He was king over Jeshurun when the leaders of the people assembled, along with the tribes of Israel. – Deuteronomy 33:5

Today's Scripture Reading (March 21, 2025): Deuteronomy 33

The history of the kings of many nations is often an interesting read. I recently took a journey back through the Kings of England, which is admittedly a favorite subject of mine. I followed the Kings of England as they extended back through time and morphed out of the Kings of Wessex, who ruled over the Southernmost portion of England. I continued through these Kings until I came to Cerdic of Wessex, the first to claim the title of King of Wessex. His father is listed as a man named Elesa, who some have identified as Elasius, the "Chief of the Region," although he never claimed the title of King. But, as seems to be confirmed with so many of these early kings, if we go back further up the family tree, it isn't long before we come to the gods. For Cerdic, the god he claims further up his family tree is Woden, another name for the Norse god Odin. So, Odin is the originator of the Cerdic family line and the ultimate king over Wessex.

We are entering into the blessings that Moses speaks over the tribes of Israel. As is true in several other passages, it begins with an introduction that was likely written by someone else, although it appears to be from Moses in the text. The problem with Moses writing this first portion is that he is named in the third person, which is unusual, and the passage appears to be something that is said about Moses rather than by Moses. 

A second reason to argue that this was written by someone else is the assertion made in this verse: "He was king over Jeshurun." First, we must deal with the word Jeshurun. Jeshurun simply indicates "the righteous." However, the next question is the identity of the person this passage indicates was king over the righteous. There are two possibilities, one of which is God, and the other is the aforementioned Moses.

As I read the passage, it seems that it is Moses who the author is calling king. The passage flows better if we assume that Moses is who the author is calling king. But it flows even better If we compare verse 5 with verse 26. While verse 5 states, "He (maybe Moses) was king over Jeshurun" with an emphasis on the "was," verse 26 makes the following statement; "There is no one like the God of Jeshurun" with a focus on the "is." Moses was king, but God continues to reign over Jeshurun."

But if Moses is indicated to be the first king of Israel, a title he never claimed, it is significant that none of the Kings of Israel claimed to be descendants of Moses. This appears to be an honorary title given to Moses after his death, while God continued to be the King over all of Israel. 

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 34