Charles Ellicott Commentary Deuteronomy 32

Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth. — Compare the opening of Isaiah 1:2, which is almost identical, except that the two words for “hearing” are transposed.

My doctrine.—Or, my learning, what I receive—a not very common, but beautiful expression in the Hebrew.

Everything that comes down from the Father of lights is handed on by one heavenly messenger to another, until it falls upon the heart of man, in just that form in which he can best receive it.

The Son of God says, My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me. He says, I speak what I have seen with my Father. Of the Holy Spirit He says, He shall receive of Mine and shall show it to you. The apostles speak in words which the Holy Spirit teaches.

The parallels of the verse appear to be these: My learning shall drop as the rain; My speech shall distil as the dew, as the sweeping showers upon the tender herb, as the multitude of drops upon the grass.

The “small rain” of the Authorized Version points to a different and probably untenable derivation of the Hebrew word. The rain is more definite than the dew, and therefore the first word in the second half of the verse should be stronger than the second, and not vice versâ. The tender herb just sprouting can bear heavier showers than the grown grass.

For (or when) it is the Name JEHOVAH that I utter; You give greatness to our God.

He is the rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he. — No such combination of all the words for uprightness, sincerity, equity, and reliability is found elsewhere in all Scripture. This is the character of the Rock. This name of God (Tzur) is one of the characteristics of the song.

The word occurs first in Exodus 17:6, where the Rock in Horeb was struck; and that Rock was Christ. From that time, we find that the very names of the leaders in Israel embody this confession. Elizur, my God is a Rock; Zurishaddai, the Almighty is my Rock; and Pedahzur, redeemed by the Rock (Numbers 1:5–6; Numbers 1:10), are examples. So exclusively is the term in Hebrew (Tzûr or Sêlagh) used in this sense, that no man is ever described by it in the Old Testament.

And the Septuagint, in this song and in many other places, does not translate it at all, but renders it as God (Θεός). In other places the word Petra (never Petros) is employed. This fact convinces me that the Petra of Matthew 16:18 could only have been understood by Jews as denoting Deity; and that it not only referred to Christ, but to Christ as God. No other interpretation will suit the language of Holy Scripture. This fourth verse, like the third, is a stanza of four lines. The first line is answered by the third, and the second line by the fourth.

“He (Israel) has destroyed himself.
Their undutifulness, that is their blemish,
A perverse and crooked generation!”

These first two lines are regarded as hopeless by many interpreters, not because the words are difficult to translate, but because of the great variety of possible interpretations. After careful consideration of the passage with a learned Christian Hebraist, I venture to propose this as the true translation. It is substantially identical with that of the English margin. The Hebrew consists of only five words: (1) “He-has-corrupted,” (2) “to-him,” (3) “not,” (4) “his-sons,” (5) “their blemish.” It seems certain that the first two words should be taken together, if the text is correct.

The same construction is found in Numbers 32:15, “you shall destroy all this people,” and also in 1 Samuel 23:10, “to destroy the city.” Regarding the third and fourth words, we believe their true relation is the same as what we find in Deuteronomy 32:21, a “not-God,” and a “not-people,” and also in Deuteronomy 32:5, “not-wise.” In like manner, Israel are in this verse called “not-sons of His” (literally, they are no sons to Him). Their not-sonship, their unfilial, undutiful, ungodly behavior towards Him who is the perfection of truth and sincerity, a very Rock of fidelity to them—that is their great blemish.

He has said, “Israel is my son, even my firstborn.” But all Israel’s behavior gives Him the lie. The contrast between the two descriptions—the faithful God of Deuteronomy 32:4, and the unfaithful children of Deuteronomy 32:5—is the cardinal point in the verse. In the form of the expression, lo-bânâv is strictly parallel to the Lo-ammi of Hosea 1:9. The “perverse and crooked generation” supplies two words to Psalms 18:26, “with the froward you will show yourself froward.” Compare also the context of the two passages. Many other interpretations have been proposed, and some have altered the text. I believe the text to be correct, and that this is the true meaning.

I wish to express, once and for all, my great obligations to Mr. Bernhard Maimon for his assistance in this and many other difficulties.