Deuteronomy 32ASV
Books
All books

Deuteronomy32

American Standard Version · Public Domain

1Give ear, ye heavens, and I will speak; And let the earth hear the words of my mouth.

2My doctrine shall drop as the rain; My speech shall distil as the dew, As the small rain upon the tender grass, And as the showers upon the herb.

3For I will proclaim the name of Jehovah: Ascribe ye greatness unto our God.

4The Rock, his work is perfect; For all his ways are justice: A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, Just and right is he.

5They have dealt corruptly with him, they are not his children, it is their blemish; They are a perverse and crooked generation.

6Do ye thus requite Jehovah, O foolish people and unwise? Is not he thy father that hath bought thee? He hath made thee, and established thee.

7Remember the days of old, Consider the years of many generations: Ask thy father, and he will show thee; Thine elders, and they will tell thee.

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 Jehovah’s portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.

10He found him in a desert land, And in the waste howling wilderness; He compassed him about, he cared for him, He kept him as the apple of his eye.

11As an eagle that stirreth up her nest, That fluttereth over her young, He spread abroad his wings, he took them, He bare them on his pinions.

12Jehovah alone did lead him, And there was no foreign god with him.

13He made him ride on the high places of the earth, And he did eat the increase of the field; And he made him to suck honey out of the rock, And oil out of the flinty rock;

14Butter of the herd, and milk of the flock, With fat of lambs, And rams of the breed of Bashan, and goats, With the finest of the wheat; And of the blood of the grape thou drankest wine.

15But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: Thou art waxed fat, thou art grown thick, thou art become sleek; Then he forsook God who made him, And lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation.

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

17They sacrificed unto demons, which were no God, To gods that they knew not, To new gods that came up of late, Which your fathers dreaded not.

18Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, And hast forgotten God that gave thee birth.

19And Jehovah saw it, and abhorred them, Because of the provocation of his sons and his daughters.

20And he said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end shall 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: And I will move them to jealousy with those that are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.

22For a fire is kindled in mine anger, And burneth unto the lowest Sheol, And devoureth the earth with its increase, And setteth on fire the foundations of the mountains.

23I will heap evils upon them; I will spend mine arrows upon them:

24They shall be wasted with hunger, and devoured with burning heat And bitter destruction; And the teeth of beasts will I send upon them, With the poison of crawling things of the dust.

25Without shall the sword bereave, And in the chambers terror; It shall destroy both young man and virgin, The suckling with the man of gray hairs.

26I said, I would scatter them afar, I would make the remembrance of them to cease from among men;

27Were it not that I feared the provocation of the enemy, Lest their adversaries should judge amiss, Lest they should say, Our hand is exalted, And Jehovah hath not done all this.

28For they are a nation void of counsel, And there is no understanding in them.

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

30How should one chase a thousand, And two put ten thousand to flight, Except their Rock had sold them, And Jehovah had delivered them up?

31For their rock is not as our Rock, Even our enemies themselves being judges.

32For their vine is of the vine of Sodom, And of the fields of Gomorrah: Their grapes are grapes of gall, Their clusters are bitter:

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

34Is not this laid up in store with me, Sealed up among my treasures?

35Vengeance is mine, and recompense, At the time when their foot shall slide: For the day of their calamity is at hand, And the things that are to come upon them shall make haste.

36For Jehovah will judge his people, And repent himself for his servants; When he seeth that their power is gone, And there is none remaining, shut up or left at large.

37And he will say, Where are their gods, The rock in which they took refuge;

38Which did eat 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.

39See now that I, even I, am he, And there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal; And there is none that can deliver out of my hand.

40For I lift up my hand to heaven, And say, As I live for ever,

41If I whet my glittering sword, And my hand take hold on judgment; I will render vengeance to mine adversaries, And will recompense them that hate me.

42I will make mine arrows drunk with blood, And my sword shall devour flesh; With the blood of the slain and the captives, From the head of the leaders of the enemy.

43Rejoice, O ye nations, with his people: For he will avenge the blood of his servants, And will render vengeance to his adversaries, And will make expiation for his land, for his people.

44And Moses came and spake all the words of this song in the ears of the people, he, and Hoshea the son of Nun.

45And Moses made an end of speaking all these words to all Israel;

46and he said unto them, Set your heart unto all the words which I testify unto you this day, which ye shall command your children to observe to do, even all the words of this law.

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

48And Jehovah spake unto Moses that selfsame day, saying,

49Get thee up into this mountain of Abarim, unto mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, that is over against Jericho; and behold the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel for a possession;

50and die in the mount whither thou goest up, and be gathered unto thy people, as Aaron thy brother died in mount Hor, and was gathered unto his people:

51because ye trespassed against me in the midst of the children of Israel at the waters of Meribah of Kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin; because ye sanctified me not in the midst of the children of Israel.

52For thou shalt see the land before thee; but thou shalt not go thither into the land which I give the children of Israel.

Study Guide

Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Deuteronomy 32.

Full AI study →

Chapter Summary

In this chapter: The song of Moses. (1, 2). The character of God, The character of Israel. (3–6). The great things God had done for Israel. (7–14). The wickedness of Israel. (19–25). The judgments which would come upon them for their sins. (15–18). Deserved vengeance withheld. (26–38). God's deliverance for his people. (39–43). The exhortation with which the song was delivered. (44–47). Moses to go up mount Nebo to die. (48–52).

vv1-2

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.

vv3-6

“He is a Rock.” This is the first time God is called so in Scripture. The expression denotes that the Divine power, faithfulness, and love, as revealed in Christ and the gospel, form a foundation which cannot be changed or moved, on which we may build our hopes of happiness. And under his protection we may find refuge from all our enemies, and in all our troubles; as the rocks in those countries sheltered from the burning rays of the sun, and from tempests, or were fortresses from the enemy. “His work is perfect:” that of redemption and salvation, in which there is a display of all the Divine perfection, complete in all its parts. All God's dealings with his creatures are regulated by wisdom which cannot err, and perfect justice. He is indeed just and right; he takes care that none shall lose by him. A high charge is exhibited against Israel. Even God's children have their spots, while in this imperfect state; for if we say we have no sin, no spot, we deceive ourselves. But the sin of Israel was not habitual, notorious, unrepented sin; which is a certain mark of the children of Satan. They were fools to forsake their mercies for lying vanities. All wilful sinners, especially sinners in Israel, are unwise and ungrateful.

vv7-14

Moses gives particular instances of God's kindness and concern for them. The eagle's care for her young is a beautiful emblem of Christ's love, who came between Divine justice and our guilty souls, and bare our sins in his own body on the tree. And by the preached gospel, and the influences of the Holy Spirit, He stirs up and prevails upon sinners to leave Satan's bondage. In verses 13, 14, are emblems of the conquest believers have over their spiritual enemies, sin, Satan, and the world, in and through Christ. Also of their safety and triumph in him; of their happy frames of soul, when they are above the world, and the things of it. This will be the blessed case of spiritual Israel in every sense in the latter day.

Cross References

Deuteronomy 32
v1Isaiah 1:2allusion

Isaiah mirrors Moses' solemn opening appeal to heaven and earth to witness Israel's rebellion.

Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB

v21Romans 10:19quotation

Paul explicitly quotes Deuteronomy 32:21 to show God's calling of the Gentiles to provoke Israel.

Supported by Matthew Henry

v35Hebrews 10:30quotation

Directly quotes 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay' to warn of God's fearful judgment.

Supported by Matthew Henry

v43Romans 15:10quotation

Paul directly quotes Deuteronomy 32:43 in Romans to prove God's inclusion of the Gentiles.

Supported by Matthew Henry

Identifies the wilderness Rock from which Israel drank and trusted as a type of Christ.

Supported by Matthew Henry

v8Acts 17:26thematic

Paul affirms God's sovereign hand in dividing the nations and setting the bounds of their habitation.

Supported by JFB

v11Exodus 19:4allusion

Parallels the vivid description of God bearing Israel out of Egypt on eagles' wings.

Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB

Paul confirms that pagan idolatry is fundamentally sacrifice offered to devils rather than to God.

Supported by Matthew Henry

v21Romans 11:11-14allusion

Expounds the theological mystery of salvation coming to Gentiles to provoke Israel to jealousy.

Supported by Matthew Henry

Alludes directly to provoking the Lord to jealousy through idolatrous practices and partnerships.

Supported by Matthew Henry

v35Romans 12:19quotation

Quotes verse 35 to command believers to yield vengeance to God's ultimate justice.

Supported by Matthew Henry

v391 Samuel 2:6thematic

Hannah's song closely mirrors the exact wording of God killing, making alive, wounding, and healing.

Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole

Fulfillment of God's command for Moses to ascend Nebo, look at Canaan, and die there.

Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB

v49Numbers 27:12-14thematic

The parallel divine command instructing Moses to climb Mount Abarim and view the promised land.

Supported by Matthew Henry

v51Numbers 20:11-13thematic

The historical account of Moses and Aaron's sin at the waters of Meribah-Kadesh.

Supported by Matthew Henry

v10Zechariah 2:8thematic

Echoes the tender imagery of God guarding His chosen people as the apple of His eye.

Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB

v15Isaiah 44:2thematic

Uses the rare poetical and covenantal name 'Jeshurun' for the nation of Israel.

Supported by Matthew Poole, John Calvin

Matches the exact divine threat of hiding His face from a froward and covenant-breaking generation.

Supported by Matthew Poole

v21Hosea 1:10thematic

Develops the prophetic reality of those who 'were not a people' becoming sons of God.

Supported by Matthew Henry

v29Jeremiah 5:31thematic

Directly parallel warning about Israel's failure to consider their latter end and ultimate consequences.

Supported by Matthew Henry

Parallels the drinking of cups and eating of sacrifices belonging to demons vs. the Lord.

Supported by Matthew Henry

v39Job 5:18thematic

Parallels the sovereign power of God to wound and bind up, to bruise and make whole.

Supported by Matthew Poole

v39Hosea 6:1thematic

Echoes the language of returning to the Lord who has torn, but will heal us.

Supported by Matthew Poole

v47John 6:63thematic

Parallels Moses' declaration that God's words are not vain but are 'your life'.

Supported by Matthew Henry

v50Numbers 20:24-29thematic

The historical account of Aaron's death on Mount Hor, referenced by God to Moses.

Supported by Matthew Henry

v51Leviticus 10:3thematic

The solemn principle that God must be sanctified and treated as holy by those near Him.

Supported by Matthew Henry

v52Hebrews 11:13typology

Moses seeing but not entering Canaan typifies saints seeing promises afar off without final earthly possession.

Supported by Matthew Henry

v9Exodus 19:5thematic

Establishes Israel's status as the Lord's peculiar treasure and the lot of His inheritance.

Supported by John Calvin, JFB

v15Nehemiah 9:25thematic

Historical confirmation of Israel eating, growing fat, and subsequently forsaking their Creator.

Supported by Matthew Henry

v211 Peter 2:9thematic

Contrasts the 'foolish nation' with the 'chosen generation, royal priesthood, holy nation' of believers.

Supported by Matthew Henry

v27Exodus 32:12thematic

Moses appeals to God's concern for His own reputation lest adversaries boast of Israel's destruction.

Supported by John Calvin

v35Psalms 94:1thematic

Directly invokes the 'God to whom vengeance belongeth' to show Himself in judgment.

Supported by Matthew Poole

v40Daniel 12:7thematic

Matches the solemn prophetic gesture of lifting the hand to heaven and swearing by Him who lives.

Supported by Matthew Henry

v41Psalms 7:12thematic

Parallels the imagery of God whetting His glittering sword and preparing instruments of judgment.

Supported by Matthew Poole

v42Jeremiah 46:10allusion

Echoes the graphic imagery of God's sword devouring and being made drunk with blood.

Supported by Matthew Henry

v43Revelation 19:2fulfillment

Fulfillment of the promise that God will avenge the blood of His servants.

Supported by Matthew Henry