Deuteronomy 33:12

_AND OF BENJAMIN HE SAID, THE BELOVED OF THE LORD SHALL DWELL IN SAFETY BY HIM; AND THE LORD SHALL COVER HIM ALL THE DAY LONG, AND HE SHALL DWELL BETWEEN HIS SHOULDERS._ Of Benjamin he said, The beloved of the Lord - so called from his being the fond object of Jacob's affection, and from his tribe being located, as Josephus says, in the richest part of the land. The Hebrew text х_ YªDIYD_ (H3039) _ YAHWEH_ (H3068)], beloved of Jehovah, which the Samaritan version has changed into х_ YAHWEH_ (H3068) _ YAD_ (H3027) _ YAD_ (H3027)] the hand, the hand of Yahweh shall dwell, etc. A distinguished favour was conferred on this tribe in having its portion assigned near the temple of God. BETWEEN, HIS SHOULDERS,

12._And of Benjamin he said. _It is probable that Moses alludes to the inheritance which fell to the lot of the children of Benjamin; for the part of Jerusalem in which the temple stood was contained in it. Since, therefore, God assigned them a dwelling-place, in which He in a manner protected them, and cherished them beneath His wings, they are not without reason called His _beloved, _for this was no ordinary pledge of His love To “dwell upon God,” (319) and “between his shoulders,” is equivalent to reposing upon Him; a similitude taken from fathers who carry their children whilst yet they are small and tender. Others extract a different meaning, viz., that God would dwell upon the shoulders of Benjamin; but this is very unnatural. (320)...

6-23 The order in which the tribes are here blessed, is not the same as is observed elsewhere. The blessing of Judah may refer to the whole tribe in general, or to David as a type of Christ. Moses largely blesses the tribe of Levi. Acceptance with God is what we should all aim at, and desire, in all our devotions, whether men accept us or not, 2 Corinthians 5:9. This prayer is a prophecy, that God will keep up a ministry in his church to the end of time. The tribe of Benjamin had their inheritance close to mount Zion. To be situated near the ordinances, is a precious gift from the Lord, a privilege not to be exchanged for any worldly advantage, or indulgence. We should thankfully receive the earthly blessings sent to us, through the successive seasons. But those good gifts which come down from the Father of lights, through the rising of the Sun of righteousness, and the pouring out of h...

Verse Deuteronomy 33:12. _OF BENJAMIN - THE BELOVED OF THE LORD_] Alluding to his being particularly beloved of his father Jacob, Genesis 49:27, c. _SHALL DWELL IN SAFETY BY HIM_] That is, by the Lord, whose temple, which is considered as his dwelling-place, was in the tribe of Benjamin, for a _part_ of Jerusalem belonged to this tribe. _SHALL COVER HIM ALL THE DAY_] Be his continual protector _and he_ _shall dwell between his shoulders _- within his coasts, or in his chief city, viz., _Jerusalem_, where the temple of God was built, on his mountains Zion and Moriah, here poetically termed his _shoulders_. Some object to our translation of the Hebrew ידיד _yedid_ by the term beloved

HE SHALL DWELL BETWEEN HIS SHOULDERS - i. e., be supported by God as a son who is carried by his father (compare Deuteronomy 1:31). Benjamin was especially beloved of his father Genesis 35:18; Genesis 44:20; Moses now promises no less love to him from God Himself....

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, by pronouncing on them a blessing in their several tribes. This blessing was probably spoken on the same day as the song recorded in the preceding chapter, and to the same assembly. The one may be regarded as the counterpart of the other. In the song, Moses dwells chiefly on the calamities that were to befall the people because of their apostasy; in the blessing, he depicts the benefits that were to be enjoyed by them through the Divine favor. The tone of the one is somber and minatory; the tone of the other is serene and cheering. The one presents the darker side, the other the brighter side, of Israel's fortunes. Both were fitting utterances for the occasion: the one the farewell warning, t...

[AND] OF BENJAMIN HE SAID,.... The tribe of Benjamin, as the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem; which is taken notice of next to Levi, because, as the priesthood was in the tribe of Levi, the temple in which the priests officiated was in the tribe of Benjamin, or near it; and is observed next but one to Judah, and before his elder brother Joseph, because his tribe lay between Judah and Joseph, Joshua 18:11; and Levi having no inheritance in the land: THE BELOVED OF THE LORD SHALL DWELL IN SAFETY BY HIM; this is commonly understood of the tribe of Benjamin, beloved by the Lord, as the head of the tribe was by his father Jacob; the first king of Israel being of that tribe, and the temple built in it, or on the edge of it, and its land the most fat and fertile of the land of Canaan, as Josephus m observes; and may be said to "dwell by him", the Lord, because the tabernacle of

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 (Deuteronomy 33:6) 4. The blessing of Benjamin and Joseph (Deuteronomy 33:12) 5. The blessing of Zebulon and Issachar (Deuteronomy 33:18) 6. The blessing of Gad, Dan, Nephtali and Asher ...

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- 746 B.C.) A date after the disruption is required by Deuteronomy 33:7; a period of prosperity by Deuteronomy 33:13. Prior to 786 B.C. Israel had been ruled by petty kings, and after 746 B.C. the Northern Kingdom had a long and disastrous struggle with Damascus. (_b)_ The writer belonged to the Northern Kingdom, and therefore gives far more prominence to Israel (Joseph) than to Judah. (_c)_ He was a member of the priestly class (Deuteronomy 33:8). Accepting the above conclusions, it follo

AND OF. This "and" is contained in some codices, with Samaritan Pentateuch, Septuagint, and Syriac. BY HIM. Samaritan Pentateuch and Septuagint omit "by Him"....