“A firstborn bull — he has majesty, and his horns are the horns of a wild ox; with them he shall gore the peoples, all of them, to the ends of the earth” (Deuteronomy 33:17).
Maybe, like me, you read this and thought “well that’s gory. Eww. This is your blessing?” As always, if I don’t understand or if something in God’s Word makes me uncomfortable, I have to:
1. Look for information so that I do understand.
2. Recognize that God’s Word is always good.
3. Realize that the problem is with me, not with the Word.
What does God’s blessing really mean for the tribe of Joseph?
A Helpful Commentary
John Gill explains that the bull’s horns represent the two sons of Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh, and their line.
This will be a powerful line, which withstands and defeats their enemies, pushing them “not to the ends of the world” as though they could rule “over all people to the ends of the world, [...] but to the ends of the land of Canaan.”
Gill adds that “push” is an “allusion to the horns of creatures, with which they push, drive away from them.”
My discomfort had more to do with this word “gore” than anything else. It’s a nasty idea: that God would bless a tribe with the power to do such a thing, even figuratively. So, I looked at other translations.
He’ll gore the nations with those horns, push them all to the ends of the Earth (The Message).
He will gore distant nations, even to the ends of the earth (New Living Translation).
His glory is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns: with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth (King James Version, we’ll talk about the unicorns in another article).
His horns are the horns of the wild ox. With them he shall push the peoples all of them, [even] the ends of the earth (Word English Bible).
A firstborn bull, majesty is his. His horns are the horns of the wild ox. With them he shall push all of the peoples, to the farthest parts of the earth (New Heart English Bible).
Depending on the version one reads, “gore” is explained as “push” or is removed entirely, perhaps for this very reason: that people like me will see it and go “huh?” Push I can understand. But when the blessing was realized, the Canaanites received more than a little shove.
Did the Blessing Come True?
Joshua fought the battle of Jericho, as the song goes. “The Lord was with Joshua, and his fame was in all the land” (Joshua 6:27). Jericho was a city in Canaan, and Canaan was the bountiful land, which Moses led Israel towards, though they could not go in under his leadership.
Victory was realized under the command of Joshua, who was rewarded (and Israel as well) for his faith. God blessed the tribe of Joseph, and Joshua was descended from that tribe.
But did they gore anyone? “Then they devoted all in the city to destruction, both men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys, with the edge of the sword” (6:21).
Sharp objects were certainly involved; the city was destroyed, the occupants pushed out or killed — every single one of them. Men, women, children, animals: everyone wiped out.
A Little Help Please?
I’ve probably talked about this before, but it’s a huge topic among unbelievers and believers alike: why would God call for such wholesale slaughter? Men, women, and children? My vegan friends would add that the animals had nothing to do with Israel’s oppression, so why should they also be massacred?
In previous studies, I’ve been reminded that this was not a civilian city but a military outpost. Joshua destroyed the stronghold of the enemy. Certainly, not everyone inside (babies and sheep) was holding a sword.
But the city and its inhabitants were strategically placed to both defend Canaan and bring word to the rest of the land if they were attacked. Wiping them out would have effectively rid any potential messengers to other military outposts as well.
Still, military outpost or otherwise, this is tricky. Why did God command that even the children be destroyed? Many who acknowledge God’s existence still have trouble accepting the morality of Scripture,” wrote Kyle Dillon.
But, as he points out, humans are not “basically good or innocent” and if we see people in this way, we react with shock and horror to Old Testament warfare. We should always be horrified by slaughter, even of the wicked, because
1. We are all wicked and that could so easily have been our bloodshed if we had not believed in Christ for salvation and if he had not died in our place.
2. Anyone who dies without being born again, a new creation in Christ, is going to perish in hell. That should wake us up to their desperate need for the gospel and our solemn commission to bring it to them.
The reality of Joshua’s day, however, was that “Canaanite societies [were] steeped in abominable practices like child sacrifice and cult prostitution.” This was another Sodom and Gomorrah.
The Lord did not want his people intermarrying with them and abandoning him in favor of futile beliefs, which would destroy them individually and as a nation. We know how easy it was for Israel to slip into idolatry — fewer than 40 days when Moses was on the mountain.
We know it from Scripture, and we know it from our own lives. How long between that time God saved me from x, y, or z before I forgot what he had done and tried to live life in my own strength, forgetting to praise and thank him? You could probably count it in hours.
Back to the Push
Stepping away from the difficult subject above, I want to focus again on the metaphorical language because it has a purpose. Nagach means butting, collide, gore, push, or push back according to Bible Study Tools, and this is the Hebrew used in Deuteronomy 33:17. What would the enemy be gored by? Israel’s horn or qeren — their hill, horn(s), might, rays, strength, tusks.
Joshua and the armed forces circled once a day for six consecutive days, then they circled Jericho again, on the seventh day, with the priests this time.
On the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. And when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, when you hear the sound of the trumpet, then all the people shall shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city will fall down flat (6:4-5).
Why horns? These are symbols of God’s power. Their might, rays, strength — not of Israel or of Joshua. Israel did not knock down the walls of Jericho; God did and had told them he would, back in Moses’ day (i.e., Deuteronomy 33:17).
The inhabitants of Jericho were indeed killed by the sword, but the main message here is that Israel’s priests blowing their horns signified that Jericho had not met their match in the Israeli army but in the God of Israel.
His people were led in faith and by faith, they experienced victory through the Father, not in their own strength.
Don’t Push with the Gospel
It’s tempting, I think, to virtually “stab” people with the gospel. To break their heads against the good news. No joke: a lot of people share the truth without love. Our wisdom is ashes if we don’t have love (1 Corinthians 13). God defeats cynicism.
He conquers personal sin and is constantly sanctifying us. From now on, every time I hear smooth jazz and those horns blowing, I’ll remember: the Lord will destroy everything that stands between me and him until I’m in his arms for good.
For further reading:
What Is the ‘Horn of Salvation’ in the Bible?
How Christians and Bible Thumpers Are Not the Same
Did God Condone Violence Found in the Old Testament?
What Is the Significance of the Twelve Tribes of Israel in the Bible?
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/Chinnapong
