Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 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.
12. a place ] Heb. hand, of Jabbok-side in Deu 2:37, a man’s place in the ranks, Num 2:17 (cp. Jer 6:3). Here perhaps a place aside.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
12 And of Benjamin he said:
[Benjamin (?)] beloved of the Lord,
He dwelleth securely always (?).
The Highest is a covert above him,
And dwelleth between his shoulders.
As the overloaded first line of the Heb., the want of a fourth line and the variants of the versions indicate, the text is probably corrupt. The above re-arrangement in a quatrain, though finding some support from the versions, is precarious like every emendation which rests mainly on efforts to regularise the rhythm. The picture here given is very different from that in Gen 49:27, which reflects the valiant and even savage qualities of the tribe as described in Jdg 3:15 f., Jdg 5:14; Jdg 5:19, Jdg 20:21-25, while this reflects its religious privileges under the (divided) monarchy. (See Ryle.)
12. The beloved of the Lord ] Heb. y e dd Yahweh; cp. Y e didiah of Solomon, 2Sa 12:25. Of all Israel, Jer 11:15.
dwell in safety ] Cp. Deu 33:28, Deu 12:10. Above always (Heb. all the day) is (with some scholars) brought here from the next line.
by him ] Heb. ‘alaw, more accurately upon him but superfluous both to the sense (and if three lines are read) to the metre; not found in Sam. or LXX; and so either a careless anticipation of ‘alaw in the next line, or to be read as the LXX apparently have done (for they introduce at the beginning of the next line) ‘elyn = the Most High. So Herder, Geddes, etc.
his shoulders ] The ridges of Benjamin’s territory: cp. Jos 15:8; Jos 18:13. Since P, Jos 15:7; Jos 18:15 f., Jos 18:28, reckons Jerusalem as in Benjamin (while J, Jos 15:63 assigns it to Judah) this line has been interpreted as referring to the Temple. But in what is evidently a poem of N. Israel the reference is probably to Beth-el.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
He shall dwell between his shoulders – i. e., be supported by God as a son who is carried by his father (compare Deu 1:31). Benjamin was especially beloved of his father Gen 35:18; Gen 44:20; Moses now promises no less love to him from God Himself.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Deu 33:12
Of Benjamin he said, The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by Him.
The safety of the Lords beloved
I. He was the special object of the Divine affection. God especially loves His spiritual children with a love of–
1. Approbation.
2. Manifestation.
3. Distinction.
II. He was to dwell near to the Lord.
1. By grace.
2. In providence.
3. In reference to His ordinances.
4. With regard to the prevailing impressions of the mind.
III. He was to abide in perfect security. Gods chosen dwell in safety from–
1. The curses of the Divine law.
2. The powers of darkness.
3. The perils of life.
4. The terrors of death and the judgment day. (J. Burns, D. D.)
Benjamin
The blessing of the tribes by Moses consisted largely in a prophetic foreshadowing of the lots which these tribes were severally to occupy in the conquered territory of Canaan. The first distinct example of this fact meets us in the case of Benjamin, who, although he was the youngest of all the sons of Jacob, stands fourth in this significant enumeration which the man of God was inspired to make before his death. It has been suggested that the spirit of prophecy caused Moses to look far beyond the merely temporal aspect of the history of Israel, and to recognise its typical relations with the spiritual kingdom of Messiah; and that the peculiar arrangement of the names was partly meant to indicate certain of these hidden mysteries. Such an opinion would be fully confirmed by a review of the order in which the tribes have been marshalled thus far. Reuben is mentioned first, not so much by courtesy and in remembrance of his birthright, as to mark with emphasis the mournful lessons of his fall. The real leader and head of Israel is Judah, and the blessing makes haste to rest on him with the first of its utterances in which no ambiguity lies. But the royal destinies of Judah are incomplete if separated from the priestly destinies of Levi. Messiah, that seed for whose sake Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had received their divine election, was to be a priest upon his throne; and therefore the blessing of the third son is made by Moses to follow immediately upon the blessing of his sceptred brother. So the keynote of the entire prediction is struck in a spiritual rather than in a temporal sense; remembering which fact, we cease to wonder at finding the name of Benjamin next in the enumeration to that of Levi. For the local centre of Jehovahs spiritual kingdom in Israel was fixed in the lot of Benjamin. The famous temple of Solomon was built upon the hill between the city of David and the Mount of Olives; and was wholly in the territory of Benjamin, though, according to the Rabbins, a part of its outer courts fell within the lot of Judah. This fact furnishes the most exact and beautiful explanation of all the peculiar expressions which meet us in Benjamins blessing. For the God and King of Israel may be said literally to have thus dwelt between the two mountain ridges which formed the extremity of the lot of this tribe, and Benjamin dwelt alongside the holy spot; not around it, but stretching out from it as from the point where his safety and honour had their origin; all which is implied in the preposition which Moses uses when he says, The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by Him. Further, the phrase, He will cover him all the day long, may very fairly be taken as referring to the cloud of glory which was inseparably associated with the earthly dwelling place of Jehovah, and which in the wilderness had been spread for a covering over all the tribes. That sign of the Divine protection was now to rest specially over Benjamin; and beneath the shadow of the Almighty he was to abide securely day and night. The history of the tribe of Benjamin from the time when the Temple was built upon his frontier hill of Moriah yields a very complete commentary upon the splendid promise of his blessing. This member of the Hebrew commonwealth did dwell in safety that was all the more noteworthy by contrast with the calamities which befell not only the tribes which cast in their lot with Ephraim, but also the outlying portions of the kingdom of Judah. A kind of charmed circle of peace and security was drawn around the towers of Salem, and all the land of Benjamin seemed to be within that happy region. Egypt might come up against Israel from the south, and Syria might invade his territory from the north; the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, Moab and the Hagarenes, might be confederate to assault it from the east; and these hostile floods more than once filled all the breadth of Immanuels land; but the tableland of Benjamin was ever the last to be overflowed, and often escaped even the spray of the angry tide. The spiritual application of this blessing must be self-evident to everyone who has received the assurance of Gods love toward himself in Jesus Christ. The Christian has joined himself to the Lords anointed King, even as Benjamin chose to unite his lot with Judah, and to acknowledge the right of Davids house to rule over him. He has accepted Christ to be his head, and has prepared Him a dwelling place in a nobler house than that of Moriah, even in his own renewed and adoring heart. Therefore does the Spirit of Christ bear witness to him of his adoption as Gods well-beloved child. He has found a dwelling place under the shadow of the Almighty; Jehovahs truth has become his shield and buckler. (T. G. Rooke, B. A.)
Benjamin as a figure of the true Church
1. In his birth–hard travail, sorrow, pain, and death, preceded and accompanied his birth. So in the spiritual birth, in the regeneration of the soul, there is great pain, sorrow, and anguish of mind, and even the death of all self-righteousness and legal hope in bringing the soul to spiritual birth.
2. In his name. The believer, in his moments of conviction, humiliation, and sorrow for sin, calls himself Benoni, the son of sorrow, but the Lord calls him Benjamin, the son of my right hand; witness Ephraim bemoaning himself, and the Lords declaration concerning him (Jer 31:18; Jer 31:20).
3. In the description given of him, the beloved of the Lord; loved from eternity, freely, indissolubly, everlastingly.
4. In his security. He shall dwell in safety by Him, or through His protecting hand and power; in battle the Lord shall cover him, as a hen covereth her chickens–as with a shield, and he shall dwell, his resting place shall be, between the shoulders, in the heart of his covenant God. (A. Hewlett, M. A.)
Safety near God
1. There is no safety like that which comes of dwelling near to God. For His best beloved the Lord can find no surer or safer place. O Lord, let me always abide under Thy shadow, close to Thy wounded side. Nearer and nearer would I come to Thee; and when once specially near Thee, I would abide there forever.
2. What a covering is that which the Lord gives to His chosen! Not a fair roof shall cover him, nor a bomb-proof casement, nor even an angels wing, but Jehovah Himself. Nothing can come at us when we are thus covered. This covering the Lord will grant us all the day long, however long the day. Lord, let me abide this day consciously beneath this canopy of love, this pavilion of sovereign power.
3. Does the third clause mean that the Lord in His temple would dwell among the mountains of Benjamin, or that the Lord would be where Benjamins burden should be placed, or that we are borne upon the shoulders of the Eternal? In any ease, the Lord is the support and strength of His saints. Lord, let me ever enjoy Thy help, and then my arms will be sufficient for me. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 12. Of Benjamin – the beloved of the Lord] Alluding to his being particularly beloved of his father Jacob, Ge 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 yedid by the term beloved, and think the original should be divided as it is in the Samaritan, yad yad, the hand, even the hand of the Lord shall dwell for safety or protection, alaiv, upon him. This makes a good sense, and the reader may choose.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
The beloved of the Lord, i.e. this beloved tribe: so called partly in allusion to their father Benjamin, who was the beloved of his father Jacob; and partly because of the love and kindness of God towards this tribe, which appeared both in this, that they dwelt in the fattest and best part of the land, as Josephus affirms and especially in the following privilege.
Shall dwell in safety by him, i.e. shall have his lot nigh unto Gods temple, which was both a singular comfort and safeguard to him.
The Lord may well be understood here, because he was expressed in the former member.
Shall cover him all the day long; shall protect that tribe continually while they cleave to him.
He shall dwell between his shoulders; the Lord shall dwell, i.e. his temple shall be placed, between his shoulders, i.e. in his portion, or between his borders, or sides, as the word shoulder is oft used, as Exo 28:7; Num 34:11; Jos 15:8,10; Eze 47:1,2. And this was truly the situation of the temple, on both sides whereof was Benjamins portion; and though Mount Sion was in the tribe of Judah, yet Mount Moriah, on which the temple was built, was in the tribe of Benjamin.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
12. of Benjamin he saidAdistinguishing favor was conferred on this tribe in having itsportion assigned near the temple of God.
between his shouldersthatis, on his sides or borders. Mount Zion, on which stood the city ofJerusalem, belonged to Judah; but Mount Moriah, the site of thesacred edifice, lay in the confines of Benjamin.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
[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, Jos 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 the Lord was so near that tribe, and so to dwell “in safety” under his protection, and which was the means of preserving it from apostasy, when ten tribes revolted: though the Messiah may be intended, the Son of God, and man of God’s right hand, the antitype of Benjamin, the beloved of the Lord, and dear son of his love; his Benjamin, who is now in human nature exalted at his right hand: and this may denote his inhabitation in the flesh, and dwelling by or near Benjamin, being born at Bethlehem in the tribe of Judah, bordering on Benjamin, and frequently had his abode in Jerusalem, which was in the tribe of Benjamin, Jos 18:28; and where he was in safety amidst his enemies, they not having power to lay hold on him until his hour was come:
[and the Lord] shall cover him all the day long; for ever, as Jarchi notes, because that, after Jerusalem was chosen, the divine Majesty dwelt in no other place: this may be understood either of the Messiah covering Benjamin and protecting him, as he is the covert of all his Benjamites and beloved ones, from all their enemies, from all evils and dangers, from all storms and tempests, and everything troublesome and distressing, see Isa 32:2; or the Lord’s covering his beloved One the Messiah; as he did in his infancy, from the designs of Herod upon his life, and from the attempts of others before his time was come; he hid him in the shadow of his hand, Isa 49:2;
and he shall dwell between his shoulders; either the Lord shall dwell between the shoulders of Benjamin; the temple in which the Lord dwelt was built on Mount Moriah, in the tribe of Benjamin, in the highest part of his land, as Jarchi notes; the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem paraphrase the words,
“in his border the Shechinah (or the glory of the Shechinah of the Lord) shall dwell,”
for if the temple was not within the tribe of Benjamin, yet it was certainly on the borders of it: or Benjamin shall dwell between the shoulders of the Lord, being bore up and supported by him: Christ dwells in the hearts of his people, and over them as an head, and they dwell upon his shoulders, on which the care and government of them lies, Isa 9:6; in the Talmud n this passage is applied to the days of the Messiah.
m Antiqu. l. 5. c. 1. sect. 22. n T. Bab. Zebachim, fol. 118. 2.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Benjamin. – “ The beloved of the Lord will dwell safely with Him; He shelters him at all times, and he dwells between His shoulders.” Benjamin, the son of prosperity, and beloved of his father (Gen 35:18; Gen 44:20), should bear his name with right. He would be the beloved of the Lord, and as such would dwell in safety with the Lord ( , lit., founded upon Him). The Lord would shelter him continually. The participle expresses the permanence of the relation: is his shelterer. In the third clause Benjamin is the subject once more; he dwells between the shoulders of Jehovah. “Between the shoulders” is equivalent to “upon the back” (vid., 1Sa 17:6). The expression is founded upon the figure of a father carrying his son (Deu 1:29). This figure is by no means so bold as that of the eagle’s wings, upon which the Lord had carried His people, and brought them to Himself (Exo 19:4; vid., Deu 32:11). There is nothing strange in the change of subject in all three clauses, since it is met with repeatedly even in plain prose (e.g., 2Sa 11:13); and here it follows simply enough from the thoughts contained in the different clauses, whilst the suffix in all three clauses refers to the same noun, i.e., to Jehovah.
(Note: “To dwell upon God and between His shoulders is the same as to repose upon Him: the simile being taken from fathers who carry their sons while delicate and young” ( Calvin).)
There are some who regard Jehovah as the subject in the third clause, and explain the unheard-of figure which they thus obtain, viz., that of Jehovah dwelling between the shoulders of Benjamin, as referring to the historical fact that God dwelt in the temple at Jerusalem, which was situated upon the border of the tribes of Benjamin and Judah. To this application of the words Knobel has properly objected, that God did not dwell between ridges (= shoulders) of mountains there, but upon the top of Moriah; but, on the other hand, he has set up the much more untenable hypothesis, that the expression refers to Gibeon, where the tabernacle stood after the destruction of Nob by Saul. – Moreover, the whole nation participated in the blessing which Moses desired for Benjamin; and this applies to the blessings of the other tribes also. All Israel was, like Benjamin, the beloved of the Lord (vid., Jer 11:15; Psa 60:7), and dwelt with Him in safety (vid., Deu 33:28).
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
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. 13 And of Joseph he said, Blessed of the LORD be his land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth beneath, 14 And for the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, and for the precious things put forth by the moon, 15 And for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills, 16 And for the precious things of the earth and fulness thereof, and for the good will of him that dwelt in the bush: let the blessing come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him that was separated from his brethren. 17 His glory is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns: with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth: and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh.
Here is, I. The blessing of Benjamin, v. 12. Benjamin is put next to Levi, because the temple, where the priests’ work lay, was just upon the edge of the lot of this tribe; and it is put before Joseph because of the dignity of Jerusalem (part of which was in this tribe) above Samaria, which was in the tribe of Ephraim, and because Benjamin adhered to the house of David, and to the temple of the Lord, when the rest of the tribes deserted both with Jeroboam. 1. Benjamin is here called the beloved of the Lord, and the father of this tribe was Jacob’s beloved son, the son of his right hand. Note, Those are blessed indeed that are beloved of the Lord. Saul the first king, and Paul the great apostle, were both of this tribe. 2. He is here assured of the divine protection: he shall dwell safely. Note, Those are safe whom God loves, Ps. xci. 1. 3. It is here intimated that the temple in which God would dwell should be built in the borders of this tribe. Jerusalem the holy city was in the lot of this tribe (Josh. xviii. 28); and though Zion, the city of David, is supposed to belong to Judah, yet Mount Moriah, on which the temple was built, was in Benjamin’s lot. God is therefore said to dwell between his shoulders, because the temple stood on that mount, as the head of a man upon his shoulders. And by this means Benjamin was covered all the day long under the protection of the sanctuary (Ps. cxxv. 2), which is often spoken of as a place of refuge, Psa 27:4; Psa 27:5; Neh 6:10. Benjamin, dwelling by the temple of God, dwelt in safety by him. Note, It is a happy thing to be in the neighbourhood of the temple. This situation of Benjamin, it is likely, was the only thing that kept that tribe in adherence with Judah to the divine institutions, when the other ten tribes apostatized. Those have corrupt and wicked hearts indeed who, the nearer they are to the church, are so much the further from God.
II. The blessing of Joseph, including both Manasseh and Ephraim. In Jacob’s blessing (Gen. xlix.) that of Joseph is the largest, and so it is here; and thence Moses here borrows the title he gives to Joseph (v. 16), that he was separated from his brethren, or, as it might be read, a Nazarite among them, both in regard of his piety, wherein it appears, by many instances, he excelled them all, and of his dignity in Egypt, where he was both their ruler and benefactor. His brethren separated him from them by making him a slave, but God distinguished him from them by making him a prince. Now the blessings here prayed for, and prophesied of, for this tribe, are great plenty and great power.
1. Great plenty, v. 13-16. In general: Blessed of the Lord be his land. Those were very fruitful countries that fell into the lot of Ephraim and Manasseh, yet Moses prays they might be watered with the blessing of God, which makes rich, and on which all fruitfulness depends. Now,
(1.) He enumerates many particulars which he prays may contribute to the wealth and abundance of those two tribes, looking up to the Creator for the benefit and serviceableness of all the inferior creatures, for they are all that to us which he makes them to be. He prays, [1.] For seasonable rains and dews, the precious things of heaven; and so precious they are, though but pure water, that without them the fruits of the earth would all fail and be cut off. [2.] For plentiful springs, which help to make the earth fruitful, called here the deep that coucheth beneath; both are the rivers of God (Ps. lxv. 9), and he made particularly the fountains of waters, Rev. xiv. 7. [3.] For the benign influences of the heavenly bodies (v. 14), for the precious fruits (the word signifies that which is most excellent, and the best in its kind) put forth by the quickening heat of the sun, and the cooling moisture of the moon. “Let them have the yearly fruits in their several months, according to the course of nature, in one month olives, in another dates,” c. So some understand it. [4.] For the fruitfulness even of their hills and mountains, which in other countries used to be barren (<i>v. 15): Let them have the chief things of the ancient mountains; and, if the mountains be fruitful, the fruits on them will be first and best ripened. They are called ancient mountains, not because prior in time to other mountains, but because , like the first-born, they were superior in worth and excellency; and lasting hills, not only because as other mountains they were immovable (Hab. iii. 6), but because the fruitfulness of them should continue. [5.] For the productions of the lower grounds (v. 16): For the precious things of the earth. Though the earth itself seems a useless worthless lump of matter, yet there are precious things produced out of it, for the support and comfort of human life. Job xxviii. 5. Out of it cometh bread, because out of it came our bodies, and to it they must return. But what are the precious things of the earth to a soul that came from God and must return to him? Or what is its fulness to the fulness that is in Christ, whence we receive grace for grace? Some make these precious things here prayed for to be figures of spiritual blessings in heavenly things by Christ, the gifts, graces, and comforts of the Spirit.
(2.) He crowns all with the good-will, or favourable acceptance, of him that dwelt in the bush (v. 16), that is, of God, that God who appeared to Moses in the bush that burned and was not consumed (Exod. iii. 2), to give him his commission for the bringing of Israel out of Egypt. Though God’s glory appeared there but for a while, yet it is said to dwell there, because it continued as long as there was occasion for it: the good-will of the shechinah in the bush; so it might be read, for shechinah signifies that which dwelleth; and, though it was but a little while a dweller in the bush, yet it continued to dwell with the people of Israel. My dweller in the bush; so it should be rendered; that was an appearance of the divine Majesty to Moses only, in token of the particular interest he had in God, which he desires to improve for the good of this tribe. Many a time God has appeared to Moses, but now that he is just dying he seems to have the most pleasing remembrance of that which was the first time, when his acquaintance with the visions of the Almighty first began, and his correspondence with heaven was first settled: that was a time of love never to be forgotten. It was at the bush that God declared himself the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and so confirmed the promise made to the fathers, that promise which reached as far as the resurrection of the body and eternal life, as appears by our Saviour’s argument from it, Luke xx. 37. So that, when he prays for the good-will of him that dwelt in the bush, he has an eye to the covenant then and there renewed, on which all our hopes of God’s favour must be bottomed. Now he concludes this large blessing with a prayer for the favour or good-will of God, [1.] Because that is the fountain and spring-head of all these blessings; they are gifts of God’s good-will; they are so to his own people, whatever they are to others. Indeed when Ephraim (a descendant from Joseph) slid back from God, as a backsliding heifer, those fruits of his country were so far from being the gifts of God’s good-will that they were intended but to fatten him for the slaughter, as a lamb in a large place,Hos 4:16; Hos 4:17. [2.] Because that is the comfort and sweetness of all these blessings; then we have joy of them when we taste God’s good-will in them. [3.] Because that is better than all these, infinitely better; for if we have but the favour and good-will of God we are happy, and may be easy in the want of all these things, and may rejoice in the God of our salvation though the fig-tree do not blossom, and there be no fruit in the vine,Hab 3:17; Hab 3:18.
2. Great power Joseph is here blessed with, v. 17. Here are three instances of his power foretold: (1.) His authority among his brethren: His glory is like the firstling of his bullock, or young bull, which is a stately creature, and therefore was formerly used as an emblem of royal majesty. Joshua, who was to succeed Moses, was of the tribe of Ephraim the son of Joseph, and his glory was indeed illustrious, and he was an honour to his tribe. In Ephraim was the royal city of the ten tribes afterwards. And of Manasseh were Gideon, Jephthah, and Jair, who were all ornaments and blessings to their country. Some think he is compared to the firstling of the bullock because the birthright which Reuben lost devolved upon Joseph (1Ch 5:1; 1Ch 5:2), and to the firstling of his bullock, because Bashan, which was in the lot of Manasseh, was famous for bulls and cows, Ps. xxii. 12; Amos iv. 1. (2.) His force against his enemies and victory over them: His horns are like the horn of a unicorn, that is, “The forces he shall bring into the field shall be very strong and formidable, and with them he shall push the people,” that is, “He shall overcome all that stand in his way.” It appears from the Ephraimites’ contests, both with Gideon (Judg. viii. 1) and with Jephthah (Judg. xii. 1), that they were a warlike tribe and fierce. Yet we find the children of Ephraim, when they had forsaken the covenant of God, though they were armed, turning back in the day of battle (Psa 78:9; Psa 78:10); for, though here pronounced strong and bold as unicorns, when God had departed from them they became as weak as other men. (3.) The numbers of his people, in which Ephraim, though the younger house, exceeded, Jacob having, in the foresight of the same thing, crossed hands, Gen. xlviii. 19. They are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and the thousands of Manasseh. Jonathan’s Targum applies it to the ten thousands of Canaanites conquered by Joshua, who was of the tribe of Manasseh. And the gloss of the Jerusalem Targum upon the former part of this verse is observable, that “as the firstlings of the bullock were never to be worked, nor could the unicorn ever be tamed, so Joseph should continue free; and they would have continued free if they had not by sin sold themselves.”
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
Verse 12:
Benjamin was the beloved of his father, see Gen 44:30-31; and he was also the beloved of Jehovah. The Lord promised to protect him.
“Cover,” chaphaph, “overlay, protect,” with the thought of continually sheltering.
“Between his shoulders,” a phrase which denotes that Benjamin is carried on Jehovah’s back, as a father carries his young child. It implies that he leans upon Jehovah for protection and sustenance.
Compare this blessing with Gen 49:27.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
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)
(319) A. V. , “by God.”
(320) It is, nevertheless, the exposition of the great majority of commentators, who suppose that by shoulders are figuratively meant mountains, or coasts.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(12) And of Benjamin.It is generally agreed that this blessing points to the site of the place which Jehovah chose out of all the tribes of Israel, Jerusalem, in the tribe of Benjamin. The Hebrew is divided thus:
Unto Benjamin he said. Beloved of Jehovah!
He (Jehovah) will dwell in security upon him,
Covering him over all the day.
And between his shoulders (mountain slopes) He
hath taken up His abode.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
12. He shall dwell between his shoulders The figure is that of a father carrying his son.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Deu 33:12
“Of Benjamin he said,
The beloved of Yahweh shall dwell in safety by (on) him;
He covers him all the day long,
And he dwells between his shoulders (or ‘weapons’). ”
As Benjamin had been the beloved son of Jacob (Gen 42:4), his tribe were likewise the beloved of Yahweh. He would dwell in safety near God. God would cover him all day long and sit him on His shoulders (compare Deu 1:31 where Israel are borne like a man bears his son). Like the young Benjamin in Jacob’s family he would be a great favourite.
Even indeed when Benjamin sinned deeply God caused them to be preserved in Israel (Judges 19-21) but that was not anticipated here.
So Benjamin is loved by Yahweh and safe under His protection. Dwelling between the shoulders probably means God is, as it were, carrying him on His shoulders. There is no seeming direct connection with Gen 49:27 where their strength and durability is prominent, except in that those who are covered by Yahweh and carried on His back would certainly be strong and durable.
“Shoulders (katheph).” At Ugarit ktp is probably used signifying weapons. Thus the idea here could be of Yahweh strengthening them in battle, making them mighty men.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Ver. 12. And of Benjamin he said After an account had been given of the priesthood, and of the general duties of the Levites, the place where those duties were to be exercised comes properly to be next considered. The first and second temple were, doubtless, built in a portion to which Benjamin had a right; and it is with reference to this circumstance, that what Moses here predicts of him is to be understood, viz. that God’s providence would remarkably continue over him until the dissolution of their state; and that he would, for a season, vouchsafe to dwell (by his visible representation) in his inheritance. Durell.
The beloved of the LORD This expression does not occur in any other place of Scripture. The words in the original are iediid Jehovah. When the syllables of the former word are separated, it is read iad, a hand: the Samaritan text and manuscript separate the two syllables; in which they are followed by most of the versions made from them. Such a repetition, to raise attention, and give a greater weight to what is said, is not unusual in Scripture; particularly, when God is addressed himself, or when he is introduced as speaking or acting. That the phrase is justifiable, no one will doubt, who considers that the word hand, when applied to God, signifies the divine agency or influence; and that the expression, the hand of the Lord is upon or against any one, when he assists or opposes them, is very common: and therefore, when he chooses to continue for a long time with any person in any place, He, or the divine energy, may properly be said to dwell there. Accordingly, we render the passage, The hand, even the hand of the LORDshall dwell in safety upon him. From the verb shakan, dwell, which occurs twice in this verse, comes hammishkan, the tabernacle, or THE RESIDENCE, ; and likewise or shekinah; by which the later Jews understand the Divine Presence, which from the tabernacle removed to Solomon’s temple, where it continued till the Babylonish captivity, after which period it never returned. The words, in safety, seem to imply, that the temple would be fixed in this lot, and not be ambulatory, as the tabernacle was. The verb chopep, rendered cover, signifies, in the Chaldee, Arabic, and Samaritan, to cover by way of protection. Capellus observes, that it conveys the idea of brooding, as a hen covers her chickens. In this sense, it is very applicable to the hand of God, particularly as followed by the preposition alaiv, over him: but those who follow the present printed Hebrew text, sensible that iediid, the beloved, should be, regularly, the nominative case to the verb; and not being able to make any sense from that connection, they either substitute another nominative case as in our version, or give the verb another sense. All the day long, signifies as long as the law of Moses and the theocracy shall continue. And he shall dwell between his shoulders implies, that God should rest upon, or between Benjamin’s shoulders. Some interpreters observe, that the word translated shoulders, is, in Num 34:11 rendered borders; and Le Clerc translates the word hills: but if we take the word rendered beloved to signify the hand, every difficulty will vanish, and the sense will be, It [the hand] covers him all the day long, and dwells upon his shoulders. It cannot be doubted, but that Jerusalem belonged originally to this tribe; Jos 18:28. Jdg 1:21 and though in process of time it came to be generally considered as one of the cities of Judah, yet it is not improbable, that when the temple was built, the spot on which it was erected, and the environs, were still regarded as a part of Benjamin’s portion. However, this is certain, that God intended these two tribes to share in the same fortune, and to continue the enjoyment of their property and privileges longer than any of the other tribes, as the prophesies plainly intimate; and this may be the reason why we cannot easily trace what belongs to each separately. Durell. I would just observe, that Houbigant, reading elion, the Most High, instead of alaiv, renders the verse, in agreement with the LXX, (whose interpretation he much approves,) The beloved of the LORD shall have a secure dwelling-place: the Most High shall overshadow him; he shall hang all the day long over his shoulders. In which words, says he, God is compared to an eagle descending from on high, hovering over the shoulders of Benjamin, and protecting him with his wings.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
DISCOURSE: 240
THE PRIVILEGE OF THOSE WHO LIVE NEAR TO GOD
Deu 33:12. 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.
AS God was pleased to communicate to some in former ages the knowledge of future events, so he frequently imparted to them the spirit of prophecy in a more abundant measure, about the time of their death. Thus Isaac and Jacob were peculiarly inspired at that season to foretell the things which should befall their children. Thus Moses also, when about to be gathered to his fathers, was commissioned to declare the states and circumstances of all the different tribes after their entrance into Canaan. Of Benjamin he foretold, that his tribe should be situated close to the place which God had chosen for himself [Note: This was remarkably fulfilled: for Mount Zion, whereon the temple was built, belonged to Judah: but the remainder of Jerusalem. and almost the whole of Mount Moriah (of which Mount Zion was a part) belonged to Benjamin: so literally true was it, that God. the head of all the tribes, dwelt between the shoulders of Benjamin. And this very circumstance occasioned the tribe of Benjamin to adhere to Judah, when the other ten tribes, under Jeroboam, apostatized from the worship of Jehovah.]; and that his proximity to the Lords immediate residence should be to him a source and occasion of the richest benefits.
If it be considered how comprehensive many of the prophecies are, and how the Apostles themselves continually apply them to the general circumstances of the Church of Christ, we shall not be thought to put a force upon the text, while we take occasion from it to set forth,
I.
The state of Gods people
The situation of the tribe of Benjamin may serve at least as an emblem to represent the state of Gods beloved. They are a people near unto God [Note: Psa 148:14.], dwelling by him, and covered by him, all the day long.
1.
They maintain a sense of the divine presence
[They not only cannot, like the generality, live without God in the world, or rest, as many professors of religion do. in a round of formal duties; they are sensible that God searcheth the heart and trieth the reins. They long to have a conviction of this fastened upon their minds, and to see, as it were, on every place this inscription written, Thou, God, seest me. They do not harbour secret sin because it is invisible to man; but, assured that the darkness is no darkness with God, and that he beholds the very counsels of the heart, they strive to set him ever before them; and to walk in his fear all the day long.]
2.
They walk in dependence on the divine aid
[They are scarcely more conscious of their own existence, than they are of their utter insufficiency for any thing that is good. They have so often failed through their reliance on their own strength, and they feel such a proneness to every species of iniquity, if left one moment to themselves, that they are compelled to cry to their God for help. And, if they were not sure that the grace of Christ is sufficient for all who trust in it, they would utterly despair of holding out unto the end. Hence their continual prayer is, Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe: and God imparts to them his promised assistance [Note: Zec 10:12; Isa 26:3.].]
3.
They delight in doing the divine will
[The commandments of God are not grievous to them. Their only grief is, that they do not obey them with greater readiness and joy. Not but that they often find the workings of an evil principle, that would bring them back again into captivity to sin and Satan: but, through the operation of the blessed Spirit, they are enabled to get the victory over their corrupt nature, and both to obey the law outwardly, and to delight in it after their inward man [Note: Rom 7:14-25.]. They would gladly do the will of God on earth, as it is done in heaven, without reluctance, without weariness, and without reserve.]
There doubtless is a great difference between the attainments of different saints: yet this is, on the whole, the state of all; and that they are blessed in it will appear by considering,
II.
The privileges they enjoy by means of it
While the saints thus live nigh to God, God keeps them in safety, and covers them,
1.
From the curse of the law
[We might speak of their deliverance even from temporal evils: since they have none which are not sanctified to their souls, and made blessings in disguise [Note: Job 5:19-24.]. But respecting spiritual evils we are warranted to speak with the fullest confidence. The saints may, it is true, be left to dread the wrath of God [Note: Psa 77:7-9.]: but it shall never come upon them [Note: Rom 8:1.]. While they are endeavouring to walk in communion with God, in dependence on him, and obedience to him, they hare nothing to fear. God has pledged himself, that they shall never perish [Note: Isa 55:7; Joh 10:27-28.].]
2.
From the assaults of Satan
[Satan will indeed exert all his power to destroy them; but he shall not finally prevail against them. He may buffet them, and cast his fiery darts at them; but he is a vanquished enemy; and shall, ere long, be bruised under the feet of even the weakest saints [Note: Psa 91:1-3; Jam 4:7; Rom 16:20.]. Like the kings whom Joshua subdued, all the powers of hell shall one day be brought out of their dungeons, to receive, from the very lips of those whom now they persecute, the sentence they so justly merit [Note: 1Co 6:3.].]
3.
From the power and prevalence of sin
[Notwithstanding the law of sin in their members, Gods promise to all his people is, that sin shall not have dominion over them [Note: Rom 6:14.]. As by the operation of fire on the hearth we may see what it would effect, if suffered to extend itself over the whole house, so by the working of sin in our hearts we may clearly see, to what a state we should quickly De reduced, if God should suffer it to rage with all its force. But he fulfils his word: and though thousands of times we have been, as it were, on the very brink of falling, God has interposed by his providence or grace to preserve our souls: and we remain to this day living monuments of his almighty power, and unchanging faithfulness.]
Exhortation
1.
Let us seek to become the beloved of the Lord
[We account it no small happiness to be beloved of our fellow-creatures; but how much more to be beloved of the Lord! Whose favour is comparable to his? whose so honourable, so permanent, so beneficial [Note: Psa 63:3.]? Let us then go to him in the name of Jesus; for whose sake we shall be admitted to his favour [Note: Joh 14:21.], and be blessed by him with all spiritual blessings.]
2.
Let us endeavour to live more and more near to God
[It is our privilege to dwell in God, and to have God dwelling in us. We might walk with God, as Enoch did, and though not visibly, yet really, converse with him as our friend [Note: 1Jn 1:3.]. And what greater encouragement can we desire, than that which the text affords? Others may fall; but we shall be covered, and kept in safety [Note: Isa 54:17.]: others may apostatize to their perdition; but we shall be preserved through faith unto everlasting salvation [Note: 1Pe 1:5.].]
Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)
The tribes-are not mentioned regularly, according to the priority of birthright; but perhaps Moses was directed by the HOLY GHOST. I would have the Reader take particular notice of the title of Benjamin, the beloved of the LORD. Benjamin was the beloved Son of his Father Jacob. But the beloved of the LORD infinitely surpasseth the highest love of men. Doth not the Reader behold in this, somewhat typical of him, who is the only begotten and beloved SON, who lay in the bosom of the FATHER before all worlds? Compare Isa 42:1 with Mat 3:17 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Deu 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.
Ver. 12. The beloved of the Lord. ] The Lord’s corculum, deliciae, darling; as their father Benjamin was old Jacob’s. Gen 42:4
And he shall dwell between his shoulders.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Deuteronomy
ISRAEL THE BELOVED
Deu 33:12
Benjamin was his father’s favourite child, and the imagery of this promise is throughout drawn from the relations between such a child and its father. So far as the future history of the tribes is shadowed in these ‘blessings’ of this great ode, the reference of the text may be to the tribe of Benjamin, as specially distinguished by Saul having been a member of it, and by the Temple having been built on its soil. But we find that each of the promises of the text is repeated elsewhere, with distinct reference to the whole nation. For example, the first one, of safe dwelling, reappears in Deu 33:28 in reference to Israel; the second one, of God’s protecting covering, is extended to the nation in many places; and the third, of dwelling between His shoulders, is in substance found again in Deu 1:31 , ‘the Lord thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son.’ So that we may give the text a wider extension, and take it as setting forth under a lovely metaphor, and with a restricted reference, what is true of all God’s children everywhere and always.
I. Who are the ‘beloved of the Lord’?
II. What are their blessed privileges?
1. They have a sure dwelling-place.
There is a very slight change of rendering of the first clause, which greatly increases its ‘force, and preserves the figure that is obscured by the usual translation. We should read ‘shall dwell safely on ,’ rather than ‘ by , Him.’ And the effect of that small change in the preposition is to bring out the thought that God is regarded as the foundation on which His beloved build their house of life, and dwell in security and calm. If we are sons through the Son, we shall build our houses or pitch our tents on that firm ground, and, being founded on the Rock of ages, they will not fall when all created foundations reel to the overthrow of whatever is built on them . It is not companionship only, blessed as that is, that is promised here. We have a larger privilege than dwelling by Him, for if we love His Son, we build on God, and ‘God dwelleth in us and we in Him.’
What spiritual reality underlies the metaphor of dwelling or building on God? The fact of habitual communion.
Note the blessed results of such grounding of our lives on God through such habitual communion. We shall ‘dwell safely.’ We may think of that as being objective safety-that is, freedom from peril, or as being subjective-that is, freedom from care or fear, or as meaning ‘trustfully,’ confidently, as the expression is rendered in Psa 16:9 margin, which is for us the ground of both these. He who dwells in God trustfully dwells both safely and securely, and none else is free either from danger or from dread.
2. They have a sure shelter.
God is for His beloved not only the foundation on which they dwell in safety, but their perpetual covering. They dwell safely because He is so. There are many tender shapes in which this great promise is presented to our faith. Sometimes God is thought of as covering the weak fugitive, as the arching sides of His cave sheltered David from Saul. Sometimes He is represented as covering His beloved, who cower under His wings, ‘as the hen gathereth her chickens’ when hawks are in the sky. Sometimes He appears as covering them from tempest, ‘when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall,’ and ‘the shadow of a great rock’ shields from its fury. Sometimes He is pictured as stretching out protection over His beloved’s heads, as the Pillar of cloud lay, long-drawn-out, over the Tabernacle when at rest, and ‘on all the Glory was a defence.’ But under whatever emblem the general idea of a covering shelter was conceived, there was always a correlative duty on our side. For the root-meaning of one of the Old Testament words for ‘faith’ is ‘fleeing to a refuge,’ and we shall not be safe in God unless by faith we flee for refuge to Him in Christ.
3. They have a Father who bears them on His shoulders.
The image is the same as in Deu 1:1 – Deu 1:46 already referred to. It recurs also in Isa 46:3 – Isa 46:4 , ‘Even to hoar hairs will I carry you, and I have made and I will bear, yea, I will carry, and will deliver’; and in Hos 11:3 , ‘I taught Ephraim to go; I took them on My arms.’
The image beautifully suggests the thought of the favourite child riding high and happy on the strong shoulder, which lifts it above rough places and miry ways. The prose reality is: ‘My grace is sufficient for thee, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’
The Cross carries those who carry it. They who carry God in their hearts are carried by God through all the long pilgrimage of life. Because they are thus upheld by a strength not their own, ‘they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint,’ and though marches be long and limbs strained, they shall ‘go from strength to strength till every one of them appears before God in Zion.’
Fuente: Expositions Of Holy Scripture by Alexander MacLaren
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Deu 33:12
12Of Benjamin he said,
May the beloved of the Lord dwell in security by Him,
Who shields him all the day,
And he dwells between His shoulders.
Deu 33:12 Of Benjamin. . .beloved of the LORD He (BDB 122) may be called beloved of the Lord because he was the favorite of his father, Jacob (cf. Gen 44:20).
dwell in security by Him The VERB (BDB 1014, KB 1496, is a Qal IMPERFECT, but in a JUSSIVE sense, cf. Deu 33:12 [twice],16,20,28; Exo 25:8; Exo 29:45-46). YHWH is his close companion in Deu 33:12.
NASBWho shields him all the day
NKJVwho shelters him all the day long
NRSVsurrounds him all day long
TEVHe guards them all the day long
NJBprotects him day after day
The VERB (BDB 342, KB 339, Qal ACTIVE PARTICIPLE) is used only here and can mean to enclose or to surround or to cover.
NASB, NKJVdwells between His shoulders
NRSVrest between his shoulders
TEVhe dwells in their midst
NJBdwells between his hillsides
This is a metaphor for (1) a place of peace and security (Deu 33:20; Deu 33:28) or (2) living in a sheltered place (i.e., Shiloh, Bethel, or Jerusalem [a suggestion of S. R. Driver]).
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
And of. This “and” is contained in some codices, with Samaritan Pentateuch, Septuagint, and Syriac.
by Him. Samaritan Pentateuch and Septuagint omit “by Him”.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
The beloved: Deu 33:27-29, Jos 18:11-28, Jdg 1:21, 1Ki 12:21, 2Ch 11:1, 2Ch 15:2, 2Ch 17:17-19, Psa 132:14, Isa 37:22, Isa 37:35
cover him: Psa 91:4, Isa 51:16, Mat 23:37
Reciprocal: Gen 46:19 – Joseph Gen 46:21 – the sons Gen 49:27 – ravin Exo 33:22 – cover thee Lev 25:18 – and ye Deu 12:10 – ye dwell Psa 25:13 – His soul Psa 108:6 – That thy Jer 33:16 – shall dwell Rom 1:7 – beloved 2Th 2:13 – beloved
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Deu 33:12. Of Benjamin Benjamin is put next to Levi, because the temple, where the work of the Levites lay, was upon the edge of the lot of this tribe. And it is put before Joseph, because of the dignity of Jerusalem (part of which was in this lot) above Samaria, which was in the tribe of Ephraim; likewise because Benjamin adhered to the house of David, and to the temple of God, when the rest of the tribes deserted both. The beloved of the Lord So called in allusion to their father Benjamin, who was the beloved of his father Jacob; and because of the kindness of God to this tribe, which appeared both in this, that they dwelt in the best part of the land, as Josephus affirms, and in the following privilege. Shall dwell in safety by him Shall have his lot nigh to Gods temple, which was both a singular comfort and safeguard to him. Shall cover Shall protect that tribe continually while they cleave to him. He The Lord; shall dwell That is, his temple shall be placed; between his shoulders That is, in his portion, or between his borders, as the word rendered shoulder is often used: see Num 24:11. And this was truly the situation of the temple, on both sides whereof was Benjamins portion. And though mount Sion was in the tribe of Judah, yet mount Moriah, on which the temple was built, was in the tribe of Benjamin.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
33:12 [And] of Benjamin he said, The beloved of the LORD shall {k} dwell in safety by him; [and the LORD] shall cover him all the day long, and he shall dwell between his shoulders.
(k) Because the temple would be built in Zion, which was in the tribe of Benjamin, he shows that God would dwell with him there.