Deuteronomy 32:37

37 The Lord will ask, "Where are their gods— the rocks they trusted in—

Deuteronomy 32:37 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 32:37

And he shall say, where [are] their gods?
&c.] Not the Lord shall say to Israel, upbraiding them with their idols and their idolatries; but, as the Targum of Jonathan,

``the enemy shall say, where is the God of Israel?''

and to the same purpose is, the Jerusalem Targum, and which is the sense of other Jewish writers F23; and the words may be rendered impersonally, and in the singular number, "and it shall be said, where is their God?" as it follows,

[their] rock in whom they trusted?
that is, it shall be said to the people of God, when in the low estate before described, and which will make it still more distressing; it shall be said to them by their enemies in a sneering way, where is the Lord their God they boasted of, and the rock of salvation in whom they trusted? which agrees with other passages of Scripture, ( Psalms 42:3 Psalms 42:10 ) ( 79:10 ) ( Micah 7:9 ) . The persons insulted and upbraided are the Protestant witnesses at the time of their being slain; when "they that dwell upon the earth", the Papists, "shall rejoice over them", ( Revelation 11:10 ) ; they are such who are true believers in the God and Father of Christ, as their God and Father in Christ, who of his own free grace has blessed them with all spiritual blessings in him; and who trust in Christ the rock alone for justification before God, for acceptance with him, and for their whole salvation; rejecting the Popish notion of justification by works, the doctrines of merit, and of works of supererogation, and the like; who now will be taunted at, and triumphed over, saying, where is the God of the Protestants they gloried in, as being on their side? and where is their rock on which they say the church is built, and not on Peter?


FOOTNOTES:

F23 Aben Ezra & R. Nehemiah in Jarchi in loc.

Deuteronomy 32:37 In-Context

35 Revenge is my domain, so is punishment-in-kind, at the exact moment their step slips up, because the day of their destruction is just around the corner; their final destiny is speeding on its way!
36 But the LORD will acquit his people, will have compassion on those who serve him, once he sees that their strength is all gone, that both prisoners and free people are wiped out.
37 The Lord will ask, "Where are their gods— the rocks they trusted in—
38 who ate up the fat of their sacrifices, who drank their sacred wine? They should stand up and help you! They should protect you now!
39 Now, look here: I myself, I'm the one; there are no other gods with me. I'm the one who deals death and gives life; I'm the one who wounded, but now I will heal. There's no escaping my hand.
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