Deuteronomy 32:42

_I WILL MAKE MINE ARROWS DRUNK WITH BLOOD, AND MY SWORD SHALL DEVOUR FLESH; AND THAT WITH THE BLOOD OF THE SLAIN AND OF THE CAPTIVES, FROM THE BEGINNING OF REVENGES UPON THE ENEMY._ From the beginning of revenges upon the enemy. LeClerc renders these words; 'from the head, the princes (Judges 5:2) (to the lowest soldiers) of the enemy;' others, 'from the hairy scalp of the enemy' (cf. Psalms 68:21)....

42_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. Elsewhere (296) 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 here said to “devour flesh.” The second מדם, _midam, _some render, “on account of the blood;” and I admit that מ, _mem, _is sometimes the causalparticle. They understand it, then, that this would be the just recompense of 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; and I have no doubt but that it is a re

39-43 This conclusion of the song speaks, 1. Glory to God. No escape can be made from his power. 2. It speaks terror to his enemies. Terror indeed to those who hate him. The wrath of God is here revealed from heaven against them. 3. It speaks comfort to his own people. The song concludes with words of joy. Whatever judgments are brought upon sinners, it shall go well with the people of God....

Verse 42. _FROM THE BEGINNING OF REVENGES_] The word פרעות _paroth_, rendered _revenges_, a sense in which it never appears to be taken, has rendered this place very perplexed and obscure. Mr. _Parkhurst_ has rendered the whole passage thus: - I will make my arrows drunk with blood; And my sword shall devour flesh, With the blood of the slain and captive _From the hairy head_ of the enemy. Probably מראש פרעות _merosh paroth_ may be more properly translated, _from the naked head _- the enemy shall have nothing to shield him from my vengeance; the crown of dignity shall fall off, and even the helmet be no protection against the sword and arrows of the Lord....

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

I WILL MAKE MINE ARROWS DRUNK WITH BLOOD,.... Signifying, that by various judgments he would bring upon them, which, like arrows, would come suddenly, fly swiftly, and pierce deeply, there would be a prodigious effusion of blood like that in Revelation 14:20; so that these arrows, which cause it, being plunged and soaked, and covered in it, may be said to be inebriated with it, just as the sword is said to be bathed and filled with blood, Isaiah 34:5; which prophecy respects the same vengeance of Christ on the selfsame enemies of his as here; and as the whore of Rome is said to be drunken with the blood of the saints and martyrs of Jesus, the arrows of her destruction are represented in just retaliation as drunk with her blood,...

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 ...

ARROWS. Figure of speech _Prosopopatheia._ App-6. DRUNK. devour. Figure of speech _Prosopopoeia._ App-6. FROM THE BEGINNING. from [the flesh] of the chief leader of. Note the alternation: "I will make Mine arrows drunk with blood, And My sword shall devour much flesh; With the blood of the slain and of the captives, With [the flesh] of the chief leader of the enemy. "Compare Revelation 19:17, to which this refers. See also Ezekiel 39:17....