Deuteronomy 32 Footnotes

32:30 This is hyperbole, a deliberate exaggeration designed to show that Israel’s defeat at the hands of much less powerful foes can be explained only as an act of judgment by the Lord because of Israel’s sins. It harks back to the curses of 28:15-68.

32:51 Why did God punish Moses so severely for what seems to be a minor offense, his striking the rock at Meribah (Nm 20:11-12)? That incident can be understood two ways. God told Moses to “speak to the rock” (Nm 20:8); instead, he struck it with Aaron’s rod. Alternatively, the words speak to the rock can be taken to mean “address the rock,” using the rod (the Hb verb dabar can have that sense); but instead of beating it vigorously Moses only tapped it twice. In either case, Moses had been given an awesome responsibility as God’s chosen leader, and his obedience had to be total. Perhaps this incident is background for Jesus’s statement that “from everyone who has been given much, much will be required” (Lk 12:48), and James’s admonition, “Not many should become teachers, my brothers, because you know that we will receive a stricter judgment” (Jms 3:1).