Deuteronomy 32

ENGWEBEnglish52 verses

1Give ear, you heavens, and I will speak. Let the earth hear the words of my mouth.

2My doctrine will drop as the rain. My speech will condense as the dew, as the misty rain on the tender grass, as the showers on the herb.

3For I will proclaim Yahweh’s name. Ascribe greatness to our God!

4The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are just. A God of faithfulness who does no wrong, just and right is he.

5They have dealt corruptly with him. They are not his children, because of their defect. They are a perverse and crooked generation.

6Is this the way you repay Yahweh, foolish and unwise people? Isn’t he your father who has bought you? He has made you and established you.

7Remember the days of old. Consider the years of many generations. Ask your father, and he will show you; your elders, and they will tell you.

8When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the children of men, he set the bounds of the peoples according to the number of the children of Israel.

9For Yahweh’s portion is his people. Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.

10He found him in a desert land, in the waste howling wilderness. He surrounded him. He cared for him. He kept him as the apple of his eye.

11As an eagle that stirs up her nest, that flutters over her young, he spread abroad his wings, he took them, he bore them on his feathers.

12Yahweh alone led him. There was no foreign god with him.

13He made him ride on the high places of the earth. He ate the increase of the field. He caused him to suck honey out of the rock, oil out of the flinty rock;

14butter from the herd, and milk from the flock, with fat of lambs, rams of the breed of Bashan, and goats, with the finest of the wheat. From the blood of the grape, you drank wine.

15But Jeshurun grew fat, and kicked. You have grown fat. You have grown thick. You have become sleek. Then he abandoned God who made him, and rejected the Rock of his salvation.

16They moved him to jealousy with strange gods. They provoked him to anger with abominations.

17They sacrificed to demons, not God, to gods that they didn’t know, to new gods that came up recently, which your fathers didn’t dread.

18Of the Rock who became your father, you are unmindful, and have forgotten God who gave you birth.

19Yahweh saw and abhorred, because of the provocation of his sons and his daughters.

20He said, “I will hide my face from them. I will see what their end will be; for they are a very perverse generation, children in whom is no faithfulness.

21They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God. They have provoked me to anger with their vanities. I will move them to jealousy with those who are not a people. I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.

22For a fire is kindled in my anger, that burns to the lowest Sheol, devours the earth with its increase, and sets the foundations of the mountains on fire.

23“I will heap evils on them. I will spend my arrows on them.

24They shall be wasted with hunger, and devoured with burning heat and bitter destruction. I will send the teeth of animals on them, with the venom of vipers that glide in the dust.

25Outside the sword will bereave, and in the rooms, terror; on both young man and virgin, the nursing infant with the gray-haired man.

26I said that I would scatter them afar. I would make their memory to cease from among men;

27were it not that I feared the provocation of the enemy, lest their adversaries should judge wrongly, lest they should say, ‘Our hand is exalted, Yahweh has not done all this.’”

28For they are a nation void of counsel. There is no understanding in them.

29Oh that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end!

30How could one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them, and Yahweh had delivered them up?

31For their rock is not as our Rock, even our enemies themselves concede.

32For their vine is of the vine of Sodom, of the fields of Gomorrah. Their grapes are poison grapes. Their clusters are bitter.

33Their wine is the poison of serpents, the cruel venom of asps.

34“Isn’t this laid up in store with me, sealed up among my treasures?

35Vengeance is mine, and recompense, at the time when their foot slides; for the day of their calamity is at hand. Their doom rushes at them.”

36For Yahweh will judge his people, and have compassion on his servants, when he sees that their power is gone; that there is no one remaining, shut up or left at large.

37He will say, “Where are their gods, the rock in which they took refuge;

38which ate the fat of their sacrifices, and drank the wine of their drink offering? Let them rise up and help you! Let them be your protection.

39“See now that I myself am he. There is no god with me. I kill and I make alive. I wound and I heal. There is no one who can deliver out of my hand.

40For I lift up my hand to heaven and declare, as I live forever,

41if I sharpen my glittering sword, my hand grasps it in judgment; I will take vengeance on my adversaries, and will repay those who hate me.

42I will make my arrows drunk with blood. My sword shall devour flesh with the blood of the slain and the captives, from the head of the leaders of the enemy.”

43Rejoice, you nations, with his people, for he will avenge the blood of his servants. He will take vengeance on his adversaries, and will make atonement for his land and for his people.

44Moses came and spoke all the words of this song in the ears of the people, he and Joshua the son of Nun.

45Moses finished reciting all these words to all Israel.

46He said to them, “Set your heart to all the words which I testify to you this day, which you shall command your children to observe to do, all the words of this law.

47For it is no vain thing for you; because it is your life, and through this thing you shall prolong your days in the land, where you go over the Jordan to possess it.”

48Yahweh spoke to Moses that same day, saying,

49“Go up into this mountain of Abarim, to Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, that is across from Jericho; and see the land of Canaan, which I give to the children of Israel for a possession.

50Die on the mountain where you go up, and be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother died on Mount Hor, and was gathered to his people;

51because you trespassed against me among the children of Israel at the waters of Meribah of Kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin; because you didn’t uphold my holiness among the children of Israel.

52For you shall see the land from a distance; but you shall not go there into the land which I give the children of Israel.”

Commentary

32:1,2 Moses begins with a solemn appeal to heaven and earth, concerning the truth and importance of what he was about to say. His doctrine is the gospel, the speech of God, the doctrine of Christ; the doctrine of grace and mercy through him, and of life and salvation by him.

32:1 O heavens, O earth - You lifeless and senseless creatures, which he calls upon partly to accuse the stupidity of Israel, that were more dull of hearing than these: and partly as witnesses of the truth of his sayings and the justice of God's proceedings against them.

Chapter 32 In this chapter we have, I. The song which Moses, by the appointment of God, delivered to the children of Israel, for a standing admonition to them, to take heed of forsaking God. This takes up most of the chapter, in which we have, 1. The preface (v. 1, 2). 2. A high character of God, and, in opposition to that, a bad character of the people of Israel (v. 3-6). 3. A rehearsal of the great things God had done for them, and in opposition to that an account of their ill carriage towards him (v. 7–18). 4. A prediction of the wasting destroying judgments which God would bring upon them for their sins, in which God is here justified by the many aggravations of their impieties (v. 19–33). 5. A promise of the destruction of their enemies and oppressors at last, and the glorious deliverance of a remnant of Israel (v. 36–43). II. The exhortation with which Moses delivered this song to them (v. 41–47). III. The orders God gives to Moses to go up to Mount Nebo and die (v. 48, etc.).Verses 1-6 Here is, I. A commanding preface or introduction to this song of Moses, v. 1, 2. He begins, 1. With a solemn appeal to heaven and earth concerning the truth and importance of what he was about to say, and the justice of the divine proceedings against a rebellious and backsliding people, for he had said (ch. 31:28) that he would in this song call heaven and earth to record against them. Heaven and earth would sooner hear than this perverse and unthinking people; for they revolt not from the obedience to their Creator, but continue to this day, according to his ordinances, as his servants (Ps. 119:89–91), and therefore will rise up in judgment against rebellious Israel. Heaven and earth will be witnesses against sinners, witnesses of the warning given them and of their refusal to take the warning (see Job 20:27); the heaven shall reveal his iniquity, and the earth shall rise up against him. Or heaven and earth are here put for the inhabitants of both, angels and men; both shall agree to justify God in his proceedings against Israel, and to declare his righteousness, Ps. 50:6; see Rev. 19:1, 2. 2. he begins with a solemn application of what he was about to say to the people (v. 2): My doctrine shall drop as the rain. "It shall be a beating sweeping rain to the rebellious;" so one of the Chaldee paraphrasts expounds the first clause. Rain is sometimes sent for judgment, witness that with which the world was deluged; and so the word of God, while to some it is reviving and refreshing—a savour of life unto life, is to others terrifying and killing—a savour of death unto death. It shall be as a sweet and comfortable dew to those who are rightly prepared to receive it. Observe, (1.) The subject of this song is doctrine; he had given them a song of praise and thanksgiving (Ex. 15), but this is a song of instruction, for in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs, we are not only to give glory to god, but to teach and admonish one another, Col. 3:16. Hence many of David’s psalms are entitled Maschil—to give instruction. (2.) This doctrine is fitly compared to rain and showers which come from above, to make the earth fruitful, and accomplish that for which they are sent. (Isa. 55:10, 11), and depend not upon the wisdom or will of man, Mic. 5:7. It is a mercy to have this rain come often upon us, and our duty to drink it in, Heb. 6:7. (3.) He promises that his doctrine shall drop and distil as the dew, and the small rain, which descend silently and without noise. The word preached is likely to profit when it comes gently, and sweetly insinuates itself into the hearts and affections of the hearers. (4.) He bespeaks their acceptance and entertainment of it, and that it might be as sweet, and pleasant, and welcome to them as rain to the thirsty earth, Ps. 72:6. And the word of God is likely to do us good when it is thus acceptable. (5.) The learned bishop Patrick understands it as a prayer that his words which were sent from heaven to them might sink into their hearts and soften them, as the rain softens the earth, and so make them fruitful in obedience.II. An awful declaration of the greatness and righteousness of God, v. 3, 4.1. He begins with this, and lays it down as his first principle, (1.) To preserve the honour of God, that no reproach might be cast upon him for the sake of the wickedness of his people Israel; how wicked and corrupt soever those are who are called by his name, he is just, and right, and all that is good, and is not to be thought the worse of for their badness. (2.) To aggravate the wickedness of Israel, who knew and worshipped such a holy god, and yet were themselves so unholy. And, (3.) To justify God in his dealings with them; we must abide by it, that God is righteous, even when his judgments are a great deep, Jer. 12:1; Ps. 36:6.2. Moses here sets himself to publish the name of the Lord (v. 3), that Israel, knowing what a God he is whom they had avouched for theirs, might never be such fools as to exchange him for a false god, a dunghill god. He calls upon them therefore to ascribe greatness to him. It will be of great use to us for the preventing of sin, and the preserving of us in the way of our duty, always to keep up high and honourable thoughts of God, and to take all occasions to express them: Ascribe greatness to our God. We cannot add to his greatness, for it is infinite; but we must acknowledge it, and give him the glory of it.

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Translations8 · 5

AMHEVG ሰማያት ሆይ፥ አድምጡ፥ እኔም እናገራለሁ፤ ምድርም የአፌን ቃሎች ትስማ። አማርኛ ENGNIV Listen, O heavens, and I will speak; hear, O earth, the words of my mouth. English BCV “ክዛረብ እየ እሞ፥ ሰማያት ፅን በሉ፤ ምድሪ ኸዓ ቓል ኣፈይ ትስማዕ። ትግርኛ GAZBIB Yaa bantiiwwan waaqaa ani nan dubbadhaa mee dhaga'aa! Yaa lafaa dubbii afaan kootii dhaggeeffadhu! Afaan Oromoo BCV GIZ ወይቤ እጽምእ ሰማይ ወእንግር፡ ወስማዕ ምድር ቃለ አፉየ። giz GAZGAZ Yaa bantiiwwan waaqaa ani nan dubbadhaa mee dhaga'aa! Yaa lafaa dubbii afaan kootii dhaggeeffadhu! Afaan Oromoo BCV aksum “ክዛረብ እየ እሞ፥ ሰማያት ፅን በሉ፤ ምድሪ ኸዓ ቓል ኣፈይ ትስማዕ። ትግርኛ AMHNIV ሰማያት ሆይ፤ አድምጡ፤ እኔም እናገራለሁ፤ ምድር ሆይ፤ አንቺም የአፌን ቃል ስሚ። አማርኛ