Matthew Henry on Deuteronomy 33:22-25
Here is, I. The blessing of Dan, Deu 33:22. Jacob in his blessing had compared him to a serpent for subtlety; Moses compares him to a lion for courage and resolution: and what could stand before those that had the head of a serpent and the heart of a lion? He is compared to the lions that leaped from Bashan, a mountain noted for fierce lions, whence they came down to leap upon their prey in the plains. This may refer either, 1. To the particular victories obtained by Samson (who was of this tribe) over the Philistines. The Spirit of the Lord began to move him in the camp of Dan when he was very young, as a lion's whelp, so that in his attacks upon the Philistines he surprised them, and overp…
Read the whole note in the consoleJamieson-Fausset-Brown on Deuteronomy 33:23
of Naphtali he said--The pleasant and fertile territory of this tribe lay to "the west," on the borders of lakes Merom and Chinnereth, and to "the south" of the northern Danites.
John Gill on Deuteronomy 33:23
And of Naphtali he said,.... The tribe of Naphtali, as the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem:
O Naphtali, satisfied with favour; with the favour of men, which to have is a great blessing; and as he gave goodly words to others, he had the good word of others, Genesis 49:21; and with the favour of God, as the next clause shows; which is the greatest blessing of all, and is special and peculiar, free and sovereign, and the source of all blessings, temporal and spiritual; and to be full of this, and satisfied of an interest in it, is the highest of enjoyments; and nothing is of a more satisfying nature, it is a feast of itself; see Psalm 63:3,
and full with the blessing of the Lord; as such mu…
Read the whole note in the consoleJohn Calvin on Deuteronomy 33:23-25
And of Naphtali he said. He predicts that God would deal bountifully towards these two tribes; for to the first a fertile district would be allotted towards "the west and the south." What he declares respecting the tribe of Asher is not free from ambiguity; for he is said to be blessed, mvnym, mibanim, i.e., either with children, or above children. If we prefer the former meaning, his prolificness (poluteknia) is celebrated, as though it were said, Asher shall be blessed with a numerous progeny. There may, however, be a comparison between this tribe and the others; and this might justly be made to its advantage, because it had a very fertile district allotted to it, and abounding in wheat of…
