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32 ESCUCHAD, cielos, y hablaré;

Y oiga la tierra los dichos de mi boca.

Goteará como la lluvia mi doctrina;

Destilará como el rocío mi razonamiento;

Como la llovizna sobre la grama,

Y como las gotas sobre la hierba:

Porque el nombre de Jehová invocaré:

Engrandeced á nuestro Dios.

Él es la Roca, cuya obra es perfecta,

Porque todos sus caminos son rectitud:

Dios de verdad, y ninguna iniquidad en él:

Es justo y recto.

La corrupción no es suya: á sus hijos la mancha de ellos,

Generación torcida y perversa.

¿Así pagáis á Jehová,

Pueblo loco e ignorante?

¿No es él tu padre que te poseyó?

Él te hizo y te ha organizado.

Acuérdate de los tiempos antiguos;

Considerad los años de generación y generación:

Pregunta á tu padre, que él te declarará;

A tus viejos, y ellos te dirán.

Cuando el Altísimo hizo heredar á las gentes,

Cuando hizo dividir los hijos de los hombres,

Estableció los términos de los pueblos

Según el número de los hijos de Israel.

Porque la parte de Jehová es su pueblo;

Jacob la cuerda de su heredad.

10 Hallólo en tierra de desierto,

Y en desierto horrible y yermo;

Trájolo alrededor, instruyólo,

Guardólo como la niña de su ojo.

11 Como el águila despierta su nidada,

Revolotea sobre sus pollos,

Extiende sus alas, los toma,

Los lleva sobre sus plumas:

12 Jehová solo le guió,

Que no hubo con él dios ajeno.

13 Hízolo subir sobre las alturas de la tierra,

Y comió los frutos del campo,

E hizo que chupase miel de la peña,

Y aceite del duro pedernal;

14 Manteca de vacas y leche de ovejas,

Con grosura de corderos,

Y carneros de Basán; también machos de cabrío,

Con grosura de riñones de trigo:

Y sangre de uva bebiste, vino puro.

15 Y engrosó Jeshurun, y tiró coces:

Engordástete, engrosástete, cubrístete:

Y dejó al Dios que le hizo,

Y menospreció la Roca de su salud.

16 Despertáronle á celos con los dioses ajenos;

Ensañáronle con abominaciones.

17 Sacrificaron á los diablos, no á Dios;

A dioses que no habían conocido,

A nuevos dioses venidos de cerca,

Que no habían temido vuestros padres.

18 De la Roca que te crió te olvidaste:

Te has olvidado del Dios tu criador.

19 Y viólo Jehová, y encendióse en ira,

por el menosprecio de sus hijos y de sus hijas.

20 Y dijo: Esconderé de ellos mi rostro,

Veré cuál será su postrimería:

Que son generación de perversidades,

Hijos sin fe.

21 Ellos me movieron á celos con lo que no es Dios;

Hiciéronme ensañar con sus vanidades:

Yo también los moveré á celos con un pueblo que no es pueblo,

Con gente insensata los haré ensañar.

22 Porque fuego se encenderá en mi furor,

Y arderá hasta el profundo;

Y devorará la tierra y sus frutos,

Y abrasará los fundamentos de los montes.

23 Yo allegaré males sobre ellos;

Emplearé en ellos mis saetas.

24 Consumidos serán de hambre, y comidos de fiebre ardiente

Y de amarga pestilencia;

Diente de bestias enviaré también sobre ellos,

Con veneno de serpiente de la tierra.

25 De fuera desolará la espada,

Y dentro de las cámaras el espanto:

Así al mancebo como á la doncella,

Al que mama como al hombre cano.

26 Dije: Echaríalos yo del mundo,

Haría cesar de entre los hombres la memoria de ellos,

27 Si no temiese la ira del enemigo,

No sea que se envanezcan sus adversarios,

No sea que digan: Nuestra mano alta

Ha hecho todo esto, no Jehová.

28 Porque son gente de perdidos consejos,

Y no hay en ellos entendimiento.

29 ¡Ojalá fueran sabios, que comprendieran esto,

Y entendieran su postrimería!

30 ¿Cómo podría perseguir uno á mil,

Y dos harían huir á diez mil,

Si su Roca no los hubiese vendido,

Y Jehová no los hubiera entregado?

31 Que la roca de ellos no es como nuestra Roca:

Y nuestros enemigos sean de ello jueces.

32 Porque de la vid de Sodoma es la vid de ellos,

Y de los sarmientos de Gomorra:

Las uvas de ellos son uvas ponzoñosas,

Racimos muy amargos tienen.

33 Veneno de dragones es su vino,

Y ponzoña cruel de áspides.

34 ¿No tengo yo esto guardado,

Sellado en mis tesoros?

35 Mía es la venganza y el pago,

Al tiempo que su pie vacilará;

Porque el día de su aflicción está cercano,

Y lo que les está preparado se apresura.

36 Porque Jehová juzgará á su pueblo,

Y por amor de sus siervos se arrepentirá,

Cuando viere que la fuerza pereció,

Y que no hay guardado, mas desamparado.

37 Y dirá: ¿Dónde están sus dioses,

La roca en que se guarecían;

38 Que comían el sebo de sus sacrificios,

Bebían el vino de sus libaciones?

Levántense, que os ayuden

Y os defiendan.

39 Ved ahora que yo, yo soy,

Y no hay dioses conmigo:

Yo hago morir, y yo hago vivir:

Yo hiero, y yo curo:

Y no hay quien pueda librar de mi mano.

40 Cuando yo alzaré á los cielos mi mano,

Y diré: Vivo yo para siempre,

41 Si afilare mi reluciente espada,

Y mi mano arrebatare el juicio,

Yo volveré la venganza á mis enemigos,

Y daré el pago á los que me aborrecen.

42 Embriagaré de sangre mis saetas,

Y mi espada devorará carne:

En la sangre de los muertos y de los cautivos,

De las cabezas, con venganzas de enemigo.

43 Alabad, gentes, á su pueblo,

Porque él vengará la sangre de sus siervos,

Y volverá la venganza á sus enemigos,

Y expiará su tierra, á su pueblo.

44 Y vino Moisés, y recitó todas las palabras de este cántico á oídos del pueblo, él, y Josué hijo de Nun.

45 Y acabó Moisés de recitar todas estas palabras á todo Israel;

46 Y díjoles: Poned vuestro corazón á todas las palabras que yo os protesto hoy, para que las mandéis á vuestros hijos, y cuiden de poner por obra todas las palabras de esta ley.

47 Porque no os es cosa vana, mas es vuestra vida: y por ellas haréis prolongar los días sobre la tierra, para poseer la cual pasáis el Jordán.

48 Y habló Jehová á Moisés aquel mismo día, diciendo:

49 Sube á este monte de Abarim, al monte Nebo, que está en la tierra de Moab, que está en derecho de Jericó, y mira la tierra de Canaán, que yo doy por heredad á los hijos de Israel;

50 Y muere en el monte al cual subes, y sé reunido á tus pueblos; al modo que murió Aarón tu hermano en el monte de Hor, y fué reunido á sus pueblos:

51 Por cuanto prevaricasteis contra mí en medio de los hijos de Israel en las aguas de la rencilla de Cades, en el desierto de Zin; porque no me santificasteis en medio de los hijos de Israel.

52 Verás por tanto delante de ti la tierra; mas no entrarás allá, á la tierra que doy á los hijos de Israel.

32 Escuchen, cielos, y hablaré;
    oye, tierra, las palabras de mi boca.
Que caiga mi enseñanza como lluvia
    y desciendan mis palabras como rocío,
como aguacero sobre el pasto nuevo,
    como lluvia abundante sobre plantas tiernas.

Proclamaré el nombre del Señor.
    ¡Alaben la grandeza de nuestro Dios!
Él es la Roca, sus obras son perfectas,
    y todos sus caminos son justos.
Dios es fiel; no practica la injusticia.
    Él es recto y justo.

Actuaron contra él de manera corrupta;
    para vergüenza de ellos, ya no son sus hijos; ¡son una generación torcida y perversa!
¿Y así pagas al Señor,
    pueblo tonto y sin sabiduría?
¿Acaso no es tu Padre, tu Creador,
    el que te hizo y te formó?

Recuerda los días de antaño;
    considera las generaciones pasadas.
Pídele a tu padre que te lo diga,
    y a los jefes que te lo expliquen.
Cuando el Altísimo dio su herencia a las naciones,
    cuando dividió a toda la humanidad,
estableció límites a los pueblos
    según el número de los hijos de Israel.
Porque la porción del Señor es su pueblo;
    Jacob es su herencia asignada.

10 Lo halló en una tierra desolada,
    en la rugiente soledad del yermo.
Lo protegió y lo cuidó;
    lo guardó como a la niña de sus ojos;
11 como un águila que agita el nido
    y revolotea sobre sus polluelos,
que despliega su plumaje
    y los lleva sobre sus alas.
12 Solo el Señor lo guiaba;
    ningún dios extraño iba con él.

13 Lo hizo cabalgar sobre las alturas de la tierra
    y lo alimentó con el fruto de los campos.
Lo nutrió con miel de la peña,
    y con aceite que hizo brotar de la más dura roca;
14 con mantequilla y leche de las vacas y ovejas,
    y con cebados corderos y cabritos;
con toros selectos de Basán
    y las mejores espigas del trigo.
Bebió la sangre espumosa de la uva.

15 Jesurún[a] engordó y pateó;
    se hartó de comida, y se puso corpulento y rollizo.
Abandonó al Dios que le dio vida
    y rechazó a la Roca de su salvación.
16 Lo provocó a celos con dioses extraños
    y lo hizo enojar con sus ídolos detestables.
17 Ofreció sacrificios a los demonios, que no son Dios;
    dioses que no había conocido,
    dioses recién aparecidos,
    dioses que jamás sus antepasados adoraron.
18 ¡Despreciaste a la Roca que te engendró!
    ¡Olvidaste al Dios que te dio vida!

19 Al ver esto, el Señor los rechazó
    porque sus hijos y sus hijas lo irritaron.
20 «Les voy a dar la espalda» —dijo—,
    «a ver en qué terminan;
son una generación perversa,
    ¡son unos hijos infieles!
21 Me provocaron celos con lo que no es Dios como yo
    y me enojaron con sus ídolos inútiles.
Pues yo haré que ustedes sientan envidia de los que no son pueblo;
    voy a irritarlos con una nación insensata.
22 Se ha encendido el fuego de mi ira,
    que quema hasta lo profundo de los dominios de la muerte.[b]
Devorará la tierra y sus cosechas,
    y consumirá la raíz de las montañas.

23 »Amontonaré calamidades sobre ellos
    y contra ellos lanzaré mis flechas.
24 Enviaré a que los consuman el hambre,
    la pestilencia nauseabunda y la plaga mortal.
Lanzaré contra ellos los colmillos de las fieras
    y el veneno de las víboras que se arrastran por el polvo.
25 En la calle, la espada los dejará sin hijos,
    y en sus casas reinará el terror.
Perecerán los jóvenes y las doncellas,
    los que aún maman y los que ya se peinan canas.
26 Me dije: “Voy a dispersarlos;
    borraré de la tierra su memoria”.
27 Pero temí las provocaciones del enemigo;
    temí que el adversario no entendiera
y llegara a pensar: “Hemos triunfado;
    nada de esto lo ha hecho el Señor”».

28 Como nación, han perdido el juicio;
    carecen de discernimiento.
29 ¡Si tan solo fueran sabios, entendieran esto
    y comprendieran cuál será su fin!
30 ¿Cómo podría un hombre perseguir a mil
    si su Roca no los hubiera vendido?
¿Cómo podrían dos hacer huir a diez mil
    si el Señor no los hubiera entregado?
31 Su roca no es como nuestra Roca.
    ¡Aun nuestros enemigos lo reconocen!
32 Su viña es un retoño de Sodoma,
    de los campos de Gomorra.
Sus uvas están llenas de veneno;
    sus racimos, preñados de amargura.
33 Su vino es veneno de víboras,
    ponzoña mortal de serpientes.

34 «¿No he tenido esto en reserva
    y lo he sellado en mis archivos?
35 Mía es la venganza; yo pagaré.
    A su debido tiempo, su pie resbalará.
Se apresura su desastre,
    y el día del juicio se avecina».

36 El Señor defenderá a su pueblo
    cuando lo vea sin fuerzas;
tendrá compasión de sus siervos
    cuando ya no queden ni esclavos ni libres.
37 Y les dirá: «¿Dónde están ahora sus dioses,
    la roca en la cual se refugiaron?
38 ¿Dónde están los dioses que comieron la gordura de sus sacrificios
    y bebieron el vino de sus ofrendas líquidas?
¡Que se levanten a ayudarles!
    ¡Que les den abrigo!

39 »¡Vean ahora que yo soy único!
    No hay otro dios fuera de mí.
Yo doy la muerte y devuelvo la vida,
    causo heridas y doy sanidad.
    Nadie puede librarse de mi mano.
40 Alzo la mano al cielo y solemnemente juro:
    Tan cierto como que vivo para siempre,
41 cuando afile mi espada reluciente
    y en el día del juicio la tome en mis manos,
me vengaré de mis adversarios;
    ¡les daré su merecido a los que me odian!
42 Mis flechas se embriagarán de sangre
    y mi espada se hartará de carne:
sangre de heridos y de cautivos,
    cabezas de líderes enemigos».

43 Alégrense, naciones, con el pueblo de Dios;[c]
    él vengará la sangre de sus siervos.
¡Sí! Dios se vengará de sus enemigos,
    y perdonará a su tierra y a su pueblo.

44 Acompañado de Josué,[d] hijo de Nun, Moisés fue y recitó ante el pueblo todas las palabras de este cántico. 45 Cuando terminó, dijo a todos los israelitas: 46 «Guarden en su corazón todo lo que les he declarado solemnemente este día, y digan a sus hijos que obedezcan fielmente todas las palabras de esta ley. 47 Porque no son palabras vanas para ustedes, sino que de ellas depende su vida; por ellas vivirán mucho tiempo en la tierra que van a poseer al otro lado del Jordán».

Anuncio de la muerte de Moisés

48 Ese mismo día el Señor dijo a Moisés: 49 «Sube a las montañas de Abarín y contempla desde allí el monte Nebo, en el territorio de Moab, frente a Jericó, y el territorio de Canaán, el cual voy a dar en posesión a los israelitas. 50 En el monte al que vas a subir morirás y te reunirás con los tuyos, así como tu hermano Aarón murió y se reunió con sus antepasados en el monte Hor. 51 Esto será así porque, a la vista de todos los israelitas, ustedes dos me fueron infieles en las aguas de Meribá Cades; en el desierto de Zin no honraron mi santidad. 52 Por eso no entrarás en el territorio que voy a darle al pueblo de Israel; solamente podrás verlo de lejos».

Footnotes

  1. 32:15 En hebreo, Jesurún significa el justo, es decir, Israel.
  2. 32:22 dominios de la muerte. Lit. Seol.
  3. 32:43 Alégrense, … de Dios. Alt. Hagan regocijar al pueblo de Dios, naciones.
  4. 32:44 Lit. Oseas, que es una variante del nombre Josué.

Invocation of Witnesses

32 Listen, O heavens, and I will speak;
hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.
My teaching will drop like the rain,
my sayings will drip like the dew,[a]
as rain drops upon the grass,
and showers upon new growth.
For I will proclaim the name[b] of the Lord;
you must acknowledge the greatness of our God.
As for the Rock,[c] his work is perfect,
for all his ways are just.
He is a reliable God who is never unjust,
he is fair[d] and upright.
His people have been unfaithful[e] to him;
they have not acted like his children[f]—this is their sin.[g]
They are a perverse[h] and deceitful generation.
Is this how you repay[i] the Lord,
you foolish, unwise people?
Is he not your father, your Creator?
He has made you and established you.
Remember the ancient days;
bear in mind[j] the years of past generations.[k]
Ask your father and he will inform you,
your elders, and they will tell you.
When the Most High[l] gave the nations their inheritance,
when he divided up humankind,[m]
he set the boundaries of the peoples,
according to the number of the heavenly assembly.[n]
For the Lord’s allotment is his people,
Jacob is his special possession.[o]
10 The Lord[p] found him[q] in a desolate land,[r]
in an empty wasteland where animals howl.[s]
He continually guarded him[t] and taught him;[u]
he continually protected him[v] like the pupil[w] of his eye.
11 Like an eagle that stirs up[x] its nest,
that hovers over its young,
so the Lord[y] spread out his wings and took him,[z]
he lifted him up on his pinions.
12 The Lord alone was guiding him,[aa]
no foreign god was with him.
13 He enabled him[ab] to travel over the high terrain of the land,
and he ate of the produce of the fields.
He provided honey for him from the cliffs,[ac]
and olive oil[ad] from the hardest of[ae] rocks,[af]
14 butter from the herd
and milk from the flock,
along with the fat of lambs,
rams and goats of Bashan,
along with the best of the kernels of wheat;
and from the juice[ag] of grapes you drank wine.

Israel’s Rebellion

15 But Jeshurun[ah] became fat and kicked;
you[ai] got fat, thick, and stuffed!
Then he deserted the God who made him,
and treated the Rock who saved him with contempt.
16 They made him jealous with other gods,[aj]
they enraged him with abhorrent idols.[ak]
17 They sacrificed to demons, not God,
to gods they had not known;
to new gods who had recently come along,
gods your ancestors[al] had not known about.
18 You forgot[am] the Rock who fathered you,
and put out of mind the God who gave you birth.

A Word of Judgment

19 But the Lord took note and despised them
because his sons and daughters enraged him.
20 He said, “I will reject them.[an]
I will see what will happen to them;
for they are a perverse generation,
children[ao] who show no loyalty.
21 They have made me jealous[ap] with false gods,[aq]
enraging me with their worthless gods;[ar]
so I will make them jealous with a people they do not recognize,[as]
with a nation slow to learn[at] I will enrage them.
22 For a fire has been kindled by my anger,
and it burns to lowest Sheol;[au]
it consumes the earth and its produce,
and ignites the foundations of the mountains.
23 I will increase their[av] disasters;
I will use up my arrows on them.
24 They will be starved by famine,
eaten by plague, and bitterly stung;[aw]
I will send the teeth of wild animals against them,
along with the poison of creatures that crawl in the dust.
25 The sword will make people childless outside,
and terror will do so inside;
they will destroy[ax] both the young man and the virgin,
the infant and the gray-haired man.

The Weakness of Other Gods

26 “I said, ‘I want to cut them in pieces.[ay]
I want to make people forget they ever existed.
27 But I fear the reaction[az] of their enemies,
for[ba] their adversaries would misunderstand
and say, “Our power is great,[bb]
and the Lord has not done all this!”’
28 They are a nation devoid of wisdom,
and there is no understanding among them.
29 I wish that they were wise and could understand this,
and that they could comprehend what will happen to them.”
30 How can one man chase a thousand of them,[bc]
and two pursue ten thousand,
unless their Rock had delivered them up[bd]
and the Lord had handed them over?
31 For our enemies’[be] rock is not like our Rock,
as even our enemies concede.
32 For their vine is from the stock[bf] of Sodom,
and from the fields of Gomorrah.[bg]
Their grapes contain venom;
their clusters of grapes are bitter.
33 Their wine is snakes’ poison,
the deadly venom of cobras.
34 “Is this not stored up with me?” says the Lord,[bh]
“Is it not sealed up in my storehouses?
35 I will get revenge and pay them back
at the time their foot slips;
for the day of their disaster is near,
and the impending judgment[bi] is rushing upon them!”
36 The Lord will judge his people,
and will change his plans concerning[bj] his servants;
when he sees that their power has disappeared,
and that no one is left, whether confined or set free.
37 He will say, “Where are their gods,
the rock in whom they sought security,
38 who ate the best of their sacrifices,
and drank the wine of their drink offerings?
Let them rise and help you;
let them be your refuge!

The Vindication of the Lord

39 “See now that I, indeed I, am he!” says the Lord,[bk]
“and there is no other god besides me.
I kill and give life,
I smash and I heal,
and none can resist[bl] my power.
40 For I raise up my hand to heaven,
and say, ‘As surely as I live forever,
41 I will sharpen my lightning-like sword,
and my hand will grasp hold of the weapon of judgment;[bm]
I will execute vengeance on my foes,
and repay those who hate me![bn]
42 I will make my arrows drunk with blood,
and my sword will devour flesh—
the blood of the slaughtered and captured,
the chief[bo] of the enemy’s leaders.’”
43 Cry out, O nations, with his people,
for he will avenge his servants’ blood;
he will take vengeance against his enemies,
and make atonement for his land and people.

Narrative Interlude

44 Then Moses went with Joshua[bp] son of Nun and recited all the words of this song to the people. 45 When Moses finished reciting all these words to all Israel 46 he said to them, “Keep in mind all the words I am solemnly proclaiming to you today; you must command your children to observe carefully all the words of this law. 47 For this is no idle word for you—it is your life! By this word you will live a long time in the land you are about to cross the Jordan to possess.”

Instructions about Moses’ Death

48 Then the Lord said to Moses that same day, 49 “Go up to this Abarim[bq] hill country, to Mount Nebo (which is in the land of Moab opposite Jericho), and look at the land of Canaan that I am giving to the Israelites as a possession. 50 You will die[br] on the mountain that you ascend and join your deceased ancestors,[bs] just as Aaron your brother died on Mount Hor[bt] and joined his deceased ancestors, 51 for both of you[bu] rebelled against me among the Israelites at the waters of Meribah Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin when you did not show me proper respect[bv] among the Israelites. 52 You will see the land before you, but you will not enter the land that I am giving to the Israelites.”

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 32:2 tn Or “mist,” “light drizzle.” In some contexts the term appears to refer to light rain, rather than dew.
  2. Deuteronomy 32:3 tc Smr and Tg read “in the name.”
  3. Deuteronomy 32:4 tc The LXX reads Θεός (theos, “God”) for the MT’s “Rock.”sn The Hebrew term depicts God as a rocky summit where one may find safety and protection. Within a covenantal context it serves as a reminder to the people that their God has committed himself to their protection in return for their allegiance.
  4. Deuteronomy 32:4 tn Or “just” (KJV, NAB, NRSV, NLT) or “righteous” (NASB).
  5. Deuteronomy 32:5 tc The third person masculine singular שָׁחַת (shakhat) is rendered as third person masculine plural by Smr, a reading supported by the plural suffix on מוּם (mum, “defect”) as well as the plural of בֵּן (ben, “sons”).tn Heb “have acted corruptly” (so NASB, NIV, NLT); NRSV “have dealt falsely.”
  6. Deuteronomy 32:5 tn Heb “(they are) not his sons.”
  7. Deuteronomy 32:5 tn Heb “defect” (so NASB). This highly elliptical line suggests that Israel’s major fault was its failure to act like God’s people; in fact, they acted quite the contrary.
  8. Deuteronomy 32:5 tn Heb “twisted,” “crooked.” See Ps 18:26.
  9. Deuteronomy 32:6 tn Or “treat” (TEV).
  10. Deuteronomy 32:7 tc The Syriac, Targum, and Vulgate read second person masculine singular whereas the MT has second person masculine plural. The former is preferred, the latter perhaps being a misreading (בִּינוּ [binu] for בִּינָה [binah]). Both the preceding (“remember”) and following (“ask”) imperatives are singular forms in the Hebrew text.
  11. Deuteronomy 32:7 tn Heb “generation and generation.” The repetition of the singular noun here singles out each of the successive past generations. See IBHS 116 §7.2.3b.
  12. Deuteronomy 32:8 tn The Hebrew term עֶלְיוֹן (ʿelyon) is an abbreviated form of the divine name El Elyon, frequently translated “God Most High” (so here NCV, CEV) or something similar. This full name (or epithet) occurs only in Gen 14, though the two elements are parallel in Pss 73:11; 107:11; etc. Here it is clear that Elyon has to do with the nations in general whereas in v. 9, by contrast, Yahweh relates specifically to Israel. See T. Fretheim, NIDOTTE 1:400-401. The title depicts God as the sovereign ruler of the world, who is enthroned high above his dominion.
  13. Deuteronomy 32:8 tn Heb “the sons of man” (so NASB); or “the sons of Adam” (so KJV).
  14. Deuteronomy 32:8 tc Heb “the sons of Israel.” The idea, perhaps, is that Israel was central to Yahweh’s purposes and all other nations were arranged and distributed according to how they related to Israel. See S. R. Driver, Deuteronomy (ICC), 355-56. For the MT יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּנֵי (bene yisraʾel, “sons of Israel”) a Qumran fragment has “sons of God,” while the LXX reads ἀγγέλων θεοῦ (angelōn theou, “angels of God”), presupposing בְּנֵי אֵל (bene ʾel) or בְּנֵי אֵלִים (bene ʾelim). “Sons of God” is undoubtedly the original reading; the MT and LXX have each interpreted it differently. MT assumes that the expression “sons of God” refers to Israel (cf. Hos. 1:10), while LXX has assumed that the phrase refers to the angelic heavenly assembly (Pss 29:1; 89:6; cf. as well Ps 82). The phrase is also attested in Ugaritic, where it refers to the high god El’s divine assembly. According to the latter view, which is reflected in the translation, the Lord delegated jurisdiction over the nations to his angelic host (cf. Dan. 10:13-21), while reserving for himself Israel, over whom he rules directly. For a defense of the view taken here, see M. S. Heiser, “Deuteronomy 32:8 and the Sons of God,” BSac 158 (2001): 52-74.
  15. Deuteronomy 32:9 tc Heb “the portion of his inheritance.” The LXX and Smr add “Israel” and BHS suggests the reconstruction: “The Lord’s allotment is Jacob, the portion of his inheritance is Israel” (cf. NAB). While providing good parallelism, it destroys a fine chiastic structure: “allotment” (a), “his people” (b), “Jacob (b’), and “inheritance” (a’).
  16. Deuteronomy 32:10 tn Heb “he.” The referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  17. Deuteronomy 32:10 tn The reference is to “his people/Jacob” (cf. v. 9), that is, Israel (using a collective singular). The singular pronouns are replaced by plural ones throughout vv. 10-14 by some English versions as an aid to the modern reader (cf. NAB, NCV, TEV, NLT).
  18. Deuteronomy 32:10 tn Heb “a land of wilderness.” A מִדְבָּר (midbar, “wilderness”) refers to a dry region which is characterized as receiving less than twelve inches of rain per year. It therefore cannot support trees and may or may not have sparse vegetation (if receiving less than six inches of rain). The point of the poetic image is that it is desolate.
  19. Deuteronomy 32:10 tn Heb “in an empty, howling wasteland.” The word “howling” is derived from a verbal root that typically refers to the wailing of mourners. Here it likely refers to the howling of desert animals, or perhaps to the howling wind, in which case one may translate, “in an empty, windy wasteland.”
  20. Deuteronomy 32:10 tn Heb “was surrounding him.” The distinctive form of the suffix on this verb form indicates that the verb is an imperfect, not a preterite. As such it draws attention to God’s continuing care during the period in view. See A. F. Rainey, “The Ancient Hebrew Prefix Conjugation in the Light of Amarnah Canaanite,” Hebrew Studies 27 (1986): 15-16.
  21. Deuteronomy 32:10 tn Heb “he gave him understanding.” The form of the suffix on this verb form indicates that the verb is a preterite, not an imperfect. As such it simply states the action factually. See A. F. Rainey, “The Ancient Hebrew Prefix Conjugation in the Light of Amarnah Canaanite,” Hebrew Studies 27 (1986): 15-16.
  22. Deuteronomy 32:10 tn The distinctive form of the suffix on this verb form indicates that the verb is an imperfect, not a preterite. As such it draws attention to God’s continuing protection during the period in view. See A. F. Rainey, “The Ancient Hebrew Prefix Conjugation in the Light of Amarnah Canaanite,” Hebrew Studies 27 (1986): 15-16.
  23. Deuteronomy 32:10 tn Heb “the little man.” The term אִישׁוֹן (ʾishon) means literally “little man,” perhaps because when one looks into another’s eyes he sees himself reflected there in miniature. See A. Harman, NIDOTTE 1:391.
  24. Deuteronomy 32:11 tn The prefixed verbal form is an imperfect, indicating habitual or typical behavior. The parallel verb (cf. “hovers” in the next line) is used in the same manner.
  25. Deuteronomy 32:11 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  26. Deuteronomy 32:11 tn The form of the suffix on this and the following verb forms (cf. “lifted him up”) indicates that the verbs are preterites, not imperfects. As such they simply state the action factually. The use of the preterite here suggests that the preceding verb (cf. “spread out”) is preterite as well.
  27. Deuteronomy 32:12 tn The distinctive form of the suffix on this verb form indicates that the verb is an imperfect, not a preterite. As such it draws attention to God’s continuing guidance during the period in view.
  28. Deuteronomy 32:13 tn The form of the suffix on this verbal form indicates that the verb is a preterite, not an imperfect. As such it simply states the action factually. Note as well the preterites with vav (ו) consecutive that follow in the verse.
  29. Deuteronomy 32:13 tn Heb “he made him suck honey from the rock.”
  30. Deuteronomy 32:13 tn Heb “oil,” but this probably refers to olive oil; see note on the word “rock” at the end of this verse.
  31. Deuteronomy 32:13 tn Heb “flinty.”
  32. Deuteronomy 32:13 sn Olive oil from rock probably suggests olive trees growing on rocky ledges and yet doing so productively. See E. H. Merrill, Deuteronomy (NAC), 415; cf. TEV “their olive trees flourished in stony ground.”
  33. Deuteronomy 32:14 tn Heb “blood,” a figurative image based on the color of the juice.
  34. Deuteronomy 32:15 tn To make the continuity of the referent clear, some English versions substitute “Jacob” here (NAB, NRSV) while others replace “Jeshurun” with “Israel” (NCV, CEV, NLT) or “the Lord’s people” (TEV).sn Jeshurun is a term of affection derived from the Hebrew verb יָשַׁר (yashar, “be upright”). Here it speaks of Israel “in an ideal situation, with its ‘uprightness’ due more to God’s help than his own efforts” (M. Mulder, TDOT 6:475).
  35. Deuteronomy 32:15 tc The LXX reads the third person masculine singular (“he”) for the MT second person masculine singular (“you”), but such alterations are unnecessary in Hebrew poetic texts where subjects fluctuate frequently and without warning.
  36. Deuteronomy 32:16 tc Heb “with strange (things).” The Vulgate actually supplies diis (“gods”).
  37. Deuteronomy 32:16 tn Heb “abhorrent (things)” (cf. NRSV). A number of English versions understand this as referring to “idols” (NAB, NIV, NCV, CEV), while NLT supplies “acts.”
  38. Deuteronomy 32:17 tn Heb “your fathers.”
  39. Deuteronomy 32:18 tc The Hebrew text is uncertain here; the translation follows the suggestion offered in HALOT 1477 s.v. שׁיה. Cf. NASB, NLT “You neglected”; NIV “You deserted”; NRSV “You were unmindful of.”
  40. Deuteronomy 32:20 tn Heb “I will hide my face from them.”
  41. Deuteronomy 32:20 tn Heb “sons” (so NAB, NASB); TEV “unfaithful people.”
  42. Deuteronomy 32:21 sn They have made me jealous. The “jealousy” of God is not a spirit of pettiness prompted by his insecurity, but righteous indignation caused by the disloyalty of his people to his covenant grace (see note on the word “God” in Deut 4:24). The jealousy of Israel, however (see next line), will be envy because of God’s lavish attention to another nation. This is an ironic wordplay. See H. Peels, NIDOTTE 3:938-39.
  43. Deuteronomy 32:21 tn Heb “what is not a god,” or a “nondeity.”
  44. Deuteronomy 32:21 tn Heb “their empty (things).” The Hebrew term used here to refer pejoratively to the false gods is הֶבֶל (hevel, “futile” or “futility”), used frequently in Ecclesiastes (e.g., Eccl 1:1, “Futile! Futile!” laments the Teacher, “Absolutely futile! Everything is futile!”).
  45. Deuteronomy 32:21 tn Heb “what is not a people,” or a “nonpeople.” The “nonpeople” (לֹא־עָם, loʾ ʿam) referred to here are Gentiles who someday would become God’s people in the fullest sense (cf. Hos 1:9; 2:23).
  46. Deuteronomy 32:21 tn Heb “a foolish nation” (so KJV, NAB, NRSV); NIV “a nation that has no understanding”; NLT “I will provoke their fury by blessing the foolish Gentiles.”
  47. Deuteronomy 32:22 tn Or “to the lowest depths of the earth”; cf. NAB “to the depths of the nether world”; NIV “to the realm of death below”; NLT “to the depths of the grave.”sn Sheol refers here not to hell and hell-fire—a much later concept—but to the innermost parts of the earth, as low down as one could get. The parallel with “the foundations of the mountains” makes this clear (cf. Pss 9:17; 16:10; 139:8; Isa 14:9, 15; Amos 9:2).
  48. Deuteronomy 32:23 tn Heb “upon them.”
  49. Deuteronomy 32:24 tn The Hebrew term קֶטֶב (qetev) is probably metaphorical here for the sting of a disease (HALOT 1091-92 s.v.).
  50. Deuteronomy 32:25 tn A verb is omitted here in the Hebrew text; for purposes of English style one suitable to the context is supplied.
  51. Deuteronomy 32:26 tc The LXX reads “I said I would scatter them.” This reading is followed by a number of English versions (e.g., KJV, ASV, NIV, NCV, NRSV, NLT, CEV).
  52. Deuteronomy 32:27 tn Heb “anger.”
  53. Deuteronomy 32:27 tn Heb “lest.”
  54. Deuteronomy 32:27 tn Heb “Our hand is high.” Cf. NAB “Our own hand won the victory.”
  55. Deuteronomy 32:30 tn The words “man” and “of them” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
  56. Deuteronomy 32:30 tn Heb “sold them” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
  57. Deuteronomy 32:31 tn Heb “their,” but the referent (enemies) is specified in the translation for the sake of clarity.
  58. Deuteronomy 32:32 tn Heb “vine.”
  59. Deuteronomy 32:32 sn Sodom…Gomorrah. The term “vine” is a reference to the pagan deities which, the passage says, find their ultimate source in Sodom and Gomorrah, that is, in the soil of perversion exemplified by these places (cf. Gen 18:20; 19:4-28; Isa 1:10; 3:9; Jer 23:14; Lam 4:6; Ezek 16:44-52; Matt 10:15; 11:23-24).
  60. Deuteronomy 32:34 tn Verses 34-35 appear to be a quotation of the Lord and so the introductory phrase “says the Lord” is supplied in the translation.
  61. Deuteronomy 32:35 tn Heb “prepared things,” “impending things.” See BDB 800 s.v. עָתִיד.
  62. Deuteronomy 32:36 tn The translation understands the verb in the sense of “be grieved, relent” (cf. HALOT 689 s.v. נחם hitp 2); cf. KJV, ASV “repent himself”; NLT “will change his mind.” Another option is to translate “will show compassion to” (see BDB 637 s.v. נחם); cf. NASB, NIV, NRSV.
  63. Deuteronomy 32:39 tn Verses 39-42 appear to be a quotation of the Lord and so the introductory phrase “says the Lord” is supplied in the translation for clarity.
  64. Deuteronomy 32:39 tn Heb “deliver from” (so NRSV, NLT).
  65. Deuteronomy 32:41 tn Heb “judgment.” This is a metonymy, a figure of speech in which the effect (judgment) is employed as an instrument (sword, spear, or the like), the means, by which it is brought about.
  66. Deuteronomy 32:41 tn The Hebrew term שָׂנֵא (saneʾ, “hate”) in this covenant context speaks of those who reject Yahweh’s covenant overtures, that is, who disobey its stipulations (see note on the word “rejecting” in Deut 5:9; also see Deut 7:10; 2 Chr 19:2; Pss 81:15; 139:20-21).
  67. Deuteronomy 32:42 tn Or “head” (the same Hebrew word can mean “head” in the sense of “leader, chieftain” or “head” in the sense of body part).
  68. Deuteronomy 32:44 tn Heb “Hoshea” (so KJV, ASV), another name for the same individual (cf. Num 13:8, 16).
  69. Deuteronomy 32:49 sn Abarim. This refers to the high plateau region of the Transjordan, the highest elevation of which is Mount Pisgah (or Nebo; cf. Deut 34:1). See also the note on the name “Pisgah” in Deut 3:17.
  70. Deuteronomy 32:50 tn In the Hebrew text the forms translated “you will die…and join” are imperatives, but the actions in view cannot really be commanded. The imperative is used here in a rhetorical, emphatic manner to indicate the certainty of Moses’ death on the mountain. On the rhetorical use of the imperative see IBHS 572 §34.4c.
  71. Deuteronomy 32:50 tn Heb “be gathered to your people.” The same phrase occurs again later in this verse.
  72. Deuteronomy 32:50 sn Mount Hor. See note on the name “Moserah” in Deut 10:6.
  73. Deuteronomy 32:51 tn The use of the plural (“you”) in the Hebrew text suggests that Moses and Aaron are both in view here, since both had rebelled at some time or other, if not at Meribah Kadesh then elsewhere (cf. Num 20:24; 27:14).
  74. Deuteronomy 32:51 tn Heb “did not esteem me holy.” Cf. NIV “did not uphold my holiness”; NLT “failed to demonstrate my holiness.”