This is a short passage but its statements can challenge the Bible student. Moses continues to bless the tribes of Israel before his death. In these verses, he blesses five of the tribes; six, if we count Joseph as the two tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim. Do not expect to understand all the statements of this passage the first time you study it. This is a passage to come back to as you grow in understanding.

What Does It Say?

1. Of Benjamin, Moses says that the Lord shall _________ him all the day long, and he shall dwell between his ___________.            
2. Let the blessing come upon the _______ of Joseph, and upon the top of the _________ of him that was _____________ from his brethren.
3. Rejoice, Zebulun, in thy _________ out; and Issachar, in thy _________.
4. When called to the mountain, the people will offer the sacrifices of ________________.
5. Gad was seated in a portion of the _____________.

What Does It Mean?

1. Of Benjamin, Moses says in verse 12, “The beloved of the LORD shall dwell in safety by him.’ Many commentators say that the beloved of the Lord is Benjamin. But it is more likely that Benjamin is “him” and that “the beloved of the LORD” is the one who will dwell safely by Benjamin. Benjamin was a small tribe in territory, but was placed next to the tribe of Judah. In fact, the territory of Benjamin surrounded the city of Jerusalem on three sides: east, west, and north. Jerusalem was the place God chose for His temple and His earthly presence. See also verses like Matthew 3:17And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
   See All...; Matthew 12:18Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.
   See All...; Matthew 17:5While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.
   See All...; Ephesians 1:6To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
   See All.... Who do you think is the beloved of the Lord? Why?
2. Verses 13-16 pronounce a blessing on Joseph and on the tribes that come from him. Using the word “for” as a key word, count the number of blessings that are pronounced on Joseph. Compare this with the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23 [22] But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, [23] Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
   See All... and the blessings from the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:3-11 [3] Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. [4] Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. [5] Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. [6] Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. [7] Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. [8] Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. [9] Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. [10] Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. [11] Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
   See All..., also known as the beatitudes. Using these lists, tell what number you think some Bible students say has a connection to fruitfulness.
3. Verse 17 refers to the two sons of Joseph and their respective tribes: Ephraim and Manasseh. It mentions the ten thousands of Ephraim and the thousands of Manasseh. Why does Moses make the distinction between the ten thousands and the thousands? What does the similar phrasing mean in 1 Samuel 18:6-8 [6] And it came to pass as they came, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of musick. [7] And the women answered one another as they played, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands. [8] And Saul was very wroth, and the saying displeased him; and he said, They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom?
   See All... in reference to Saul and David? Read the story of Genesis 48:1-22 [1] And it came to pass after these things, that one told Joseph, Behold, thy father is sick: and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. [2] And one told Jacob, and said, Behold, thy son Joseph cometh unto thee: and Israel strengthened himself, and sat upon the bed. [3] And Jacob said unto Joseph, God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me, [4] And said unto me, Behold, I will make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, and I will make of thee a multitude of people; and will give this land to thy seed after thee for an everlasting possession. [5] And now thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, which were born unto thee in the land of Egypt before I came unto thee into Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine. [6] And thy issue, which thou begettest after them, shall be thine, and shall be called after the name of their brethren in their inheritance. [7] And as for me, when I came from Padan, Rachel died by me in the land of Canaan in the way, when yet there was but a little way to come unto Ephrath: and I buried her there in the way of Ephrath; the same is Bethlehem. [8] And Israel beheld Joseph's sons, and said, Who are these? [9] And Joseph said unto his father, They are my sons, whom God hath given me in this place. And he said, Bring them, I pray thee, unto me, and I will bless them. [10] Now the eyes of Israel were dim for age, so that he could not see. And he brought them near unto him; and he kissed them, and embraced them. [11] And Israel said unto Joseph, I had not thought to see thy face: and, lo, God hath shewed me also thy seed. [12] And Joseph brought them out from between his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth. [13] And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel's right hand, and brought them near unto him. [14] And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh's head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh was the firstborn. [15] And he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day, [16] The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth. [17] And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him: and he held up his father's hand, to remove it from Ephraim's head unto Manasseh's head. [18] And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this is the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head. [19] And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations. [20] And he blessed them that day, saying, In thee shall Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh: and he set Ephraim before Manasseh. [21] And Israel said unto Joseph, Behold, I die: but God shall be with you, and bring you again unto the land of your fathers. [22] Moreover I have given to thee one portion above thy brethren, which I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow.
   See All..., especially verse 19. How does this help explain the phrasing in Deuteronomy 33:17His glory is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns: with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth: and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh.
   See All...?

What Does It Mean to Me?

1. Verse 16 speaks of “the good will of him that dwelt in the bush.” To what is this referring? See Exodus 3:1-6 [1] Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. [2] And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. [3] And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. [4] And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. [5] And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. [6] Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.
   See All...; Matthew 12:26And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?
   See All...; Acts 7:30And when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sina an angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush.
   See All..., 35. Why do you think this incident is recalled here? How can this be a blessing to us today? 
2. The tribe of Gad is mentioned in verses 20-21. He is said to dwell as a lion and to tear the arm with the crown of the head. Without trying to interpret too closely, we can see that Gad is a fierce tribe. According to Genesis 30:11And Leah said, A troop cometh: and she called his name Gad.
   See All..., his name means “A troop cometh.” In 1 Chronicles 12:8And of the Gadites there separated themselves unto David into the hold to the wilderness men of might, and men of war fit for the battle, that could handle shield and buckler, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and were as swift as the roes upon the mountains;
   See All..., men from Gad are called “men of might, and men of war fit for the battle, that could handle shield and buckler, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and were as swift as the roes upon the mountains.” The tribe of Gad settled on the east side of the Jordan River in an area that acted as a frontier land for Israel. Why do you think they were such a warlike people? The prophet Elijah was evidently from the land and tribe of Gad (1 Kings 17:1And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.
   See All...). In what ways does his life and ministry fit the warlike Gadites? Is there still a need for fierce men of God? For what purposes might God need a Gadite today? What are some times when you should be like Gad in your own Christian life?