Seder 107: Numbers 6:22-27---Numerical Patterns and Pronoun Ambiguity in the Priestly Blessing

The literary beauty of the priestly blessing in Numbers 6:22-27 has often been observed.  In the three lines of the blessing, there are 

• three Hebrew words in line 1, five in line 2, and 7 in line 3;
• 12 syllables in line 1, 14 in line 2, and 16 in line 3;
• 15 consonants in line 1, 20 in line 2, 25 in line 3.

Commentator Michael Morales notes that three of the words in the blessing are the divine name.  There are 12 additional words, he says, "reflecting YHWH's presence among the twelve tribes of Israel."

This section concludes with a summary in verse 27:  "So shall they put my name upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them."  In context, "they" in "so shall they" refers to Aaron and his sons, the priests.  In "I will bless them," the pronoun "them" could presumably refer to either the priests or the Israelites in general.  As Kyle Kettering pointed out in a sermon at Church of the Messiah on March 14, 2026, it is a great privilege to be used by God to bless others.

Seder 6 Sermon: Lifting One's Soul to God in Psalm 25

 On November 18, 2023, Kyle Kettering gave a sermon at Church of the Messiah on Psalm 25.  He told us that this lament psalm is traditionally known as the "falling on one's face" prayer.  The psalmist (presumably David) confesses his sins and does not justify himself.

The psalm opens, "To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul."  What does it mean to lift one's soul to God?  It could be that David intends to offer himself to God completely, as a "living sacrifice" of the type described in Romans 12:1-2.  

A question arises in regard to verse 11:  "For your name's sake, O Lord, pardon my guilt, for it is great."  What is the antecedent of the pronoun "it"?  Is it the psalmist's guilt that is great, or God's name?  A tradition recorded in Leviticus Rabbah suggests that both are in view, since it is only a great God who forigves great sins.  

Kyle observed that the lament is grounded in covenant trust and expectation.  The psalmist prays that God remember his mercy rather than the psalmist's sins, in accordance with his nature and character (verses 6-7).  

Psalm 25 is one of eight acrostic psalms in the psalter.  The acrostic is not perfect, however; it lacks two letters---kuph and vav.  It is natural to ask if there is some message in this omission.  Kyle offered some possibilities.  

One is that kuph and vav can be combined to form kav, a word for a straight line or plumb line, a cord, or a statute or precept, as in Isa 28:10, 13.  Certainly the psalmist here desires for God to teach him, to show him the way to go.  We all need God to show us the way, and God teaches those who acknowledge their shortcomings and submit to him (vv 8-9).

Seder 162: Deuteronomy 33-34---Blessings for the Tribes of Israel; Death of Moses

 At the end of his life, Moses conveys blessings on the tribes of Israel.  It is natural to compare these blessings in Dt 33 with those given by Jacob in Genesis 49.  

The statements in Genesis 49 are sometimes personal, directed at specific deeds of Jacob's sons.  Here I am thinking particularly of what Jacob says to Reuben, who had slept with his wife Bilhah (Ge 35:22; 49:3-4); and what he says to Simeon and Levi, whom he rebukes for their role in the massacre at Shechem (Ge 34:25-31; 49:5-7).

On the other hand, the blessings in Deuteronomy seem to be more general and eschatological, looking beyond the problems foreseen in Dt 31-32 to a time of abundance in the Promised Land.  There is nothing negative in the pronouncements of Deuteronomy 33.  An eschatological thrust is evident, for example, in verse 19:  "They shall call peoples to their mountain; there they offer right sacrifices."  This verse is part of the blessing of Zebulun and Issachar, but can be seen in reference to Israel's role in bringing blessing to the nations, as in Isaiah 2:2-3.

The order in which the blessings are recorded is different in the two chapters.  Daniel Block suggests that the order in Dt 33 may be roughly geographical according to where the tribes are destined to live in the Promised Land.  Perhaps God had let Moses know something about this in advance.  It is also the case that since this section became part of the text after Moses' death, a later writer may have arranged the blessings in this way.

"Let Reuben live, and not die," Moses says in Dt 33:6.  When Moses gave the blessings, he was standing in the territory that Reuben would come to occupy.  On the eastern boundary of Israel's holdings, this tribe would be vulnerable to enemy attacks.  Perhaps this blessing reflects that concern.  

No blessing of the tribe of Simeon is included.  That may just be a random omission, or it may reflect the diminished state of the tribe of Simeon by that point.  The division and scattering that Jacob had mentioned (Ge 49:7) seems to have come about, exacerbated by the tribe's role in the sin at Baal Peor (Nu 25:14).  Simeon's holdings in the Promised Land would be within the territory of Judah.  

The tribe of Levi, on the other hand, had been scattered and divided in a good way.  This tribe had distinguished itself by helping Moses stop the golden calf incident (Ex 32) and ending the sin at Baal Peor (Nu 25).  The priestly tribe now had an important role in serving at the tabernacle and teaching the other tribes.  Moses gives his own tribe one of the longest blessings in the list (Dt 33:8-11).

In both Genesis 49 and Deuteronomy 33, Joseph is promised great prosperity.  The blessings for Joseph in the two chapters are similar. 

The high point of Genesis 49 is the blessing of Judah, which includes a prophecy of the coming of the Messiah.  Kevin Chen sees a hint of a messianic prophecy in Deuteronomy 33: "Hear, O Lord, the voice of Judah, and bring him in to his people.  With your hands contend for him, and and be a help against his adversaries."  Chen suggests that "bring him in to his people" may mean "bring the Messiah to his people," with the remaining pronouns in the verse also referring to the Messiah.   

There is more pronoun ambiguity in the blessing of Benjamin in 33:12, where the image could be one of Benjamin dwelling between God's shoulders, or one of God dwelling between Benjamin's shoulders, a possible reference to the temple that would be built later at Jerusalem.  

Deuteronomy 34 pays tribute to Moses at his death.  Verse 10, which was presumably written centuries later, emphasizes Moses' uniqueness.  Up to the point of that writing, the Messiah (the "prophet like Moses" of Dt 18:15) had not arrived.  This note at the end of the Pentateuch indicates that the Pentateuch does not tell the whole story of God's plan.  There is much more of the story ahead.  

In a short teaching at Church of the Messiah on October 14, 2023, Jack Starcher suggested that although God did not allow Moses to enter the Promised Land physically at that point, perhaps he did so later at the Transfiguration.  Sometimes when God answers "no," Jack said, he answer is more specifically "not yet."  Did God eventually reveal more of himself to Moses at the end of his life, in response to Moses' request in Exodus 33?  

Seder 40: Gen 44-46----Joseph Reveals Himself to his Brothers

In Gen 44:18-34, Judah comes before the Egyptian official on behalf of Benjamin, pleading to be allowed to take Benjamin's place as a slave in Egypt.  He explains that it would kill their father, who was still mourning the loss of Joseph, to lose Benjamin as well. 

Judah's language in verse 22, because of pronoun ambiguity (see LEB or YLT, for example) even suggests that Benjamin could also be harmed by a separation from his father:

"Then we said to my lord, 'The boy cannot leave his father; if he should leave his father, then he would die.' "  (Gen 44:22, LEB)

Judah also tells the Egyptian official something he probably didn't know before---that Jacob has believed all along that Joseph had been killed by a wild animal (v 28).  

In a sermon at Church of the Messiah on January 16, 2021, Kyle Kettering noted that Judah approaches Joseph

• with initiative.
• humbly
• with no excuses or justifications
• seeking mercy.

Judah's impassioned entreaty causes Joseph, the Egyptian official, to finally break down and reveal his identity to his brothers.  To ease  their minds, he points them to the "big picture" as he has come to see it.  God had brought him to Egypt to save many lives  (Gen 45:1-8), so there was no sense in them feeling bad about the past. 

In his sermon, Kyle showed how both Judah and Joseph work toward "repairing the world."

To convince his brothers of his identity, Joseph speaks to them directly, without an interpreter (v 12).  One midrash suggests that he may have demonstrated to them that he was circumcised.  

Joseph urges his brothers to send for their father and bring the entire family to Egypt (vv 9-15).  Pharaoh readily agrees, and Joseph sends them back with plenty of provisions.  

As they are leaving, he instructs them, "Do not quarrel along the way" (v 24).  The Hebrew word for quarrel comes from a root that connotes shaking or trembling. One can shake or tremble from either fear or rage, so the verse has been interpreted in two different ways.  In one reading, he is telling them not to be afraid, because he will not be planting anything in their sacks this time (see NKJV, CEB, and NET).  In another reading Joseph wants them not to argue about how they will break the news to Jacob that they had deceived him about Joseph (as in the Amplified Bible).  Both readings seem valid.

Jacob is overjoyed to have an opportunity to see Joseph, but leaving the land is a big step.  He stops at Beersheba, on the southern border of Canaan, to seek God's will.  God assures Jacob that he should go ahead to Egypt, affirming that this move is in accord with his plan (Gen 46:1-4).

And so Jacob's extended family travels to Egypt.  Seventy members of the family are listed in Gen 46, a number that may symbolize Israel's mission to bring blessing to all nations.  Almost all of the names in the list are male.  One exception is Asher's daughter Serah.  The Bible says almost nothing about Serah,  but there are some fascinating legends about her.

Seder 32/33: Gen 35---Promises Affirmed, Deaths Mourned

 At some point God called upon Jacob to appear before him at Bethel and carry out the vow that he had made before leaving Canaan many years before (Gen 35:1; 28:20-22).  

As part of an appropriate purification in preparation for this divine encounter, Jacob asked his household to get rid of any idols they possessed (v 2).  This would have certainly included the household gods that Rachel had taken from Laban.  

Verse 4 reports, "So they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods that they had, and the rings that were in their ears."  There is some pronoun ambiguity in this verse.  Were the rings in the ears of the people or the idols?  A good case can be made for the latter interpretation, since idols often did have earrings made of precious metals.  Burying those items would mean that they couldn't be used to make more idols.

Verse 8 mentions that on the trip, Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, died.  There are two interesting pieces of information in this verse.  First, the name of Rebekah's nurse had not been mentioned in Gen 24:59, where we learn that she accompanied Rebekah on her trip to Canaan to marry Isaac.  Second, we have not previously heard that Deborah was with Jacob rather than with Rebekah.  

There have been a number of speculations about when Deborah might have joined Jacob.  Perhaps Rebekah had sent her to Jacob at Haran with the news that it was safe to return to Canaan, as she had said she would send someone to do (Gen 27:45). Or perhaps Rebekah had sent her to Jacob after he returned to Canaan.  Or perhaps Rebekah had died, and Deborah then joined Jacob's family.     

In any case, there was a time of mourning for Jacob and the family after Deborah's death.

At Bethel God appeared to Jacob and affirmed both Jacob's new name and the blessing imparted by Isaac (Gen 28:3-4) that the Abrahamic promises would continue through Jacob (Gen 35:9-12).  

Genesis 35 goes on to record that Jacob's beloved wife Rachel died not far from Bethlehem while giving birth to her son Benjamin (vv16-21).  Her grave was not far from a road on which, much later, descendants of Judah and Benjamin would travel on their way to exile in Babylon.  Jeremiah pictures Rachel weeping for her descendants at that point (Jer 31;15).  Jeremiah goes on to prophecy an eventual return from exile (vv 16-17).  

Jeremiah's prophecy was later recalled by Matthew when he reported the murder of infants in Bethlehem by the ruthless Herod the Great (Matt 2:16-18).  Herod, of course, failed in his goal to kill the infant Jesus, whose family had already fled to Egypt (vv 13-15).  

Genesis 35 concludes by mentioning Isaac's death at age 180 (vv 27-29), twelve years after Joseph was sold into slavery and 23 years after Jacob's return to Canaan. Chapters 34-35 give just a few snapshots of Jacob's life during those 23 years and raise lots of questions for readers.  For example, when did Rebekah die?  Did she see Jacob again?  What kind of interaction did Jacob have with his parents and with Esau during those years?  The text does not tell us, and later writers have imagined different answers.  The Book of Jubilees (second century BC), which emphasizes the piety of the patriarchs, pictures Jacob in regular contact with his parents (Jubilees 29:15-20).  

Seder 8: Gen 9:27---Watch your Antecedents

The only words of Noah recorded in the Bible are in Gen 9:25-27, when Noah invokes a curse upon Canaan (v 25) and blessings upon Shem and Japheth.  Here I want to focus on v 27:

"May God enlarge Japheth, and let him dwell in the tents of Shem, and let Canaan be his servant."

The meaning of Noah's invocation depends upon the the intended antecedents of the pronouns in this verse.  One possibility is that "him" refers to Japheth.  In that case, "dwelling in the tents of Shem" could mean sharing in the blessing that God promises to Abraham, a descendant of Shem through whom all nations are to be blessed (Gen 12:3). 

On the other hand, "him" could refer to God.  In that case, God dwelling in the tents of Shem could refer to God dwelling with Israel, a nation that will descend from Shem, in the tabernacle and temple, and ultimately to God coming to "pitch his tent with us" in the person of Jesus the Messiah (John 1:14). 

Either interpretation is possible.  There are also two possibilities for "his" later in the verse.  If "his" means "Japheth's", then Noah is calling for Canaan to be a servant of Japheth.  On the other hand, if  "his" means "God's", then Noah could be calling for Canaan to ultimately become a servant of God.  Some Canaanites--e.g., Rahab--did become servants of God---and God's plan is for all to submit to him ultimately (Isa 45:22-23, Phil 2:9-11).

Gen 9:27 is one of several examples of pronoun ambiguity in the Bible.  When there is more than one possibility for the antecedent of a pronoun, it can be fruitful to explore all the possibilities and see what we can learn from them.  In some cases the ambiguity may be deliberate and may be a way of communicating the multiple possibilities in a succinct manner.