Deuteronomy 33:21
19 They shall call the people unto the mountain; there they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness: for they shall suck of the abundance of the seas, and of treasures hid in the sand.
20 And of Gad he said, Blessed be he that enlargeth Gad: he dwelleth as a lion, and teareth the arm with the crown of the head.
And he provided the first part for himself, because there, in a portion of the lawgiver, was he seated; and he came with the heads of the people, he executed the justice of the LORD, and his judgments with Israel.
22 And of Dan he said, Dan is a lion’s whelp: he shall leap from Bashan.
23 And of Naphtali he said, O Naphtali, satisfied with favour, and full with the blessing of the LORD: possess thou the west and the south.
This was said to Israel at a particular time, so it is wise to read it together with the surrounding text. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.
Compare
- BSB
- He chose the best land for himself, because a ruler’s portion was reserved for him there. He came with the leaders of the people; he administered the LORD’s justice and His ordinances for Israel.”
- KJV
- And he provided the first part for himself, because there, in a portion of the lawgiver, was he seated; and he came with the heads of the people, he executed the justice of the LORD, and his judgments with Israel.
- WEB
- He provided the first part for himself, for the lawgiver’s portion was reserved for him. He came with the heads of the people. He executed the righteousness of the LORD, His ordinances with Israel.”
- ASV
- And he provided the first part for himself, For there was the lawgiver`s portion reserved; And he came [with] the heads of the people; He executed the righteousness of Jehovah, And his ordinances with Israel.
- DARBY
- And he provided the first part for himself, For there was reserved the portion of the lawgiver; And he came with the heads of the people; The justice of Jehovah and his judgments Hath he executed with Israel.
- BLB
- And he provided the first for himself because there was reserved a portion of the lawgiver, and He came [with] the heads of the people. The justice of YHWH He administered, and His ordinances with Israel.”
- ÅB
- Han utså seg den første lodd, for der er den del gjemt som lovgiveren har tiltenkt ham; og så dro han fram foran folket; det som var rett for Herren, det som han hadde fastsatt, gjorde han, sammen med Israel.
- OTB
- Han valgte det beste landet for seg selv; lederens del ble holdt for ham. Han kom med folkets hoder; han utførte Herrens rettferdighet og hans forskrifter med Israel.”
- B1930
- Han utså sig den første lodd, for der er den del gjemt som lovgiveren har tiltenkt ham; og så drog han frem foran folket; det som var rett for Herren, det som han hadde fastsatt, gjorde han, sammen med Israel.
Study notes (Tyndale)
Original text and word study
Cross references
Joshua 4:12–13
And the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh, passed over armed before the children of Israel, as Moses spake unto them:
Read in contextJudges 5:2
Praise ye the LORD for the avenging of Israel, when the people willingly offered themselves.
Read in contextNumbers 32:1–6
Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of cattle: and when they saw the land of Jazer, and the land of Gilead, that, behold, the place was a place for cattle;
Read in contextJoshua 22:1–4
Then Joshua called the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh,
Read in contextJudges 5:11
They that are delivered from the noise of archers in the places of drawing water, there shall they rehearse the righteous acts of the LORD, even the righteous acts toward the inhabitants of his villages in Israel: then shall the people of the LORD go down to the gates.
Read in contextJoshua 1:14
Your wives, your little ones, and your cattle, shall remain in the land which Moses gave you on this side Jordan; but ye shall pass before your brethren armed, all the mighty men of valour, and help them;
Read in contextNumbers 32:16–42
And they came near unto him, and said, We will build sheepfolds here for our cattle, and cities for our little ones:
Read in context