the Week of Christ the King / Proper 29 / Ordinary 34
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Deuteronomy 33:6
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- CondensedParallel Translations
"Let Reuben live, and not die, but let his men be few."
Let Reuben live, and not die; Nor let his men be few.
Let Reuben live, and not die; Yet let his men be few.
"Let the people of Reuben live and not die, but let the people be few."
May Reuben live and not die, and may his people multiply.
Let Reuben live, and not die; and let [not] his men be few.
Let Reuben live, and not die; Nor let his men be few.
Ruben lyue, and die not, and be he litil in noumbre.
Let Reuben live, and not die, And let his men be a number.
Let Reuben live and not die, nor his men be few."
Tribe of Reuben, you will live, even though your tribe will always be small.
Let Reuben live, and not die; Nor let his men be few.
Let life not death be Reuben's, let not the number of his men be small.
Let Ruben lyue, and not dye, and be fewe in number.
"Let Re'uven live and not die out, even though his numbers grow few."
Let Reuben live, and not die; And let his men be few.
"Let Reuben live, and not die! But let there be only a few people in his tribe!"
Let Reuben live, and not die in that his men become few.
Let Reuben liue, and not die, and let not his men be few.
"May Reuben live and not die. Do not let his men be few."
May Reuben live, and not die out, even though his numbers are few.
Let Reuben live and not die, - Nor his men he easily counted.
Let Reuben liue, and not die, though his men be a small nomber.
Let Reuben live, and not die; and let his people be numerous.
Moses said about the tribe of Reuben: "May Reuben never die out, Although their people are few."
Let Ruben live, and not die, and be he small in number.
"Let Reuben live, and not die, nor let his men be few."
Let Ruben live, and not die; and let him be many in number.
Let Reuben live and not diethough his people become few.
Let Re'uven live, and not die; Nor let his men be few.
Let Reuben live, and not die; and let not his men be few.
"May Reuben live, and may he not die, and let his number not be few."
Let Reuben live, and not die, and let his men be numbered.
Let Ruben lyue, and not dye, and his people be fewe in nombre.
Reuben: "Let Reuben live and not die, but just barely, in diminishing numbers."
"May Reuben live and not die, Nor may his people be few."
"Let Reuben live, and not die, Nor let his men be few."
Moses said this about the tribe of Reuben: "Let the tribe of Reuben live and not die out, though they are few in number."
"May Reuben live and not die, Nor his men be few."
"May Reuben live and not die,Nor his men be few."
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
Genesis 49:3, Genesis 49:4, Genesis 49:8, Numbers 32:31, Numbers 32:32, Joshua 22:1-9
Reciprocal: Genesis 43:8 - that we Genesis 46:8 - Reuben
Gill's Notes on the Bible
Let Reuben live, and not die,.... As a tribe, continue and not be extinct, though they should not excel, because of the sin of their progenitor; and it may have a special regard to the preservation of them, of their families on the other side Jordan, while they passed over it with their brethren into Canaan, and of them in that expedition to help the other tribes in the conquest of the country and the settlement of them in it; which Jacob by a spirit of prophecy foresaw, and in a prayer of faith petitioned for their safety: all the three Targums refer the words to a future state, as a wish for them, that they might live and enjoy an eternal life, and not die the death of the wicked in the world to come; and which they call the second death, and from whom the Apostle John seems to have borrowed the phrase, Revelation 2:11
Revelation 20:6; Reuben signifies, "see the Son"; and all that see the Son of God in a spiritual manner, and believe in him with a true faith, as they live spiritually now, shall live eternally hereafter, and never die the second or eternal death; on them that shall have no power, see John 6:40;
and let [not] his men be few; or, "though his men be few?" as Bishop Patrick chooses to render the words, and as they will bear, ו, "vau", being sometimes so used, of which Noldius h gives instances; and the number of men in this tribe were but few in comparison of some others; and so those that see the Son of God and believe in him are but a small number; for all men have not faith. 2 Thessalonians 3:2
h Concord. part. Ebr. p. 292.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
Let not his men be few - literally, “a number,” i. e., “a small number,” such as could be easily counted (compare Genesis 34:30 note). While the verse promises that the tribe shall endure and prosper, yet it is so worded as to carry with it a warning. The Reubenites, occupied with their herds and flocks, appear, soon after the days of Joshua, to have lost their early energy, until in later times its numbers, even when counted with the Gadites and the half of Manasseh, were fewer than that of the Reubenites alone at the census of Numbers 1:0 (Compare 1 Chronicles 5:18 with Numbers 1:20.) No judge, prophet, or national hero arose out of this tribe.
The tribe of Simeon, which would according to the order of birth come next, is not here named. This omission is explained by reference to the words of Jacob concerning Simeon Genesis 49:7. This tribe with Levi was to he “scattered in Israel.” The fulfillment of this prediction was in the case of Levi so ordered as to carry with it honor and blessing; but no such reversal of punishment was granted to Simeon. Rather had this latter tribe added new sins to those which Jacob denounced (compare Numbers 26:5 note). Accordingly, though very numerous at the Exodus, it had surprisingly diminished before the death of Moses (compare Numbers 1:22-23 with Numbers 26:12-14); and eventually it found territory adequate for its wants within the limits of another tribe, Judah. Compare Joshua 19:2-9.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Deuteronomy 33:6. Let Reuben live, and not die — Though his life and his blessings have been forfeited by his transgression with his father's concubine, Genesis 49:3-4; and in his rebellion with Korah, Numbers 16:1-3, c., let him not become extinct as a tribe in Israel. "It is very usual," says Mr. Ainsworth, "in the Scripture, to set down things of importance and earnestness, by affirmation of the one part, and denial of the other Isaiah 38:1: Thou shalt die, and not live; Numbers 4:19: That they may live, and not die; Psalms 118:17: I shall not die, but live; Genesis 43:8: That we may live, and not die; Jeremiah 20:14: Cursed be the day - let not that day be blessed; 1 John 2:4: He is a liar, and the truth is not in him; 1 John 2:27: Is truth, and no lie; John 1:20: He confessed, and denied not; 1 Samuel 1:11: Remember me, and not forget thy handmaid; Deuteronomy 9:7: Remember, forget not; Deuteronomy 32:6: O foolish people, and unwise. In all these places it is evident that there is a peculiar emphasis in this form of expression, as if he had said, Let him not only not die, but let him live in great and increasing peace and prosperity. Do not only not forget me, but keep me continually in remembrance. He denied not, but confessed FULLY and PARTICULARLY. O foolish people - silly and stupid, and unwise - destitute of all true wisdom."
And let not his men be few. — It is possible that this clause belongs to Simeon. In the Alexandrian copy of the Septuagint the clause stands thus: Και Συμεων εστω πολυς εν αριτμῳ, and let SIMEON be very numerous, but none of the other versions insert the word. As the negative particle is not in the Hebrew, but is supplied in our translation, and the word Simeon is found in one of the most ancient and most authentic copies of the Septuagint version; and as Simeon is nowhere else mentioned here, if not implied in this place, probably the clause anciently stood: Let Reuben live, and not die; but let the men of Simeon be few. That this tribe was small when compared with the rest, and with what it once was, is evident enough from the first census, taken after they came out of Egypt, and that in the plains of Moab nearly forty years after. In the first, Simeon was 59,300; in the last, 22,200, a decrease of 37,100 men!
