‘Of Benjamin he said, “The beloved of the Lord dwells in safety.  The High God surrounds him all day long, and dwells between his shoulders.” (Deuteronomy 33:12).

The blessing in relation to the tribe of Benjamin is comparatively short in comparison to Levi’s one in the verses before it.  Also the tone is very different from Jacob’s blessing in Genesis 49:27    A straightforward reading of the first part of this verse highlights the Lord’s love for them, as the text gives us a picture of intimacy and security by highlighting His protection towards them. This is very much echoing Judah’s comments to Joseph concerning his younger brother Benjamin in Genesis 44:20.

The second part of the verse is subject to translational difficulties.  What exactly does: “The High God surrounds him all day long, and dwells between his shoulders.” mean?  Again, a straightforward reading of the text would suggest this is emphasising the Lord’s love by using a father and son illustration of a father putting his son on his shoulders and carrying him.  The illustration of the Lord acting like a father towards his people has been used before in Deuteronomy when Moses reminds them how he tried to encourage them in the light of the spies discouraging report with the words: “and the wilderness, where you have seen how the Lord your God carried you, as a man carries his son, all the way that you went until you came to this place.” (1:31).

However, it is possible to read another meaning into this phrase.  Allan Harman points out that the word: ‘shoulder’, when used in the Hebrew text in Joshua 15:8 and 18:16, is used to describe the side of the mountain which Jerusalem was built on.  He concludes that this is a reference to the Tabernacle as it would ultimately be situated in Jerusalem.  Later the temple would be built there and as this was seen as the dwelling place of God, and Jerusalem was within Benjamin’s territory, this also seems plausible explanation.[1]

However, the main thing we should come away with is the anticipation that the tribe of Benjamin will dwell in the land in safety and security.  Also the father and son relationship theme of the second part of the verse emphasises the beginning of the verse which refers to Benjamin as the Lord’s: ‘beloved’.  Such is the nature of the Lord’s relationship with the believer.

[1]Allan Harman, Deuteronomy, The Commands of the Covenant God (Christian focus publications, Fearn, 2001) 280.