John Gill Commentary Deuteronomy 33

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 gifts 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, (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 writer says, on the very day of his death.

And he said
What follows, of which, in some things, he was an eye and ear witness, and in others was inspired by the Spirit of God, to deliver his mind and will concerning the future case and state of the several tribes, after he had observed the common benefit and blessing they all enjoyed, by having such a law given them in the manner it was:

the Lord came from Sinai ;
there he first appeared to Moses, and sent him to Egypt, and wrought miracles by him, and delivered his people Israel from thence, and when they were come to this mount he came down on it, as Aben Ezra, from Gaon, or he came "to" it; so to Zion, (Isaiah 59:20) , is "out of" or "from Zion", (Romans 11:26) ; here he appeared and gave the law, and from there went with Israel through the wilderness, and conducted them to the land of Canaan:

and rose up from Seir unto them :
not to the Edomites which inhabited Seir, as Jarchi and the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem say, but to the Israelites when they compassed the land of Edom; and the Lord was with them, and gave them some signal proofs of his power and providence, kindness and goodness, to them; particularly, as some observe, by appointing a brazen serpent to be erected for the cure those bitten by fiery ones, which was a type of the glorious Redeemer and Saviour, and this was done on the borders of Edom, see (Numbers 21:4Numbers 21:8) ; for the words here denote some illustrious appearance of the Lord, like that of the rising sun; so the Targum of Onkelos,

and he came with ten thousands of saints :
or holy angels, as the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan, and so Jarchi; which sense is confirmed by the authorities of Stephen the protomartyr, and the Apostle Paul, who speak of the law as given by the disposition of angels, they being present, attending and assisting on that solemn occasion, (Acts 7:57) (Galatians 3:19) (Hebrews 2:2) ; see (Psalms 68:17) .

The appearance of those holy spirits in such great numbers added to the grandeur and solemnity of the giving of the holy law to the people of Israel, as the attendance of the same on Christ at his second coming will add to the lustre and glory of it, (Luke 9:26) (2 Thessalonians 1:7 2 Thessalonians 1:8) ;

from his right hand [went] a fiery law for them :
the Israelites; Aben Ezra thinks the phrase, "his right hand", is in connection with the preceding clause; and the sense is, that fire came from the law, thousands of saints were at the right hand of God to surround Israel, as the horses of fire and chariots of fire surrounded Elisha; and the meaning of the last words, "a law for them", a law which stands or abides continually; and so the Septuagint version is,

``at his right hand angels with him:''

no doubt that law is meant which came from God on Mount Sinai, by the ministration of angels, into the hand of Moses; called a fiery law, because it was given out of the midst of the fire, (Deuteronomy 5:26) ; so the Targum of Onkelos, ``the writing of his right hand out of the midst of fire, the law he gave unto us;''

and because of its effects on the consciences of men, where it pierces and penetrates like fire, and works a sense of wrath and fiery indignation in them, by reason of the transgressions of it, it being the ministration of condemnation and death on that account; and, because of its use, it serves as a lantern to the feet, and a light to the path of good men:

this law may include the judicial and ceremonial laws given at this time; but it chiefly respects the moral law, and which may be said to come from God, who, as Creator, has a right to be Governor of his creature, and to enact what laws he pleases, and from his right hand, in allusion to men writing with their right hand, this being written by the finger of God; and because a peculiar gift of his to the Israelites, gifts are given by the right hand of men; and may denote the authority and power with which this law came enforced, and Christ seems to be the person from whose right hand it came: see (Psalms 68:17Psalms 68:18) (Acts 7:38) .

FOOTNOTES:

• F4: Vid. Pirke Eliezer, c. 41.

Yea, he loved the people
The people of Israel, of which his giving the law to them in such a glorious manner was an instance, and was a distinguishing blessing which other nations were not favoured with, see (Deuteronomy 4:6Deuteronomy 4:8) (Psalms 147:19Psalms 147:20) (Romans 9:4) ; how much more is the love of God shown to his spiritual Israel and special people, by giving them his Gospel, the precious truths, promises, and ordinances of it, and, above all, in giving them his Son to be the Redeemer and Saviour of them, as revealed therein! these he embraces in his arms and in his bosom, as the word here signifies; admitting them to great nearness and familiarity with him, to commune with Father, Son, and Spirit, to a participation of all the blessings of grace here, and to the enjoyment of glory hereafter:

all his saints [are] in your hand ;
not the sons of Levi, who were round about the ark, as Aben Ezra interprets it; rather all the people of Israel, who were chosen to be an holy people to the Lord above all people, and who were the care of his providence, protected by your power, and guided with your right hand; and were in a wonderful manner kept and preserved by him, both at the time of the giving of the law, and in their passage through the wilderness; it is eminently true of the chosen people of God, who are given to Christ, and made his care and charge, as all such who are sanctified and set apart by God the Father are, they are preserved in Christ, (Jude 1:1) ; and these are sanctified in and by Christ, and by the Spirit of Christ, and so may be truly called his saints; and they are in the hands of Christ, as dear to him as his right hand, highly valued by him, held in his right hand; they are in his possession, are his peculiar people, portion, and inheritance, they are at his dispose, under his guidance and direction; and are in his custody and under his protection, and where they are safe from every enemy, and can never be snatched, taken, or removed from thence; see (John 10:28John 10:29) ; here they are put by the Father, as an instance of his love to them, and care of them, though not without the consent and desire of the Son, and this was done in eternity, when they were chosen in him:

and they sat down at your feet ;
which may respect the position of the Israelites at the bottom of Mount Sinai, while the law was giving, which may be said to be the feet of the Lord, he being on the top of the mount, see (Exodus 19:17Exodus 19:18) (24:10) ; all the Targums interpret it of the feet of the cloud of glory, they pitching their tents where that rested, (Numbers 9:17Numbers 9:18) ; some think it an allusion to scholars sitting at the feet of their masters to receive instructions from them, see (Acts 22:3) ; so the disciples and followers of Christ sit at his feet, attending on his word and ordinances with calmness and serenity of mind, with much spiritual pleasure and delight, and where they continue and abide; and which may denote their modesty and humility, their subjection to his ordinances, and readiness to receive his doctrines, and their perseverance in them, see (Mark 5:15) (Luke 10:39) (Song of Solomon 2:3) ; the word signifies, in the Arabic language, to sit down at a table ^F5 , and so the word is used in the Arabic version of (Matthew 8:11) (Luke 11:37) ; and the ancient manner being reclining, the guests might be said to sit at the feet of each, especially at the feet of the master; so Christ sits at his table, and his people with him at his feet, (Song of Solomon 1:12) ;

[everyone] shall receive of your words ;
of the words of the law, as the Israelites, who heard them and promised obedience to them, (Exodus 24:7) ; and would hear and receive them again, (Joshua 8:34Joshua 8:35) ; and so Christ's disciples, everyone of them that has heard and learned of the Father, and comes to him, and believes in him, receives the words or doctrines given him by the Father, (John 17:8) ; so as to understand them, approve of them, love them, believe them, and act according to them; these they receive into their hearts as well as into their heads, with all readiness, gladness, and meekness; even everyone of the persons before described or loved by the Lord, are in the hands of Christ and sitting at his feet.

FOOTNOTES:

• F5: Hence (akt), "a table", with the Talmudists. T. Bab. Beracot, fol. 42. 1. Pesach. fol. 110. 2. Kiddushin, fol. 81. 1.

Moses commanded us a law
The law was of God, it came forth from his right hand, (Deuteronomy 33:2) ; it is of his enacting, a declaration of his will, and has his authority stamped upon it, who is the lawgiver, and which lays under obligation to regard it; but it was delivered to Moses, and by him to the children of Israel, on whom he urged obedience to it; and so it is said to come by him, and sometimes is called the law of Moses, see (John 1:17) (John 7:19John 7:23) (8:5) ;

[even] the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob ;
which either describes the persons who were commanded to keep the law, the tribes of Jacob or congregation of Israel, who were the Lord's people, portion, and inheritance, (Deuteronomy 32:9) ; or the law commanded, which was to be valued, not only as a peculiar treasure, but to be considered a possession, an estate, an inheritance, to be continued among them, and to be transmitted to their posterity, see (Psalms 119:111) ; these are the words of the people of Israel, and therefore are thus prefaced in the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem, ``the children of Israel said, Moses commanded'' they were represented by Moses.

And he was king in Jeshurun
That is, in Israel, or over the people of Israel, of which name of theirs, (See Gill on Deuteronomy 32:15); either God, as Jarchi; for the government of the Israelites was a theocracy, and their laws were immediately from God, and by him they were guided and directed in all things; wherefore, when they were so importunate for a change in their government, and to have a king over them, they are said to reject the Lord, that he should not reign over them, (1 Samuel 8:7) ; or Moses, as Aben Ezra on the place, Maimonides ^F6 , and others ^F7 ; who, under God, had the civil government of the Hebrews; both may be received, God was the supreme Governor, and Moses the chief magistrate under him:

when the heads of Israel [and] the tribes of the people were gathered
together ;
at Mount Sinai, to hear the law there and then given, or to hear it repeated by Moses, as in this book of Deuteronomy, who were at different times convened together for that purpose, see (Deuteronomy 1:1) (5:1) ; next follow the particular blessings of the several tribes, beginning with Reuben the firstborn.