John Calvin Commentary Deuteronomy 32:42

"I 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." — Deuteronomy 32:42 (ASV)

I will make my arrows drunk with blood. In these words He describes a horrible massacre, as though He had said, “There shall be no end to my vengeance, until the earth shall be full of blood and corpses.” Elsewhere²⁹⁶ also, God’s sword is said to be “drunk with blood,” as here His arrows, when His wrath proceeds to inflict great acts of carnage; and in the same sense it is said here to “devour flesh.”

Some render the second מדם (midam) as “on account of the blood,” and I admit that מ (mem) is sometimes the causal particle. They understand, then, that this would be the just recompense for their cruelty, when the wicked, who had slain the Israelites or led them away captive, should be cut off by God. But I do not see why the same word should be expounded in two different senses. I have no doubt that it is a repetition of the same idea: that God will make His “arrows drunk with blood.”²⁹⁷ He says, however, “the blood both of the slain and of the captives,” since, when an army is put to the sword, some fall in the battle itself, while others, maimed and wounded, make an effort to escape.

The conclusion of the verse is twisted into various meanings. Some expound the word “head” by changing the number to “heads,” as if it were said, “I will cut off the heads of the enemies.” It would, however, be more plausible to apply it metaphorically to the leaders.

Others, however, translate it more correctly as “the beginning”—not, indeed, with reference to time, but as though it meant the flower or best of the multitude, according to the common phrase, “from the first to the last.” My interpretation of “the revenges of the enemy” is not those which God will inflict upon His enemies, but rather those that are capital or deadly, as though He had said that He would deal as an enemy with the wicked, so that there would be no place for mercy.²⁹⁸

²⁹⁶Jeremiah 46:10..

²⁹⁷ Addition in Fr., “pour confermer le propos avee plus grand vehemence;” to confirm the point in question with greater vehemence.“pour confermer le propos avee plus grand vehemence;” to confirm the point in question with greater vehemence.

²⁹⁸ מראש פרעות אויב A.V., “From the beginning of revenges upon the enemy.” ., “From the beginning of revenges upon the enemy.” S.M.,”From the head of revenges of the enemy.” .,”From the head of revenges of the enemy.” V. and Luther,” Of the bare head of the enemies.’ . and Luther,” Of the bare head of the enemies.’ LXX., “From the head of the chief enemies.” The word “From the head of the chief enemies.” The word ראש is either the is either the head of a body, or the of a body, or the beginning of an event. an event. פרעות comes from a verb signifying to comes from a verb signifying to deal out retribution, and has therefore been taken by some to mean and has therefore been taken by some to mean revenge, and by others to mean and by others to mean chiefs or or rulers, whose office it is to avenge wrongs; there are, however, instances in which whose office it is to avenge wrongs; there are, however, instances in which פרע is acknowledged to be the is acknowledged to be the hair of the head. —— W.