How to Pray Four Kinds of Blessings (Deut 33.6-29)
May Reuben live, and not die out,
even though his numbers are few.And this he said of Judah:
O LORD, give heed to Judah,
and bring him to his people;
strengthen his hands for him,
and be a help against his adversaries.And of Levi he said:
Give to Levi your Thummim,
and your Urim to your loyal one,
whom you tested at Massah,
with whom you contended at the waters of
Meribah;
who said of his father and mother,
“I regard them not”;
he ignored his kin,
and did not acknowledge his children.For they observed your word,
and kept your covenant.They teach Jacob your ordinances,
and Israel your law;
they place incense before you,
and whole burnt offerings on your altar.Bless, O LORD, his substance,
and accept the work of his hands;
crush the loins of his adversaries,
of those that hate him, so that they do not rise
again.Of Benjamin he said:
The beloved of the LORD rests in safety—
the High God surrounds him all day long—
the beloved rests between his shoulders.And of Joseph he said:
Blessed by the LORD be his land,
with the choice gifts of heaven above,
and of the deep that lies beneath;
with the choice fruits of the sun,
and the rich yield of the months;
with the finest produce of the ancient mountains,
and the abundance of the everlasting hills;
with the choice gifts of the earth and its fullness,
and the favor of the one who dwells on Sinai.Let these come on the head of Joseph,
on the brow of the prince among his brothers.
A firstborn bull—majesty is his!His horns are the horns of a wild ox;
with them he gores the peoples,
driving them to the ends of the earth;
such are the myriads of Ephraim,
such the thousands of Manasseh.And of Zebulun he said:
Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out;
and Issachar, in your tents.They call peoples to the mountain;
there they offer the right sacrifices;
for they suck the affluence of the seas
and the hidden treasures of the sand.And of Gad he said:
Blessed be the enlargement of Gad!
Gad lives like a lion;
he tears at arm and scalp.He chose the best for himself,
for there a commander’s allotment was
reserved;
he came at the head of the people,
he executed the justice of the LORD,
and his ordinances for Israel.And of Dan he said:
Dan is a lion’s whelp
that leaps forth from Bashan.And of Naphtali he said:
O Naphtali, sated with favor,
full of the blessing of the LORD,
possess the west and the south.And of Asher he said:
Most blessed of sons be Asher;
may he be the favorite of his brothers,
and may he dip his foot in oil.Your bars are iron and bronze;
and as your days, so is your strength.There is none like God, O Jeshurun,
who rides through the heavens to your help,
majestic through the skies.He subdues the ancient gods,
shatters the forces of old;
he drove out the enemy before you,
and said, “Destroy!”So Israel lives in safety,
untroubled is Jacob’s abode
in a land of grain and wine,
where the heavens drop down dew.Happy are you, O Israel! Who is like you,
a people saved by the LORD,
the shield of your help,
and the sword of your triumph!Your enemies shall come fawning to you,
Deuteronomy 33.6-29
and you shall tread on their backs.
Background
The last prayer in the book of Deuteronomy is a blessing—actually a series of blessings—given by Moses upon the tribes of Israel. The blessings are specific to these ancient tribes, so it might seem there is not much for us to learn about our own prayer-blessings. But a little understanding about the geographic and historical context of these tribes presents some key insights about blessing-prayers.
The passage begins with a brief summary of what the Israelites have been through since they left Egypt (33.2–5).1 After the summary, the blessings follow one after the other for each tribe.2 As noted above, many of the blessings merely ask that the tribe survive. The blessing of Reuben (32.6) takes its form because the tribe had lost many of its members and was in danger of extinction. Likewise, the second blessing, on Judah (32.7) asks for continued strength against enemies. So, a blessing can request a status quo—even the bare minimum—depending on the circumstances.
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