Texts in Conversation
Deuteronomy 33 echoes the cosmic blessing formula from Genesis 49:25 but replaces El and Shadday, reinterprets the blessings as agricultural produce, and removes "Breasts-and-Womb," removing the goddess and polytheistic elements of the older poem.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Genesis 49:25
Hebrew Bible
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.
Deuteronomy 33:13
Hebrew Bible
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; 16 with the harvest of the earth and its fullness and the pleasure of him who resided in the burning bush. May blessing rest on Joseph’s head, and on the top of the head of the one set apart from his brothers.
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Notes and References
"... In this respect the differences between our text and Deuteronomy 33:13–16 are significant ... the most important difference is, in our view, the fact that in Deuteronomy 33:15 the reference to “the blessings of your father, גבר/על גברי עד” is missing, whereas the word ברכות “blessings of” is absent in Deuteronomy 33:15, which reads מגרת “the best.” In addition the text-critical uncertainty מגרו “my progenitors” (MT) in Deuteronomy 33:15 a certain reading “הרי” “mountains of”, in which only the orthography might differ. In our view the text of Deuteronomy 33:13–16 leaves no room for misunderstanding as does the text of Genesis 49:25–26, and it appears to us that the former might be a reinterpretation of the latter. This is suggested first by the occurrence of the ‘blessing by YHWH’ at the beginning, emphasizing that YHWH is the principal provider of the blessing, which is specified in the following list. Secondly, the “blessings” are “interpreted” as the “fruit, production” of the land; but in Genesis 49:25–26 it occurs that the genitive construction might be a genitive subjectivus, suggesting even that “Heavens”, “Flood” and “Breast and Womb” are powers who provide blessings ..."
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