Deuteronomy 32:30

30 How pursued one of (their) enemies a thousand of Jews, and twain drove away ten thousand? Whether not therefore for their God had sold them, forsaking them, and the Lord had enclosed them altogether in their enemies? hands? (How could just one of their enemies pursue a thousand Jews, and two drive away ten thousand? Was it not because their God had forsaken them, and had sold them out to their enemies, yea, the Lord had given them up into the hands of their enemies?)

Deuteronomy 32:30 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 32:30

How should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to
flight
This is said for the conviction of the Pagan Romans of their folly in behaving strangely, attributing to their gods what belonged to the true God; for since the Jews were more numerous than they, both in Judea, in the times of Titus Vespasian, when the country was subdued by him; and in other parts of the world, in the times of Adrian, when the Jews rose up in vast numbers, greatly superior to the Romans, and yet were conquered; which, allowing the phrase to be hyperbolical, was like one to a thousand, and two to ten thousand: now since this was what was promised to the Jews in case of obedience, that they should in this manner chase their enemies, ( Leviticus 26:8 ) ; it cannot be accounted for that they should in like manner be chased by their enemies, as threatened ( Isaiah 30:17 ) ;

except their rock had sold them, and the Lord had shut them up;
that is, unless the Lord, who was their rock and fortress, and in whom they should have trusted as such, had forsaken them, and given them up into their enemies' hands, shut up as they were in the city of Jerusalem in the times of Titus, and afterwards in Bither in the times of Adrian; it is a plain case that this was of God, and not owing to the idols of the Gentiles; see ( Psalms 44:9-12 ) ; Cocceius and Van Till interpret this of Constantine overcoming Maxentius, Licinius, and Maximinius, whereby the whole Roman empire on a sudden became Christian nominally, when but a little before Dioclesian had erected a trophy with this inscription on it,

``the Christian name blotted out;''

so that the odds between the Christians and Pagans were as one to a thousand, and two to ten thousand, and the victory therefore must be ascribed to God; this could never have been unless Satan, the great red dragon, had given his kingdom to the beast, which was done by the permission and sovereign will of God; see ( Revelation 6:14 ) ( Revelation 12:7 Revelation 12:8 ) ( 13:2 ) ( 17:17 ) ; so those interpreters, but the former sense seems best.

Deuteronomy 32:30 In-Context

28 It is a folk without counsel, and without prudence, or wariness; (They be a nation without counsel, and without wisdom, or without caution;)

29 I would that they savoured, and understood, and purveyed the last things. (O that they considered, and understood this, and gave some thought to their end.)

30 How pursued one of (their) enemies a thousand of Jews, and twain drove away ten thousand? Whether not therefore for their God had sold them, forsaking them, and the Lord had enclosed them altogether in their enemies? hands? (How could just one of their enemies pursue a thousand Jews, and two drive away ten thousand? Was it not because their God had forsaken them, and had sold them out to their enemies, yea, the Lord had given them up into the hands of their enemies?)

31 For our God is not as the gods of them, and our enemies be judges (of this). (For our enemies have no god like our God, ours is strong, and they know that their gods be weak.)

32 The vine of them is of the vine of Sodom, and of the suburbs of Gomorrah; the grape of them is the grape of gall, and the cluster is most bitter. (Their vines be like the vines of Sodom, and like those grown in the suburbs of Gomorrah; their grapes be grapes of gall, and their clusters be most bitter.)