Texts in Conversation
In Deuteronomy, the blessing of Moses tells the tribe of Levi to teach the commands to Jacob and the Torah to Israel. Jubilees gives that role to the ancestor Levi, with Isaac promising his sons will teach God’s ways to Jacob and his paths to Israel.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Deuteronomy 33:10
Hebrew Bible
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.”
Jubilees 31:15
Pseudepigrapha
14 May the Lord give you and your descendants extremely great honor; may he make you and your descendants alone out of all humanity approach him to serve in his temple like the angels of the presence and like the holy ones. The descendants of your sons will be like them in honor, greatness, and holiness. May he make them great throughout all ages.’ 15 They will be princes, judges, and leaders of all the descendants of Jacob’s sons. They will declare the word of the Lord justly and will justly judge all his verdicts. They will tell my ways to Jacob and my paths to Israel. The blessing of the Lord will be placed in their mouths, so that they may bless all the descendants of the beloved. 16 Your mother named you Levi, and she has given you the right name. You will become one who is joined to the Lord and a companion of all Jacob’s sons. His table is to belong to you; you and your sons are to eat from it. May your table be filled throughout all history; may your food not be lacking throughout all ages.
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Notes and References
... The neatly parallel lines express the teaching and related judicial tasks of the priests and Levites. Instruction (that is, Torah) is regularly associated with the priests (e.g., Leviticus 10:11 [Aaron is to teach the statutes revealed through Moses]; Jeremiah 18:18; Ezekiel 7:26; Haggai 2:11; Malachi 2:7). The point is well stated in Sirach 45:17: “In his commandments he gave him [Aaron] authority and statutes and judgments, / to teach Jacob the testimonies, / and to enlighten Israel in his law.” The Levites, too, assumed the role of teaching the divine law. Deuteronomy 33:10 says regarding Levi/Levites, “They teach Jacob your ordinances, / and Israel your law”; and Malachi 2:6 declares of Levi, “True instruction was in his mouth, / and no wrong was found on his lips.” ...
VanderKam, James C.
Jubilees 2: A Commentary on the Book of Jubilees Chapters 22-50
(p. 856) Fortress Press, 2018
* 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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