Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Deuteronomy 33:24
And of Asher he said, [Let] Asher [be] blessed with children; let him be acceptable to his brethren, and let him dip his foot in oil.
24. at thine own pleasure ] or appetite, Deu 12:20, Deu 14:26. Thy fill, which in Heb. follows this clause, may be a gloss on it.
vessel ] Heb. k e li (Deu 22:5 garment), a sack (Gen 43:11, 1Sa 17:40) or pot.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
24 And of Asher he said:
Blessed above sons be Ashr,
Be the favoured of his brethren,
And be dipping his foot in oil.
25 Iron and brass be thy bars,
And thy strength as thy days.
Asher lay W. of Naphtali on the same range and enjoyed similar fertility, cp. Gen 49:20: ‘I know not if there be in all antiquity a more finished picture’ (Geddes).
24. Blessed above sons be Asher ] As in R.V. marg., cp. Jdg 5:24.
in oil ] All the Galilean highlands were famous for their olives. ‘It is easier to raise a legion of olives in Galilee than to bring up a child in Palestine’ ( Bereshith Rabba, 20).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Rather, Blessed above the sons (i. e. of Jacob-most blessed among the sons of Jacob) be Asher; let him he the favored one of his brethren, i. e., the one favored of God. The plenty with which this tribe should be blessed is described under the figure of dipping the foot in oil (compare the marginal reference).
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Deu 33:24-25
Let Asher be blessed.
Asher
Asher signifies happiness, or prosperity, and was given by Leah to the son of her handmaid Zilpah, in token of the joy which this new gift of God had brought to her wounded heart (Gen 30:13). In this blessing of Moses there is manifestly a play upon the name thus given. It is treated as a good and true omen concerning Ashers temporal lot. The next line, Let him dip his feet in oil, is a prediction of the exceeding richness and fertility of Ashers territory in the promised land. Jacob had already foretold the same thing in his dying prophecy (Gen 49:20). Fatness is to an Oriental the quality which chiefly recommends any viand. Olive oil, butter of kine, and the animal fat which is lodged in the curiously overgrown tail of a Syrian sheep, are to this day the peculiar dainties of Eastern cookery, and all of these were produced in abundance on the land which fell by lot to this favoured tribe (Deu 8:7-9). The figure by which Asher is here said to dip his foot in oil is a familiar Eastern idiom to describe the overflowing abundance of all these natural productions of the soil. Job uses it in precisely the same way (Job 29:6). The fourth line of the blessing is certainly meant to be parallel with the third line in its reference to some natural feature of the territory reserved for Asher in Canaan; but the exact force of the reference is still a matter of dispute amongst the learned. Some would read the line as it stands in the margin: Under thy shoes shall be iron and brass (i.e. copper)
; and this would be a perfectly the description of the mineral wealth of a part of the mountain range which Asher ought to have occupied, but which he abandoned to the Zidonians, who very diligently dug out the metals above named from their subterranean veins. Moses had noted this feature of the soil of Canaan (Deu 8:9). But in all likelihood the notion of shoes is quite foreign to the true interpretation of this part of the blessing; and the Hebrew word which suggested it alike to the Septuagint and English translators should properly be rendered thy bars, or, thy bolts. Here, again, we find a very graphic poetical description of Ashers lot in the promised land. His boundary is traced on its landward side by strongly-marked mountain ridges; and on the west these barriers run out into the sea in successive capes, that resemble the traverses of some titanic fortification, and which are as rugged and ironbound in aspect as the inland region which they protect is smiling and soft. If this allusion be recognised in Moses blessing, the intention will plainly be to suggest the security of Asher in the portion which God was about to bestow upon him. There he should be fenced in, as it were, by bolts of iron and bars of brass, which no envious foe should be able to break through with hostile or thievish intent. This interpretation of the fourth line in the blessing would almost lead us to prefer the following amongst the many renderings that have been given of the fifth line: According to thy life shall be thy rest; that is, Ashers repose from warlike labours and alarms should continue as long as his tribal existence. But the associations which long attached to the rendering as given in the English Bible will probably make most readers reluctant to give up the thought which many a sermon and hymn will have endeared and familiarised: As thy days shall be thy strength–that is, the strength of him whom God favours shall always be in proportion to his need (1Co 10:13; 2Co 12:9). One could wish that the actual history of Asher furnished a happy comment upon, and illustration of, his blessing as thus interpreted; but in truth the comparison of prophetic poetry and prosaic fact in this particular instance is full of suggestive disappointment. Asher did dwell securely for a certain period within his mountain barriers, and his sons seem to have enjoyed a long season of material prosperity; but this was not through their trust in Divine protection, but through their own subtle worldly policy, which involved, alas, the faithless surrender of their highest duty to God. The men of Asher deemed it too hard a task to drive out the Phoenicians and Canaanites whom they found in possession of the strong cities and fat valleys of their portion. God would indeed have helped them utterly to exterminate their heathen rivals; but they preferred to make a cowardly truce and compromise, by virtue of which they dwelt peaceably among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land (Jdg 1:31-32). Nor did Asher from that time forward ever redeem the shame of his dishonourable compact with foes whom he ought to have destroyed. The very name of the tribe almost vanishes from the page of Hebrew history, and it had better have been absent altogether than conspicuous as it is in the bitterly scornful allusion of Deborah (Jdg 5:17-18). Yet the name of Asher is not, like that of Dan, blotted with hopeless ignominy from the list of Gods redeemed. A woman of this tribe, Anna, the centenarian prophetess of Jerusalem, was among the first to hail the infant Saviour, and to give thanks for His salvation unto the Lord (Luk 2:36-38). Though the majority of the tribe perished through worldly conformity and ease-loving apostasy from the covenant of God, yet the blessing of Moses upon Asher was not wholly forfeited nor unfulfilled. Let the lesson of this story be for our instruction in the dangers of temporal prosperity, even for the Lords elect, and no less in the meaning of those reverses of earthly fortune by which the backslidings of the chosen people are continually chastised. When Asher forgets the covenant of his Redeemer, the Lord, the Lord of hosts, will send among his fat ones leanness, and under his glory He will kindle a burning like the burning of a fire; but even in those experiences of well-deserved, correction and adversity, the soul that God has favoured and pronounced blessed shall not be abandoned to utter ruin. As his days, so his strength shall be (Isa 10:16-21). (T. G. Rooke, B. A.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 24. Let Asher be blessed with children] Let him have a numerous posterity, continually increasing.
Let him be acceptable to his brethren] May he be in perfect union and harmony with the other tribes.
Let him dip his foot in oil.] Let him have a fertile soil, and an abundance of all the conveniences and comforts of life.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
He shall have numerous, and those strong, and healthful, and comely, children. Or, shall be blessed or praised of or above the sons, i.e. the other sons of Israel, or his brethren, as it here follows, i.e. his portion shall fall in an excellent part, where he may have the benefits both of his own fat soil, and of the sea, by his neighbours Tyrus and Sidon.
Acceptable to his brethren; by his sweet disposition and winning carriage, and communication of his excellent commodities to his brethren, he shall gain their affections.
Let him dip his foot in oil; he shall have such plenty of oil, that he may not only wash his face, but his feet also, in it. Or, the fatness and fertility of his country may be expressed by oil, as Job 29:6. And so it agrees with Jacobs blessing of him, Gen 49:20.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
24, 25. of Asher he saidThecondition of this tribe is described as combining all the elements ofearthly felicity.
dip his foot in oilThesewords allude either to the process of extracting the oil by footpresses, or to his district as particularly fertile and adapted tothe culture of the olive.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And of Asher he said,…. The tribe of Asher, as the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem:
[let] Asher [be] blessed with children; with large numbers, as it appears this tribe was, having in it 53,400 men of war, Nu 26:47. It was esteemed a great blessing to have many children, Ps 128:3; or “above the children”; above or more than the rest of the children of Jacob; see Lu 2:36; Jarchi observes, that he had seen, in a book called Siphri, that there was none in all the tribes blessed with children as Asher, but not known how:
let him be acceptable to his brethren; either for his excellent bread, and royal dainties, Ge 49:20; or for the goodness of his olives and oil, and for the brass and iron found in this tribe, as follows; or, as some say, because of his children, his daughters being very beautiful:
and let him dip his foot in oil; have such plenty of it, that if he would he might dip or wash his feet in it; and it was usual not only to anoint the head, but the feet f also, with oil, Lu 7:46.
f “Vidimus etiam vestigia pedum tingi”, Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 13. c. 3. Vid. Dalecamp. Not. in ib.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Asher. – “ Blessed before the sons be Asher; let him be the favoured among his brethren, and dipping his foot in oil. Iron and brass be thy castle; and as the days of thy life let thy rest continue.” Asher, the prosperous (see at Gen 30:15), was justly to bear the name. He was to be a child of prosperity; blessed with earthly good, he was to enjoy rest all his life long in strong fortresses. It is evident enough that this blessing is simply an exposition of the name Asher, and that Moses here promises the tribe a verification of the omen contained in its name. does not mean “blessed with children,” or “praised because of his children,” in which case we should have ; but “blessed before the sons” (cf. Jdg 5:24), i.e., blessed before the sons of Jacob, who were peculiarly blessed, equivalent to the most blessed of all the sons of Israel. does not mean the beloved among his brethren, acceptable to his brethren, but the one who enjoyed the favour of the Lord, i.e., the one peculiarly favoured by the Lord. Dipping the foot in oil points to a land flowing with oil (Job 29:6), i.e., fat or fertile throughout, which Jacob had already promised to Asher (see Gen 49:20). To complete the prosperity, however, security and rest were required for the enjoyment of the blessings bestowed by God; and these are promised in Deu 33:25. ( . . ) does not mean a shoe, but is derived from , to bolt (Jdg 3:23), and signifies either a bolt, or that which is shut fast; a poetical expression for a castle or fortress. Asher’s dwellings were to be castles, fortresses of iron and brass; i.e., as strong and impregnable as if they were built of iron and brass. The pursuit of mining is not to be thought of as referred to here, even though the territory of Asher, which reached to Lebanon, may have contained brass and iron (see at Deu 8:9). Luther follows the lxx and Vulgate, and renders this clause, “iron and brass be upon his shoes;” but this is undoubtedly wrong, as the custom of fastening the shoes or sandals with brass or iron was quite unknown to the Israelites; and even Goliath, who was clothed in brass from head to foot, and wore iron greaves, had no iron sandals, though the military shoes of the ancient Romans had nails in the soles. Moreover, the context contains no reference to war, so as to suggest the idea that the treading down and cursing of the foe are intended. “As thy days,” i.e., as long as the days of thy life last, let thy rest be (continue). Luther’s rendering, “let thine old age be as thy youth,” which follows the Vulgate, cannot be sustained; for although , derived from , to vanish away, certainly might signify old age, the expression “thy days” cannot possibly be understood as signifying youth.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
Verses 24, 25:
Compare this text with Gen 49:20.
Asher was to be rich, honored, strong, and peaceful. He was to be blessed or; praised by the children who benefited from his strength and prosperity.
The territory assigned to Asher was along the Mediterranean coast, and included part of what is modern Lebanon. Its proximity to the sea made it an ideal commercial site. This accounted for its wealth, and the position held among the other tribes.
“Oil,” likely olive oil, for the region abounds in olive groves, a prosperous land yielding rich dainties.
“Shoes,” minal, a derivative from naal, “to shut fast.” The term denotes a fortress securely closed. The symbolism: Asher’s dwelling place should be “iron and brass (copper),” or strong and impregnable.
“As thy days,” or “as long as you live,” you shall have rest and quiet.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(24) Let Asher be blessed with children.It can be translated more blessed than all sons. Rashi quotes an old saying, You will not find among all the tribes one so blest with children as Asher, and I cannot say why.
Let him be acceptable to his brethren, and . . . dip his foot in oil.The fertility of Ashers inheritance is probably alluded to. There is no tribe of which so little is recorded in history. The happiest lives are sometimes the least eventful.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
24. Let Asher be blessed with children Better, Let Asher be most blessed among the sons. Let him have the prominence in blessing above all the other sons of Jacob.
Let him dip his foot in oil The rabbins used to say that in Asher oil flows like a river. Both the Syrians and Phoenicians obtained their supply of oil from Galilee. Comp. 1Ki 5:11.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Deu 33:24-25
And of Asher he said,
Blessed be Asher with children (or ‘above the children’);
Let him be acceptable to his brethren (or ‘the favoured among his brethren’),
And let him dip his foot in oil.
Your bars shall be iron and bronze,
And as your days, so shall your strength be.
Asher is the last to be mentioned. Asher means ‘blessed’. The Hebrew may be a request that he be blessed above his brethren, that is mightily blessed in accordance with his name. Then ‘the favoured among his brethren’ would imply the same thing.
“Dipping his foot in oil” would indicate great blessing in olive oil production, and ‘bars of iron and bronze’ would indicate the strength of his fortifications.
Others see it as meaning that Moses prays that they will be blessed with children, blessed with the support of their brethren, blessed in olive growing (dipping their feet in oil), blessed in security (bars of iron and bronze), and blessed with good health. Their prosperity is similar to that described in Gen 49:20.
Except when manipulated to fit a theory all the blessings, apart from that of Levi, are general, even more so than in Genesis 49, and some, (and Joseph’s very much so), have Genesis 49 in mind. We must in fact remember that the promises were dependent on obedience, and that that was mainly lacking. But the overall idea is of the blessing that His people would receive in the land of promise, and the spread of blessings would in the end belong to all. It is significant that there is no suggestion of a Canaanite presence. The assumption is of a land completely possessed and at rest.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Ver. 24, 25. And of Asher he said Moses prophesies, that the Asherites would be numerous; and wishes that there might always be a perfect harmony between them and the rest of the Israelites. He tells them, that their country should be very fruitful, particularly in oil. He intimates, that they should have the advantage of rich mines; and prays, that there might not be wanting a great number of men of valour in their tribe, as long as it existed. The blessing may properly be rendered thus: “Let Asher be blessed with children;let him be acceptable to his brethren;and let him dip his feet in oil;under thy shoes let there be iron and brass,and as thy days, so let thy mighty men be.” Which last clause Houbigant renders, thy mighty men shall not be wanting all thy days. These verses contain a wish and a prophesy: the wish is expressed in the second line, let him be acceptable, entreating for the public, as the former petition does for the private happiness of Asher, to whose name it alludes. See on Gen 49:20. The predictions, though four in number, we shall treat of under the three following heads: 1st, That this tribe would have a numerous posterity, and a great many men of valour. 2nd, Abundance of oil. And, 3rdly, Mines of iron and copper. First, With respect to its numerousness, we find, that at its going out of a Egypt, it amounted to no more than 41,500; when numbered in the plains of Moab, it had increased to 53,400; a little before David’s reign, they had no less than 26,000 princes, all choice and mighty men of valour. See Josephus Bell. Jud. lib. 3: cap. 3. Secondly, That Asher’s portion was very fertile in corn, wine, oil, &c. has been shewn on Gen 49:20. Thirdly, The mines, which seem promised to this tribe, agree with what Moses had before asserted, chap. Deu 8:9. Iron and brass are frequently represented as being common in this country. As the portion of this tribe extended to Libanus, and Antilibanus, it was the best situated for mines. We read, that David bought great quantities of brass, which, doubtless, were extracted from their bowels. Dan, which was contiguous to this tribe, traded with Tyre in iron; and Homer himself celebrates the Sydonians, on account of the plenty of brass to be met with in their country. Odyss. lib. 3: ver. 424. Durell. The reader who is curious in these subjects will find much entertainment by referring to Scheuchzer’s Observations on the Mines of Judea; Physique Sacree, tom. 4: p. 47.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Asher’s blessing, is one of the general blessings of all the spiritual seed of Israel. As the day of GOD’S people is, so shall be their strength. Once known, and they must be acceptable to the brethren of the LORD JESUS, for they are accepted of the FATHER, in the beloved. Eph 1:6 . And what could be more suited, as a general close to the blessing of the tribes of Israel, than a general assurance to all Israel, of favor and acceptance, both with GOD and man and grace suited to every occasion. Gracious GOD! let these blessings be the portion of both writer and Reader, and let JESUS to crown the whole be ours, and all will be well!
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Deu 33:24 And of Asher he said, [Let] Asher [be] blessed with children; let him be acceptable to his brethren, and let him dip his foot in oil.
Ver. 24. Let Asher be blessed with children. ] Let his wife be as the vine, and his children as olive plants, two of the best fruits; Psa 128:3 the one for cheering the heart, the other for clearing the face; Psa 104:15 the one for sweetness, the other for fatness. Jdg 9:9 ; Jdg 9:13
Let him dip his foot in oil.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Deu 33:24-25
24Of Asher he said,
More blessed than sons is Asher;
May he be favored by his brothers,
And may he dip his foot in oil.
25Your locks will be iron and bronze,
And according to your days, so will your leisurely walk be.
Deu 33:24 Of Asher he said
‘More blessed than sons is Asher;
May he be favored by his brothers This verb (BDB 224, KB 243, be) is a Qal jussive. This shows the working of the Hebrew mind. To a Jew, a son was the greatest blessing possible.
The rabbis interpret this verse to mean that because of the extreme beauty of Asher’s daughters they were more sought after than sons. The meaning is uncertain.
And may he dip his foot in oil The location of Asher, on the northern seacoast, is the best area for olives. This phrase possibly refers to the act of treading oil out of the olives by foot.
Deu 33:25 Your locks will be iron and bronze The Hebrew root for locks (BDB 653) or bars (BDB 653) can also be translated shoes (BDB 653). The form used here is found only here. Because of Asher’s geographical position, on the major highway route from the Fertile Crescent down to Egypt, if Asher fell, the whole land fell (from a southerly invasion). She was considered the door and lock to the Promised Land.
NASBaccording to your days, so shall your leisurely walk be
NKJV, NJBrefuge
NRSVHe subdues the ancient gods
TEVdefense
The interpretive question is what does the last NOUN mean (BDB 179)?
1. strength (i.e., vital life)
2. security (i.e., no invasion)
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
Asher. Compare Gen 49:20.
dip his foot in oil. Oil found there when water failed. See 1Ki 17:9, and compare Jos 19:24-28.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Asher be blessed: Gen 49:20, Psa 115:15, Psa 128:3, Psa 128:6
let him be: Pro 3:3, Pro 3:4, Exo 12:10, Act 7:10, Rom 14:18, Rom 15:31
let him dip: Job 29:6
Reciprocal: Gen 30:13 – and she Gen 46:17 – Asher Jos 19:31 – General 1Ch 2:2 – Asher
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Deu 33:24. Let Asher Who carries blessedness in his very name; be blessed with children He shall have numerous, strong, and healthful children. Acceptable to his brethren By his sweet disposition and winning carriage. In oil He shall have such plenty of oil that he may not only wash his face, but his feet also in it. This prophetic blessing was remarkably fulfilled; for Ashers portion abounded with the best and most remarkable oil, which was the most famed of all Canaans productions. Compare Job 29:6, and Gen 49:20.