The Last Words of Moses

MOSES’ FINAL blessing on Israel was in the form of prophecies over the tribes, along with a reminder that when God led the people from Sinai, He was accompanied by “ten thousands of holy ones.”“Holy ones” is a term used elsewhere in the Old Testament, always in reference to angelic beings. Yahweh’s “march from the south” is a theme also noted in Habakkuk 3:3–7 and Judges 5:4–5. The references to Edom in those passages hint that Mount Sinai is located farther north than most people think.We also discuss the prophecy over the tribe of Dan (“a lion’s cub that leaps from Bashan”), the absence of Simeon from the tribes blessed by Moses, and the odd reference in Jude to the dispute between Michael and Satan over the body of Moses.