The Meaning of Deuteronomy 33:27 Explained

Deuteronomy 33:27

KJV: The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them.

YLT: A habitation is the eternal God, And beneath are arms age-during. And He casteth out from thy presence the enemy, and saith, 'Destroy!'

Darby: Thy refuge is the God of old, And underneath are the eternal arms; And he shall drive out the enemy from before thee, And shall say, Destroy them!

ASV: The eternal God is thy dwelling-place, And underneath are the everlasting arms. And he thrust out the enemy from before thee, And said, Destroy.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

The eternal  God  [is thy] refuge,  and underneath [are] the everlasting  arms:  and he shall thrust out  the enemy  from before  thee; and shall say,  Destroy  [them]. 

What does Deuteronomy 33:27 Mean?

Context Summary

Deuteronomy 33:18-29 - Israel's Happy Future Promised
Zebulun and Issachar, sons of Leah, were neighbors in Canaan, and, being on the seaboard, became wealthy by commerce. The calling of the peoples may refer to the Gentile proselytes who were influenced by these tribes, 1 Kings 5:1-6; Mark 7:26.
The blessing of the other tribes is suggested by their position in Canaan: Gad, the leader of the west; Dan standing on the southern frontier, like a lion at bay; Naphtali, possessing the sea of Galilee, see r.v. margin; Asher on the northwest, with mountain, barriers against invasion. "Iron and brass!"
Let your soul dwell in the timeless, changeless, tireless God. There is none like Him. He will ride through heaven to help you, will thrust out the enemies that resist your progress, will be your fountain and dew, your corn and wine, and will place beneath you arms as tender as they are loving. However low you fall, they will always be underneath. As your day, so your strength! [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 33:27 mean?

[your] refuge the God [is] eternal and underneath [are] the arms everlasting and He will thrust out from before you the enemy and will say Destroy
מְעֹנָה֙ אֱלֹ֣הֵי קֶ֔דֶם וּמִתַּ֖חַת זְרֹעֹ֣ת עוֹלָ֑ם וַיְגָ֧רֶשׁ מִפָּנֶ֛יךָ אוֹיֵ֖ב וַיֹּ֥אמֶר הַשְׁמֵֽד

מְעֹנָה֙  [your]  refuge 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: מְעֹנָה  
Sense: dwelling, habitation, refuge.
אֱלֹ֣הֵי  the  God  [is] 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
קֶ֔דֶם  eternal 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: קֶדֶם 
Sense: east, antiquity, front, that which is before, aforetime.
וּמִתַּ֖חַת  and  underneath 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-m
Root: מִתְחָה 
Sense: the under part, beneath, instead of, as, for, for the sake of, flat, unto, where, whereas.
זְרֹעֹ֣ת  [are]  the  arms 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct
Root: זְרֹועַ  
Sense: arm, forearm, shoulder, strength.
עוֹלָ֑ם  everlasting 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: עֹולָם  
Sense: long duration, antiquity, futurity, for ever, ever, everlasting, evermore, perpetual, old, ancient, world.
וַיְגָ֧רֶשׁ  and  He  will  thrust  out 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: גָּרַשׁ 
Sense: to drive out, expel, cast out, drive away, divorce, put away, thrust away, trouble, cast up.
מִפָּנֶ֛יךָ  from  before  you 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, common plural construct, second person masculine singular
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
אוֹיֵ֖ב  the  enemy 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: אֹיֵב  
Sense: (Qal) enemy.
וַיֹּ֥אמֶר  and  will  say 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
הַשְׁמֵֽד  Destroy 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperative, masculine singular
Root: שָׁמַד  
Sense: to destroy, exterminate, be destroyed, be exterminated.