Deuteronomy 33:28

Summary

The verse describes Israel dwelling in security and isolation, in a land rich with grain and new wine, where the sky itself provides dew. The phrase "spring of Jacob" (or "eye of Jacob" in some versions) modifies or parallels this image of secure dwelling.

Key words

• yishkon ("it has dwelt", H7931) — qal verb with narrative vav, expressing a settled state achieved through past action, functioning as the main verb of the clause.
• badad ("alone", H0910) — masculine singular noun used adverbially alongside betach, both nouns describing the manner of Israel's dwelling.
• 'ein ("[the] spring of", H5869M) — feminine singular construct noun; the Strong number marked "M" distinguishes this word from the more common noun for "eye," which shares the same consonants ('ayin).
• shamav ("heavens", H8064) — masculine plural construct noun with the 3ms suffix -o ("his"), attached via H9023, producing "his heavens" — the sky as belonging to Jacob/Israel.
• ya'arfu ("they drop", H6201) — qal imperfect, 3rd person masculine plural, describing the ongoing or characteristic action of the heavens dropping dew.

What the text says

The clause opens with va-yishkon Yisrael ("and Israel dwelt"), using the narrative vav construction that ties this verse to what precedes. The manner of dwelling is given by two juxtaposed nouns, betach ("security") and badad ("alone"), both functioning adverbially rather than as separate verbs — the grammar packs both qualities into a compact description of how Israel dwells.

The phrase 'ein Ya'akov ("spring of Jacob") uses a feminine singular construct noun. Because the main verb yishkon is masculine, this phrase is grammatically distinct from Israel as the verb's subject, functioning either in apposition to it or as a descriptive image standing alongside it — the Hebrew text places these two phrases in sequence without an explicit conjunction connecting them syntactically to yishkon.

The second half of the verse shifts to the sky: shamav ("his heavens") carries a 3ms possessive suffix, tying the heavens directly to the subject already established. The verb ya'arfu is imperfect, giving the dripping of dew a durative or characteristic sense — an ongoing feature rather than a single completed event.

Differences between versions

The Hebrew 'ein (H5869M) is treated in the data as "spring," but the Vulgate renders this phrase as "Oculus Jacob" ("eye of Jacob"), reflecting the identical consonantal spelling shared with the common word for "eye" ('ayin). The LXX text as given does not clearly correspond to a separate "spring/eye of Jacob" clause at all; its wording "μόνος ἐπὶ γῆς Ἰακώβ" ("alone upon the land of Jacob") restructures this portion of the verse differently from both the Hebrew and the Vulgate. The Spanish RV1909 and SBLIBRE follow the "fountain/spring" reading found in the Hebrew data, aligning with 'ein as "spring" rather than "eye."