1 Give ear, you heavens, and I will speak. Let the earth hear the words of my mouth. 2 My doctrine shall drop as the rain. My speech shall condense as the dew, as the small rain on the tender grass, as the showers on the herb. 3 For I will proclaim the name of Yahweh. Ascribe greatness to our God! 4 The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice: a God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and right is he. 5 They have dealt corruptly with him, (they are) not his children, (it is) their blemish. (They are) a perverse and crooked generation. 6 Do you thus requite Yahweh, foolish people and unwise? Isn't he your father who has bought you? He has made you, and established you. 7 Remember 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. 8 When 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. 9 For Yahweh's portion is his people. Jacob is the lot of his inheritance. 10 He 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. 11 As 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. 12 Yahweh alone led him. There was no foreign god with him. 13 He 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; 14 Butter of the herd, and milk of the flock, with fat of lambs, rams of the breed of Bashan, and goats, with the finest of the wheat. Of the blood of the grape you drank wine. 15 But Jeshurun grew fat, and kicked. You have grown fat. You have grown thick. You have become sleek. Then he forsook God who made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation. 16 They moved him to jealousy with strange (gods). They provoked him to anger with abominations. 17 They sacrificed to demons, (which were) no God, to gods that they didn't know, to new (gods) that came up of late, which your fathers didn't dread. 18 Of the Rock who became your father, you are unmindful, and have forgotten God who gave you birth. 19 Yahweh saw (it), and abhorred (them), because of the provocation of his sons and his daughters. 20 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. 21 They 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. 22 For a fire is kindled in my anger, 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. 24 (They shall be) wasted with hunger, and devoured with burning heat and bitter destruction. I will send the teeth of animals on them, With the poison of crawling things of the dust. 25 Outside the sword shall bereave, and in the rooms, terror; on both young man and virgin, The nursing infant with the gray-haired man. 26 I said, I would scatter them afar. I would make the memory of them to cease from among men; 27 were 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.'" 28 For they are a nation void of counsel. There is no understanding in them. 29 Oh that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end! 30 How could one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them, and Yahweh had delivered them up? 31 For their rock is not as our Rock, even our enemies themselves being judges. 32 For their vine is of the vine of Sodom, of the fields of Gomorrah. Their grapes are grapes of gall, Their clusters are bitter. 33 Their 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? 35 Vengeance is mine, and recompense, at the time when their foot slides; for the day of their calamity is at hand. The things that are to come on them shall make haste." 36 For Yahweh will judge his people, and have compassion on his servants, when he sees that (their) power is gone, There is none (remaining), shut up or left at large. 37 He will say, "Where are their gods, The rock in which they took refuge; 38 Which 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, even I, 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. 40 For I lift up my hand to heaven, And say, As I live forever, 41 if I whet my glittering sword, My hand take hold on judgment; I will render vengeance to my adversaries, and will recompense those who hate me. 42 I 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." 43 Rejoice, you nations, (with) his people, for he will avenge the blood of his servants. He will render vengeance to his adversaries, And will make expiation for his land, for his people. 44 Moses came and spoke all the words of this song in the ears of the people, he and Joshua the son of Nun. 45 Moses made an end of speaking all these words to all Israel; 46 He 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, (even) all the words of this law. 47 For 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." 48 Yahweh 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 over against Jericho; and see the land of Canaan, which I give to the children of Israel for a possession; 50 and die 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: 51 because you trespassed against me in the midst of the children of Israel at the waters of Meribah of Kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin; because you didn't sanctify me in the midst of the children of Israel. 52 For you shall see the land before you; but you shall not go there into the land which I give the children of Israel."
The prophetical and historical song of Moses, showing forth the nature of God's doctrine, Deuteronomy 32:1-3. The character of God, Deuteronomy 32:4. The corruption of the people, Deuteronomy 32:5, Deuteronomy 32:6. They are called to remember God's kindness, Deuteronomy 32:7, and his dealings with them during their travels in the wilderness, Deuteronomy 32:8-14. Their ingratitude and iniquity, Deuteronomy 32:15-18. They are threatened with his judgments, Deuteronomy 32:19-28. A pathetic lamentation over them because of their sins, Deuteronomy 32:29-35. Gracious purposes in their behalf, mixed with reproaches for their manifold idolatries, and threatenings against his enemies, Deuteronomy 32:36-42. A promise of salvation to the Gentiles, Deuteronomy 32:43. Moses, having finished the song, warmly exhorts the people to obedience, Deuteronomy 32:44-47. God calls him up to the mount, that he may see the good land and then die, Deuteronomy 32:48-52.
INTRODUCTION TO DEUTERONOMY 32
This chapter contains the song mentioned and referred to in the former, the preface to it, Deuteronomy 32:1; the character of the divine and illustrious Person it chiefly respects, Deuteronomy 32:4; the ingratitude of the people of the Jews to him, who were a crooked and perverse generation, aggravated by his having bought, made, and established them, Deuteronomy 32:5; and which is further aggravated by various instances of divine goodness to them, first in providing and reserving a suitable country for them, at the time of the division of the earth to the sons of men, with the reason of it, Deuteronomy 32:7; then by what the Lord did for them in the wilderness, Deuteronomy 32:10; after that in the land of Canaan, where they enjoyed plenty of all good things, and in the possession of which they were, when the illustrious Person described appeared among them, Deuteronomy 32:13; and then the sin of ingratitude to him, before hinted at, is fully expressed, namely, lightly esteeming the rock of salvation, the Messiah, Deuteronomy 32:15; nor could they stop here, but proceed to more ungodliness, setting up other messiahs and saviours, which were an abomination to the Lord, Deuteronomy 32:16; continuing sacrifices when they should not, which were therefore reckoned no other than sacrifices to demons, and especially the setting up of their new idol, their own righteousness, was highly provoking; and by all this they clearly showed they had forgot the rock, the Saviour, Deuteronomy 32:17; wherefore, for the rejection of the Messiah and the, persecution of his followers, they would be abhorred of God, Deuteronomy 32:19; who would show his resentment by the rejection of them, by the calling of the Gentiles, and by bringing the nation of the Romans upon them, Deuteronomy 32:20; whereby utter ruin and destruction in all its shapes would be brought upon them, Deuteronomy 32:22; and, were it not for the insolence of their adversaries, would be entirely destroyed, being such a foolish and unwise people, which appears by not observing what the enemies of the Messiah themselves allow, that there is no rock like him, whom they despised, Deuteronomy 32:26; which enemies are described, and the vengeance reserved for them pointed out, Deuteronomy 32:32; and the song closed with promises of grace and mercy to the Lord's people, and wrath and ruin to his and their enemies, on which account all are called upon to rejoice in the latter day, Deuteronomy 32:36; and this song being delivered by Moses, the people of Israel are exhorted seriously to attend to it, it being of the utmost importance to them, Deuteronomy 32:44; and the chapter is concluded with a relation of Moses being ordered to go up to Mount Nebo and die, with the reason of it, Deuteronomy 32:48.
(Deuteronomy 32:1, Deuteronomy 32:2) The song of Moses.
(Deuteronomy 32:3-6) The character of God, The character of Israel.
(Deuteronomy 32:7-14) The great things God had done for Israel.
(Deuteronomy 32:15-18) The wickedness of Israel.
(Deuteronomy 32:19-25) The judgments which would come upon them for their sins.
(Deuteronomy 32:26-38) Deserved vengeance withheld.
(Deuteronomy 32:39-43) God's deliverance for his people.
(Deuteronomy 32:44-47) The exhortation with which the song was delivered.
(Deuteronomy 32:48-52) Moses to go up mount Nebo to die.
*More commentary available by clicking individual verses.