◄ Deuteronomy 33:17 ►
His majesty is like a firstborn bull, and his horns are like those of a wild ox. With them he will gore the nations, even to the ends of the earth. Such are the myriads of Ephraim, and such are the thousands of Manasseh."
Study Bible
His majesty is like a firstborn bull,

Joseph receives a royal blessing of strength, honor, and fruitful prominence. Though not Jacob’s firstborn, Joseph received the rights of the firstborn through the double inheritance granted to his sons, Ephraim and Manasseh (1 Chronicles 5:1–2). The image also recalls Jacob’s blessing of Joseph as a fruitful vine whose branches extended beyond their boundaries (Genesis 49:22–26).

Gen 49:3-4 Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, excelling in honor,…
Gen 49:22-24 Joseph is a fruitful vine—a fruitful vine by a spring,…

and his horns are like those of a wild ox.

Ephraim and Manasseh would possess the power needed to overcome hostile nations and establish Israel in the land. Their strength was not merely natural ability but the gift of the God of Jacob, who preserved Joseph through affliction and exalted him in Egypt.

Num 23:22 God brought them out of Egypt with strength like a wild ox.
Num 24:8 God brought him out of Egypt with strength…

With them he will gore the nations, even to the ends of the earth.

The two tribes together would advance Israel’s cause against its enemies. Joshua, an Ephraimite, led Israel in the conquest of Canaan, while Manasseh became a large and influential tribe on both sides of the Jordan. The blessing anticipates victories extending as far as God’s purposes for Israel required.

Psa 2:8-9 Ask Me, and I will make the nations Your inheritance,…
Isa 49:6 “It is not enough for You to be My Servant,”…
Mic 4:13 Rise and thresh, O Daughter of Zion, for I will give you…

Such are the myriads of Ephraim,

Jacob had placed Ephraim before his older brother and foretold that his descendants would become a multitude of nations (Genesis 48:19). Ephraim later held a leading place among the northern tribes, with Shiloh, the early center of Israel’s worship, located in its territory.

Gen 48:19-20 But his father refused. “I know, my son, I know!”…
Jos 17:14-18 Then the sons of Joseph said to Joshua,…
Num 26:35-37 These were the descendants of Ephraim by their clans: …

and such are the thousands of Manasseh.”

Manasseh also received abundant blessing, broad territory, and many descendants, though Ephraim was granted greater prominence. Together the sons of Joseph testified to God’s faithfulness in turning Joseph’s suffering into blessing for a multitude of Israel.

Num 26:28-34 The descendants of Joseph included the clans of…
1Ch 7:14-19 The descendants of Manasseh: Asriel through his…

Persons / Places / Events
1. Ephraim
The younger son of Joseph, blessed by Jacob to become a multitude of nations. Ephraim's descendants became one of the prominent tribes of Israel.

2. Manasseh
The elder son of Joseph, also blessed by Jacob. Manasseh's descendants formed another significant tribe in Israel.

3. Moses
The author of Deuteronomy, who is giving his final blessings to the tribes of Israel before his death.

4. Israel
The nation to whom Moses is speaking, consisting of the twelve tribes descended from Jacob's sons.

5. Nations
Refers to the surrounding peoples and nations that Israel would encounter and sometimes battle against.
Teaching Points
Symbolism of Strength and Leadership
The imagery of a firstborn bull and wild ox signifies strength, leadership, and authority. Believers are called to recognize the strength that God provides to lead and protect His people.

God's Blessing and Favor
The prominence of Ephraim and Manasseh highlights God's sovereign choice and blessing. We should seek to understand and align ourselves with God's purposes and blessings in our lives.

Spiritual Warfare and Victory
The goring of nations symbolizes spiritual victory. Christians are reminded of the spiritual battles they face and the assurance of victory through Christ.

Unity and Multiplication
The mention of "ten thousands of Ephraim" and "thousands of Manasseh" emphasizes growth and unity. The church is called to grow in number and unity, working together for God's kingdom.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the imagery of a firstborn bull and wild ox in Deuteronomy 33:17 reflect the characteristics God desires in His people today?

2. In what ways can we see the fulfillment of Jacob's blessing to Ephraim and Manasseh in the history of Israel and the church?

3. How can the concept of spiritual warfare in this verse be applied to the challenges we face in our daily Christian walk?

4. What lessons can we learn from the prominence of Ephraim and Manasseh about God's sovereignty and our response to His blessings?

5. How can the church today embody the unity and multiplication seen in the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Genesis 48
Jacob's blessing of Ephraim and Manasseh, where he places Ephraim before Manasseh, foreshadowing their future prominence.

Numbers 23-24
Balaam's prophecies, which also speak of Israel's strength and dominance over other nations.

Psalm 44
A reflection on God's past deliverance and strength given to Israel, similar to the imagery of strength in Deuteronomy 33:17.

Revelation 5:5
The imagery of strength and majesty, as seen in the Lion of the tribe of Judah, can be connected to the powerful imagery of the bull and wild ox.
Sermons
Watchwords for the TribesR.M. Edgar Deuteronomy 33:6-25
Benjamin and JosephJ. Orr Deuteronomy 33:12-17
At the BushA. Maclaren, D. D.Deuteronomy 33:13-17
By the FountainSpurgeon, Charles HaddonDeuteronomy 33:13-17
JosephT. G. Rooke, B. A.Deuteronomy 33:13-17
Royal Donations on JosephD. Davies Deuteronomy 33:13-17
The Goodwill of Christ the Best of BlessingsJohn Hill.Deuteronomy 33:13-17
The Precious Things of the EarthH. G. Trumbull.Deuteronomy 33:13-17
Things that are PreciousG. W. McCree.Deuteronomy 33:13-17
People
Asher, Benjamin, Dan, Gad, Israelites, Issachar, Jacob, Joseph, Levi, Manasseh, Moses, Naphtali, Reuben, Seir, Zebulun
Places
Bashan, Massah, Meribah, Moab, Mount Paran, Seir, Sinai
Topics
Bull, Ends, Ephraim, Firstborn, Gore, Herd, Horns, Majesty, Manasseh, Nations, Ox, Peoples, Push, Ten, Thousands, Wild
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Deuteronomy 33:17

     1656   numbers, combinations
     4615   bull
     4654   horn
     5688   firstborn

Deuteronomy 33:1-29

     8638   benedictions

Deuteronomy 33:13-17

     5661   brothers

Library
Israel the Beloved
'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.'--DEUT. xxxiii. 12. Benjamin was his father's favourite child, and the imagery of this promise is throughout drawn from the relations between such a child and its father. So far as the future history of the tribes is shadowed in these 'blessings' of this great ode, the reference of the text may be to the tribe of Benjamin, as specially distinguished by Saul …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Shod for the Road
'Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be.' DEUT. xxxiii. 25. There is a general correspondence between those blessings wherewith Moses blessed the tribes of Israel before his death, and the circumstances and territory of each tribe in the promised land. The portion of Asher, in whose blessing the words of our text occurs, was partly the rocky northern coast and partly the fertile lands stretching to the base of the Lebanon. In the inland part of their territory …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

God and his Saints
'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.'--DEUT. xxxiii. 3. The great ode of which these words are a part is called 'the blessing wherewith Moses blessed the children of Israel before his death.' It is mainly an invocation of blessing from Heaven on the various tribes, but it begins, as the national existence of Israel began, with the revelation of God on Sinai, and it lays that as the foundation of everything. It …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Shoes of Iron, and Strength Sufficient: a New Year's Promise
"And 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. Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be."--Deuteronomy 33:24-25. I once heard an old minister say that he thought the blessing of Asher was peculiarly the blessing of ministers; and his eyes twinkled as he added, "At any rate, they are usually blessed with children, and it is a great blessing for them if they are acceptable to their …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 35: 1889

"As Thy Days, So Shall Thy Strength Be"
In addressing you this morning, I shall first have to notice the self-weakness which is implied in our text; secondly, I shall come to the great promise of the text; and then I shall try and draw one or two inferences from it, ere I conclude. I. First, the SELF-WEAKNESS HINTED AT IN THE TEXT. To keep to my figure, if this promise be like a star, you know there is no seeing the stars in the daytime when we stand here upon the upper land; we must go down a deep well, and then we shall be able to discover …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 4: 1858

2D Day. Needful Grace.
"He is Faithful that Promised." "As thy days, so shall thy strength be."--DEUT. xxxiii. 25. Needful Grace. God does not give grace till the hour of trial comes. But when it does come, the amount of grace, and the nature of the special grace required is vouchsafed. My soul, do not dwell with painful apprehension on the future. Do not anticipate coming sorrows; perplexing thyself with the grace needed for future emergencies; to-morrow will bring its promised grace along with to-morrow's trials. …
John Ross Macduff—The Faithful Promiser

Covenanting Predicted in Prophecy.
The fact of Covenanting, under the Old Testament dispensations, being approved of God, gives a proof that it was proper then, which is accompanied by the voice of prophecy, affording evidence that even in periods then future it should no less be proper. The argument for the service that is afforded by prophecy is peculiar, and, though corresponding with evidence from other sources, is independent. Because that God willed to make known truth through his servants the prophets, we should receive it …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

Within what Tribe the Lake of Gennesaret Was.
By comparing the maps with the Talmudic writers, this question ariseth: for there is not one among them, as far as I know, which does not altogether define the sea of Gennesaret to be without the tribe of Naphthali; but the Talmudists do most plainly place it within. "The Rabbins deliver: The sea of Tiberias is in the portion of Naphtali; yea, it takes a full line for the nets on the south side of it: as it is said, 'Possess the sea and the south,' Deuteronomy 33:23." The Gloss is; "(Naphtali) had …
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica

1872 the Need of a Home Further West --Burning of the Marchmont Home --Home Restored by Canadian Gifts --Miss Macpherson and Miss Reavell Arrive in Canada
The need of a Home further West--Burning of the Marchmont Home--Home restored by Canadian gifts--Miss Macpherson and Miss Reavell arrive in Canada--First visit to Knowlton in the East--Belleville Home restored by Canadian friends--Help for the Galt Home--Miss Macpherson returns to England--Miss Reavell remains at Galt. In her first letter on returning to England Miss Macpherson writes:-- "BELOVED FELLOW-WORKERS,--Once more at home among the old familiar scenes in the East of London, the sadness …
Clara M. S. Lowe—God's Answers

Second Part
Aphrahat the Persian Sage. 1. Name of Author of Demonstrations long Unknown.--The author of the Demonstrations, eight of which appear (for the first time in an English version) in the present volume, has a singular literary history. By nationality a Persian, in an age when Zoroastrianism was the religion of Persia, he wrote in Syriac as a Christian theologian. His writings, now known to us as the works of Aphrahat, were remembered, cited, translated, and transcribed for at least two centuries …
Ephraim the Syrian—Hymns and Homilies of Ephraim the Syrian

With Israel's God who Can Compare?
 …
John Newton—Olney Hymns

On Deut. xxxiii. Ii
On Deut. xxxiii. II Hippolytus, the expositor of the Targum, has said that Moses, when he had finished this prophecy, also pronounced a blessing upon all the children of Israel, by their several tribes, and prayed for them. Then God charged Moses, saying to him, Go up to Mount Nebo, which indeed is known by the name of the mount of the Hebrews, which is in the land of Moab over against Jericho. And He said to him: View the land of Chanaan, which I am to give to the children of Israel for an inheritance. …
Hippolytus—The Extant Works and Fragments of Hippolytus

The Best Things Work for Good to the Godly
WE shall consider, first, what things work for good to the godly; and here we shall show that both the best things and the worst things work for their good. We begin with the best things. 1. God's attributes work for good to the godly. (1). God's power works for good. It is a glorious power (Col. i. 11), and it is engaged for the good of the elect. God's power works for good, in supporting us in trouble. "Underneath are the everlasting arms" (Deut. xxxiii. 27). What upheld Daniel in the lion's den? …
Thomas Watson—A Divine Cordial

Subterraneous Places. Mines. Caves.
Thus having taken some notice of the superficies of the land, let us a little search into its bowels. You may divide the subterraneous country into three parts: the metal mines, the caves, and the places of burial. This land was eminently noted for metal mines, so that "its stones," in very many places, "were iron, and out of its hills was digged brass," Deuteronomy 8:9. From these gain accrued to the Jews: but to the Christians, not seldom slavery and misery; being frequently condemned hither by …
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica

Wesley's Hymns Reconsidered
Bernard Manning A paper read before the Cambridge University Methodist Society on February 9, 1939. SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE, sometime Scholar of Jesus College in the University of Cambridge, once wrote some ingenious verses {Metrical Feet: Lesson for a Boy.} to help his sons to remember the chief sorts of metre. If Coleridge had been a Methodist instead of a pilgrim from Anglicanism to Unitarianism and back again, he would have needed to do no such thing: he would have needed only to advise his boys …
Bernard L. Manning—The Hymns of Wesley and Watts: Five Papers

The Covenant of an Everlasting Priesthood
"That My covenant might be with Levi. My covenant was with him of life and peace; and I gave them to him for the fear wherewith he feared Me, and was afraid before My name. The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips; he walked with Me in peace and equity, and did turn many away from iniquity."--MAL. ii. 4-6. ISRAEL was meant by God to be a nation of priests. In the first making of the Covenant this was distinctly stipulated. "If ye will obey My voice, and keep My covenant, …
Andrew Murray—The Two Covenants

An Exposition on the First Ten Chapters of Genesis, and Part of the Eleventh
An unfinished commentary on the Bible, found among the author's papers after his death, in his own handwriting; and published in 1691, by Charles Doe, in a folio volume of the works of John Bunyan. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR Being in company with an enlightened society of Protestant dissenters of the Baptist denomination, I observed to a doctor of divinity, who was advancing towards his seventieth year, that my time had been delightfully engaged with John Bunyan's commentary on Genesis. "What," …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

Manner of Covenanting.
Previous to an examination of the manner of engaging in the exercise of Covenanting, the consideration of God's procedure towards his people while performing the service seems to claim regard. Of the manner in which the great Supreme as God acts, as well as of Himself, our knowledge is limited. Yet though even of the effects on creatures of His doings we know little, we have reason to rejoice that, in His word He has informed us, and in His providence illustrated by that word, he has given us to …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

Jesus Works his First Miracle at Cana in Galilee.
^D John II. 1-11. ^d 1 And the third day [From the calling of Philip (John i. 43). The days enumerated in John's first two chapters constitute a week, and may perhaps be intended as a contrast to the last week of Christ's ministry ( John xii. 1). It took two days to journey from the Jordan to Cana] there was a marriage [In Palestine the marriage ceremony usually began at twilight. The feast after the marriage was at the home of the bridegroom, and was sometimes prolonged for several days (Gen. xxix. …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Adam's Sin
Q-15: WHAT WAS THE SIN WHEREBY OUR FIRST PARENTS FELL FROM THE ESTATE WHEREIN THEY WERE CREATED? A: That sin was eating the forbidden fruit. 'She took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also to her husband.' Gen 3:3. Here is implied, 1. That our first parents fell from their estate of innocence. 2. The sin by which they fell, was eating the forbidden fruit. I. Our first parents fell from their glorious state of innocence. God made man upright, but they have sought out many inventions.' Eccl …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

Mount Zion.
"For ye are not come unto a mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, and unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, and the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard entreated that no word more should be spoken unto them: for they could not endure that which was enjoined, If even a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned; and so fearful was the appearance, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake: but ye are come unto Mount Zion, and unto …
Thomas Charles Edwards—The Expositor's Bible: The Epistle to the Hebrews

Notes on the Third Century
Page 161. Line 1. He must be born again, &c. This is a compound citation from John iii. 3, and Mark x. 15, in the order named. Page 182. Line 17. For all things should work together, &c. See Romans viii. 28. Page 184. Lines 10-11. Being Satan is able, &c. 2 Corinthians xi. 14. Page 184. Last line. Like a sparrow, &c. Psalm cii. Page 187. Line 1. Mechanisms. This word is, in the original MS., mechanicismes.' Page 187. Line 7. Like the King's daughter, &c. Psalm xlv. 14. Page 188. Med. 39. The best …
Thomas Traherne—Centuries of Meditations

Fourth Sunday after Epiphany
Text: Romans 13, 8-10. 8 Owe no man anything, save to love one another: for he that loveth his neighbor hath fulfilled the law. 9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not covet, and if there be any other commandment, it is summed up in this word, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. 10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbor; love therefore is the fulfilment of the law. CHRISTIAN LOVE AND THE COMMAND TO LOVE. 1. This, like the two …
Martin Luther—Epistle Sermons, Vol. II

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