Bible Strands
Deuteronomy 27:13
And these tribes shall stand on Mount Ebal to deliver the curse: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Moses addresses the Israelites immediately before they cross the Jordan to occupy the land. The text places six specific tribes on Mount Ebal to pronounce curses, directly paralleling the six tribes positioned on Mount Gerizim in Deuteronomy 27:12.
The words — יַעַמְדוּ (ya.'am.Du) translates literally as "they will stand," denoting the tribes' fixed posture on the mountain. הַקְּלָלָה (ha./ke.la.Lah) means "the curse," specifying the exact declaration these tribes are tasked to deliver.
The thread — This mountain arrangement fulfills the earlier command to set up stones on Mount Ebal in Deuteronomy 27:4. The tribal roster also connects to Genesis 29:32 for Reuben and Genesis 30:6 for Dan.
Why it lands — The text requires the reader to note the precise tribal assignments for the curse without embellishment. It demands recognition of the structural symmetry between the two mountains and the specific roles assigned to each group.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And these shall stand upon mount Ebal to curse; Reuben, Gad, and Asher, and Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.
Cross-references
- Deuteronomy 27:4 And when you have crossed the Jordan, you are to set up these stones on Mount Ebal, as I am commanding you today, and you are to coat them with plaster.
- Genesis 29:32 And Leah conceived and gave birth to a son, and she named him Reuben, for she said, “The LORD has seen my affliction. Surely my husband will love me now.”
- Genesis 30:6 Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me; He has heard my plea and given me a son.” So she named him Dan.
- Genesis 30:20 “God has given me a good gift,” she said. “This time my husband will honor me, because I have borne him six sons.” And she named him Zebulun.
- Genesis 49:3 Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, excelling in honor, excelling in power.
- Deuteronomy 11:29 When the LORD your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess, you are to proclaim the blessing on Mount Gerizim and the curse on Mount Ebal.
- Joshua 8:33 All Israel, foreigners and citizens alike, with their elders, officers, and judges, stood on both sides of the ark of the covenant of the LORD facing the Levitical priests who carried it. Half of the people stood in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded earlier, to bless the people of Israel.