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Deuteronomy 33

Deut. 33:8 KJV (With Strong’s)

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8
And of Levi
Leviy (Hebrew #3878)
attached; Levi, a son of Jacob
KJV usage: Levi. See also 3879, 3881.
Pronounce: lay-vee'
Origin: from 3867
he said
'amar (Hebrew #559)
to say (used with great latitude)
KJV usage: answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call, certify, challenge, charge, + (at the, give) command(-ment), commune, consider, declare, demand, X desire, determine, X expressly, X indeed, X intend, name, X plainly, promise, publish, report, require, say, speak (against, of), X still, X suppose, talk, tell, term, X that is, X think, use (speech), utter, X verily, X yet.
Pronounce: aw-mar'
Origin: a primitive root
, Let thy Thummim
Tummiym (Hebrew #8550)
perfections, i.e. (techn.) one of the epithets of the objects in the high-priest's breastplate as an emblem of complete Truth
KJV usage: Thummim.
Pronounce: toom-meem'
Origin: plural of 8537
z and thy Urim
'Uwriym (Hebrew #224)
lights; Urim, the oracular brilliancy of the figures in the high-priest's breastplate
KJV usage: Urim.
Pronounce: oo-reem'
Origin: plur of 217
be with thy holy
chaciyd (Hebrew #2623)
properly, kind, i.e. (religiously) pious (a saint)
KJV usage: godly (man), good, holy (one), merciful, saint, (un- )godly.
Pronounce: khaw-seed'
Origin: from 2616
one
'iysh (Hebrew #376)
a man as an individual or a male person; often used as an adjunct to a more definite term (and in such cases frequently not expressed in translation)
KJV usage: also, another, any (man), a certain, + champion, consent, each, every (one), fellow, (foot-, husband-)man, (good-, great, mighty) man, he, high (degree), him (that is), husband, man(-kind), + none, one, people, person, + steward, what (man) soever, whoso(-ever), worthy. Compare 802.
Pronounce: eesh
Origin: contracted for 582 (or perhaps rather from an unused root meaning to be extant)
, whom thou didst prove
nacah (Hebrew #5254)
to test; by implication, to attempt
KJV usage: adventure, assay, prove, tempt, try.
Pronounce: naw-saw'
Origin: a primitive root
at Massah
Maccah (Hebrew #4532)
Massah, a place in the Desert
KJV usage: Massah.
Pronounce: mas-saw'
Origin: the same as 4531
, and with whom thou didst strive
riyb (Hebrew #7378)
a primitive root; properly, to toss, i.e. grapple; mostly figuratively, to wrangle, i.e. hold a controversy; (by implication) to defend
KJV usage: adversary, chide, complain, contend, debate, X ever, X lay wait, plead, rebuke, strive, X thoroughly.
Pronounce: reeb
Origin: or ruwb {roob}
at the waters
mayim (Hebrew #4325)
water; figuratively, juice; by euphemism, urine, semen
KJV usage: + piss, wasting, water(-ing, (-course, -flood, -spring)).
Pronounce: mah'-yim
Origin: dual of a primitive noun (but used in a singular sense)
of Meribah
Mriybah (Hebrew #4809)
Meribah, the name of two places in the Desert
KJV usage: Meribah.
Pronounce: mer-ee-baw'
Origin: the same as 4808
;
z
Ex. 28:30• 30And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be upon Aaron's heart, when he goeth in before the Lord: and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before the Lord continually. (Ex. 28:30)

More on:

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Levi,
Massah,
Meribah; Meribah-kadesh,
Thummim,
Urim and Thummim

Cross References

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Ministry on This Verse

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Let thy.
Ex. 28:30,36• 30And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be upon Aaron's heart, when he goeth in before the Lord: and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before the Lord continually.
 36And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and grave upon it, like the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD. (Ex. 28:30,36)
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Lev. 8:8• 8And he put the breastplate upon him: also he put in the breastplate the Urim and the Thummim. (Lev. 8:8)
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Num. 27:21• 21And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall ask counsel for him after the judgment of Urim before the Lord: at his word shall they go out, and at his word they shall come in, both he, and all the children of Israel with him, even all the congregation. (Num. 27:21)
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1 Sam. 28:6• 6And when Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets. (1 Sam. 28:6)
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Ezra 2:63• 63And the Tirshatha said unto them, that they should not eat of the most holy things, till there stood up a priest with Urim and with Thummim. (Ezra 2:63)
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Neh. 7:65• 65And the Tirshatha said unto them, that they should not eat of the most holy things, till there stood up a priest with Urim and Thummim. (Neh. 7:65)
with thy.
Lev. 21:7• 7They shall not take a wife that is a whore, or profane; neither shall they take a woman put away from her husband: for he is holy unto his God. (Lev. 21:7)
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Num. 16:5• 5And he spake unto Korah and unto all his company, saying, Even to morrow the Lord will show who are his, and who is holy; and will cause him to come near unto him: even him whom he hath chosen will he cause to come near unto him. (Num. 16:5)
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2 Chron. 23:6• 6But let none come into the house of the Lord, save the priests, and they that minister of the Levites; they shall go in, for they are holy: but all the people shall keep the watch of the Lord. (2 Chron. 23:6)
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Ezra 8:28• 28And I said unto them, Ye are holy unto the Lord; the vessels are holy also; and the silver and the gold are a freewill offering unto the Lord God of your fathers. (Ezra 8:28)
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Psa. 16:10• 10For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. (Psa. 16:10)
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Psa. 106:16• 16They envied Moses also in the camp, and Aaron the saint of the Lord. (Psa. 106:16)
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Heb. 7:26• 26For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; (Heb. 7:26)
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Rev. 3:7• 7And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; (Rev. 3:7)
prove at.
Deut. 8:2‑3,16• 2And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.
 3And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live.
 16Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end; (Deut. 8:2‑3,16)
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Ex. 17:7• 7And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the Lord, saying, Is the Lord among us, or not? (Ex. 17:7)
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Num. 20:13• 13This is the water of Meribah; because the children of Israel strove with the Lord, and he was sanctified in them. (Num. 20:13)
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Psa. 81:7• 7Thou calledst in trouble, and I delivered thee; I answered thee in the secret place of thunder: I proved thee at the waters of Meribah. Selah. (Psa. 81:7)
• The reader will notice the fact that Simeon is left out here, though so intimately associated with Levi in Genesis 49. (“Deuteronomy 33” by C.H. Mackintosh)
• Now, when we compare Genesis 49 with Deuteronomy 33, we observe two things, namely, human responsibility on the one hand; and divine sovereignty on the other. Moreover, we see nature and its actings; grace and its fruits. Jacob looks at Simeon and Levi linked together in nature, and displaying nature’s tempers and ways. So far as they were concerned, they both alike deserved the curse. But in Levi, we see the glorious triumphs of sovereign grace. It was grace which enabled Levi, in the days of the golden calf, to gird on the sword and stand for the glory of the God of Israel (Ex. 32:26-29). (“Deuteronomy 33” by C.H. Mackintosh)
• Where was Simeon, on this occasion? He was with Levi in the day of nature’s sell-will, fierce anger and cruel wrath; why not in the day of bold decision for Jehovah? He was ready to go with his brother to avenge a family insult, why not to vindicate the honor of God, insulted as it was by the idolatrous act of the whole congregation? (“Deuteronomy 33” by C.H. Mackintosh)
• In Simeon, we see nature’s actings judged; in Levi, we see the fruits of grace rewarded; in both we see God’s truth vindicated and His Name glorified. (“Deuteronomy 33” by C.H. Mackintosh)

J. N. Darby Translation

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And of Levi he said, Thy Thummima and thy Urimb are for thy godly onec, Whom thou didst prove at Massah, With whom thou didst strive at the waters of Meribah;

JND Translation Notes

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a
Perfection, or Perfections.
b
Light, or Lights. see Neh. 7.65.
c
"The man of thy goodness" or "grace"; Heb. Chasid. see also Note, 2 Chron. 6.42.

W. Kelly Translation

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And of Levi he said,{HR}Thy Thummim and thy Urim are for thy holy one,{HR}Whoma thou didst prove at Massah,{HR}With whom thou didst strive at the waters of Meribah;

WK Translation Notes

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a
That is, pious.