Deuteronomy 33:1

“And this is the blessing wherewith Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death.] Namely, what is related in the following verses, this being the general title to the chapter: Moses is called “the man of God”, being raised up of God, and eminently qualified by him with girls for the work he was called unto, and by whom he was inspired to say what is after expressed: it is a title given to prophets, (<090906>1 Samuel 9:6-8); and so Onkelos here paraphrases it, “Moses the prophet of the Lord,” and Aben Ezra observes, that this is said to show that he blessed Israel by a spirit of prophecy, and which he did a little before his death, when very near it; and, as the same…”

“THE MAJESTY OF GOD. (Deu. 33:1-28) Moses the man of God--This was a common designation of a prophet (Sa1 2:27; Sa1 9:6), and it is here applied to Moses, when, like Jacob, he was about to deliver ministerially before his death, a prophetic benediction to Israel.”

“The title “the man of God” in the Old Testament is one who is favored with direct revelations, but not necessarily an official prophet. The occurrence of the title here is no doubt a token that the Blessing was not, as was the Song, transcribed by Moses himself. Compare Deuteronomy 31:27. return to 'Top of Page'”

“Moses blessed Israel - He is said to bless them, by praying to God with faith for his blessing upon them; and by foretelling the blessings which God would confer upon them. And Moses calls himself here the man of God, that is, the servant or prophet of God, to acquaint them that the following prophecies were not his own inventions, but divine inspirations. The children of Israel - The several tribes: only Simeon is omitted, either in detestation of their parent Simeon's bloody carriage, for which Jacob gives that tribe a curse rather than a blessing, in Gen 49:5-7. Or, because that tribe had no distinct inheritance, but was to have its portion in the tribe of Judah, Jos 19:1. Deuteronomy…”

“33:1-29 On the eve of his death, Jacob blessed his twelve sons (Gen 49:1-28). As the founding father of his nation, Moses blessed these same sons, now grown into mighty tribes.”

“the blessing: Gen 27:4, Gen 27:27-29, Gen 49:1, Gen 49:28; Luk 24:50, Luk 24:51; Joh 14:27, Joh 16:33 the man: Jos 14:6; Jdg 13:6; Sa1 2:27, Sa1 9:6, Sa1 9:7; Kg1 13:1, Kg1 13:6; Psa 90:1 \*title Ti1 6:11; Ti2 3:17; Pe2 1:21 Deuteronomy 33:2”

“Before ascending Mount Nebo to depart this life, Moses took leave of his people, the tribes of Israel, in the blessing which is very fittingly inserted in the book of the law between the divine announcement of his approaching death and the account of the death itself, as being the last words of the departing man of God. The blessing opens with an allusion to the solemn conclusion of the covenant and giving of the law at Sinai, by which the Lord became King of Israel, to indicate at the outset the source from which all blessings must flow to Israel ( Deu 33:2-5). Then follow the separate blessings upon the different tribes (vv. 6-25). And the whole concludes with an utterance of praise to the…”