The Blessing of Moses
- Now that the song is over, Moses blesses the people, calling them "favorite among peoples" (3). (When you see the word Jeshurun, it's just a poetic name for Israel.)
- Reuben and Judah are blessed, too, and Moses asks God to help Judah defeat his enemies.
- More blessings. This time for the Levites, who judge the people and teach the law.
- Blessings for the tribes of Benjamin and Joseph, too. Who are these guys? Well, Jacob, the father of the Israelites, had two wives named Rachel and Leah. Most of the tribes are descendants of the sons of Leah, but Joseph and Benjamin are the sons of Rachel.
- Joseph is blessed with fruitfulness.
- The blessings continue for Zebulun, Isaachar, Gad, Dan, Naphtali, and Asher (18-25). The tribe of Simeon does not receive a blessing because they have become part of the tribe of Judah. Ouch.
- God rides in the sky, defeats the ancient gods, and protects Israel. The people are happy and have nothing to fear.
- Overall, we'd say this blessing is much more positive than that downer of a song in chapter 33.