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Deuteronomy

About this book
Chapter 33

1 This is the blessing Moses the man of God⁠ pronounced upon the Israelites before his death.⁠ 2 He said: “The Lord came from Sinai and revealed himself to Israel from Seir.⁠ He appeared in splendor from Mount Paran,⁠ and came forth with ten thousand holy ones.⁠ With his right hand he gave a fiery law to them.⁠ 3 Surely he loves the people; all your holy ones are in your hand8.⁠ And they sit at your feet, each receiving your words.⁠ 4 Moses delivered to us a law, an inheritance for the assembly of Jacob. 5 The Lord was king over Jeshurun, when the leaders of the people assembled, the tribes of Israel together. 6 “May Reuben live and not die, and may his people multiply.”⁠ 7 And this is the blessing 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.” 8 Of Levi he said:⁠ “Your Thummim and Urim belong to your godly one,⁠ whose authority you challenged at Massah, and with whom you argued at the waters of Meribah. 9 He said to his father and mother, ‘I have not seen him,’ and he did not acknowledge his own brothers or know his own children, for they kept your word, and guarded your covenant. 10 They will teach Jacob your ordinances and Israel your law;⁠ they will offer incense as a pleasant odor, and a whole offering on your altar. 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; 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.⁠ 17 May the firstborn of his bull bring him honor, and may his horns be those of a wild ox; with them may he gore all peoples, all the far reaches of the earth. They are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh.”⁠ 18 Of Zebulun he said: “Rejoice, Zebulun, when you go outside, and Issachar, when you are in your tents. 19 They will summon peoples to the mountain, there they will sacrifice proper sacrifices; for they will enjoy the abundance of the seas, and the hidden treasures of the shores.” 20 Of Gad he said: “Blessed be the one who enlarges Gad. Like a lioness he will dwell; he will tear at an arm—indeed, a scalp. 21 He has selected the best part for himself, for the portion of the ruler is set aside there; he came with the leaders of the people, he obeyed the righteous laws of the Lord and his ordinances with Israel.” 22 Of Dan he said: “Dan is a lion’s cub; he will leap forth from Bashan.” 23 Of Naphtali he said: “O Naphtali, overflowing with favor, and full of the Lord’s blessing, possess the west and south.” 24 Of Asher he said: “Asher is blessed with children; may he be favored by his brothers, and may he dip his foot in olive oil. 25 The bars of your gates will be made of iron and bronze, and may you have lifelong strength.” 26 “There is no one like God, O Jeshurun, who rides through the sky to help you, on the clouds in majesty.⁠ 27 The everlasting God is a refuge, and underneath you are his eternal arms;⁠ he has driven out enemies before you, and has said, ‘Destroy!’ 28 Israel lives in safety, the fountain of Jacob is quite secure, in a land of grain and new wine; indeed, its heavens rain down dew. 29 You have joy, Israel! Who is like you?⁠ You are a people delivered by the Lord, your protective shield and your exalted sword. May your enemies cringe before you; may you trample on their backs.”

Texts in conversation

Compare Deuteronomy 33:2 and 1 Enoch 71:8

Hebrew Bible · Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses

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Summary

Deuteronomy 33 describes God’s appearance accompanied by ten thousand holy ones, a scene that later traditions interpreted as an army of angels. 1 Enoch 71 draws on this imagery, portraying vast multitudes of angels surrounding the heavenly temple.

Passages

Deuteronomy 33:2

Hebrew Bible
1 This is the blessing Moses the man of God pronounced upon the Israelites before his death. 2 He said: “The Lord came from Sinai and revealed himself to Israel from Seir. He appeared in splendor from Mount Paran, and came forth with ten thousand holy ones. With his right hand he gave a fiery law to them. 3 Surely he loves the people; all your holy ones are in your hand8. And they sit at your feet, each receiving your words. 4 Moses delivered to us a law, an inheritance for the assembly of Jacob.
750–400 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Deuteronomy

1 Enoch 71:8

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses
6 I saw the band of fire surrounding this fiery house, with streams of living fire on all four sides. 7 Around it were Seraphim, Cherubim, and Ophanim, who do not sleep and guard the throne of His glory. 8 There I saw countless angels, thousands of thousands and ten thousand times ten thousand, surrounding the house. Michael, Raphael, Gabriel, Phanuel, and the holy angels from above the heavens went in and out of the house. 9 They came out of that house, and along with Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, and Phanuel came many holy angels beyond number. 10 With them was the Head of Days, whose head was white and pure as wool, and whose garments were beyond description.
300 BCE – 100 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in 1 Enoch

References

"... As with chapter 32, this text is thought to be older than the earlier portions of Deuteronomy, and it has possible connections to Judges 5 and 2 Samuel 22. Deuteronomy 33:2 seems to be a reference to the giving of the law on Mt. Sinai, though commentators have suggested otherwise. Michalak views Deuteronomy 33:2-3 as alluding to military activity. Although the text of Exodus does not mention these heavenly beings at Sinai, the passage from Deuteronomy is alluded to in several later texts (Compare Psalm 68:16-18; Daniel 7:10; Jude 14-15; Revelation 5:11; 1 Enoch 1:17, 14:22, 71:8-9, 13. See also texts regarding the parousia: Matthew 24:30-31; Mark 8:38; 1 Thessalonians 3:13; 2 Thessalonians 1:7; Hebrews 12:18-24, etc.) and is apparently the basis for later claims that the law was given by angels. In Deuteronomy 33:2 קדש (here a noun) is in the singular where one might expect the word to be plural, as the number modifying קדש is רבבת in the plural. Indeed, many scholars believe that the text probably should be read as “holy ones” (taking the singular noun as a collective), not “Holy One,” or a place name. The Masoretic text reading here is the same as in the Samaritan Pentateuch, while the DSS is fragmentary (4Q45 f42_43:1). Both the LXX (Codices Alexandrinus and Vaticanus) and the Targums differ from the Masoretic tradition. The Targum says “ten thousand holy ones”. The LXX treats קדש as a place name (Καδης), but then adds “from his right, angels with him”. What is significant is that all of these textual traditions provide evidence of multiple lesser beings in the company of YHWH ..."
Joni Amanda McGuire-Moushon, “Angels and Sub-Divine Supernatural Beings: Their Characteristics, Function, and Relationship to God and Humanity in Deuteronomy-Kings” (diss., Andrews University, 2019), 32–33.

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Deuteronomy 33:2 and 1 Enoch 71:8

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