John Calvin Commentary Deuteronomy 32:37

"And he will say, Where are their gods, The rock in which they took refuge;" — Deuteronomy 32:37 (ASV)

And he shall say, Where are their gods? Commentators differ on this point. Some interpret the passage as Moses reporting the boastings and insults of their enemies during the Church's affliction, while others consider it a pious exultation in which the faithful celebrate the Church's deliverance.

If we assume the enemies are speaking here, it would be inconsistent for the word “gods” to be used in the plural. Besides, what follows would stem from their mistake and ignorance: that the Israelites “did eat the fat,” which was not lawful for them even in their common food, much less in the sacrifices in which the fat was burned.

The other interpretation, however, is the one I prefer. It suggests that when the tables are turned and God has revealed Himself as the avenger of the unbelievers' cruel injustice—God’s children would then be free to upbraid them.

The phrase he shall say,²⁹² is used indefinitely, meaning, “It shall be said by any or all of God’s children.”

So then, just as unbelievers, when they see the saints are afflicted, impudently ridicule their faith, so, on the other hand, Moses, when God comes to the aid of His Church, introduces the saints derisively inquiring: Where are the gods of the Gentiles, and where are all their patrons? This is because all of them, as is well known, had their guardian gods.

Thus, their impure and false sacrifices are satirized, in which they ate the fat and drank the libations of wine.

In short, Moses intimates that when God aids His people, their mouths are opened to sing the song of triumph to the glory of the true God and to upbraid unbelievers with the false confidence by which they are deceived.

²⁹² This sentence is omitted in the Fr., but implied in the translation, “On dira.”but implied in the translation, “On dira.”