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Deuteronomy 33:7-9
New English Translation
Deuteronomy 33:7-9
New English Translation
Blessing on Judah
7 And this is the blessing[a] to Judah. He said,
“Listen, O Lord, to Judah’s voice,
and bring him to his people.
May his power be great,
and may you help him against his foes.”
Blessing on Levi
8 Of Levi he said:
“Your Thummim and Urim[b] belong to your godly one,[c]
whose authority you challenged at Massah,[d]
and with whom you argued at the waters of Meribah.[e]
9 He said to his father and mother, ‘I have not seen him,’[f]
and he did not acknowledge his own brothers
or know his own children,
for they kept your word,
and guarded your covenant.
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 33:7 tn The words “the blessing” are supplied in the translation for clarity and stylistic reasons.
- Deuteronomy 33:8 sn Thummim and Urim. These terms, whose meaning is uncertain, refer to sacred stones carried in a pouch on the breastplate of the high priest and examined on occasion as a means of ascertaining God’s will or direction. See Exod 28:30; Lev 8:8; Num 27:21; 1 Sam 28:6. See also C. Van Dam, NIDOTTE 1:329-31.
- Deuteronomy 33:8 tn Heb “godly man.” The reference is probably to Moses as representative of the whole tribe of Levi.
- Deuteronomy 33:8 sn Massah means “testing” in Hebrew; the name is a wordplay on what took place there. Cf. Exod 17:7; Deut 6:16; 9:22; Ps 95:8-9.
- Deuteronomy 33:8 sn Meribah means “contention, argument” in Hebrew; this is another wordplay on the incident that took place there. Cf. Num 20:13, 24; Ps 106:32.
- Deuteronomy 33:9 sn This statement no doubt alludes to the Levites’ destruction of their own fellow tribesmen following the golden calf incident (Exod 32:25-29).
New English Translation (NET)
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