 25Philippians 4:13I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.
- 27Psalms 90:1–2A prayer of Moses the man of God. Lord, You have been our dwelling place through all generations.
- 24Genesis 49:20Asher’s food will be rich; he shall provide royal delicacies.
- 252 Chronicles 16:9For the eyes of the LORD roam to and fro over all the earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are fully devoted to Him. You have acted foolishly in this matter. From now on, therefore, you will be at war.”
- 27Isaiah 25:4For You have been a refuge for the poor, a stronghold for the needy in distress, a refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat. For the breath of the ruthless is like rain against a wall,
- 252 Corinthians 12:9–10But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest on me.
- 27Proverbs 18:10The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.
- 27Romans 16:20The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
- 27Psalms 91:9Because you have made the LORD your dwelling—my refuge, the Most High—
- 271 Peter 1:5who through faith are shielded by God’s power for the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
- 25Deuteronomy 32:47For they are not idle words to you, because they are your life, and by them you will live long in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”
- 25Deuteronomy 8:9a land where you will eat food without scarcity, where you will lack nothing; a land whose rocks are iron and whose hills are ready to be mined for copper.
Onward