Commentaries Dictionaries Concordances

Joseph Benson’s Bible Commentary

Deuteronomy 33:5

And Or, for, he was king Not indeed in title, but, in reality, being under God their supreme governor and lawgiver; and therefore, by his authority, required them to observe these laws. When the tribes were gathered together When the princes and people met together, for the management of public affairs, Moses was owned by them as their king and lawgiver. Le Clerc, however, and many others, think that God, and not Moses, is here intended, he being indeed the king and lawgiver of the Jews especially, and not Moses. Moses elsewhere sufficiently intimates that he was not their king, Deuteronomy 17:14. And so does Samuel, who acted in a character similar to that of Moses, 1 Samuel 8:7.

Continues after advertising

See also Deuteronomy 33:5 in other biblical comments:

  • Albert Barnes' Bible Commentary

    HE WAS KING - i. e., not Moses but the Lord became king....

  • Annotated Bible by A.C. Gaebelein

    3. THE BLESSING OF MOSES Chapter S 32:44-33:29 _ 1. Introduction (Deuteronomy 32:44)_ 2. Jehovah's manifestation (Deuteronomy 33:1) 3. The blessing of Reuben, Judah and Levi (D

  • Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

    DEUTERONOMY 33. THE BLESSING OF MOSES. Of this poem (quite unconnected with the context) the following statements may be made: (_a)_ It was composed during the prosperous reign of Jeroboam II (786- 74...

  • Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes

    HE. Jehovah, from Deuteronomy 33:2. See the Structure, above. JESHURUN. See note on Deuteronomy 32:15. WERE GATHERED TOGETHER. gathered themselves together....

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    (2 9). Four Laws: Of Right to Enter the Congregation There shall not enter any eunuch (Deuteronomy 33:1); nor the son of an unlawful marriage, nor descendants (Deuteronomy 33:2); nor Ammonite, nor Mo...

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    _And he_ BECAME _king in Jeshurun_ i.e. Jehovah. Graf, Wellh., Stade render _and there was a king_, i.e. Saul, but Saul is not relevant here. On _Yeshurun_see Deuteronomy 32:15....

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    The Proem The Origin of Israel The Revelation by which the tribes became a nation is described in the mingled figures of a dawn and a thunderstorm, theophanies frequent in the Ar. poetry of the deser...

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    ( 4 7). Nor shall Ammonites, nor Moabites, nor their Descendants Enter the Congregation (3), for these nations gave no provision to Israel on the way from Egypt (4 _a_), but he (?) hired Balaam to cur...

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    4A. _met you not_, etc.] The appearance of the Pl. address marks a quotation as in Deuteronomy 9:7 f. According to Deuteronomy 2:29 Moab _sold bread and water_to Israel. _when ye came forth out of Egy...

  • Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

    _VER._ 5. _AND HE WAS KING IN JESHURUN,_ &C.— DURELL. Dr. Kennicott endeavours to shew the great inconsistency of making Moses the speaker of the passage as it stands in our version. Aware of this dif...

  • College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

    E. THE BLESSING OF MOSES (Deuteronomy 33:1-29) Having spoken his song in the previous chapter, Moses now pronounces his blessing upon the people. Both were probably spoken on the same day, just prior...

  • Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

    _AND HE WAS KING IN JESHURUN, WHEN THE HEADS OF THE PEOPLE AND THE TRIBES OF ISRAEL WERE GATHERED TOGETHER._ And he was king in Jeshurun. On "Jeshurun" as a designation of Israel, see Deuteronomy 32:...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    HE WAS KING] Jehovah, not Moses: cp. on Numbers 23:21. ON JESHURUN see Deuteronomy 32:15....

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    THE BLESSING OF MOSES This chapter contains the last words or 'swan-song' of Moses. Immediately before his death he takes farewell of the people, and blesses each of the tribes in turn, as Jacob had...

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    DEUTERONOMY: GOD’S LAW OF LOVE LOVE AND OBEY THE *LORD YOUR GOD DEUTERONOMY _PHILIP SMITH_ CHAPTER 33 V1 This is the *blessing that Moses, God’s *prophet, gave to the *Israelites. Moses did this...

  • Ellicott's Commentary On The Whole Bible

    (4,5) “[Of] the law which Moses commanded us, The inheritance of the congregation of Jacob, When he (Moses) was king in Jeshurun, In the gathering of the heads of the people, The tribes of Israel to...

  • ETCBC data on Hebrew bible

    וַ יְהִ֥י בִ ישֻׁר֖וּן מֶ֑לֶךְ בְּ הִתְאַסֵּף

  • Expositor's Bible Commentary (Nicoll)

    (B) THE BLESSING OF MOSES Deuteronomy 33:1 Besides the farewell speeches and the farewell song, we have in this chapter yet another closing utterance attributed to Moses. Here, as in the case of the...

  • Frederick Brotherton Meyer's Commentary

    THE BLESSING OF THE CHOSEN PEOPLE Deuteronomy 33:1 The glorious nature of God is the opening theme here. The reference is to the giving of the Law when, amid fire and the mediation of angels, God des...

  • G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible

    Here we have the record of the final words of Moses to the nation. They also take the form of a song. Often he had set before the people cursing and blessing His last words were of blessing only. Firs...

  • George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary

    He shall, &c. Erit rex, may perhaps be as well rendered indefinitely, "There shall be a king;" or, with the Septuagint, "And there shall be over the beloved a ruler," as (Haydock) some understand this...

  • Hawker's Poor man's commentary

    If Moses be meant here as the king of Jeshurun, we may admire the modesty of the man. He never assumed the title himself; he did not affect to be called so; and seemed to be not anxious to preserve hi...

  • Introductory Lectures - Commentary by William Kelly

    It is clear that a new division of the statutes and judgments of this book begins with the later verses just read from Deuteronomy 16:1-22. What belonged to the religious life of Israel was closed wit...

  • John Darby's Synopsis

    We have also the blessings of this man of God, pronounced over the people before his death (chap. 33). The blessings of Jacob were more historical regarding the future. Here they are rather relationsh...

  • John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

    AND HE WAS KING IN JESHURUN,.... That is, in Israel, or over the people of Israel, of which name of theirs, Deuteronomy 32:15; either God, as Jarchi; for the government of the Israelites was a theocra...

  • John Trapp Complete Commentary

    And he was king in Jeshurun, when the heads of the people [and] the tribes of Israel were gathered together. Ver. 5. _And he was king in Jeshurun._] A heroic king, reigning by virtue and justice only...

  • KJV Original Language Details

    1 The Maiestie of God. 6 The blessings of the twelue Tribes. 26 The excellency of Israel. 1 AND this is the blessing, wherewith Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death....

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    And He, Jehovah, WAS KING IN JESHURUN, the people of righteousness, WHEN THE HEADS OF THE PEOPLE AND THE TRIBES OF ISRAEL WERE GATHERED TOGETHER, namely, at Mount Sinai....

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    THE BLESSING OF MOSES. As the aged patriarch Jacob laid his blessing upon his sons in the form of prophecies, so Moses, before being gathered to his people, spoke a prophetic blessing upon the peopl...

  • Leslie M. Grant's Commentary on the Bible

    THE BLESSING OF THE TRIBES (vs.1-29) Though Deuteronomy is a book largely of admonition, yet all admonition is finished by the end of Chapter 32:47, and Chapter 33 beautifully closes God's message f...

  • Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible

    1-5 To all his precepts, warnings, and prophecies, Moses added a solemn blessing. He begins with a description of the glorious appearances of God, in giving the law. His law works like fire. If recei...

  • Matthew Poole's Concise Commentary On The Bible

    Moses was their king, not in title, but in reality, being under God their supreme and uncontrollable governor and lawgiver: though the word oft signifies only a _prince_ or _chief ruler_, as Judges 19...

  • Notes on the Pentateuch by Charles Henry Mackintosh

    "And this is the blessing, wherewith Moses, the man of God, blessed the children of Israel before his death" It is full of interest and comfort to find that the last words of the lawgiver were words o...

  • Patchworkid's Personal Study Bible Notes

    Deuteronomy 33:5 King H4428 Jeshurun H3484 leaders H7218 people H5971 gathered H622 (H8692) tribes H7626 Israel H3

  • Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

    Deuteronomy 33:4 “Moses commanded us a law, An inheritance for the assembly of Jacob. And he was king in Jeshurun, When the heads of the people were gathered, All the tribes of Israel together.”...

  • Summarized Bible Commentary

    CONTENTS: Moses' blessing upon the tribes. CHARACTERS: God, Moses. CONCLUSION: It is a very desirable thing to have an interest in the prayers of those who are about to depart for heaven. KEY WORD:...

  • Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    Deuteronomy 33:1. _Moses blessed Israel._ Moses, like Jacob, died distinctly blessing the tribes of Israel, and finished his course in a manner worthy of himself. The tribe of Simeon is here omitted....

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _From His right hand went a fiery law for them._ Yea, He loved the people. THE LAW OF ANTAGONISM At first sight the text might seem to involve a contradiction, but closer consideration will show th...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _This is the blessing wherewith Moses, the man of God, blessed the children of Israel before his death._ THE BLESSING OF THE TRIBES The many successive “blessings” of Israel were a necessary conseque...

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    DEUTERONOMY—NOTE ON DEUTERONOMY 33:1 There is no mention of Simeon in the list of tribes, perhaps because the tribe was going to be scattered (Genesis 49:7) and absorbed by Judah....

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    DEUTERONOMY—NOTE ON DEUTERONOMY 33:5 The real KING of Israel was God. JESHURUN. See v. Deuteronomy 33:26 and...

  • The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary

    CRITICAL NOTES.—Moses now performs the last great act of life and blesses the tribes of Israel. “The blessing opens with a solemn conclusion of the covenant and giving of the law at Sinai, by which th...

  • The Pulpit Commentaries

    EXPOSITION MOSES' BLESSING. Before ascending Mount Nebo, to take a view of the land he was not permitted to cuter and then to die, Moses took farewell of the people he had so long guided and ruled, b...

  • Through The Bible C2000 Serie by Chuck Smith

    Chapter thirty-three, Now this is the blessing, wherewith Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel just before he died. And he said, The LORD came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir; he shin...

  • Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

    Deuteronomy 32:15; Exodus 18:16; Exodus 18:19; Genesis 36:31; Judge

  • Wesley's Explanatory Notes

    He was king in Jeshurun — Moses was their king not in title, but in reality, being under God, their supreme governor, and law giver. Gathered together — When the princes and people met together for th...

Continues after advertising