#49 — Parshat Vezot Habracha
Devarim 33:1–34:12
Overview
In Parshat Vezot Habracha we read Moses’ blessing of the tribes of Israel, given before his death. Because there is no one like the G-d of Israel, no one in the end is so blessed as the Israel which is saved by the L-RD. (Deuteronomy 33)
Next we have the account of Moses’ death. Moses is shown the land but cannot enter. Joshua takes his place. But, up to the point when this epilogue to the Torah was written, no prophet so exceptional as Moses – who knew G-d face to face – had arisen in Israel. (Deuteronomy 34) One surpassing Moses, who will even be G-d’s salvation to the ends of the earth, can only be found in G-d’s ultimate servant, the Messiah. (Deuteronomy 18:18, Isaiah 42:1-4, 49:6)
Just Add the King – How the Torah Ends in Blessing
Positive last words
In our previous parshas, Moses predicted Israel would forsake the L-RD and this would have dreadful consequences. But those are not Moses’ last words. His last words in the Torah are his blessing of the tribes of Israel. A blessing that ends on a very hopeful note:
“Blessed are you, O Israel;
Who is like you, a people saved by the L-RD,
Who is the shield of your help
and the sword of your majesty!
So your enemies will cringe before you,
and you will tread upon their high places.” (Deuteronomy 33:29 NASB)
How can Moses close the Torah in this really hopeful and positive way? This is in marked contrast to his negative forecast of Israel’s apostasy in the preceding chapters.
The answer of the Torah and the prophets as a whole is: because of a special king “in whose days Judah will be saved and Israel will dwell securely” (Jeremiah 23:6). But this same foundation of Israel’s hope can also be found at the beginning of Moses’ blessing.
Let there be a King
In the introduction of Moses’ blessing we read: “Moses commanded us a law, an inheritance for the assembly of Jacob.” Then it continues with “And he became king in Jeshurun[1]” (Deuteronomy 33:5) – at least, that is what we read in most English translations. It is what results if we read this verse in Hebrew with the vowel points which the Masoretic scribes added to the text some time in the early Middle Ages.[2]
However, the oldest known Bible translation into Greek (the Septuagint) renders this verse a little bit differently. Not as “And he became king in Jeshurun,” but as “And there will be a ruler in Jeshurun.”
The Targum Yerushalmi, an old Aramaic paraphrase of Deuteronomy 33:5, reads in similar fashion: “And a king shall arise from the house of Jacob, when the heads of the people are gathered together: unto Him shall the tribes of Israel be obedient.”[3]
What is behind these different ways of reading the verse? The variance comes from reading the first word of the verse with slightly different vowel points without changing the actual Hebrew letters: וִיהִי instead of וַיְהִ֥י. And actually, this is the same way the Hebrew is vocalized just one verse later in the blessing of Reuben (verse 6b).[4]
If we follow the way the Targum Yerushalmi translates the verse, we come to a slightly different reading of the Hebrew: “And let there be a king in Jeshurun, when the heads of the people are gathered, the tribes of Israel together.”
That the Greek translation rendered it in a similar way to the Targum Yerushalmi actually makes this the oldest attested Jewish understanding of this verse. If we read it this way, Moses is expressing his hope for the coming of a special king right at the beginning of his blessing. Similarly, Jeremiah connects the dots of Israel’s salvation with a coming king. (Jeremiah 23:6) For the Torah to end in blessing, this promised king is needed.
Bring him to his people
It makes sense that the promise of this king is also on Moses’ mind when he prays his blessing over the tribe of Judah.
“And this he said of Judah:
‘Hear O L-RD, the voice of Judah,
and bring im to his people,
whose hands contend for it,
and may You be a help against his adversaries.’”(Deuteronomy 33:7)[5]
Moses is praying the L-RD will vindicate Judah and make this tribe victorious. In Moses’ prayer he must have been mindful of the blessing Jacob once gave to his sons, in which he said Judah would be victorious. Jacob immediately connected that with the promise of an ultimate ruler from Judah to whom the nations will be obedient. (Genesis 49:8-12) That king, the victorious Lion of Judah, must also have been in Moses’ mind when he said “bring him to his people.”
Moses hopes and prays for the coming of the king of whom Balaam was also forced to prophesy when he had to bless Israel whether he wanted it or not. (Numbers 24:7, 24:17) This is a king who will personally fight for Israel: “Bring him to his people, whose hands contend for it” (Deuteronomy 33:7).
It reminds us of the Messianic King of Psalm 118 who will one day be welcomed with the words: “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the L-RD” (Psalm 118:26).
(see also “the hope of the Hallel” provide link!)
How the King will contend for His people
As we keep reading the Tanakh and see how G-d fulfills the promise of this King, we see this Lion of Judah contends for Israel in a special way. He will, in the end, destroy all enemies[6] but His victory starts with a precision strike. He first crushes the head of the serpent,[7] the deceiver who from the very beginning managed to drive a wedge between G-d and man. This serpent will also cause great suffering to the king, who is the ultimate promised seed of the woman. (Genesis 3:14-15)
(To see how the serpent of Genesis 3 is much more than merely a garden variety snake, see our article on Parshat Bereishit as well as the article The Serpent andthe Sacrifice of the woman’s seed.)
(provide link to both articles!)
The Lion of Judah contends for Israel not only by ultimately destroying all its enemies, but first of all by giving His own life as a sacrifice for sin. (Isaiah 53) In this way He deals with the ultimate threat to mankind: separation from G-d’s blessing and salvation – a separation caused by our sins.
By His sacrifice the Lion of Judah is Israel’s ultimate intercessor and priest. (Isaiah 53:12, Psalm 110:4) Because of His intercession (Jeremiah 30:21), G-d’s covenant purposes will be fulfilled: “You shall be my people, and I will be your G-d” (Jeremiah 30:22). This Servant-King Himself will be “a covenant for the people” (Isaiah 49:8). With His sacrifice for our sins, He establishes a new covenant. (Jeremiah 31:31) His intercession restores forever the relationship with our Creator for all who through faith in the King return to G-d.
That is how the King whom Moses hopes for contends for his people in the first place. When Israel will recognize Him and through Him receive total forgiveness and spiritual renewal, all other enemies will be a small thing to deal with. (Zechariah 12:10, 13:1, 14:3)
Who is this King?
We believe this special King, who indeed is the hope of the Torah, to be Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah. He died for our sins but also rose from the dead according to the scripture and He will return to be Israel’s forever King. Through faith in Him we enter into the New Covenant and receive the circumcision of the heart which the Torah promised would happen. (Deuteronomy 30:6)
Blessed are all who take refuge in Him (Psalm 2:10), because through Him it will one day be fully true: “Blessed are you, O Israel; who is like you, a people saved by the L-RD” (Deuteronomy 33:29).
We would love to talk more with you about this. Don’t hesitate to chat.
Jeshurun is a special name for Israel, with which the L-RD particularly expresses His love for His people. The name may be a play on “Jacob” which has a connection with the Hebrew word for “crookedness”; in contrast, “Jeshurun” seems to be connected with the Hebrew word for “straight” or “upright.”
Although the Masoretic scribes (5th to 10th century CE) did excellent work, and for the most part preserved good and old traditions, they were not infallible. Jewish tradition itself was not completely in agreement on vocalization of the text, as evidenced in this case by the Targum Yerushalmi. The Septuagint, which gives us the oldest evidence how this verse was read by Jewish people during the time of the Second Temple, also indicates another vocalization here.
:וִיקוּם מֶלֶךְ מִדְבֵית יַעֲקב בִּכְנִישׁוּת רָאשֵׁי עַמָא כַּחֲדָא יִשְׁתַּמְעוּן לֵיהּ שִׁבְטַיָא דִבְנֵי יִשְרָאֵל
In this reading, the first syllable of ויהי has a chirik instead of a patach. Further examples are found in Genesis 1:6; Deuteronomy 33:6b, 2 Samuel 24:3; Psalms 72:17 and 90:17.
A direct translation of the Hebrew text of Deuteronomy 33:7:
וְזֹ֣את לִֽיהוּדָה֮ וַיֹּאמַר֒ שְׁמַ֤ע יְהוָה֙ ק֣וֹל יְהוּדָ֔ה וְאֶל־עַמּ֖וֹ תְּבִיאֶ֑נּוּ יָדָיו֙ רָ֣ב ל֔וֹ וְעֵ֥זֶר מִצָּרָ֖יו תִּהְיֶֽהSee, for example, Numbers 24:17, Psalm 2:9 and 110:4-6.