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Genesis blesses Joseph with gifts from the sky above and the deep below, language repeated in Deuteronomy as it recounts details of the patriarchs. This pairing reflects ancient Near Eastern cosmology, where the heavens, earth, and the underworld represent three distinct tiers of creation.
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Genesis 49:25
Hebrew Bible
23 The archers will attack him, they will shoot at him and oppose him. 24 But his bow will remain steady, and his hands will be skillful; because of the hands of the Powerful One of Jacob, because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel, 25 because of the God of your father, who will help you, because of the Sovereign God, who will bless you with blessings from the sky above, blessings from the deep that lies below, and blessings of the breasts and womb. 26 The blessings of your father are greater than the blessings of the eternal mountains or the desirable things of the age-old hills. They will be on the head of Joseph and on the brow of the prince of his brothers. 27 Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning devouring the prey, and in the evening dividing the plunder.”
Date: 5th Century B.C.E. (Final composition) (based on scholarly estimates)
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Deuteronomy 33:13
Hebrew Bible
11 Bless, O Lord, his goods, and be pleased with his efforts; undercut the legs of any who attack him, and of those who hate him, so that they cannot stand.” 12 Of Benjamin he said: “The beloved of the Lord will live safely by him; he protects him all the time, and the Lord places him on his chest.” 13 Of Joseph he said: “May the Lord bless his land with the harvest produced by the sky, by the dew, and by the depths crouching beneath; 14 with the harvest produced by the daylight and by the moonlight; 15 with the best of the ancient mountains and the harvest produced by the age-old hills;
Date: 6th Century B.C.E. (Final composition) (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... The rāqîa‘ in Genesis 1:6 to Genesis 8 is called (šāmayim, "heaven") in verse 8. It should be noted that this is the only instance in Genesis 1:1-2:4 where the noun šāmayim appears without a definite article, compared to the eleven occurrences (hašāmayim, "the heavens" 1:1, 9, 14, 15, 17, 20, 26, 28, 30, 2:1, 4). This is a notable divergence in this creation account, which is probably indicative of specific usage in this text that goes beyond the general use of the term rāqîa in Genesis 1:6 to Genesis 8, as something solid that keeps the ocean waters above it from reuniting with the waters below. It is also notable that the noun šāmayim without the definite article only appears four times in the book of Genesis (Genesis 1:8; 14:19, 22, 49:25), none in Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers, and three times in Deuteronomy (32:40; 33:13; 33:26). In Genesis 14:19, 22, šāmayim is used alongside the word ('eres) in a merism, "heaven and earth", in which the bipartite division of the cosmos is used to express totality. In Genesis 49:25 and in Deuteronomy 33:13, the term šāmayim without a definite article is used in contrast to the term (těhôm). In both texts, šāmayim and těhôm are given positive nuances as instruments from which blessings flow ..."
Ramantswana, Hulisani
Day Two of Creation: Why Is the Raqia (Firmament) Not Pronounced Good?
(pp. 101-123) University of South Africa, 2913
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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