Deuteronomy 33:6

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

Let Reuben live, and not die; and let not his men be few. Let Reuben live, and not die. Although deprived of the honour and privileges of primogeniture, he was still to hold rank as one of the tribes of Israel.

Though Reuben deserve to be cut off, or greatly diminished and obscured, according to Jacob’ s prediction, ; yet God will spare them, and give them a name and portion among the tribes of Israel, and bless them with increase of their numbers.

Deuteronomy 33:6 Let Reuben live, and not die; and let [not] his men be few.Ver. 6. Let Reuben live, and not die.] Let him have a nail and a name in God’ s house, notwithstanding the heinousness of his sin, and the severity of Jacob’ s sentence.

(6) Let Reuben live, and not die.—“‘Live’ in this world.” says Rashi, “and ‘not die’ in the world to come.” That his misdeed should not be remembered (Genesis 35:22). Rashi also notices the juxtaposition of this record with the sentence, “the sons of Jacob were twelve.” Reuben was not cut off, but he was disinherited (1 Chronicles 5:1), and his father’s blessing had so much in it of disapproval, that Moses’ prayer for him was not unnecessary. And let not his men be few.—The sentence is difficult. The LXX. insert Simeon, “let Simeon be many in number.” But there is no need for this. The most terrible destruction ever wrought in Israel by the word of Moses came on Dathan and Abiram (who were Reubenites), when “they and all that appertained to them went down alive into the pit.” We cannot say how far the tribe was diminished by this terrible visitation and the plague that followed (Numbers 16), but the fighting men of the tribe had slightly decreased in the second census (Numbers 1:21; Numbers 26:7), and only two of all the twelve tribes had a smaller force than Reuben at this time. It seems best, therefore, to take the whole verse as applying to Reuben, and the negative in the first clause as covering the second clause also. “Let not his men be a (small) number.” The omission of Simeon may be accounted for by his coming within the inheritance of Judah, in Canaan, and enjoying the blessing and protection of that most distinguished tribe. Rashi also takes this view.

Verse 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: ΚαιΣυμεωνεστωπολυςεναριτμῳ, 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!

(2–9). Four Laws: Of Right to Enter the Congregation There shall not enter any eunuch (Deuteronomy 33:1); nor the son of an unlawful marriage, nor descendants (Deuteronomy 33:2); nor Ammonite, nor Moabite, nor descendants (Deuteronomy 33:3-6); but the third generation of Edomite or Egyptian may enter (Deuteronomy 33:7 f.).—These laws have negative openings like the preceding and like the series which follow in Deuteronomy 33:15-20 (Deuteronomy 33:16-21) after the interrupting law, Deuteronomy 33:9-14 (Deuteronomy 33:10-15); hence possibly their position just here. The form of address to Israel does not appear till Deuteronomy 33:4 a (Deuteronomy 33:5 a) where it is Pl., but in Deuteronomy 33:4-7 Sg. Other features are the use of ḳ ?ahal, congregation, for the commonwealth of Israel, not elsewhere in D, the difference of Deu 33:4 a (Deuteronomy 33:5 a) from Deuteronomy 2:29, the introduction of Balaam not mentioned in chs. 1–3, and the favourable treatment of Egyptians. Such data raise questions of the origin and structure of these laws as difficult as any we have met, and perhaps incapable of solution. Some take Deuteronomy 33:4-6 (Deuteronomy 33:5-7) as secondary, and the rest as original to D. But it is nearly as plausible to reckon part or all of Deu 33:4-6 as D’s addition to earlier laws and to argue for the primitive origin of these (see below). Berth. holds that all Deuteronomy 33:1-8 (Deuteronomy 33:2-9) is secondary, Deuteronomy 33:1-6 being from the time of Ezra and perhaps inserted by Ezra himself to correct the religious confusions which he found in Jerusalem. As there is nothing at that time to explain Deuteronomy 33:7 f. (Deuteronomy 33:8 f.) he boldly suggests the origin of this in the Maccabean period (Stellung d. Isr. zu d. Fremden, 142 ff., and his note on this passage). For answers to him see below.

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).

UPON THE TRIBES, Deuteronomy 33:6-25. 6. The blessing of Reuben. Let not his men be few — The negative is not in the Hebrew.