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 power. And they sit at your feet, each receiving your words. 4 Moses delivered to us a law, an inheritance for the assembly of Jacob.

Psalm 68:17

Hebrew Bible

15 The mountain of Bashan is a towering mountain; the mountain of Bashan is a mountain with many peaks. 16 Why do you look with envy, O mountains with many peaks, at the mountain where God has decided to live? Indeed the Lord will live there permanently. 17 God has countless chariots; they number in the thousands. The Lord comes from Sinai in holy splendor. 18 You ascend on high; you have taken many captives. You receive tribute from men, including even sinful rebels. Indeed, the Lord God lives there. 19 The Lord deserves praise. Day after day he carries our burden, the God who delivers us. (Selah)

 Notes and References

"... In the world of the Old Testament a triumph over enemies had two aspects: the triumph of a god and the triumph of a human king. “Religion” and warfare were interwoven, and the celebration of a triumph was as much a celebration of divine triumph as it was a celebration of kingly triumph. The archetypal pattern of divine warfare and triumph was fivefold: (1) a god battled against an enemy god (of monstrous proportions, such as Sea) and was (2) victorious over the enemy; this was followed by (3) the enthronement of the god as king, (4) the building of his house (temple) and (5) a great banquet of celebration. The pattern is one that leads from the battlefield to the city and temple. In the Old Testament we observe this general pattern in the Song of Moses (Exodus 15:1–18), where Yahweh, “a warrior” (Exodus 15:3), is victorious over Pharaoh and his army (and by implication, over Egypt’s gods). The kingship of Yahweh and the building of his temple is described in the final lines of this hymn, which suggest a procession of God and people to “the mountain [Zion] of your own possession, the place that you made your abode, the sanctuary, O Lord, that your hands have established. The Lord will reign forever and ever” (Exodus 15:17–18). In this case the hymn itself is a celebration of the progression through the first four phases of the pattern. Segments of this triumphal march of Yahweh may also be observed in various poetic renderings of his march from the region of Sinai or his approaching the gates of Jerusalem ... (compare Deuteronomy 33:2; Psalm 68:17) ..."

Ryken, Leland Dictionary of Biblical Imagery (pp. 3012-3013) InterVarsity Press, 1998

 User Comments

Do you have questions or comments about these texts? Please submit them here.