And this is the blessing, wherewith Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death.
This is the blessing, wherewith Moses ... blessed the children of Israel. Conformably to what was alluded to formerly (see the note at Deuteronomy 31:24), some writers maintain that this chapter was put in a written record by a writer subsequent to, or at least other than, Moses. Kennicott, who espouses this view, supports it on the following grounds:
(1) Because in this Book of Deuteronomy, Moses usually speaks of himself in the first person, while here the third is assumed.
(2) Because, although "man of God" was an epithet applied to a prophet (1 Samuel 2:27), Moses was not likely to assume so high-sounding an epithet to himself.
(3) Because the recorder speaks of himself as one of the people, who was subject to the official authority of Moses.
On these and other grounds, he concluded that the following series of benedictions was recorded by a person who heard them pronounced by Moses, and prefixed the preface contained in Deuteronomy 33:1-5: "This is the blessing wherewith Moses blessed the children of Israel."
In this solemn act he delivered, like Jacob, ministerially, before his death, a prophetic blessing. The "blessing" consisted partly in praying, through faith, for a blessing upon them, and partly in preintimating the blessings which God would bestow upon each separate tribe. The prophets are frequently said to do what they only foretell would be done (Genesis 49:7; Jeremiah 1:1-19; Jeremiah 2:1-37; Jeremiah 3:1-25; Jeremiah 4:1-31; Jeremiah 5:1-31; Jeremiah 6:1-30; Jeremiah 7:1-34; Jeremiah 8:1-22; Jeremiah 9:1-26; Jeremiah 10:1-25; Ezekiel 43:3; Hosea 6:5).
Some critics allege that there is an inconsistency between this and the preceding chapter. But the object contemplated in the two passages is widely different. Deuteronomy 33:1-29 contains a very noble ode, in which the method of the divine judgments is unfolded, in order to vindicate the ways of Yahweh to Israel. The present chapter records a valedictory address of the venerable leader, who takes farewell of the people by pronouncing an appropriate benediction on each tribe in succession.