Matthew Henry Commentary Deuteronomy 33:6-23

"Let Reuben live, and not die; Nor let his men be few. And this is [the blessing] of Judah: and he said, Hear, Jehovah, the voice of Judah, And bring him in unto his people. With his hands he contended for himself; And thou shalt be a help against his adversaries. And of Levi he said, Thy Thummim and thy Urim are with thy godly one, Whom thou didst prove at Massah, With whom thou didst strive at the waters of Meribah; Who said of his father, and of his mother, I have not seen him; Neither did he acknowledge his brethren, Nor knew he his own children: For they have observed thy word, And keep thy covenant. They shall teach Jacob thine ordinances, And Israel thy law: They shall put incense before thee, And whole burnt-offering upon thine altar. Bless, Jehovah, his substance, And accept the work of his hands: Smite through the loins of them that rise up against him, And of them that hate him, that they rise not again. Of 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. And 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, And for the precious things of the fruits of the sun, And for the precious things of the growth of the moons, And for the chief things of the ancient mountains, And for the precious things of the everlasting hills, And for the precious things of the earth and the fulness thereof, And the good will of him that dwelt in the bush. Let [the blessing] come upon the head of Joseph, And upon the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren. The firstling of his herd, majesty is his; And his horns are the horns of the wild-ox: With them he shall push the peoples all of them, [even] the ends of the earth: And they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, And they are the thousands of Manasseh. And of Zebulun he said, Rejoice, Zebulun, in thy going out; And, Issachar, in thy tents. They shall call the peoples unto the mountain; There shall they offer sacrifices of righteousness: For they shall suck the abundance of the seas, And the hidden treasures of the sand. And of Gad he said, Blessed be he that enlargeth Gad: He dwelleth as a lioness, And teareth the arm, yea, the crown of the head. 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. And of Dan he said, Dan is a lion`s whelp, That leapeth forth from Bashan. And of Naphtali he said, O Naphtali, satisfied with favor, And full with the blessing of Jehovah, Possess thou the west and the south." — Deuteronomy 33:6-23 (ASV)

The order in which the tribes are blessed here 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 for and desire in all our devotions, whether people accept us or not (2 Corinthians 5:9). This prayer is a prophecy that God will maintain a ministry in His church until the end of time. The tribe of Benjamin had their inheritance close to Mount Zion.

To be situated near the ordinances is a precious gift from the Lord, a privilege not to be exchanged for any worldly advantage or indulgence. We should thankfully receive the earthly blessings sent to us through the successive seasons. But those good gifts which come down from the Father of lights, through the rising of the Sun of righteousness, and the pouring out of His Spirit like the rain that brings fruitfulness, are infinitely more precious as the tokens of His special love. The precious things prayed for here are figures of spiritual blessings in heavenly things by Christ: the gifts, graces, and comforts of the Spirit.

When Moses prays for the good will of Him who dwelt in the bush, he refers to the covenant, on which all our hopes of God's favor must be founded. The providence of God appoints people's habitations and wisely directs them to different employments for the public good. Whatever our place and business are, it is our wisdom and duty to apply ourselves to them; and it is happiness to be well pleased with them. We should not only invite others to the service of God but also abound in it.

The blessing of Naphtali. The favor of God is the only favor that satisfies the soul. Those are truly happy who have the favor of God; and those will have it who consider that in having it they have enough, and desire no more.