The Meaning of Deuteronomy 33:13 Explained

Deuteronomy 33:13

KJV: 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,

YLT: And of Joseph he said: -- Blessed of Jehovah is his land, By precious things of the heavens, By dew, and by the deep crouching beneath,

Darby: And of Joseph he said, Blessed of Jehovah be his land! By the precious things of the heavens, By the dew, and by the deep that lieth beneath,

ASV: And of Joseph he said, Blessed of Jehovah be his land, For the precious things of heaven, for the dew, And for the deep that coucheth beneath,

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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, 

What does Deuteronomy 33:13 Mean?

Context Summary

Deuteronomy 33:1-17 - The Blessing Of The Chosen People
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 descended on Sinai, Psalms 18:7-9; Habakkuk 3:3-4. Oh, that we, too, may sit as pupils in God's school and receive His words, Deuteronomy 33:3.
Though Reuben could not excel, he was not forgotten. Simeon is omitted because of Numbers 25:14. Judah was to receive prosperity in prayer, in work and in war. Some render the benediction thus: "Bring him in safety from his wars!" But our warfare is different, Ephesians 6:12.
Levi receives special blessing. Note r.v. margin: "Thy Thummim and thy Urim are with him whom thou lovest." This is the white diamond-stone flashing with God's "Yes" or dimming with His "No," Revelation 2:17. Exodus 32:26 was never forgotten. See Matthew 25:37. But God forgets our sins, Hebrews 8:12. Benjamin's portion may be yours. The precious things of Joseph's heritage pale to insignificance when contrasted with the riches of God's grace, Ephesians 1:18. [source]

Chapter Summary: Deuteronomy 33

1  The majesty of God
6  The blessings of the twelve tribes
26  The excellence of Israel

What do the individual words in Deuteronomy 33:13 mean?

And of Joseph he said Blessed of Yahweh [is] his land with the precious things of heaven with the dew and the deep lying beneath
וּלְיוֹסֵ֣ף אָמַ֔ר מְבֹרֶ֥כֶת יְהֹוָ֖ה אַרְצ֑וֹ מִמֶּ֤גֶד שָׁמַ֙יִם֙ מִטָּ֔ל וּמִתְּה֖וֹם רֹבֶ֥צֶת תָּֽחַת

וּלְיוֹסֵ֣ף  And  of  Joseph 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יׄוסֵף  
Sense: the eldest son of Jacob by Rachel.
אָמַ֔ר  he  said 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
מְבֹרֶ֥כֶת  Blessed 
Parse: Verb, Pual, Participle, feminine singular construct
Root: בָּרַךְ 
Sense: to bless, kneel.
יְהֹוָ֖ה  of  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
אַרְצ֑וֹ  [is]  his  land 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
מִמֶּ֤גֶד  with  the  precious  things 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מֶגֶד  
Sense: excellence.
שָׁמַ֙יִם֙  of  heaven 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: שָׁמַיִם  
Sense: heaven, heavens, sky.
מִטָּ֔ל  with  the  dew 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular
Root: טַל  
Sense: dew, night mist.
וּמִתְּה֖וֹם  and  the  deep 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-m, Noun, common singular
Root: תְּהֹום  
Sense: deep, depths, deep places, abyss, the deep, sea.
רֹבֶ֥צֶת  lying 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, feminine singular
Root: רָבַץ  
Sense: to stretch oneself out, lie down, lie stretched out.
תָּֽחַת  beneath 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: מִתְחָה 
Sense: the under part, beneath, instead of, as, for, for the sake of, flat, unto, where, whereas.