Deuteronomy 33:16

16 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.

Deuteronomy 33:16 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 33:16

And for the precious things of the earth, and fulness
thereof
Corn of all sorts produced out of the earth, and grass that grows out of it, and cattle that feed upon it; for all which some part of the land of Joseph, particularly Bashan, was famous; as for the oaks that grew on it, so for the pasturage of it, and the cattle it bred, ( Deuteronomy 32:14 ) ; see ( Psalms 22:12 ) ;

and [for] the good will of him that dwelt in the bush;
the angel of the Lord, the Word and Son of God, who appeared to Moses in the bush, and made himself known as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and expressed his good will to Israel, by sending Moses to deliver them out of their bondage: and the favour and good will of the same divine Person is here wished for, and which has appeared in his assumption of human nature, obedience, sufferings, and death, ( Luke 2:14 ) . The bush was an emblem of Israel, and the state they were then in, and of the church of Christ; of which (See Gill on Exodus 3:2); and where Christ may be said to dwell, as he did among men, when he was made flesh, and does dwell in the midst of his churches, and in the hearts of his people by faith:

let [the blessing] come upon the head of Joseph;
that is, in all things, as Onkelos; or all these blessings, as the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem; all before mentioned, let them come openly and visibly, and in great plenty, upon the posterity of Joseph, who was a type of Christ, the head of the righteous, on whom all the blessings of grace are, and from whom they descend to all his spiritual offspring, ( Proverbs 10:6 ) ( Ephesians 1:3 ) ;

and upon the top of the head of him [that was] separated from his
brethren;
when he was sold by them into Egypt; the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem are,

``and was shining in the glory of his brethren;''

that is, when he was a ruler in Egypt, and had honour from his brethren there, and was beautiful and glorious among them, as a Nazarite, as the word here used signifies, see ( Lamentations 4:7 ) ; and may he applied to Christ, who was chosen from among the people, and separated from sinners, and called a Nazarene, ( Psalms 89:19 ) ( Hebrews 7:26 ) ( Matthew 1:23 ) .

Deuteronomy 33:16 In-Context

14 with the choice fruits of the sun, and the rich yield of the months;
15 with the finest produce of the ancient mountains, and the abundance of the everlasting hills;
16 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.
17 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.
18 And of Zebulun he said: Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out; and Issachar, in your tents.

Footnotes 1

New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.