Deuteronomy 32:13

_HE MADE HIM RIDE ON THE HIGH PLACES OF THE EARTH, THAT HE MIGHT EAT THE INCREASE OF THE FIELDS; AND HE MADE HIM TO SUCK HONEY OUT OF THE ROCK, AND OIL OUT OF THE FLINTY ROCK;_ He made him ride on the high places ... All these expressions seem to have special reference to their home in the Trans-Jordanic territory, that being the whole of Palestine that they had seen at the time when Moses is represented as uttering these words, honey of the wild bees which hive in the crevices of the rocks, the oil from the olive as it grew, singly or in small clumps on the tops of hills, where scarcely anything else would grow, the finest wheat (Psalms 81:16; Psalms 147:14), and the prolific vintage. But 'the words may prophetically refer to their settlement in Canaan, of which "the high places

13._He made him ride on the high places. _Theirs is but a frivolous imagination, who suppose that Judea was so called as being the navel or center of the earth; (262) it is more likely that it was called _high _in reference to Egypt; and, indeed, it is by no means an unusual expression, that those who go into Egypt, are said to go down, and those who come into Judea to _come _up. Still I am rather disposed Lo think that by _height _he denotes its excellency; inasmuch as that land, on account of its illustrious endowments, was, as it were, the most noble theater in the world. Moses celebrates its fertility, when he says that the people _sucked honey from the rock and oil from the stones: _for he means to indicate, that no part of it was unproductive, since they gathered honey from the rocks, and upon them also the olive grew. The same is the intention of the other figures, that they a

7-14 Moses gives particular instances of God's kindness and concern for them. The eagle's care for her young is a beautiful emblem of Christ's love, who came between Divine justice and our guilty souls, and bare our sins in his own body on the tree. And by the preached gospel, and the influences of the Holy Spirit, He stirs up and prevails upon sinners to leave Satan's bondage. In ver. Deuteronomy 32:13; Deuteronomy 32:14, are emblems of the conquest believers have over their spiritual enemies, sin, Satan, and the world, in and through Christ. Also of their safety and triumph in him; of their happy frames of soul, when they are above the world, and the things of it. This will be the blessed case of spiritual Israel in every sense in the latter day....

Verse Deuteronomy 32:13. _HE MADE HIM RIDE_] ירכבהו _yarkibehu, he will cause_ _him to ride_. All the verbs here are in the future tense, because this is a prophecy of the prosperity they should possess in the promised land. The Israelites were to _ride _- exult, on the high places, the mountains and hills of their land, in which they are promised the highest degrees of prosperity; as even the rocky part of the country should be rendered fertile by the peculiar benediction of God. _SUCK HONEY OUT OF THE ROCK, AND OIL OUT OF THE FLINTY ROCK_] This promise states that even the most barren places in the country should yield an abundance of aromatic flowers, from which the bees should collect _honey_ in abundance; and even the tops of the rocks afford sufficient support for olive trees, from the fruit of which they should extract

SONG OF MOSES If Deuteronomy 32:1 be regarded as the introduction, and Deuteronomy 32:43 as the conclusion, the main contents of the song may be grouped under three heads, namely, (1) Deuteronomy 32:4, the faithfulness of God, the faithlessness of Israel; (2) Deuteronomy 32:19, the chastisement and the need of its infliction by God; (3) Deuteronomy 32:34, God’

EXPOSITION SONG OF MOSES AND ANNOUNCEMENT OF HIS DEATH. In accordance with the Divine injunction, Moses composed an ode, which he recited in the hearing of the people, and committed to writing, to remain with them as a witness for God against them. With this end in view, the ode is directed principally to a contrasting of the unchanging faithfulness of the Almighty with the anticipated perversity and unfaithfulness of his people. The poem may be divided into six parts. 1. An introduction (Deuteronomy 32:1), in which the importance of the doctrine to be delivered is announced. 2. The blamelessness and excellency of Jehovah are placed in contrast with the corruptness and perversity of

HE MADE HIM TO RIDE ON THE HIGH PLACES OF THE EARTH,.... Or land, the land of Canaan; by which are meant the towers, castles, and fortified places in it, some of which might be built on hills and mountains; and being made to ride on them may denote the delivery of them into their hands, their conquests and possession of them, and triumph in them; see Isaiah 58:14; so the Targum of Jonathan paraphrases, it, "made him to dwell in the towers of the land of Israel,'' those high walled and strongly fenced cities which they dreaded; this may be an emblem of the conquest believers have of their spiritual enemies, sin. Satan, and the world, in and through Christ; of their safety and triumph in him; of their high and elevated frames of soul, when they have got above the world and the things of it; this will be the case of spiritual Israel in every sense in the latter day, wh

2. THE SONG OF MOSES CHAPTER 32:1-43 _ 1. The introduction and the theme (Deuteronomy 32:1)_ 2. The foolish people (Deuteronomy 32:5) 3. How Jehovah loved them (Deuteronomy 32:7) 4. Their apostasy (Deuteronomy 32:15) 5. The results of the apostasy (Deuteronomy 32:19) 6. Jehovah's final dealing with Israel (Deuteronomy 32:34) 7. The glorious consummatio

Moses'song is a didactic poem, a theodicy in which Yahweh's ways are vindicated. In its sentiments and artistic form it is unsurpassed in the poetry of the OT. Its dominant theme is Yahweh's justice and lovingkindness to Israel notwithstanding the nation's sinfulness. It is impossible to fix the date of this poem with any confidence. But points of contact with Jer., Isaiah 40-55, Ezek., and the Wisdom literature suggest the closing years of the Exile (say 550 B.C.). Moses is certainly not the author, for to the latter the Exodus belongs to his distant past (Deuteronomy 32:7), and the Israelites are already in Canaan (Deuteronomy 32:13 f.). The words translated doctrine (Deuteronomy 32:2), abominations ...

THAT HE MIGHT EAT. Samaritan Pentateuch and Septuagint read "caused him to eat". Hebrew text reads "And he did eat". INCREASE. Hebrew. _nub_, fruit from land. First occurrence. HONEY... OIL. Put by Figure of speech _Synecdoche_ (of Species) for all delicious things. ROCK. Hebrew sel'a. a rock, as. fortress, immovable. FLINTY ROCK. Hebrew. _zur_. rock _in_ situ, sharp and precipitous. Hence. refuge and security....