Deuteronomy 33 Comparison: King James Version vs Young's Literal Translation
Deuteronomy 33
1And this is the blessing, wherewith Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death.
2And he said, The Lord came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from mount Paran, and he came with ten thousands of saints: from his right hand went a fiery law for them.
3Yea, he loved the people; all his saints are in thy hand: and they sat down at thy feet; every one shall receive of thy words.
4Moses commanded us a law, even the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob.
5And he was king in Jeshurun, when the heads of the people and the tribes of Israel were gathered together.
6Let Reuben live, and not die; and let not his men be few.
7And this is the blessing of Judah: and he said, Hear, Lord, the voice of Judah, and bring him unto his people: let his hands be sufficient for him; and be thou an help to him from his enemies.
8And of Levi he said, Let thy Thummim and thy Urim be with thy holy one, whom thou didst prove at Massah, and with whom thou didst strive at the waters of Meribah;
9Who said unto his father and to his mother, I have not seen him; neither did he acknowledge his brethren, nor knew his own children: for they have observed thy word, and kept thy covenant.
10They shall teach Jacob thy judgments, and Israel thy law: they shall put incense before thee, and whole burnt sacrifice upon thine altar.
11Bless, Lord, his substance, and accept the work of his hands: smite through the loins of them that rise against him, and of them that hate him, that they rise not again.
12And of Benjamin he said, The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by him; and the Lord shall cover him all the day long, and he shall dwell between his shoulders.
13And of Joseph he said, Blessed of the Lord be his land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth beneath,
14And for the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, and for the precious things put forth by the moon,
15And for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills,
16And for the precious things of the earth and fulness thereof, and for the good will of him that dwelt in the bush: let the blessing come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him that was separated from his brethren.
17His 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.
18And of Zebulun he said, Rejoice, Zebulun, in thy going out; and, Issachar, in thy tents.
19They shall call the people unto the mountain; there they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness: for they shall suck of the abundance of the seas, and of treasures hid in the sand.
20And of Gad he said, Blessed be he that enlargeth Gad: he dwelleth as a lion, and teareth the arm with the crown of the head.
21And he provided the first part for himself, because there, in a portion of the lawgiver, was he seated; and he came with the heads of the people, he executed the justice of the Lord, and his judgments with Israel.
22And of Dan he said, Dan is a lion’s whelp: he shall leap from Bashan.
23And of Naphtali he said, O Naphtali, satisfied with favour, and full with the blessing of the Lord: possess thou the west and the south.
24And of Asher he said, Let Asher be blessed with children; let him be acceptable to his brethren, and let him dip his foot in oil.
25Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be.
26There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heaven in thy help, and in his excellency on the sky.
27The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them.
28Israel then shall dwell in safety alone: the fountain of Jacob shall be upon a land of corn and wine; also his heavens shall drop down dew.
29Happy art thou, O Israel: who is like unto thee, O people saved by the Lord, the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency! and thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee; and thou shalt tread upon their high places.
Deuteronomy 33
1And this is the blessing with which Moses the man of God blessed the sons of Israel before his death,
2and he saith: `Jehovah from Sinai hath come, And hath risen from Seir for them; He hath shone from mount Paran, And hath come with myriads of holy ones; At His right hand are springs for them.
3Also He is loving the peoples; All His holy ones are in thy hand, And theythey sat down at thy foot, Each He lifteth up at thy words.
4A law hath Moses commanded us, A possession of the assembly of Jacob.
5And he is in Jeshurun king, In the heads of the people gathering together, The tribes of Israel!
6Let Reuben live, and not die, And let his men be a number.
7And this is for Judah; and he saith: Hear, O Jehovah, the voice of Judah, And unto his people do Thou bring him in; His hand hath striven for him, And an help from his adversaries art Thou.
8And of Levi he said: Thy Thummim and thy Urim are for thy pious one, Whom Thou hast tried in Massah, Thou dost strive with Him at the waters of Meribah;
9Who is saying of his father and his mother, I have not seen him; And his brethren he hath not discerned, And his sons he hath not known; For they have observed Thy saying, And Thy covenant they keep.
10They teach Thy judgments to Jacob, And Thy law to Israel; They put perfume in Thy nose, And whole burnt-offering on Thine altar.
11Bless, O Jehovah, his strength, And the work of his hands Thou acceptest, Smite the loins of his withstanders, And of those hating himthat they rise not!
12Of Benjamin he said: The beloved of Jehovah doth tabernacle confidently by him, Covering him over all the day; Yea, between his shoulders He doth tabernacle.
13And of Joseph he said: Blessed of Jehovah is his land, By precious things of the heavens, By dew, and by the deep crouching beneath,
14And by precious thingsfruits of the sun, And by precious thingscast forth by the moons,
15And by chief thingsof the ancient mountains, And by precious thingsof the age-during heights,
16And by precious thingsof earth and its fulness, And the good pleasure Of Him who is dwelling in the bush, Let it come for the head of Joseph, And for the crown of him Who is separate from his brethren.
17His honour is a firstling of his ox, And his horns are horns of a reem; By them peoples he doth push together To the ends of earth; And they are the myriads of Ephraim, And they are the thousands of Manasseh.
18And of Zebulun he said: Rejoice, O Zebulun, in thy going out, And, O Issachar, in thy tents;
19Peoples to the mountain they call, There they sacrifice righteous sacrifices; For the abundance of the seas they suck, And hidden things hidden in the sand.
20And of Gad he said: Blessed of the Enlarger is Gad, As a lioness he doth tabernacle, And hath torn the armalso the crown!
21And he provideth the first part for himself, For there the portion of the lawgiver is covered, And he cometh with the heads of the people; The righteousness of Jehovah he hath done, And His judgments with Israel.
22And of Dan he said: Dan is a lion's whelp; he doth leap from Bashan.
23And of Naphtali he said: O Naphtali, satisfied with pleasure, And full of the blessing of Jehovah, West and south possess thou.
24And of Asher he said: Blessed with sons is Asher, Let him be accepted by his brethren, And dipping in oil his foot.
25Iron and brass are thy shoes, And as thy daysthy strength.
26There is none like the God of Jeshurun, Riding the heavens in thy help, And in His excellency the skies.
27A habitation is the eternal God, And beneath are arms age-during. And He casteth out from thy presence the enemy, and saith, `Destroy!'
28And Israel doth tabernacle in confidence alone; The eye of Jacob is unto a land of corn and wine; Also His heavens drop down dew.
29O thy happiness, O Israel! who is like thee? A people saved by Jehovah, The shield of thy help, And He who is the sword of thine excellency: And thine enemies are subdued for thee, And thou on their high places dost tread.'
Understanding King James Version vs Young's Literal Translation in Deuteronomy 33
King James Version (KJV)
The classic 1611 English translation known for its majestic prose and literary influence. Ideal for traditional study and memorization thanks to its formal style. A foundational English Bible used for centuries.
Young's Literal Translation (YLT)
An extremely literal, word-for-word translation that preserves original verb tenses and phrasing. Best for close study and comparing structures from the source languages. The English can feel rigid, but it’s very useful for detailed analysis.
You are viewing a side-by-side comparison of Deuteronomy 33 in the King James Version and Young's Literal Translation. Comparing these two versions can help shed light on the nuances of the original text.
Key Comparison: Deuteronomy 33:16
"And for the precious things of the earth and fulness thereof, and for the good will of him that dwelt in the bush: let the blessing come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him that was separated from his brethren."
"And by precious thingsof earth and its fulness, And the good pleasure Of Him who is dwelling in the bush, Let it come for the head of Joseph, And for the crown of him Who is separate from his brethren."
