Deuteronomy 33 · Verse 13

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,
Deuteronomy 33:13, King James Version

Deuteronomy 33:13 in other translations

BSBConcerning Joseph he said: “May his land be blessed by the LORD with the precious dew from heaven above and the deep waters that lie beneath,
WEBAbout Joseph he said, “His land is blessed by the LORD, for the precious things of the heavens, for the dew, for the deep that couches beneath,
ASVAnd 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,
YLTAnd of Joseph he said: --Blessed of Jehovah is his land, By precious things of the heavens, By dew, and by the deep crouching beneath,
DARBYAnd 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,
BBEAnd of Joseph he said, Let the blessing of the Lord be on his land; for the good things of heaven on high, and the deep waters flowing under the earth,
WebsterAnd 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?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Deuteronomy 33:13-17
13-17. of Joseph he said--The territory of this tribe, diversified by hill and dale, wood and water, would be rich in all the productions--olives, grapes, figs, &c., which are reared in a mountainous region, as well as in the grain and herbs that grow in the level fields. "The firstling of the bullock and the horns of the unicorn" (rhinoceros), indicate glory and strength, and it is supposed that under these emblems were shadowed forth the triumphs of Joshua and the new kingdom of Jeroboam, both of whom were of Ephraim (compare Ge 48:20).

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

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 13 Blessed - be his land - The whole of this passage certainly relates to the peculiar fertility of the soil in the portion that fell to this tribe which, the Jews say, yielded a greater abundance of all good things than any other part of the promised land. The precious things of heaven - The peculiar mildness and salubrity of its atmosphere. For the dew - A plentiful supply of which was a great blessing in the dry soil of a hot climate. The deep that coucheth beneath - Probably referring to the plentiful supply of water which should be found in digging wells: hence the Septuagint have αβυσσων πηγων, fountains of the deeps. Some suppose there has been a slight change made in the word מטל mittal, for the dew, which was probably at first מעל meal, From Above, and then the passage would read thus: For the precious things of heaven From Above, and for the deep that coucheth Beneath. This reading is confirmed by several of Kennicott's and De Rossi's MSS. The Syriac and Chaldee have both readings: The dew of heaven from above.

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 33:13 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.

וּלְיוֹסֵ֣ףu.le.yo.Sefand of JosephH3130
אָמַ֔ר'a.Marhe saidH559
מְבֹרֶ֥כֶתme.vo.Re.khet[be] blessed ofH1288
יְהֹוָ֖הYah.wehYahwehH3068
אַרְצ֑וֹ'ar.Tzoland hisH776
מִמֶּ֤גֶדmi.Me.gedfrom [the] excellent gift ofH4022
שָׁמַ֙יִם֙sha.Ma.yimheavenH8064
מִטָּ֔לmi.Talfrom [the] dewH2919
וּמִתְּה֖וֹםu.mi.te.Homand from [the] deepH8415
רֹבֶ֥צֶתro.Ve.tzet[which] liesH7257
תָּֽחַת\׃Ta.chatbeneathH8478

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

Cross references for Deuteronomy 33:13

  • Genesis 49:22-26

    Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall: The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him: But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:) Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb: …

  • Micah 5:7

    And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people as a dew from the Lord, as the showers upon the grass, that tarrieth not for man, nor waiteth for the sons of men.

  • Proverbs 3:20

    By his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew.

  • Genesis 27:28-29

    Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine: Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother’s sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee.

  • Isaiah 18:4

    For so the Lord said unto me, I will take my rest, and I will consider in my dwelling place like a clear heat upon herbs, and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.

  • Proverbs 19:12

    The king’s wrath is as the roaring of a lion; but his favour is as dew upon the grass.

  • Hosea 14:5

    I will be as the dew unto Israel: he shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon.

  • Zechariah 8:12

    For the seed shall be prosperous; the vine shall give her fruit, and the ground shall give her increase, and the heavens shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things.

  • Psalms 110:3

    Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.

  • Genesis 48:15-20

    And he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day, The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth. And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him: and he held up his father’s hand, to remove it from Ephraim’s head unto Manasseh’s head. And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this is the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head. …

  • Job 29:19

    My root was spread out by the waters, and the dew lay all night upon my branch.

  • Deuteronomy 32:2

    My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass:

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Joseph.
Ge 48:5,9,15-20; 49:22-26
the dew.
32:2; Ge 27:28,29; Job 29:19; Ps 110:3; Pr 3:20; 19:12; Isa 18:4
Ho 14:5; Mic 5:7; Zec 8:12

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

Context

  • 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,

  • Deuteronomy 33:14

    And for the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, and for the precious things put forth by the moon,

Read all of Deuteronomy 33

Deuteronomy 33:13 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y á José dijo: Bendita de Jehová su tierra, por los regalos de los cielos, por el rocío, y por el abismo que abajo yace,
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et de Joseph il dit: Son pays soit béni par l’ Éternel de ce qu’il y a de plus précieux au ciel, de la rosée, et de ce qui vient des profondeurs qui gisent en bas;
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und von Joseph sprach er: Gesegnet von Jehova sei sein Land-vom Köstlichsten des Himmels, vom Tau, und von der Tiefe, die unten lagert;
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Joseph quoque ait: De benedictione Domini terra ejus, de pomis cæli, et rore, atque abysso subjacente.