Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy
Chapter 33
Ver. 1. Blessing. The Fathers, St. Augustine, (q. 56,) &c., explain this of the Christian Church, rather than of the Synagogue. (Theodoret) --- Man of God. A title given to a prophet, 1 Kings ii. 27., and ix. 6. The prophets often speak of things to come, as if they were past, as we have seen in the conduct of Balaam, Numbers xxiv. 3. Moses here delivers his last testament, and speaks as one no longer in the world, so that there is no reason to affirm that this chapter has been added by another hand; (Calmet) though Kennicott thinks it probable. He suggests, that the first verses of this blessing have been corrupted in the Hebrew and should be translated: 2. He, Jehovah, came from Sinai, and he arose upon them from Seir; (Judges v. 4.) 3. He shone forth from Mount Pharan, and he came from Meriba-Cadesh. (Numbers xx. 1. 13.) From his right hand a fire shone forth upon them. 4. Truly he loved the people, and he blessed all his saints. 5. For they fell down at his feet, and they received of his words. 6. He commanded us a law, the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob. 7. And He became king in Jeshurun, when the heads of the people were assembled, together with the tribes of Israel. See (Dis. i. p. 423,) the arguments which he produces in favour of this version. (Haydock)
Ver. 2. Pharan. Habacuc iii. 3, mentions this apparition. See also Psalm lxvii. 9. --- Saints. God was accompanied by legions of angels, when he delivered the law to the Israelites, who are styled a nation of saints, Numbers xvi. 3. Septuagint, "he hastened from Mount Pharan, with ten thousands to Cades. At his right hand are his angels attending." (Haydock) --- Kodesh does not mean saints, but holiness, or the city of Cades; and the preceding word, which Protestants translate, with ten thousands, more probably refers to another title of the city, as it is specified Meriba-Cadesh, chap. xxxii. 51., and Ezechiel xlviii. 28. (Kennicott) --- Law. Chaldean, "from the midst of the fire he has given us a law, written with his own hand." We may translate, "He hath shone from Mount Pharan, and multitudes accompanied him. The Holy One, who hath in his hand fire and the law." See Isaias vi. 3. God conducted his people, like a victorious general, through the wilderness, frequently appearing to them to strike terror into the rebellious. (Calmet) --- When he first descended upon Sinai, his glory shone on Pharan and Seir, as it were in its progress thither. (Menochius) --- The law is styled fiery, not only because it was given from the midst of flames, but also because it was to be put in execution with the utmost rigour. (Haydock) --- But doth is Chaldean, and no where else used for the law in the books written before the captivity, nor is it acknowledged by the Septuagint, Syriac, &c. Perhaps it was originally aur, as it is in the Samaritan version, "shone forth," conformably to a similar passage, Habacuc iii. 4. "His brightness was as the sun, horns, or rather splendours (issuing forth) from his hand," &c. (Kennicott)
Ver. 3. People, (populos.) God loves and watches over all, but particularly (Calmet) over the nation which he has chosen. (Chaldean) See Wisdom iii. 1., and Isaias xlix. 16. --- Doctrine. It was formerly the custom for disciples to sit at their master's feet, (Acts xxii. 3,) as it is still in the eastern countries. (Bellon. iii. 12.) Septuagint, "and these are under thee;" (Haydock) subject to thy orders. (Calmet) --- Hebrew is here extremely confused: "Yea, he loved the people; all his saints are in thy hand, and they sat down at thy feet; every one shall receive of thy words." Moses here addresses the Lord. How could he say therefore, all his, &c.? whose saints, and in whose hand? The Vulgate and Chaldean have not the same difficulty, as they read, in his hand, bidu. But the Syriac has, "and he blessed all his saints." Boroc is not very unlike the present Hebrew bidoc, (Kennicott) r and d being frequently mistaken for each other, and i as often neglected by the Hebrew copyists. (Haydock) --- The Samaritan version confirms this alteration; and the text also has the v, and, at the beginning, which makes the whole to be clearly connected, particularly if we allow that c, which stands for thy, has been substituted for v, his, in the following words, thy feet and thy words, which ought to be his, as all the context speaks of God in the third person. This is agreeable to the Vulgate and to the Septuagint also, in the last instance. In the former, the Hebrew is printed thy foot, though the Samaritan and several manuscripts read thy feet. Instead of yissa, "he shall receive," (Haydock) the plural ought to be substituted, v being omitted both at the beginning and end, as it is in the name of Benaihu, 1 Paralipomenon xi. 22. See 2 Kings xxiii. 20. The Samaritan, Syriac, and Arabic, read and they received, (Kennicott) and the Vulgate, they shall receive. The Septuagint seem to refer this to Moses, "And Moses received from his words, the law which he enjoined to us." (Haydock) --- That Moses should speak of himself, in this manner, seems very unaccountable, and therefore a word may perhaps have crept in, on account of its resemblance with the following term, Mursse. If it has not, Moses must have assumed the title of king, (ver. 5,) which he seems nevertheless to have disclaimed; (chap. xvii. 14,) and there was none in Israel before Saul, 1 Kings viii. 7. (Kennicott)
--- We may, however, suppose that he puts these words in the mouths of the people, who would repeat this blessing after he was dead, and mention with gratitude, how Moses had delivered to them so excellent a law, and administered the affairs of state with all the power and dignity of a king. (Haydock)
Ver. 4. Moses. He expresses himself as if the people were speaking. The change of persons is very frequent in this discourse. --- Inheritance. So the psalmist (Psalm cxviii. 111,) says, I have purchased thy testimonies for an inheritance for ever. (Calmet)
Ver. 5. He shall, &c. Erit rex, may perhaps be as well rendered indefinitely, "There shall be a king;" or, with the Septuagint, "And there shall be over the beloved a ruler," as (Haydock) some understand this of Moses, others of Saul, though it most probably refers to God himself, who gave the law, and was acknowledged, in the most solemn manner, for the king of Israel. --- Right. Hebrew yishurun, a term which St. Jerome translates, with the Septuagint, (Calmet) chap. xxxii. 15, the beloved, as it is supposed to be a diminutive of Israel, to express greater tenderness. Thus Cicero called his daughter Tulliola. (Haydock)
Ver. 6. Number. This is conformable to the prophecy of Jacob, who deprived Ruben of his birth-right, on account of incest. He is even treated with indulgence, in being permitted to form one of the tribes. Yet some copies of the Septuagint, Syriac, (Theodoret q. 42,) and many interpreters, take this in a quite contrary sense, "let him be numerous, or not few;" the negation being supplied from the former part of the verse, which is not unusual in Hebrew. See Genesis ii. 6., Psalm ix. 19., and Proverbs xxxi. 1, &c. The tribe of Ruben was in effect more numerous than those of Gad, Joseph, or Benjamin. Simeon receives no blessing, probably on account of the crimes for which so many of that tribe were exterminated, (Numbers i. 23., and xxvi. 14.; Calmet,) and particularly Zambri, one of the chief princes, Numbers xxv. (Worthington) --- But Grabe's Septuagint applies to Simeon what the rest attribute to Ruben. "And let Simeon be many in number." No solid reason can be given why he should be passed over entirely, as, notwithstanding the infidelity of some of his children, and his own cruelty in not endeavouring to rescue Joseph, &c., he was to form a tribe among his brethren. (Haydock) --- Some, therefore, imagine that he was to share in the blessings of Ruben, or of Levi, (with whom he is joined by Jacob, Genesis xlix. 5,) or of Juda, near whom he had his allotment of the promised land. Part of the tribe of Simeon afterwards dwelt in the territories of Juda, Josue xix. 1., 1 Paralipomenon iv. 42., and Judges i. 3. But (Calmet) it is more likely that the name has been omitted or changed in the original, by the mistake of some early transcriber, in like manner as the tribe of Manasses, included in that of Joseph, seems to have been placed for that of Dan, which otherwise would be omitted, Apocalypse vii. 6, 8. Some have recourse to a mystery in both these places. (Haydock)
Ver. 7. Of Juda, "when he goes to war, and bring him back in peace to his people." (Onkelos) --- The general made a solemn prayer on such occasions; and the Psalm xix. was composed, and is still used, to draw down God's blessing in times of war. Moses thus clearly insinuates that the tribe of Juda should obtain the sovereign authority, though it would not be without opposition, that Israel would submit to David. He begs that God would remove all obstacles. This tribe was always distinguished for its valour. It was directed by God to attack the Chanaanites, under Othoniel, Judges i. 2. But its chief glory appeared under the reigns of David and Solomon. The other tribes were scarcely a match for the single tribe of Juda. (Calmet) --- And he, God. (Menochius) --- If God be for us, who is against us? (Romans viii. 31.) (Haydock)
Ver. 8. Holy man. Aaron and his successors in the priesthood. (Challoner) --- They were adorned with the Urim and Thummim, which are here rendered perfection and doctrine. (Calmet) --- Septuagint, "give to Levi his insignia, (délous) and his truth, to the holy man, the same whom they tried at the temptation, they spoke ill of him at the waters," &c. It was in consequence of the seditious conduct of the Israelites that the two brothers betrayed a want of confidence in God, and were excluded from the land of promise, as Moses often reminds them, chap. iii. 26. (Haydock) --- Temptation. The place which goes by this name is at Raphidim, near Horeb, Exodus xvii. 6. But the word here probably includes all the other places, where the Hebrews tempted God, and particularly that, where so holy a man as Aaron was permitted to fall. (Calmet) (Numbers xx. 12.) --- The priesthood is the peculiar blessing and honour of the tribe of Levi. (Menochius)