(i) v.48,

bi'n Dya, behetsem hayyom hazzeh, (548.v);

in, akhuzzah, possession (548.i);

(ii) v.49, 'land of Canaan' (548.ix);

(iii)

(iv) v.50, ‘be gathered to thy people' (548.vi);

(v) v.51, by,v., by,n., mahal, 'trespass,' L.v.15, vi.2(v.21), xxvi.40, N.v.6, 12,27, xxxi.16, only here in Deuteronomy;

(vi)

wilderness of Zin,' N.xiii.21, xx.1,xxvii.14, xxxiii.36, xxxiv.3,4, only here in Deuteronomy.

570

CHAPTER XVII.

THE BLESSING OF MOSES, DEUT.XXXIII.1-7.

807. CHAPTER xxxiii also, which contains the 'Blessing of Moses,' KNOBEL ascribes to an older writer than the Deuteronomist. It may be desirable to give first his own words, Deut.p.337-340.

The writer first produces the first four sons of Leah, then the two sons of Rachel, then Leah's other two sons, and, lastly, the four sons of the two maidens, Bilhah and Zilpah. Hence he varies from the order of the tribes according to birth, G.xxix,xxx, from that observed in 'Jacob's Blessing,' G.xlix, as well as in the other notices of the sons of Jacob, G.xxxv.23-26, xlvi.8-27, E.i.2-5, and of the Israelitish tribes, N.i,ii,xiii.4–15, xxvi.5–51, xxxiv.19-28. It is especially strange that Judah is set before Levi, Zebulon before Issachar, and Benjamin before Joseph, and that the sons of Leah are separated by those of Rachel, and Zilpah's by Bilhah's. Scarcely, however, can one on this account infer the existence of another tradition as to the order in age of the sons of Jacob; but we must assume that the writer, generally, wished to maintain a geographical progression from South to North, and that his poem has received later modifications in some particulars, as also we find something of this kind in G.xlix. Throughout he makes Moses in the third person treat of the tribes, and only towards the end, v.18,25, allows him to come out in a more living manner, and pass over into an actual address. The individual blessings' are exhibited, partly in the form of prayers addressed to Jehovah, v.7,11, partly as exclamations to those concerned, v.18, partly as wishes for them, v.6,23,24,25, partly as announcements and descriptions, v.8-10,12-17,19–22, a change which explains itself from the freedom of poetical impulse. All is here blessing; only in the case of Levi, v.8, reference is made to the fault of Moses and Aaron, and the utterance over Dan, v.22, seems to contain a mixture of disapproval. Levi and Joseph are extolled with especial enthusiasm. For Levi was the divinely-chosen tribe, and Joseph's descendants were more numerous than those of any of his brothers. Strange is the short notice of the tribe of Judah, so important as it was, which comes forward so powerfully in the 'Blessing of Jacob.' Throughout the whole song breathes a brisk and vigorous, and yet a mild and respectful, spirit; hearty thankfulness

towards the Divine Protector and Benefactor, Love and Goodwill towards the people, (different in this respect from ch.xxxii, [but see (800)]), and contentment and joy over its happy condition, are the feelings which inspire the writer. The sharp passage in v.11 has its especial ground. The style exhibits numerous peculiarities. These peculiarities, for the most part, make this poem the most difficult passage in the whole Pentateuch.

Already, on this account, it has been assigned to an earlier, rather than a later, time. Still more does one feel compelled to this through its contents. At the time of the writer, the twelve tribes were still in Canaan [?], and found themselves in a flourishing condition [?]; Israel had the sovereignty in the land, and the nations flattered him, v.29; we find no trace here [?] of a reference to the national misfortunes, which the Hebrews experienced in the Syrian, Assyrian, and Chaldee times. As the political, so also were the religious circumstances of the people satisfactory; at least the writer makes not the most distant allusion [?] to the religious misconduct so strongly bewailed in ch.xxxii, and praises, on the contrary, Zebulon and Issachar, that they brought 'offerings of righteousness.' All this prevents our setting the composition of the Poem in the time of the Captivity, with HOFFMANN and GESENIUS, or in that of Josiah with EWALD, or in that of Jeroboam II with GRAF, or, generally, in the time of the two kingdoms with LENGKERKE. It falls in a much earlier time; it cannot, however, have proceeded from Moses, as the ancient and many modern interpreters assume. For it betrays an accurate acquaintance with the post-Mosaic times, such as Moses could not have had. Decisive is the passage about Judah, v.7, which can only be explained as referring to the time when David lived in foreign parts on his flight from Saul. To the same time points the announcement about Benjamin, v.12; it manifestly refers to Gibeon, whither Saul had brought the Tabernacle [?] after the destruction of Nob. Therewith best accords all the rest, e.g. the severe passage, v.11, against the persecutors of the Priesthood, who had been ill-treated by Saul and his people, the utterance, v.29, about the lordship of the Hebrews in the land, and the satisfactory religious circumstances, [after the butchery by Saul of the High Priest, nay, of 'four-score and five persons that did wear a linen ephod'! 1S.xxii. 18,] since Saul maintained the worship of Jehovah. The short treatment of Judah, also, deserves notice, and the absence of any reference to Jerusalem: first in the time of David and Solomon became Judah the royal tribe, and Jerusalem the centre of the 'people of God.' From the vehemence of v.11 we may conclude that the writer was a Priest or Levite. Through this definition of time is settled also the question, whether the 'Blessing of Moses' is older than 'Jacob's Blessing,' G.xlix, or whether, on the contrary, our author has imitated G.xlix, as almost all modern critics suppose, e.g. VATER, GESENIUS, HOFFMAN, VON BOHLEN, TUCH, VON LENGKERKE, EWALD, GRAF. The 'Blessing of Moses' belongs to the time of Saul, Jacob's Blessing' to that of David. Whether, however, the later writer has used the earlier is very doubtful. Both appear as equally peculiar and original, and no imitation can be detected[?]. The similar use of some forms of expression in both poems, G.xlix.25,26, D.xxxiii.13,15,16, gives no proof of this: it explains itself sufficiently with the

assumption that such sayings about Joseph might be current popularly in Israel. Without doubt the legend represented that Moses had taken his leave of his people, as formerly Jacob took leave of his sons, with 'blessing.' As words of a 'Man of God,' these blessings must have been fulfilled, and, consequently, the fates of the tribes since Moses [so the writer considers] allow of our recognising what blessing had been assigned to each. The author confines himself to the relations of Israel from the time of Moses to Saul, and makes Moses speak conformably to these. He wishes, however, that only the substance of the 'Blessing' should be regarded as Mosaic, and all the rest, on the contrary, e. g. the introduction and the conclusion, to be considered as his own work. For in v.4 he reckons himself with the people, and contrasts it with Moses, 'Moses commanded us a Law, the inheritance of the Congregation of Jacob.' He speaks also in v.7,8,12,13, 18,20,22, of Moses in the third person, e. g. v.8, And of Levi he said,' =‘Moses has left the following saying about Levi': and, in fact, in v.28,29, he makes no concealment of his position in the post-Mosaic time. Meanwhile, also, in respect of the blessings, he permits himself some liberties, e.g. when he allows Moses, in v.7, to put into words a wish which Judah had first in Saul's time, and in v.21, to indicate God's post-Mosaic acts, as having already happened. His poem, v.2–29, was found in existence by a later writer, who treated it as Mosaic, supplied it with the superscription, v.1, and adopted it into a work (Deuteronomy) of his own composition.

808. As before, however, a close critical examination of its contents seems to fix this passage also, though not, perhaps, so certainly as ch.xxxii, upon the later Prophet, who wrote the rest of Deuteronomy. We shall point out the critical signs of authorship, and then consider the substance of the chapter.

(i) v.2,21, îș, or , athah, 'come,' v.21, Jer.iii.22, xii.9, a Chaldaie word. (ii) ♫, dath, ‘law,' only in later writers, Ezra, Esther, and Daniel. (iii) ♬ņp, kěhillah, ‘congregation,' Neh.v.7, nowhere else; but is common in Deut.

(iv) 'Jacob' used for 'the people,' when not required to complete the parallelism with 'Israel,' D.xxxii.9, Jer.x.25, xxx.7,10,18, xxxi.7,11, xxxiii.26, xlvi.27,28, li.19, Lam.i.17, ii.2.

(vii) v.6, ¬≥ 1'ņ? "¿", vihi měthayv mispar,' and let his men be few (lit. a number),' iv.27, Jer.xliv.28, G.xxxiv.30, Ps.cv.12, and 1Ch.xvi.19.

(viii) v.8, ¬ņņ, khasid, 'gracious, pious,' Jer.iii.12.

(ix) pp, in the sense of 'Massah,' D.vi.16, ix.22, and E.xvii.7, in the sense of temptation,' D.iv. 34, vii.19, xxix.3(2).

(x) v.9, ¡px, imrah, ‘word,' D.xxxii.2;, emrah, word,' Lam.ii.17. (xi) v.10, they shall teach Jacob thy judgments, and Israel thy law'; compare D.xvi.18, xvii.8.

(xii) v.11, jaDapi-¡p, min-yěkumun, ‘from rising again.' 'This,' says KNOBEL, 'is the only place in the whole O.T. where stands before a finite verb, in the place of D, measher, 'from (that) they rise again'; though it is common with the infinitive. In like manner , asher, is omitted after the adverbs, akhŭr, py, hekev, jy, yahan, respectively, in N.xiv.24, xxv.48, N.xx.12.

(xiii) v.12, 77, yedid,, yediduth, 'darling, beloved one,' Jer.xi.15, xii.7. (xiv) v.11, †, makhats, 'smite through,' D.xxxii.39.

(XV)

, betakh, 'secure,' , batakh, 'be secure,' v.28, D.xii.10, xxviii.52, Jer. (19 times), and G.xxxiv.25, L.xxv.18,19, xxvi.5.

(xvi) v.13, 7, meged, 'precious things,' only here, v.13,14,14,15,16, and Cant.iv.13,16, vii.14.

(xvii) v.15, ¶ņ, harar, 'mountain,' D.viii.9, Jer.xvii.3.

(xviii)

ii.17, v.21.

Dkedem, 'ancient;' v.27, Jer.xxx.20, xlvi.26, xlix.28, Lam.i.7,

(xix) v.17, 'his horns,' Jer.xlviii.25, Lam.ii.3,17.

(xx)

(xxi)

,hadar, 'glory,' L.xxiii.40, Lam.i.6.

INDEN, aphsey arets, ' ends of the earth,' Jer.xvi.19.

(xxii) v.18, 'tents,' = dwellings, as in D.xvi.7.

(xxiii) v.20, 1, hirkhiv, ‘enlarge,' D.xii.20, xix.8, and E.xxxiv.*24.

(xxiv) v.21, pp, saphan, 'cover,' Jer.xxii. 14, only besides, 1K.vi.9, vii.3,7, Hag.i.4.

(xxv) v.26, și, gaŭvah, 'excellency,' v.29, Jer.xlviii.29.

(xxvi) D'pņi, shěkhakim, ‘clouds,' Jer.li.9.

(xxvii) v.27, niv, mehonah, jiyp, mahon, 'habitation,' xxvi.15, Jer.ix.11(10), x.22, xxi.13, xxv.30, xlix.33, li.37.

(xxviii), hishmid, 'destroy,' D.i.27, ii.12,21,22,23, iv.3, vi.15, vii.4,24, ix.3,8,14,19,20,25, xxviii.48,63, xxxi.3,4, and L.xxvi.*30, N.xxxiii.52.

(xxix) v.28, 'his heaven,' comp. D.xxviii.23, 'thy heaven,' L.xxvi.*19, ‘your heaven;' and note that these are the only places in the Bible where such expressions

are used, with the pronoun referring to human beings, though in Ps.viii.3, cxliv.5,

Thy heaven' is used with reference to Jehovah, and comp. Lam.iii.66.

(xxx) v.29, vvjjj, noshah, ‘saved’='helped generally,' Jer.xxiii.6, xxxiii.16. (xxxi) 777, darach, 'tread,' D.i.36, xi.24,25, Jer.ix.3(2), xxv.30, xlvi.9, xlviii.33, 1.14,29, li.3,33, Lam.i.15, ii.4, iii.12, and N.xxiv.17.

* As before, an asterisk is used to mark passages which will be shown in Part IV to be Deuteronomistic interpolations in the other four books.