◄ Deuteronomy 27:13 ►
And these tribes shall stand on Mount Ebal to deliver the curse: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.
Study Bible
And these tribes shall stand
The act of standing in this context is significant, symbolizing readiness, attention, and solemnity. In ancient Israelite culture, standing was often associated with the act of witnessing or participating in a covenant ceremony. The Hebrew root word for "stand" is "עָמַד" (amad), which conveys the idea of being established or taking a firm position. This act of standing on Mount Ebal is a physical manifestation of the tribes' role in the covenantal process, emphasizing their active participation in the communal life and spiritual responsibilities of Israel.

on Mount Ebal
Mount Ebal, located in the central region of the land of Israel, opposite Mount Gerizim, holds significant historical and theological importance. In the context of Deuteronomy, Mount Ebal is the designated site for the pronouncement of curses, contrasting with Mount Gerizim, where blessings are declared. Archaeological findings, such as the discovery of an ancient altar on Mount Ebal, support its historical role as a place of covenant renewal. Theologically, Mount Ebal represents the consequences of disobedience to God's law, serving as a tangible reminder of the covenant's stipulations.

to pronounce curses
The pronouncement of curses is a solemn and serious act, reflecting the covenantal framework established between God and Israel. In the Hebrew tradition, blessings and curses are integral to the covenant, serving as incentives for obedience and deterrents against disobedience. The Hebrew word for "curse" is "קְלָלָה" (qelalah), which implies a state of being diminished or brought low. This act of pronouncing curses is not merely punitive but serves as a didactic tool, reminding the Israelites of the consequences of turning away from God's commandments and the importance of maintaining faithfulness to the covenant.

Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali
These six tribes are specifically chosen to stand on Mount Ebal, and their selection carries both historical and symbolic significance. Reuben, as the firstborn of Jacob, represents the forfeiture of privilege due to disobedience, as seen in his personal history. Gad and Asher, sons of Leah's maidservant Zilpah, along with Dan and Naphtali, sons of Rachel's maidservant Bilhah, reflect the diverse origins of the tribes and the unity required despite their differences. Zebulun, a son of Leah, adds to the representation of the tribes descended from both wives and maidservants of Jacob. This diverse assembly underscores the collective responsibility of the nation to uphold the covenant, regardless of tribal lineage or status. The inclusion of these tribes in the pronouncement of curses serves as a reminder of the comprehensive nature of the covenant and the shared accountability of all Israel in adhering to God's law.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Mount Ebal
A mountain in the central region of the land of Israel, opposite Mount Gerizim. It is the designated place for pronouncing curses as part of the covenant renewal ceremony.

2. Reuben
The firstborn son of Jacob and Leah, representing one of the tribes of Israel. His tribe is among those standing on Mount Ebal.

3. Gad
A tribe descended from Jacob's son Gad, one of the tribes assigned to pronounce curses.

4. Asher
Another tribe of Israel, descended from Jacob's son Asher, participating in the ceremony on Mount Ebal.

5. Zebulun
A tribe descended from Jacob's son Zebulun, also standing on Mount Ebal for the pronouncement of curses.

6. Dan
A tribe descended from Jacob's son Dan, included in the group on Mount Ebal.

7. Naphtali
A tribe descended from Jacob's son Naphtali, part of the assembly on Mount Ebal.
Teaching Points
The Importance of Obedience
The tribes on Mount Ebal were to pronounce curses as a reminder of the consequences of disobedience to God's law. This underscores the importance of living in obedience to God's commands.

Covenant Renewal
The ceremony on Mount Ebal was a renewal of the covenant between God and Israel. It serves as a reminder of the need for believers to regularly renew their commitment to God.

The Role of Community
The involvement of specific tribes in pronouncing curses highlights the communal aspect of faith. Believers are part of a community that holds each other accountable to God's standards.

The Reality of Consequences
The curses pronounced on Mount Ebal remind us that actions have consequences. This principle is still relevant today, as we consider the spiritual and practical outcomes of our choices.

Christ's Redemption from the Curse
While the law brings a curse for disobedience, Christ has redeemed us from the curse by becoming a curse for us. This highlights the grace available through faith in Jesus.
Bible Study Questions
1. What is the significance of Mount Ebal in the context of the covenant renewal ceremony, and how does it relate to the concept of blessings and curses in our lives today?

2. How does the communal aspect of the tribes standing on Mount Ebal inform our understanding of accountability within the church community?

3. In what ways can we regularly renew our commitment to God, similar to the covenant renewal on Mount Ebal?

4. How do the consequences of disobedience, as illustrated by the curses on Mount Ebal, manifest in our spiritual lives today?

5. How does understanding Christ's redemption from the curse of the law impact our daily walk with God, and how can we apply this truth in our interactions with others?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Joshua 8:30-35
This passage describes the fulfillment of the command in Deuteronomy 27, where Joshua builds an altar on Mount Ebal and the Israelites renew the covenant by pronouncing blessings and curses.

Deuteronomy 11:29
This verse sets the stage for the event by instructing the Israelites about the blessings on Mount Gerizim and the curses on Mount Ebal.

Galatians 3:10-14
Paul references the curse of the law, connecting it to the redemptive work of Christ, who became a curse for us to redeem us from the law's curse.
Sermons
Ebal and GerizimJ. Orr Deuteronomy 27:11-26
ResponsesR.M. Edgar Deuteronomy 27:11-26
The Decalogue Nationally ReciprocatedD. Davies Deuteronomy 27:11-26
People
Asher, Benjamin, Dan, Gad, Issachar, Joseph, Levi, Levites, Moses, Naphtali, Reuben, Simeon, Zebulun
Places
Beth-baal-peor, Jordan River, Mount Ebal, Mount Gerizim
Topics
Asher, Curse, Curses, Dan, Ebal, Gad, Mount, Naphtali, Naph'tali, Pronounce, Reuben, Reviling, Stand, Zebulun, Zeb'ulun
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Deuteronomy 27:1-26

     7797   teaching

Deuteronomy 27:9-26

     5827   curse

Deuteronomy 27:11-13

     7266   tribes of Israel

Deuteronomy 27:12-13

     1657   numbers, fractions

Library
Obedience
Take heed, and hearken, O Israel; this day thou art become the people of the Lord thy God. Thou shalt therefore obey the voice of the Lord thy God, and do his commandments.' Deut 27: 9, 10. What is the duty which God requireth of man? Obedience to his revealed will. It is not enough to hear God's voice, but we must obey. Obedience is a part of the honour we owe to God. If then I be a Father, where is my honour?' Mal 1: 6. Obedience carries in it the life-blood of religion. Obey the voice of the Lord …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

In Judæa and through Samaria - a Sketch of Samaritan History and Theology - Jews and Samaritans.
We have no means of determining how long Jesus may have tarried in Jerusalem after the events recorded in the previous two chapters. The Evangelic narrative [1850] only marks an indefinite period of time, which, as we judge from internal probability, cannot have been protracted. From the city He retired with His disciples to the country,' which formed the province of Judæa. There He taught and His disciples baptized. [1851] [1852] From what had been so lately witnessed in Jerusalem, as well …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

How Christ is Made Use of for Justification as a Way.
What Christ hath done to purchase, procure, and bring about our justification before God, is mentioned already, viz. That he stood in the room of sinners, engaging for them as their cautioner, undertaking, and at length paying down the ransom; becoming sin, or a sacrifice for sin, and a curse for them, and so laying down his life a ransom to satisfy divine justice; and this he hath made known in the gospel, calling sinners to an accepting of him as their only Mediator, and to a resting upon him for …
John Brown (of Wamphray)—Christ The Way, The Truth, and The Life

Gilgal, in Deuteronomy 11:30 what the Place Was.
That which is said by Moses, that "Gerizim and Ebal were over-against Gilgal," Deuteronomy 11:30, is so obscure, that it is rendered into contrary significations by interpreters. Some take it in that sense, as if it were near to Gilgal: some far off from Gilgal: the Targumists read, "before Gilgal": while, as I think, they do not touch the difficulty; which lies not so much in the signification of the word Mul, as in the ambiguity of the word Gilgal. These do all seem to understand that Gilgal which …
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica

In Galilee at the Time of Our Lord
"If any one wishes to be rich, let him go north; if he wants to be wise, let him come south." Such was the saying, by which Rabbinical pride distinguished between the material wealth of Galilee and the supremacy in traditional lore claimed for the academies of Judaea proper. Alas, it was not long before Judaea lost even this doubtful distinction, and its colleges wandered northwards, ending at last by the Lake of Gennesaret, and in that very city of Tiberias which at one time had been reputed unclean! …
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life

Meditations of the Misery of a Man not Reconciled to God in Christ.
O wretched Man! where shall I begin to describe thine endless misery, who art condemned as soon as conceived; and adjudged to eternal death, before thou wast born to a temporal life? A beginning indeed, I find, but no end of thy miseries. For when Adam and Eve, being created after God's own image, and placed in Paradise, that they and their posterity might live in a blessed state of life immortal, having dominion over all earthly creatures, and only restrained from the fruit of one tree, as a sign …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

Jesus' Last Public Discourse. Denunciation of Scribes and Pharisees.
(in the Court of the Temple. Tuesday, April 4, a.d. 30.) ^A Matt. XXIII. 1-39; ^B Mark XII. 38-40; ^C Luke XX. 45-47. ^a 1 Then spake Jesus ^b 38 And in his teaching ^c in the hearing of all the people he said unto ^a the multitudes, and to his disciples [he spoke in the most public manner], 2 saying, ^c 46 Beware of the scribes, ^a The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat: 3 all things whatsoever they bid you, these do and observe: but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not. …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Differences in Judgment About Water Baptism, no Bar to Communion: Or, to Communicate with Saints, as Saints, Proved Lawful.
IN ANSWER TO A BOOK WRITTEN BY THE BAPTISTS, AND PUBLISHED BY MR. T. PAUL AND MR. W. KIFFIN, ENTITLED, 'SOME SERIOUS REFLECTIONS ON THAT PART OF MR BUNYAN'S CONFESSION OF FAITH, TOUCHING CHURCH COMMUNION WITH UNBAPTIZED BELIEVERS.' WHEREIN THEIR OBJECTIONS AND ARGUMENTS ARE ANSWERED, AND THE DOCTRINE OF COMMUNION STILL ASSERTED AND VINDICATED. HERE IS ALSO MR. HENRY JESSE'S JUDGMENT IN THE CASE, FULLY DECLARING THE DOCTRINE I HAVE ASSERTED. BY JOHN BUNYAN. 'Should not the multitude of words be answered? …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

Deuteronomy
Owing to the comparatively loose nature of the connection between consecutive passages in the legislative section, it is difficult to present an adequate summary of the book of Deuteronomy. In the first section, i.-iv. 40, Moses, after reviewing the recent history of the people, and showing how it reveals Jehovah's love for Israel, earnestly urges upon them the duty of keeping His laws, reminding them of His spirituality and absoluteness. Then follows the appointment, iv. 41-43--here irrelevant (cf. …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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