Deuteronomy 33:17

His glory is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns: with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth: and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(17) They are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh.—Rashi refers this to the ten thousands slain by Joshua, the Ephraimite leader, and the thousands slain by Gideon, who was of the tribe of Manasseh. He expounds nearly the whole of the verse in reference to Joshua and the conquest of Canaan. There is an obvious similarity in the song of the Israelitish women after the defeat of the Philistines, “Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.” The people “pushed to the ends of the earth” are taken to be the thousands and ten thousands of conquered Canaanites and Midianites. For a similar metaphor, see 1Kings 22:11. Otherwise the ten thousands of Ephraim and the thousands of Manasseh would be the two-horned power of Joseph. (Comp. Daniel 8:3; Daniel 8:20 for a simile of the same kind.)

Benson Commentary

Deuteronomy 33:17. His glory is like the firstling of his bullock — Or the prime and fairest bullock of the herd. For things that excel in their kind are called firstborn in Scripture. The beauty and strength of this tribe are compared to this stately creature, and a bullock being the best emblem of power among the beasts of the pasture, it seems to be here used to denote the superior honour and dignity of the house of Joseph above the rest of the tribes of Israel. Indeed, a bullock, as Bochart shows, was formerly used as an image of kingly power and dignity, and therefore seems here to denote the kingdom which Ephraim should obtain in Jeroboam and his successors. His horns are like the horns of unicorns — A horn is a common Scripture emblem of power and force. So this is a further description of the house of Joseph. With them he shall push the people together — That is, throw down all that oppose him, particularly the Canaanites; to the ends of the earth — That is, of the land of Canaan. The ten thousands of Ephraim, and the thousands of Manasseh — Or, such are, &c.; that is, these blessings belong to the two numerous branches of the house of Joseph. Here he ascribes to Ephraim ten thousands, and to Manasseh only thousands; thus foreshowing, that Ephraim the younger was to be the more numerous of the two, as Jacob had before prophesied of them.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

33:6-23 The order in which the tribes are here blessed, is not the same as is observed elsewhere. The blessing of Judah may refer to the whole tribe in general, or to David as a type of Christ. Moses largely blesses the tribe of Levi. Acceptance with God is what we should all aim at, and desire, in all our devotions, whether men accept us or not, 2Co 5:9. This prayer is a prophecy, that God will keep up a ministry in his church to the end of time. The tribe of Benjamin had their inheritance close to mount Zion. To be situated near the ordinances, is a precious gift from the Lord, a privilege not to be exchanged for any worldly advantage, or indulgence. We should thankfully receive the earthly blessings sent to us, through the successive seasons. But those good gifts which come down from the Father of lights, through the rising of the Sun of righteousness, and the pouring out of his Spirit like the rain which makes fruitful, are infinitely more precious, as the tokens of his special love. The precious things here prayed for, are figures of spiritual blessing in heavenly things by Christ, the gifts, graces, and comforts of the Spirit. When Moses prays for the good will of Him that dwelt in the bush, he refers to the covenant, on which all our hopes of God's favour must be founded. The providence of God appoints men's habitations, and wisely disposes men to different employments for the public good. Whatever our place and business are, it is our wisdom and duty to apply thereto; and it is happiness to be well pleased therewith. We should not only invite others to the service of God, but abound in it. The blessing of Naphtali. The favour of God is the only favour satisfying to the soul. Those are happy indeed, who have the favour of God; and those shall have it, who reckon that in having it they have enough, and desire no more.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Rather: "The first-born of his" (i. e. Joseph's) "bullock is his glory": the reference being to Ephraim, who was raised by Jacob to the honors of the firstborn (Genesis 48:20, and is here likened to the firstling of Joseph's oxen, i. e., of Joseph's offspring. The ox is a common emblem of power and strength.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

13-17. of Joseph he said—The territory of this tribe, diversified by hill and dale, wood and water, would be rich in all the productions—olives, grapes, figs, &c., which are reared in a mountainous region, as well as in the grain and herbs that grow in the level fields. "The firstling of the bullock and the horns of the unicorn" (rhinoceros), indicate glory and strength, and it is supposed that under these emblems were shadowed forth the triumphs of Joshua and the new kingdom of Jeroboam, both of whom were of Ephraim (compare Ge 48:20).

Matthew Poole's Commentary

The firstling of his bullock; in whose countenance there is a kind of awful majesty and comely generosity, as Tully, Aelian, &c. observe. This seems to note the kingdom which Ephraim should obtain in Jeroboam and his successors.

His horns are like the horns of unicorns; his strength and power shall be very great.

He shall push the people, i.e. all that shall oppose him, and particularly the Canaanites.

To the ends of the earth, i.e. of the land of Canaan.

They are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh; though Manasseh be now more numerous, yet Ephraim shall shortly outstrip him, as was foretold, Genesis 48:19.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

His glory is like the firstling of his bullock,.... Such as were in Bashan, a country possessed by the posterity of Joseph, see Psalm 22:12; and so might be called "his" bullock, or a young bull, was reckoned both comely and majestic; so Menis or Mnevis, king of Egypt, preferred a bull above all animals to be worshipped, because the most beautiful of all, as Aelianus (w) relates; and Astarte, according to Sanchoniatho (x), put a bull's head upon her own, as a sign of royalty or kingly power. The Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem refer this to the birthright which belonged to Reuben, and was taken from him, and given to Joseph, see 1 Chronicles 5:2. Some will have Joshua intended by the firstling of his bullock, so Jarchi; who was of the tribe of Ephraim, and so famous for his strength and courage, his warlike exploits and victories, and the glory, honour, and renown he obtained; and who was a type of Christ, the first and only begotten Son of God, the brightness of his Father's glory, and the express image of his person; this is applied to the Messiah in some ancient Jewish writings (y):

and his horns are like the horns of unicorns; of the monoceros or rhinoceros; and as the strength of these creatures, as of others, lies in their horns, these are figures of the power and strength of the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, the sons of Joseph; see Numbers 23:22,

with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth; not to the ends of the world, as if the posterity of Joseph should carry their conquests and spread their dominion over all people to the ends of the world, as the Targum of Jonathan suggests; but to the ends of the land of Canaan, which was done by Joshua, when he smote the thirty one kings of that country. The word "push" is used in allusion to the horns of creatures, with which they push, drive away from them, or hurt and destroy those that annoy them:

and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh; though Manasseh was the eldest son of Joseph, fewer are ascribed to him than to Ephraim the younger, according to Jacob's prediction, Genesis 48:19. This has been in a spiritual sense verified in Christ, the antitype of Joseph, the horn of salvation, who by his great strength has vanquished all his, and the enemies of his people, and even spoiled principalities and powers.

(w) Hist. Animal. l. 11. c. 10. (x) Apud Euseb. Evangel. Praepar. l. 1. p. 38. (y) Zohar in Numb. fol. 103. 4. & in Deut. fol. 117. 3. & 118. 3. Bereshit Rabba, fol. 66. 2.

Geneva Study Bible

His glory is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns: with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth: and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

17. For these two hierodules the Heb. is ḳadesh (masc.) and ḳedeshah (fem.) and means simply set apari, consecrated (cp. above, pp. 108 ff.), the former being probably the unsexed man referred to in Deuteronomy 22:5, Deuteronomy 23:1.

17. The firstling of his bullock] Ephraim, Genesis 48:13 ff.

wild-ox] Heb. re’em, Ar. ri’m = the white antelope, leucoryx (see on Deuteronomy 14:5), but the descriptions in the O.T. prove that the Heb. re’em was rather the Ass. rimu, a gigantic species of ox (‘Bos primigenius’) now extinct, though its teeth have been found in the valley of the Nahr el-Kelb, in the district where Tiglath Pileser i. (b.c. 1120 ff.) hunted the rimu (Tristr. Nat. Hist. of the Bible, 146 ff., Houghton, Trans. Soc. Bibl. Arch. v. 33, 326 ff.; see more fully Driver’s note).

These be] So (without and) Sam. LXX, etc.

Deuteronomy 33:17

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

"The first-born of his ox, majesty is to him, and buffalo-horns his horns: with them he thrusts down nations, all at once the ends of the earth. These are the myriads of Ephraim, and these the thousands of Manasseh." The "first-born of his (Joseph's) oxen" (shor, a collective noun, as in Deuteronomy 15:19) is not Joshua (Rabb., Schultz); still less is it Joseph (Bleek, Diestel), in which case the pronoun his ox would be quite out of place; nor is it King Jeroboam II, as Graf supposes. It is rather Ephraim, whom the patriarch Jacob raised into the position of the first-born of Joseph (Genesis 48:4.). All the sons of Joseph resembled oxen, but Ephraim was the most powerful of them all. He was endowed with majesty; his horns, the strong weapon of oxen, in which all their strength is concentrated, were not the horns of common oxen, but horns of the wild buffalo (reem, Numbers 23:22), that strong indomitable beast (cf. Job 39:9.; Psalm 22:22). With them he would thrust down nations, the ends of the earth, i.e., the most distant nations (vid., Psalm 2:8; Psalm 7:9; Psalm 22:28). "Together," i.e., all at once, belongs rhythmically to "the ends of the earth." Such are the myriads of Ephraim, i.e., in such might will the myriads of Ephraim arise. To the tribe of Ephraim, as the more numerous, the ten thousands are assigned; to the tribe of Manasseh, the thousands.