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Portion NITZAVIM (29:10 - 30:20) |
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Portion VA-YELECH (31:1-30) CHAPTER 31 1. And Moshe went [va-yelech] and spoke these words to all of Israel, Went: more literally, walked. He was probably walking throughout the camp, "reviewing his troops" before "retiring". These words: the preceding charges. 2. and told them, "Today I am 120 years old; I may no longer go out or come in. Moreover, YHWH has told me, ‘You will not cross over this Yarden.' I may not: could be translated "cannot", but we are told in 34:7 that his natural strength had not abated. Rather, he no longer had permission to make his own decisions, because YHWH had set 120 years as the limit of human life (Gen. 6:3). So when Moshe reached his 120th birthday, he knew his time had come to die. But despite his shortcomings, his heart had been for YHWH, so He gave him the full allotment of days on earth. 3. "YHWH your Elohim is the One who will cross over ahead of you. He will overthrow these nations from before you, and you will dispossess them. Y'hoshua is the one who will cross over before you, as YHWH has promised. Overthrow: or annihilate. YHWH is the one... Y'hoshua is the one: The same claim is made for Y'hoshua that is made for YHWH. This is a picture of the later Y'hoshua (of which Yahshua, the Messiah's name is a shortened version), who would so fully express what YHWH, whom no one can ever see (Yochanan/John 1:18; 6:46; 1 Yoch. 4:12), was like, that he could say, "Whoever has seen me has seen the Father." (Yoch. 14:9) Indeed, he defeated our enemies and preceded us into the Kingdom as the firstfruits of the resurrection (1 Cor. 15:20-23), the Head of a Body that he is still assembling. This is another reason Moshe [who also symbolizes the Torah] could not lead the people into the Promised Land; that task was reserved for the one with the same name as the Messiah. (Compare Romans 8:23) 4. "Then YHWH will do to them as He did to Sichon and Og, kings of the Emorites, and to their land, which He devastated along with them. Which He destroyed: yet chapter 3 described how the Israelites defeated them in battle, and no distinction is made between what He accomplished and what they carried out. It is teamwork; we act as His hand. He takes responsibility, so the slaughter was completely just. In the book of Esther and even in events like the Holocaust we see the results of King Sha'ul's failure to carry out the same type of complete destruction of the Amaleqites, against whom YHWH had sworn eternal enmity. They always remained a thorn in Israel's flesh. 5. "And YHWH will deliver them over before your face, so that you may deal with them according to all the orders that I have given you. Deliver them over: or "give them up". 6. "[So] be resolute and courageous; do not be terrified or tremble at their faces, for YHWH your Elohim is the One who goes with you. He will not [release His grip and] withdraw from you, nor will He abandon you." Resolute: or strong, bold. Do not be terrified: Hirsch, "Do not panic"; also can mean, "do not show respect", because to fear anything but YHWH is to give it more recognition than it deserves, when He has already promised to do what it appears they will interfere with. King Sha'ul did show respect for the king of the Amaleqites, perhaps since he came from a long dynasty and Sha'ul was just getting a kingdom started. But it only spelled trouble for Israel for generations to come. Tremble: let yourself be oppressed or harassed. Courageous: or fully alert; if we are lulled to sleep, we will be taken captive even if we are strong, like Shimshon (Samson). You are in His hand, which is a fist against them, and He will not open it and give them access to you. Nor will he let go of you. 7. Then Moshe summoned Y'hoshua, and told him in the sight of all Israel, "Be resolute and courageous, because you must go with this people into the Land that YHWH swore to their ancestors that He would give to them, and you will make it possible for them to acquire it. Make it possible...: or you will accomplish their inheriting it as a possession. 8. "Moreover, YHWH is the One going before you; He will be with you. He will not withdraw from you nor abandon you. Do not be terrified or confounded." Confounded: could be translated "be frightened" or "go to pieces", because the word means to shatter or break up, because this is what happens to our minds when we are dismayed and panic. This command is reiterated in many ways, since when YHWH has made a promise, no other appearance of reality is meant to influence us. 9. Then Moshe wrote this instruction down, and entrusted it to the priests--the descendants of Levi who carried the ark of YHWH's covenant--and to all the elders of Israel. He had written some of it down earlier. (Ex. 24:7; 34:27) 10. Moshe also gave them orders, saying, "At the end of [every] seven years, at the appointed time of the year of release [from debts], during the feast of Sukkoth, Sukkoth: booths or temporary dwellings. 11. "when all Israel has come in to present themselves before YHWH your Elohim at the place where He will deem acceptable, you shall read this instruction in the presence of all Israel, within their hearing. Within their hearing: literally, "into their ears". Read: or recite, proclaim. 12. "Call the nation to assemble together--men, women, toddlers, and the sojourner who is within your gates--so that they may hear and learn, and stand in awe of YHWH your Elohim, and take pains to carry out all the words of this instruction [Torah]. Learn: based on a word meaning "be goaded" or "prodded"--an unpopular concept today, but one which has worked for countless generations before us. 13. "Then their children, who have not been acquainted [with it] will hear and learn to reverence YHWH your Elohim all the days which you live on the Land that you are crossing the Yarden over there to take possession of." 14. Then YHWH told Moshe, "Indeed, your days are drawing near when you must die. Summon Y'hoshua and [both of you] present yourselves at the Tent of Appointment so that I may ordain him." So Moshe and Y'hoshua went and presented themselves at the Tent of Appointment. Ordain him: give him his orders, officially appoint him to his position. 15. Then YHWH appeared at the Tent in a cloudy column, and the cloudy column remained above the door of the Tent. Above the door: or "by the door", of which the two pillars in front of Shlomo's temple may have been reminiscent, as it appears that they held up nothing in particular. 16. Then YHWH told Moshe, "Behold, you are going to lie down with your ancestors, but this people will rise up and commit adultery, following the gods of the strangers of the Land into whose midst they are going, and will leave Me behind, and violate My covenant which I have cut with them. Commit adultery: Hirsch, "become addicted to". Strangers: aliens, unrecognized people, those unknown to them. Leave Me behind: forsake, abandon, desert, let Me loose Yahshua specifically said that whoever "loosens" the least commandment will be called least in the Kingdom of heaven (Mat. 5:19). Violate: break or annul. 17. "Then My nostrils will burn against it on that day, and I will leave them behind and conceal My face from them, and they will be [given over] to destruction and encounter many miseries and distresses, so that they will say on that day, ‘Haven't these miseries come upon us because our Elohim is not in our midst?' It: i.e., this people. Leave them behind: a term also used for loosing a wife from her marriage so that she is no longer bound to one's house. We see this theme in the book of Hoshea. Destruction: literally, being consumed. Distresses: straits, tight spots, adversities, vexations. That Day: often an idiom for the day of YHWH when both the time of "Yaaqov's trouble" and the Messianic Kingdom will take place. Yet Isaiah 54:8 tells us that the hiding of His face is only for a brief moment in comparison with the kindness and mercy He will again have after that. 18. "But I will indeed hide My face on that day, because of all the evils that they have brought about in having turned to other gods. 19. "So write down this song for yourselves, then, and teach it to the descendants of Israel. Put it in their mouths so that this song will be a witness for Me against the descendants of Israel, 20. "because I will bring them into the Land that I swore to their ancestors--[one] gushing with milk and honey--and they will eat and be satisfied, and grow robust. Then they will turn [their face] toward other gods and serve them, and despise Me and violate My covenant. 21. "Then when many miseries and distresses have found them, this song will serve as evidence in their faces as a witness [against them], since it will not be forgotten from the mouths of their descendants --because I know the plan that they are [already] concocting today, before I [even] bring them into the Land as I swore [I would]!" Plan: inclination, framework, imagination, purpose they are forming. Not be forgotten: or fade; a catchy song is the most efficient way to memorize its content; it stays in one's mind much longer than mere spoken words. 22. So Moshe wrote down this song that [same] day, and taught it to the descendants of Israel. 23. Then he gave orders to Y'hoshua the son of Nun, and said, "Be resolute and courageous, because you will bring the descendants of Israel into the Land that I promised to them, and I Myself will be with you." Again Y'hoshua is told he will accomplish what YHWH said He Himself would do. 24. And so it was that when Moshe had finished writing the words of this instruction in a document until they were [entirely] complete, Complete: This does not mention an oral Torah, but says, as elsewhere, that he wrote down all its words. Tradition is valuable in clarifying what some of the words meant, or how they were interpreted in ancient times, but as we can see in the Mishnah and Talmud in which it was finally written down, oral tradition often draws on many opinions about how it should be interpreted, and so is not as authoritative as Scripture is. 25. Moshe ordered the Levites who were carrying the ark of YHWH's covenant, 26. "Take this document [scroll] of the instruction, and place it at the side of the ark of the covenant of YHWH your Elohim, so that it may become a witness against you there, The congregation itself was meant to be YHWH's witness, so in a way the scroll was a witness against the witness, if they should depart from this calling. Like the Sabbath, the Ark is a sign of the covenant. With the Torah beside it, the theme of the Two Witnesses that runs throughout Scripture shows up here again. 27. "because I am [well] acquainted with your rebellion and your stiff neck. Look how rebellious you have been against YHWH while I am still alive with you today! And how much more after I have died? Rebellion: or bitterness. 28. "Assemble together for me all the elders of your tribes, along with your officials, so I may speak these words in their hearing, and invoke heaven and earth as witnesses against them, Hearing: literally, their ears. Invoke: "summon". Calling forth the strongest witness available was the common way to end a covenant-ratifying ceremony. 29. "Since I am aware that after my death you will ruin [yourselves] with perversion, and turn away from the course [of life] that I have placed upon you, and misery will meet you in the latter days, because you will do evil in the sight of YHWH, provoking Him to anger with the work of your hands." 30. Then Moshe quoted the words of this song in the hearing of all Israel, up to [their] conclusion: What follows (in the next portion) is the song that is spoken of all through the above passage. |
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Portion HA-AZINU (32:1-52) CHAPTER 32 1. "Cup your ears [ha'azinu], O heavens, and I will speak, and take heed, O earth, to the words of my mouth! This is a classic pattern in Hebrew poetry, which employs nearly synonymous phrases in parallel form, with just a slight difference in order to draw a contrast or make the range of meaning clearer by tightening the precision where there could be ambiguity. 2. "My persuasive teaching will drop like the rain; my utterance will trickle down [distill] like the dew or the misty rain on the tender herbage, and like the heavy showers upon the grass, Dew: a reminder of the manna, which fell at the same time as the dew. Like the rain, He can be gentle to those just beginning to grow, lavish toward those firmly planted, who have the capacity for much more. He never stops teaching; we just have to have ears to hear. At the end of the festival of Sukkoth, which falls the week after this portion is read, it is customary to pray for rain, so that it does not come during the harvest or during the three festivals that follow, one of which requires the walk up to Yerushalayim. 3. "Because I will proclaim [publish] the Name of YHWH; ascribe greatness to our Elohim, This passage is read on the week of Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement). Even during the periods in history when YHWH's name was not mentioned out of either reverence or superstition, on Yom Kippur it was uttered several times publicly by the High Priest. His true name will be made known; interestingly, however, when Yonah was preaching at Nin'veh (with the deadline for repentance being Yom Kippur), he used only the more generic name "Elohim", perhaps because he wanted to see how they responded before revealing His true name to them. The word for "provlaim" has the connotation of suddenly encountering the person called, and seizing him, as YHWH's name did for Moshe at the burning bush. His Name was the proof to the Israelites that he was the deliverer they were awaiting. 4. "the Rock; His work is perfect [complete, blameless], because all His ways are justice--an Elohim of faithfulness [steadfastness] and without crookedness; [He is] righteous and upright. 5. "He has not corrupted Himself; sons of his [are the ones who] are defective. [They are] a generation tied in knots and twisted. Generation: Heb., dor, from a word meaning to go around in a complete cycle. (We start a new one with each generation.) But the idea of a cycle links us with the festivals (chag, which means to dance in a circle, for they fall on a yearly cycle as well). His calendar has been corrupted by both the addition of paganism and the setting up of human predictions of when the festivals will fall, when in actuality they are to be based on the sighting of the new moon, which no one can predict with absolute certainty. This year the fall festivals as scheduled were off by one day. Like a knotted, crooked extension cord, we sometimes have to go have to go nearly back to the other end before we can find the source of the tangle. The schedule was set up some 1,000 years ago, and Constantine"changed the times and seasons" for the Christian calendar nearly 1,700 years ago. (See note on v. 7.) 6. "Is this how yo compensate YHWH, O senseless people with no skill? Isn't He indeed your father who purchased you? Hasn't He made you and set you up [established you]? 7. "Remember the days of a time long past, gain an understanding of the years of generation upon generation. Inquire of your Father, and He will make it evident to you; [of] your elders [ancient ancestors], and they will tell you. Both houses of Israel are at fault for twisting His ways, and, in the context of being the generation that remembers His Torah after going astray (ch. 31), we have to look back to the ancient paths and discern where the twists and turns are, in order to right the wrongs. "Time long past" here can also mean "eternity", and indeed we, who are at the end of the six "working days" of human history have the unique opportunity of looking back on them all, as archaeology is uncovering facts hidden for so many generations. We can piece things back together, but we must do it this way--by seeking the eternal way, not the modern one, because it alone holds the key to our future. 8. "When the Most High allotted the nations their inheritance, when He separated the sons of Adam abroad, He appointed the territorial boundaries of the peoples in accordance with the count of the descendants of Israel, In Genesis 10:32, seventy nations are listed as stemming from Noach's three sons, and at the time Yaaqov's clan entered Egypt (Gen. 46:27), there were 70 members thereof. Y'shua sent out 70 disciples as a symbolic prelude to opening redemption to the whole world. Sha'ul gives us more insight into this enigmatic verse in Romans 11, where he explains that through Israel's stumbling, the nations would have an opportunity for redemption. Since Israel was doing a very poor job at being a light to the nations, YHWH used a roundabout means to get this done: While preserving one segment of the nation faithful to His covenant, He chose to work differently through another segment: He let the natural bent toward being like the other nations get the better of them, then sent them out into all the nations, and when the one of the two concurrent times of punishment for their spiritual adultery (outlined in Hoshea) had run its course, He sent a kinsman Redeemer from Yehudah to proclaim that though it was not yet time for the national salvation of the northern Kingdom (cf. Acts 1:6-8), individuals could be restored to the status of being "in covenant" and "His people". But to inform them, emissaries had to go out among all nations and locate those from Efrayim who had been "mixed with the nations", and since it was uncertain which of the "Gentiles" they were, in the process the word got out to those who were truly Gentiles as well, and whoever wished to join His covenant from among the nations was prvileged to do so as well. 9. "Because YHWH's share is His people; Yaaqov is the measuring-cord of His property. I.e., wherever Yaaqov's descendants went, YHWH had a right to bring redemption, though there was a "god of this world" who had legitimate right to any who remained in rebellion against YHWH. Since they were scattered among all nations, Y'shua had "all authority in heaven and earth" (Matt. 28:18) to reclaim anyone within any of the nations,because Israel was present in every one in order to stake His claim, and thus they did not need to remain in ignorance, unable to respond to an Elohim they had never heard of. 10. "He found [acquired] him [Yaaqov] in an uninhabited land--in empty, desolate [territory inhabited only by] howling [beasts]. He encompassed him and gave him understanding; He guarded him like the pupil of his eye. He did not select one of the existing nations, but found someone "neutral". He birthed a nation out of another nation, and did so again when they were not a nation, but an enslaved people. He brought them to a neutral place that belonged to none of the nations, and gave him instruction (Torah), so that this amazing salvage of the human race gone bad could be carried out in seemingly impossible circumstances. Pupil of his eye: literally the deepest, darkest part. A carrion-eating bird will pick at the eye of an animal first, assuming that if it does not defend even its eye, it is dead. So YHWH guarded this choice weapon that He kept hidden in His quiver and used it in a surprise attack on the adversary. 11. "As an eagle stirs up her nest and flutters [hovers] over her young, stretches out her wings, picks them up, and carries them on her pinions, 12. "YHWH alone guided him; there was no foreign god with him. Foreign god: the word can mean "recognized"--seemingly the opposite, but in this context it could fit, since He brought them into "no man's land" to make them a nation. In some ancient texts, verse 8 actually reads "according to the count of the sons of Elohim", a phrase usually meaning spirit-beings (cf. Gen. 6:2ff), a class of angels ("gods") who each had some authority over the earth and its particular communities of inhabitants (e.g., Iyov/Job 1:6; 2:1 and Daniel's princes of Persia and Greece). Thus, here it could be restating the idea that YHWH fought against the "gods" of Egypt (Exodus 12:12) to redeem them, because they did not belong to any one of the nations, but only to Him as His direct heirs and emissaries, and brought them into a place that was under the jurisdiction of no constituted "deity"; He created a new nation to be a priest to the others and thus eventually redeem people from these spirits that were often no more benevolent to their worshippers than their human counterparts. 13. "He caused him to mount and ride on the high ridges of the earth, so that he could eat the produce of the field; he caused him to suck honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock-- Suck honey: some see this as a reference to petroleum deposits that are deep beneath Israel, which have not yet been exploited. Oil: often a symbol for the illumination and anointing of the Spirit of Holiness, as well as soothing ointment. Flinty rock: or hard, healthy; from the word for "dream" in Hebrew, hence seemingly a roundabout allusion to Joseph. 14. "Butter from heifers and milk from the flocks, the choicest of rams, and Bashan-class rams, goats, along with the finest vessels of wheat, and you drank the pure red "blood" of grapes. 15. "But Yeshurun [the upright, straight, pleasing one] grew fat, and started kicking. (You have grown fat--grossly so--gorged to the point of satiety [and stubborn].) And he deserted Elohim, the One who made him, and treated the Rock of his deliverance as unimportant. 16. "They provoked him to jealousy with gods alienated [from him]; with disgusting things they provoked him to anger. 17. "They slaughtered [sacrifices] to devastators [demons] instead of to Eloah; to gods [elohim] that they were not acquainted with--new ones that [just] came lately, whom your fathers never shivered about. Eloah: the singular form of Elohim, stressing His particularity. 18. "You are unmindful of the Rock that gave you birth, and have let the El who waited anxiously for you and writhed in anguish to bear you [just] fade from your memory! 19. "When YHWH saw this, He abhorred them because of the vexation of His sons and daughters. 20. "He said, 'I will hide My face from them; I will watch what they will [turn out to be] later, because they are a fickle generation [easily reversed]--children in whom there is no trust[worthiness]. Later: this is their salvation, because "later" He promised to restore them. 21. "They have excited My jealousy with a "non-El"; they have provoked Me to anger with what is nothing [their vanities]. So I will excite them to jealousy by a "non-people", and provoke them to anger with a senseless [foolish, swarming] nation, There could be a double reference here: the northern Kingdom is later called "not My people" but rather are identified as Gentiles for a time, yet later would be called His people again, in a way that provokes Judah to jealousy (Rom. 11:11) We are also called to be "fools for Messiah's sake" (1 Cor. 4:10) in a way. Another level of interpretation may be that He will use a non-nation that claims to be a nation, the Palestinians, to vex Israel (not just in the Land, but stir up the exiles to return as well), by their foolishness, exemplified by their paying grand sums of money to families who will set their women and children in the front lines of fire to become martyrs with false hopes of going to Paradise thereby, in a staged-for-TV ploy to make the world think the Israelis are the aggressors. 22. "because a fire is kindled in My nose, and will burn [even] to the lowest underworld [or grave]. It will consume the Land along with its produce, and set on fire [scorch] the foundations of the mountains. Mountains: often specifically a reference to the holy sites of the Temple Mount, Mt. Sinai, and Mt. Tsion. The top of Mt. Sinai was scorched, but the people were standing at the bottom of the mountain (Ex. 19:17). At the Temple Mount, the foundation could refer to the Western Wall and/or the area of "Solomon's stables" that was desecrated by the Muslims while building their new mosque in 1999. 23. "I will heap miseries upon them; I will use up [all] My arrows on them. 24. "Exhaustion from being famished, consumed [embattled, depleted] by burning inflammation, a bitter cutting-off and teeth of beasts will I send on them, along with the poison of things that crawl in the dust. Burning inflammation...beasts: translated by some as "flaming demons". This could stand up in the context of "beasts", which the book of Revelation seems to link with demonically-led men or organizations. 25. "The sword outside and terror in the innermost rooms shall bereave both the [chosen] young man and the virgin [maiden], the nursing child along with the gray-haired man. Outside…innermost rooms: could this refer to wars on the borders and terrorists in Yerushalayim? 26. "I said, 'I would shatter them into pieces; I would cause the memory of them to cease from among mortal men 27. "except that I was afraid of the provocation of the enemy, lest their oppressors should misconstrue it and say, 'Our hand is raised up high, and it is not YHWH who has done all this', 28. "because they are a nation that has strayed away from [good] counsel [advice], and there is no understanding [insight] among them. 29. "If only they were wise, they would comprehend [and act circumspectly] and would perceive [discern, consider] their ultimate future! 30. "How could one chase a thousand, and a couple [of them] put multiple thousands to flight, if it weren't that their Rock had sold them, and YHWH had hemmed them in [given them over]? Only if YHWH surrenders Israel can it fall. 31. "Because their rock [strength] is nothing like our Rock, even in our enemies' assessment! 32. "For their vine is from the vine of S'dom, and [it is] from the [blasted] fields of 'Amorrah. Their grapes are grapes of [poisonous] hemlock; their clusters are bitter gall. 33. "Their wine is the burning heat of dragons, and the cruel [fierce] venom of cobras [vipers]. This "burning wine" could also be a reference to hot blood, especially considering that most Arabs do not drink wine! But the United Nations are probably included in this list of "enemies" as well. 34. "Isn't this indeed stored up with Me, and sealed up among My storehouses of treasure? 35. "Vengeance is Mine, and complete repayment. In due time, their foot will slip [be dislodged], for the day of their calamity is near, and the impending things stored up for them are hurrying [toward them], 36. "because YHWH will vindicate [plead the cause of] and have compassion on His servants, when He sees that their strength [hand] is exhausted [has evaporated], and none but the detainees and abandoned are left. 37. "And He will say, 'Where is their god--their rock, to which they fled for protection, 38. "'who ate the fat of their offerings, and drank the wine of their libations? Let them rise up and support you, and be your shelter [now]!' 39. "Consider now that I Myself am He, and there is no god with Me. I [am the One who] puts to death or allows to live; I wound, and I heal, and there is no one who can snatch [anything] out of My hand. 40. "Because I lift up My hand to heaven and declare, 'I am alive eternally. 41. "'If I sharpen My flashing sword, and My hand takes hold of the procedures of justice, I will turn vengeance back on those who afflict Me, and I will make a complete compensation for those who hate Me. 42. "I will make My arrows drunk with blood, and My sword will devour flesh. With the blood of the fatally wounded and of those taken captive, from the head of the leaders of the enemy. 43. "Rejoice, O nations [who are] His people, for He will avenge the blood of His servants and turn punishment back on His adversaries, and will make atonement for His Land and His people!" Nations [Gentiles] who are His people: those both of the scattered House of Efrayim, who mixed themselves with and lost their identity among the nations, essentially becoming Gentiles for all intents and purposes, and those who actually have no Israelite blood in them, but have become Israelites in heart--for they are the ones in love with the Land and seeking atonement from Him, as on the Day of Atonement which falls right around the time this portion is normally read. 44. Then Moshe came and quoted all the words of this song in the people's ears--[both] he and Hoshea [Y'hoshua] the son of Nun. In their ears: He taught them the words and the catchy tune that would keep it ringing through their heads as a deterrent to sinning. 45. When Moshe finished declaring all these words to the whole of Israel, 46. he told them, "Direct your hearts toward all that I am causing to testify to you today--words which you shall order your children to guard and to carry out--all the words of this instruction, 47. "because it is not a meaningless [empty] matter to you, since it is your life, and by this word you shall prolong your days in the land to which you are crossing [the] Yarden to take possession of." 48. And YHWH spoke to Moshe the very same day, saying, Very same: again, the word means "bone" or "body part", emphasizing that it was connected to what went before. 49. "Climb up onto this mountain of the regions across--Mount Nevo, which is in the land of Moav facing Yericho, and gaze into the land of Kanaan, which I am giving to the descendants of Israel as inherited property, 50. "then [you are to] die on the mountain that you climb, and be gathered away to your people, just as your brother Aharon died on Mount Hor and was gathered away to his people 51. "because you have acted unfaithfully toward me in the midst of the descendants of Israel at the Waters of Holy Strife in Wilderness of Tsin, in that you did not honor Me as holy in the midst of the descendants of Israel. Waters of Holy Strife: or "waters of strife at Qadesh". Tsin means "flat". 52. "Still, you may view [perceive, inspect, consider] the land across from you, but you may not enter into the land which I am giving to the descendants of Israel." |
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Portion V'ZOT HA-B'RACHAH (33-34) CHAPTER 33 1. Now this is the blessing [V'zot haB'rachah] with which Moshe, the man of Elohim, blessed the descendants of Israel before [in the face of] his death: 2. He said, "YHWH came from Sinai, and broke out for them from Seir; He shone forth from the mountains of Paran, and He arrived from [among] multitudes of holy ones. From His right hand [came] a flaming decree for them. Seir: the mountains in the land of Edom, near Petra in Jordan today. Paran: west of the Aravah, south of the main inhabited area of Kanaan. Multitudes: myriads (tens of thousands or even millions). Right hand: a title for the Messiah. 3. "Furthermore, He [is the one who] loves the people; all His set-apart ones are in your hand, and assembled [lay down] at your feet. [Each] bears up from Your words. 4. "Moshe appointed instruction for us--the inheritance of the congregation of Yaaqov, 5. "and he became king in Yeshurun when the heads of the nation, the branches of Israel, had gathered themselves as one. Or "when the heads of the people had gathered themselves, the tribes of Israel [being] as one. 6. "May Reuven live and not die, and let his persons be counted. This may refer to the pardon of the son who took his father's concubine, so that his descendants would not be barred from inheriting along with the other tribes. 7. And this for Yehudah: he said, "O YHWH, hearken to the voice of Yehudah, and bring him near to his people; his hands are strong for him, and You will be the One who helps him from his straits [oppressors]." 8. And for Levi, he said, "Your thummim and your urim are for your devout man whom you proved at Massah [the place of testing]; against him you contended over the waters of Merivah [strife]-- Thummim...urim: perfections and lights, which comprise part of the high priest's equipment. Devout man whom you proved: perhaps a reference to Y'shua, the "rock" and "messenger" that followed them through these wilderness wanderings. Undoubtedly all of these descriptions have a prophetic reference to the latter days as well. 9. "the one who tells his father and mother, 'I have not seen [considered, perceived] Him.' Neither did he acknowledge his brothers or recognize his [own] children, because they have preserved Your utterance and [faithfully] kept guard over Your covenant. 10. "They will teach [throw] Your [proper legal] customs to Yaaqov, and Your instruction to Israel. They will set incense before You, and a whole burnt offering upon Your altar. They will teach: or "Let them teach..." 11. "Bless, O YHWH, his substance [ability, army], and accept [be pleased with] the things done by his hands. Shatter the hips [slender parts] of those who rise up against him, and keep those who hate him from rising up! 12. For Binyamin he said, "YHWH's beloved will dwell in confidence [security] beside [over] him, as a covering [shield] over him all day [long], and he shall dwell between His shoulders." The Temple at Yerushalayim was located in Binyamin's tribal land. 13. For Yoseyf he said, "His land is that which is blessed by YHWH from the best [precious excellencies] of heaven, from the dew, and from the depth that stretches out beneath, 14. "and from the best products yielded by the sun, and for the precious things driven by the lunar cycles, Lunar cycles: or months. This might refer to the sea tides, but also and probably more importantly, to the new moons and the significance they have in determining the times of YHWH's holy appointments each year Interestingly, it is the house of Yoseyf that is re-establishing the observance of new moons, more so than the house of Yehudah, though there has always been a remnant of the latter who marked them to some extent. 15. "and from the tops of the ancient [eastern] mountains and the best of the everlasting hills, 16. "and from the excellencies of the earth and its fullness, and the goodwill of the One who resides in the bush--may it come upon the head of Yoseyf and on the top of the head of the one consecrated [kept sacredly separate] [from] his brothers. Fullness: Yaaqov prophesied that Yoseyf's son Efrayim would become "the fullness of the nations" (Gen. 48:19; cf. Rom. 11:25). The bush: perhaps an allusion to the burning bush in which YHWH confronted Moshe. Separated from his brothers: not only historically in the man Yoseyf himself, but also his descendants, who have been apart from Yehudah for so long, yet have been given significant spiritual blessings as well. 17. "His honor [majesty] is like the firstborn of his ox, and his horns are like the horns of a re'em. With them he shall push [thrust] the peoples together [from the] ends of the earth, and they are the myriads of Efrayim and the thousands of Menashe." Re'em: a unicorn or another extinct beast, perhaps belonging to the ox family, since the horns are plural here. Yoseyf's "horns" are his two sons, sent out into all the world to bring together the nations or ethnic groupings. Those who have delved most deeply into the wanderings of the "lost" tribes (often all grouped under Efrayim in scripture) have deduced that Efrayim can largely be represented today by the British Empire, and Menashe by the United States--the two nations that have in the latter days sent more people to the "ends of the earth" (cf. Markos 13:27; Acts of the Envoys 1:8) for the purpose of placing all nations under one King, though only recently has it come back to light that the purpose is actually to regather all Israel to become a literal kingdom. 18. To Zevulun he said, "Be glad, O Zevulun, in your going forth, and Issachar, in your tents. 19. "They will summon the people to the mountain; there they will slaughter sacrifices of justice, because they will suck bounty from oceans and treasures hidden [in] whirling sand." Whirling sand: or writhing dance. 20. For Gad he said, "Blessed is the One who widens Gad; he settles down like a [roaring] lion, and tears in pieces an arm, and more--[the] top of a head. Widens: implicitly, to make more room for him. An arm: forearm or shoulder, or, by extension, strength or forces. 21. "He also eyes the choice part for himself, because there a portion of one who enacts decrees is boarded over, and he arrived [bringing] heads of the nation; he carried out YHWH's justice and His rulings with Israel." Eyes the choice [first, best] part--again, like a lion. A portion: or a slippery parcel of ground. "A portion...boarded over": alt., "part of a lawgiver is seated". 22. For Dan he said, "Dan is a lion's cub; he will leap from the Bashan." Bashan: today called the Golan Heights, and this is where the tribe of Dan later captured and inhabited a city (Laish), though it was not their original tribal territory. (Judges 18) 23. To Nafthali he said, "O Nafthali, abounding in favor and filled with the blessing of YHWH, take possession of [occupy] the west and the south." West and south: or "the sea and southward". The tribal land of Nafthali stretched along the western shore of the Sea of Galilee (Kinneret). 23. For Asher he said, "Asher is blessed with children; may he be pleasing [acceptable] to his brothers, and dip [plunge] his foot into oil. Asher's tribal land is shaped like a shoe facing south, with the Karmel/Haifa Peninsula being the tongue and its bay the opening. American oilman "Hayseed" Stephens has discovered oil reserves deep beneath the area which forms the "toe" of this shoe! 25. "Your shoe-latches shall be iron and bronze; and as your days, so your affluence [will be]. Again the imagery of the shoe shows up in the first phrase! Affluence: perhaps "strength", but apparently from a root meaning "to flow" and related to a verb meaning "to glide over". A shoe dipped in oil would certainly do that! 26. "There is none like the El of Yeshurun, who mounts and rides the sky to [become] your help, and the clouds in His majesty. Yeshurun: "the upright one", another name for Israel. To become: literally "in", but understandable as "moving toward", or "concerning". 27. "The ancient Elohim is your refuge [dwelling-place], and underneath is the eternal shoulder. And He will drive out the enemy from before your face, and say, 'Annihilate!' Shoulder: or arm, a symbol of strength. The term used here is also used as a title for the Messiah. 28. "Then Israel will settle down in safety, separately. Yaaqov's fountain [eye] shall be on a land of grain and freshly-pressed wine; moreover, his skies will drop down dew. 29. "O Israel, you are happy! Who is like you, O people being liberated by YHWH? [He is] the defense shield surrounding you with help and the one who is the sword of your majesty! Those who treat you with hostility will cringe in feigned obedience to you, and you will march on their high ridges." Happy: the word is much richer in Hebrew than the English one, which is related to mere "happenstance". It is based on advancing in a straight line, making progress, and being set right, not just being blessed materially. March...high ridges: or "tread down their cultic worship platforms" (i.e., in desecration of false gods). CHAPTER 34 1. Then Moshe climbed from the plains of Moav to the mountains of Nevo, to the head of the summit which faces Yericho, and YHWH let him see all the land--Gil'ad to Dan, Gil'ad: directly north of Mt. Nevo. Dan: now at the extreme north of Israel, but originally its tribal land was on the coast near present-day Tel Aviv. 2. and all Nafthali, the land of Efrayim and Menashe, the whole land of Yehudah to the sea on the far western side, 3. and the Negev [southland], and the district of the plain of Yericho, the city of palm trees, to Tsoar. City of palm trees: it still is that today. Tsoar: the small town at the southern end of the Dead Sea to which Lot asked permission to flee temporarily after the destruction of S'dom and Ghamorah. 4. And YHWH told him, "This is the land which I swore to Avraham, Yitzhaq, and Yaaqov, saying, 'I will give it to your descendants'. I have enabled you to see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over to there." 5. Then Moshe the servant of YHWH died there in the land of Moav, according to YHWH's declaration [mouth]. 6. Then He buried him in a steep gorge in the land of Moav, toward Beyth-Pe'or [place of the cleft], but until this day no one knows the site of his burial. Considering how the brass serpent he made became an object of idolization later, how much more would the body of Moshe be idolized? (See note on 3:26) Yehudah (Jude) verse 9 confirms a tradition that the archangel Michael disputed with the devil about Moshe's body. Perhaps the latter laid some claim to it, but it appears that if Rev. 11 is to be fulfilled literally, Moshe's body may again be needed, as one of the two witnesses is said to do the very same things that Moshe did. If so, this would be a unique case, because he would then have to die twice physically before being finally resurrected. 7. So Moshe was 120 years old when he died; his eye had not grown dim, nor had his vigor departed. Vigor: or freshness; literally, moisture. 8. Then the descendants of Israel bewailed Moshe on the plains of Moav for thirty days, then the days of weeping and the period of mourning for Moshe were completed. 9. But Y'hoshua the son of Nun became filled with the spirit of wisdom, because Moshe had leaned his hands on him, and the descendants of Israel listened to him, and did as YHWH had commanded Moshe. 10. And since then, there has not arisen a prophet like Moshe, whom YHWH recognized face to face, Since then: Clearly this was written before the time of Y'shua, because as 18:18 promised, there did arise another prophet like him, and people recognized that Y'shua was the one (Yochanan/John 7:40). However, he has not yet completely fulfilled that role as described in the following two verses. But he will, and "blessed is the one who does not stumble on account of" this delay! 11. With respect to all the signs [tokens] and outstanding miracles that YHWH sent him to do in the land of Egypt for Pharaoh and for all his servants and to all his land, 12. and with respect to all the firmness of hand and with regard to all the great awe-inspiring acts which Moshe carried out in the eyes of all Israel. |
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