Deuteronomy 33 · Verse 12

Deuteronomy 33:12

And of Benjamin he said, The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by him; and the Lord shall cover him all the day long, and he shall dwell between his shoulders.
Deuteronomy 33:12, King James Version

Deuteronomy 33:12 in other translations

BSBConcerning Benjamin he said: “May the beloved of the LORD rest secure in Him; God shields him all day long, and upon His shoulders he rests.”
WEBAbout Benjamin he said, “The beloved of the LORD will dwell in safety by him. He covers him all day long. He dwells between his shoulders.”
ASVOf Benjamin he said, The beloved of Jehovah shall dwell in safety by him; He covereth him all the day long, And he dwelleth between his shoulders.
YLTOf Benjamin he said: --The beloved of Jehovah doth tabernacle confidently by him, Covering him over all the day; Yea, between his shoulders He doth tabernacle.
DARBYOf Benjamin he said, The beloved of Jehovah, — he shall dwell in safety by him; He will cover him all the day long, And dwell between his shoulders.
BBEAnd of Benjamin he said, Benjamin is the loved one of the Lord, he will be kept safe at all times; he will be covered by the Most High, resting between his arms.
WebsterAnd of Benjamin he said, The beloved of the LORD shall dwell in safety by him; and the LORD shall cover him all the day long, and he shall dwell between his shoulders.

What does Deuteronomy 33:12 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
12. of Benjamin he said--A distinguishing favor was conferred on this tribe in having its portion assigned near the temple of God. between his shoulders--that is, on his sides or borders. Mount Zion, on which stood the city of Jerusalem, belonged to Judah; but Mount Moriah, the site of the sacred edifice, lay in the confines of Benjamin.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 12 Of Benjamin - the beloved of the Lord - Alluding to his being particularly beloved of his father Jacob, Gen 49:27, etc. Shall dwell in safety by him - That is, by the Lord, whose temple, which is considered as his dwelling-place, was in the tribe of Benjamin, for a part of Jerusalem belonged to this tribe. Shall cover him all the day - Be his continual protector; and he shall dwell between his shoulders - within his coasts, or in his chief city, viz., Jerusalem, where the temple of God was built, on his mountains Zion and Moriah, here poetically termed his shoulders. Some object to our translation of the Hebrew ידיד yedid by the term beloved, and think the original should be divided as it is in the Samaritan, יד יד yad yad, the hand, even the hand of the Lord shall dwell for safety or protection, עליו alaiv, upon him. This makes a good sense, and the reader may choose.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Deuteronomy 33:6-23

The order in which the tribes are here blessed, is not the same as is observed elsewhere. The blessing of Judah may refer to the whole tribe in general, or to David as a type of Christ. Moses largely blesses the tribe of Levi. Acceptance with God is what we should all aim at, and desire, in all our devotions, whether men accept us or not, 2Co 5:9. This prayer is a prophecy, that God will keep up a ministry in his…

Read the full comment on Deuteronomy 33:6-23 →

Deuteronomy 33:12 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

לְבִנְיָמִ֣ןle.vin.ya.Minof BenjaminH1144
אָמַ֔ר'a.Marhe saidH559
יְדִ֣ידye.Did[the] beloved [one] ofH3039
יְהֹוָ֔הYah.wehYahwehH3068
יִשְׁכֹּ֥ןyish.Konhe dwellsH7931
לָבֶ֖טַחla.Ve.tachto securityH983
עָלָ֑יו'a.Lavon himH5921
חֹפֵ֤ףcho.Fef[who] coversH2653
עָלָיו֙'a.Lavover himH5921
כָּל\־kol-allH3605
הַיּ֔וֹםhai.Yomthe dayH3117
וּבֵ֥יןu.Veinand betweenH996
כְּתֵיפָ֖יוke.tei.Favshoulders hisH3802
שָׁכֵֽן\׃\ \סsha.Khenhe dwellsH7931

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Deuteronomy 33:12

  • 2 Chronicles 15:2

    And he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; The Lord is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.

  • Psalms 91:4

    He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

  • Matthew 23:37

    O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

  • Isaiah 37:35

    For I will defend this city to save it for mine own sake, and for my servant David’s sake.

  • Isaiah 51:16

    And I have put my words in thy mouth, and I have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion, Thou art my people.

  • 2 Chronicles 11:1

    And when Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem, he gathered of the house of Judah and Benjamin an hundred and fourscore thousand chosen men, which were warriors, to fight against Israel, that he might bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam.

  • 2 Chronicles 17:17-19

    And of Benjamin; Eliada a mighty man of valour, and with him armed men with bow and shield two hundred thousand. And next him was Jehozabad, and with him an hundred and fourscore thousand ready prepared for the war. These waited on the king, beside those whom the king put in the fenced cities throughout all Judah.

  • Deuteronomy 12:10

    But when ye go over Jordan, and dwell in the land which the Lord your God giveth you to inherit, and when he giveth you rest from all your enemies round about, so that ye dwell in safety;

  • 1 Kings 12:21

    And when Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah, with the tribe of Benjamin, an hundred and fourscore thousand chosen men, which were warriors, to fight against the house of Israel, to bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam the son of Solomon.

  • Isaiah 37:22

    This is the word which the Lord hath spoken concerning him; The virgin, the daughter of Zion, hath despised thee, and laughed thee to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee.

  • Psalms 132:14

    This is my rest for ever: here will I dwell; for I have desired it.

  • Exodus 28:12

    And thou shalt put the two stones upon the shoulders of the ephod for stones of memorial unto the children of Israel: and Aaron shall bear their names before the Lord upon his two shoulders for a memorial.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
The beloved.
27-29; Jos 18:11-28; Jud 1:21; 1Ki 12:21; 2Ch 11:1; 15:2
2Ch 17:17-19; Ps 132:14; Isa 37:22,35
cover him.
Ps 91:4; Isa 51:16; Mt 23:37

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Deuteronomy 33:11

    Bless, Lord, his substance, and accept the work of his hands: smite through the loins of them that rise against him, and of them that hate him, that they rise not again.

  • Deuteronomy 33:12

    And of Benjamin he said, The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by him; and the Lord shall cover him all the day long, and he shall dwell between his shoulders.

  • Deuteronomy 33:13

    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,

Read all of Deuteronomy 33

Deuteronomy 33:12 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Y á Benjamín dijo: El amado de Jehová habitará confiado cerca de él; cubrirálo siempre, y entre sus hombros morará.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
De Benjamin il dit: Le bien-aimé de l’ Éternel, – il habitera en sécurité auprès de lui; l’ Éternel le couvrira tout le jour, et il habitera entre ses épaules.
German
Elberfelder 1871
Von Benjamin sprach er: Der Liebling Jehovas! In Sicherheit wird er bei ihm wohnen; er beschirmt ihn den ganzen Tag, und zwischen seinen Schultern wohnt er.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
Et Benjamin ait: Amantissimus Domini habitabit confidenter in eo: quasi in thalamo tota die morabitur, et inter humeros illius requiescet.