经文研读
Deuteronomy 27:13 — Six Tribes on Mount Ebal for the Curse
Deuteronomy 27:13 names six tribes who are to stand on Mount Ebal to receive the curse, completing the two-mountain arrangement set up in 27:12.
经文
- 13.流 便 、 迦 得 、 亞 設 、 西 布 倫 、 但 、 拿 弗 他 利 六 個 支 派 的 人 都 要 站 在 以 巴 路 山 上 宣 布 咒 詛 。And these shall stand upon mount Ebal for the curse: Reuben, Gad, and Asher, and Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.
这段经文的意思
Deuteronomy 27:13 names the six tribes assigned to Mount Ebal for the curse: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali. The verse mirrors the previous verse in structure: a list of six tribal names, preceded by the command that they shall stand (the same Hebrew verb repeated) upon a named mountain for a specific liturgical purpose. Here, that purpose is the curse (הַקְּלָלָה, haqqel·lā·ḵāh), as opposed to the blessing (הַבְּרָכָה, hab·bə·rā·ḵāh) of verse 12.
The pairing is deliberate. Six tribes stand on Gerizim to bless, and six stand on Ebal to curse, so that the twelve tribes — including the two half-tribes east of the Jordan (Reuben, Gad) listed first — are physically and symbolically divided between the two outcomes of covenant faithfulness. The tribes named here include the descendants of Jacob's concubines and Leah's later sons (Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher), while verse 12 lists Leah's first sons, the matriarch Rachel's sons (Joseph and Benjamin), and Levi, the priestly tribe.
By placing Reuben first, the list deliberately echoes Jacob's pronouncements in Genesis 49 and Moses' blessings in Deuteronomy 33, where Reuben also leads the ordering. The assignment to Ebal does not necessarily mark these tribes as more sinful; the function is liturgical — all twelve tribes together embody both the promised blessing and the threatened curse of the covenant (Deuteronomy 28).
背景
Deuteronomy 27 describes a covenant-renewal ceremony to be performed immediately after Israel crosses the Jordan into the promised land. Verses 1–8 instruct the people to set up plastered stones on Mount Ebal inscribed with the words of the law, and to build an altar there for sacrifice and rejoicing. Verse 9 formally declares that Israel has become the people of the LORD their God, followed by a call to obey His commandments (v. 10).
Verses 11–13 form a single literary unit: Moses divides the twelve tribes between two mountains. Six stand on Gerizim to bless (v. 12), and six on Ebal for the curse (v. 13). Verses 14–26 then record the Levites proclaiming a series of twelve curses, each sealed by the people's 'Amen.' Together, the ceremony binds the entire nation — those on Gerizim and those on Ebal — to the terms of the covenant given through Moses.
常见问题
Why is Reuben listed first on Mount Ebal?
Reuben is Jacob's firstborn (Genesis 49:3), so he leads the tribal order throughout the Torah, including in Jacob's deathbed blessings and Moses' blessings in Deuteronomy 33. His first-place position on Ebal follows that established ordering rather than marking any special status of the tribe.
Are the six tribes on Ebal more sinful than those on Gerizim?
The text gives no indication that the tribes are sorted by moral worth. The chapter assigns the tribes by liturgical function — blessing on one mountain, curse on the other — so that all twelve tribes together publicly affirm both halves of the covenant. The curse itself falls on specific behaviors listed in verses 15–26, not on particular tribes.
How does Deuteronomy 27:13 relate to Joshua 8:30–35?
Joshua 8:30–35 records that Joshua carried out this ceremony at Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim after the conquest, building the altar, writing the law, and dividing Israel between the two mountains exactly as Deuteronomy 27 prescribes. The historical fulfillment of verse 13's instruction is therefore found there.