1Ko te manaaki tenei i manaaki ai a Mohi, te tangata a te Atua, i nga tama a Iharaira i mua ake o tona matenga. 2Na ka mea ia, I haere mai a Ihowa i Hinai, i rere mai i Heira ki runga ki a ratou; i whiti mai ia i Maunga Parana, a haere mai ana ia i nga mano tini o te hunga tapu: he ture i tona ringa matau mo ratou, e mura ana. 3Ina, e aroha ana ia ki nga iwi; kei roto i tou ringa ana tangata tapu katoa: a noho ana ratou i ou waewae; ka riro i a ratou katoa au korero. 4Na Mohi te ture i ako ki a tatou, hei taonga tuku iho, tuku iho mo te huihui o Hakopa. 5Ko ia ano te kingi o Iehuruna i te huihuinga o nga upoko o te iwi, ratou ko nga iwi katoa o Iharaira. 6Kia ora a Reupena, kaua hoki e mate, otiia kia tokoouou ona tangata. 7A tenei ano te manaaki mo Hura: na ka mea ia, Whakarongo, e Ihowa, ki te reo o Hura, mau ano hoki ia e kawe ki tona iwi: i kaha hoki ona ringa ki te tohe mona ake; a mau ia e awhina ki ona hoariri. 8A mo Riwai i mea ia, Kei tou tangata tapu ou Tumime me ou Urimi, i whakamatautauria ra ia e koe ki Maha, i ngangautia ra e koe ki nga wai o Meripa; 9I mea nei mo tona papa raua ko tona whaea, Kahore ahau i kite i a ia; kihai ano hoki ia i mohio ki ona tuakana, kihai i matau ki ana ake tamariki; he mea hoki, e pupuri ana ratou i tau kupu, e tiaki ana i tau kawenata. 10Ma ratou a Hakopa e whakaako ki au whakaritenga, a Iharaira hoki ki tau ture: ma ratou hoki te paowa kakara e hoatu ki tou aroaro, me te tahunga tinana ki runga ki tau aata. 11Manaakitia ona rawa, e Ihowa, kia aro mai hoki koe ki te mahi a ona ringa: whatiia nga hope o te hunga e whakatika ana ki a ia, o nga mea hoki e kino ana ki a ia, kei whakatika mai ano ratou. 12Ko tana kupu mo Pineamine, Ko ta Ihowa i aroha ai ka noho humarie ki tona taha; ko ia e uhi ana i a ia a pau noa te ra, e noho ana i waenganui o ona pokohiwi. 13Ko tana kupu mo Hohepa, He manaakitanga tona whenua na Ihowa; ki nga mea papai o te rangi, ki te tomairangi, ki te wai hohonu e takoto ake ana i raro, 14Ki nga hua papai o te ra, ki nga mea papai hoki e whakaputaina mai ana e te marama, 15Ki nga mea nunui hoki o nga maunga onamata, ki nga mea papai o nga maunga tu tonu, 16Ki nga mea papai hoki o te whenua me ona tini mea; ki te manakohanga hoki ana i noho i te rakau: kia tae mai te manaaki ki runga ki te mahunga o Hohepa, ki te tumuaki hoki ona i wehea i ona tuakana. 17He kororia kei te matamua a tana puru; ko ona haona kei nga haona o te unikanga: ka pana e ia nga iwi, ratou katoa, ki era, tae noa ki nga pito o te whenua: a ko enei nga mano tini o Eparaima, ko enei hoki nga mano o Manahi. 18A, ko tana kupu mo Hepurona, Kia koa, e Hepurona, i tou putanga ki waho; e Ihakara hoki, i ou teneti. 19Ma ratou nga iwi e karanga ki te maunga; ki reira ratou patu ai i nga patunga o te tika: no te mea ka ngongo ratou te raneatanga o nga moana, i nga taonga huna hoki o te onepu. 20Ko tana kupu mo Kara, Ka manaakitia te kaiwhakawhanui i a Kara: noho ana ia me he raiona katua, haea iho e ia te ringa, ae ra me te tumuaki. 21A tangohia ana e ia te wahi tuatahi mona; no te mea kei reira te wahi a te kaiwhakahaere tikanga e tiakina ana; a haere mai ana me nga upoko o te iwi, a oti ana i a ia, ratou tahi ko Iharaira, te tikanga a Ihowa, me ana whakaritenga. 22A, ko tana kupu mo Rana, Hei kuao raiona a Rana: ka mokowhiti mai ia i Pahana. 23A, ko tana kupu mo Napatari, E Napatari, e makona nei i te manakohanga, e ki ana hoki i te manaaki a Ihowa: nohoia e koe te taha ki te hauauru me te tonga. 24A, ko tana kupu mo Ahera, Ko nga tamariki te manaaki mo Ahera; kia arongia mai ia e ona tuakana, kia toua hoki tona waewae ki te hinu. 25Ko ou tutaki he rino, he parahi; a ka rite tou kaha ki ou ra. 26Kahore he rite mo te Atua, e Iehuruna, e eke hoiho nei i nga rangi ki te whakauru i a koe, ki nga kapua hoki, i runga ano i tona kororia. 27Ko te Atua ora tonu tou nohoanga, a kei raro ko nga ringa o tua iho: a i peia e ia te hoariri i tou aroaro, i mea hoki, Whakangaromia. 28Na ka noho humarie a Iharaira, me te matapuna o Hakopa ko ia anake, ki te whenua witi, waina; ae ra, ka maturuturu iho te tomairangi o ona rangi. 29Ka hari koe, e Iharaira: ko wai hei rite mou, mo te iwi i whakaorangia nei e Ihowa, te pukupuku hei whakapuru mou, ko te hoari hoki e whai kororia ai koe! a ka tuku mai ou hoariri i a ratou ki a koe; a ka takatakahi koe i o ratou wahi teitei.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 THE MAJESTY OF GOD. (Deu. 33:1-28)
Moses the man of God--This was a common designation of a prophet (
1Sam 2:27;
1Sam 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.
2 The Lord came--Under a beautiful metaphor, borrowed from the dawn and progressive splendor of the sun, the Majesty of God is sublimely described as a divine light which appeared in Sinai and scattered its beams on all the adjoining region in directing Israel's march to Canaan. In these descriptions of a theophania, God is represented as coming from the south, and the allusion is in general to the thunderings and lightnings of Sinai; but other mountains in the same direction are mentioned with it. The location of Seir was on the east of the Ghor; mount Paran was either the chain on the west of the Ghor, or rather the mountains on the southern border of the desert towards the peninsula [ROBINSON]. (Compare
Judg 5:4-
Judg 5:5;
Ps 68:7-
Ps 68:8;
Hab 3:3).
ten thousands of saints--rendered by some, "with the ten thousand of Kadesh," or perhaps better still, "from Meribah" [EWALD].
a fiery law--so called both because of the thunder and lightning which accompanied its promulgation (
Exod 19:16-
Exod 19:18;
Deut 4:11), and the fierce, unrelenting curse denounced against the violation of its precepts (
2Cor 3:7-9). Notwithstanding those awe-inspiring symbols of Majesty that were displayed on Sinai, the law was really given in kindness and love (
Deut 33:3), as a means of promoting both the temporal and eternal welfare of the people. And it was "the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob," not only from the hereditary obligation under which that people were laid to observe it, but from its being the grand distinction, the peculiar privilege of the nation.
6 Let Reuben live, and not die--Although deprived of the honor and privileges of primogeniture, he was still to hold rank as one of the tribes of Israel. He was more numerous than several other tribes (
Num 1:21;
Num 2:11). Yet gradually he sank into a mere nomadic tribe, which had enough to do merely "to live and not die." Many eminent biblical scholars, resting on the most ancient and approved manuscripts of the Septuagint, consider the latter clause as referring to Simeon; "and Simeon, let his men be few," a reading of the text which is in harmony with other statements of Scripture respecting this tribe (
Num 25:6-
Num 25:14;
Num 1:23;
Num 26:14;
Josh 19:1).
7 this is the blessing of Judah--Its general purport points to the great power and independence of Judah, as well as its taking the lead in all military expeditions.
8 of Levi he said--The burden of this blessing is the appointment of the Levites to the dignified and sacred office of the priesthood (
Lev 10:11;
Deut 22:8;
Deut 17:8-
Deut 17:11), a reward for their zeal in supporting the cause of God, and their unsparing severity in chastising even their nearest and dearest relatives who had participated in the idolatry of the molten calf (
Exod 32:25-
Exod 32:28; compare
Mal 2:4-
Mal 2:6).
12 of Benjamin he said--A distinguishing favor was conferred on this tribe in having its portion assigned near the temple of God.
between his shoulders--that is, on his sides or borders. Mount Zion, on which stood the city of Jerusalem, belonged to Judah; but Mount Moriah, the site of the sacred edifice, lay in the confines of Benjamin.
13 of Joseph he said--The territory of this tribe, diversified by hill and dale, wood and water, would be rich in all the productions--olives, grapes, figs, &c., which are reared in a mountainous region, as well as in the grain and herbs that grow in the level fields. "The firstling of the bullock and the horns of the unicorn" (rhinoceros), indicate glory and strength, and it is supposed that under these emblems were shadowed forth the triumphs of Joshua and the new kingdom of Jeroboam, both of whom were of Ephraim (compare
Gen 48:20).
18 Rejoice, Zebulun, in thy going out--on commercial enterprises and voyages by sea.
and, Issachar in thy tents--preferring to reside in their maritime towns.
19 shall suck of the abundance of the seas, and of treasures hid in the sand--Both tribes should traffic with the Phśnicians in gold and silver, pearl and coral, especially in murex, the shellfish that yielded the famous Tyrian dye, and in glass, which was manufactured from the sand of the river Belus, in their immediate neighborhood.
20 of Gad he said--Its possessions were larger than they would have been had they lain west of Jordan; and this tribe had the honor of being settled by Moses himself in the first portion of land conquered. In the forest region, south of the Jabbok, "he dwelt as a lion" (compare
Gen 30:11;
Gen 49:19). Notwithstanding, they faithfully kept their engagement to join the "heads of the people" [
Deut 33:21] in the invasion of Canaan.
22 Dan is a lion's whelp--His proper settlement in the south of Canaan being too small, he by a sudden and successful irruption, established a colony in the northern extremity of the land. This might well be described as the leap of a young lion from the hills of Bashan.
23 of Naphtali he said--The pleasant and fertile territory of this tribe lay to "the west," on the borders of lakes Merom and Chinnereth, and to "the south" of the northern Danites.
24 of Asher he said--The condition of this tribe is described as combining all the elements of earthly felicity.
dip his foot in oil--These words allude either to the process of extracting the oil by foot presses, or to his district as particularly fertile and adapted to the culture of the olive.
25 shoes of iron and brass--These shoes suited his rocky coast from Carmel to Sidon. Country people as well as ancient warriors had their lower extremities protected by metallic greaves (
1Sam 17:6;
Eph 6:15) and iron-soled shoes.
26 There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun--The chapter concludes with a congratulatory address to Israel on their peculiar happiness and privilege in having Jehovah for their God and protector.
who rideth upon the heaven in thy help--an evident allusion to the pillar of cloud and fire, which was both the guide and shelter of Israel.
28 the fountain of Jacob--The posterity of Israel shall dwell in a blessed and favored land.