Deuteronomy 32:22-25

22 For a fire will be kindled by my wrath, one that burns down to the realm of the dead below. It will devour the earth and its harvests and set afire the foundations of the mountains.
23 “I will heap calamities on them and spend my arrows against them.
24 I will send wasting famine against them, consuming pestilence and deadly plague; I will send against them the fangs of wild beasts, the venom of vipers that glide in the dust.
25 In the street the sword will make them childless; in their homes terror will reign. The young men and young women will perish, the infants and those with gray hair.

Deuteronomy 32:22-25 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO DEUTERONOMY 32

This chapter contains the song mentioned and referred to in the former, the preface to it, De 32:1-3; the character of the divine and illustrious Person it chiefly respects, De 32:4; the ingratitude of the people of the Jews to him, who were a crooked and perverse generation, aggravated by his having bought, made, and established them, De 32:5,6; and which is further aggravated by various instances of divine goodness to them, first in providing and reserving a suitable country for them, at the time of the division of the earth to the sons of men, with the reason of it, De 32:7-9; then by what the Lord did for them in the wilderness, De 32:10-12; after that in the land of Canaan, where they enjoyed plenty of all good things, and in the possession of which they were, when the illustrious Person described appeared among them, De 32:13,14; and then the sin of ingratitude to him, before hinted at, is fully expressed, namely, lightly esteeming the rock of salvation, the Messiah, De 32:15; nor could they stop here, but proceed to more ungodliness, setting up other messiahs and saviours, which were an abomination to the Lord, De 32:16; continuing sacrifices when they should not, which were therefore reckoned no other than sacrifices to demons, and especially the setting up of their new idol, their own righteousness, was highly provoking; and by all this they clearly showed they had forgot the rock, the Saviour, De 32:17,18; wherefore, for the rejection of the Messiah and the, persecution of his followers, they would be abhorred of God, De 32:19; who would show his resentment by the rejection of them, by the calling of the Gentiles, and by bringing the nation of the Romans upon them, De 32:20,21; whereby utter ruin and destruction in all its shapes would be brought upon them, De 32:22-25; and, were it not for the insolence of their adversaries, would be entirely destroyed, being such a foolish and unwise people, which appears by not observing what the enemies of the Messiah themselves allow, that there is no rock like him, whom they despised, De 32:26-31; which enemies are described, and the vengeance reserved for them pointed out, De 32:32-35; and the song closed with promises of grace and mercy to the Lord's people, and wrath and ruin to his and their enemies, on which account all are called upon to rejoice in the latter day, De 32:36-43; and this song being delivered by Moses, the people of Israel are exhorted seriously to attend to it, it being of the utmost importance to them, De 32:44-47; and the chapter is concluded with a relation of Moses being ordered to go up to Mount Nebo and die, with the reason of it, De 32:48-52.

Cross References 16

  • 1. Psalms 7:11
  • 2. Numbers 16:31-35; Psalms 18:7-8; Jeremiah 15:14; Lamentations 4:11
  • 3. Amos 7:4
  • 4. Leviticus 26:20
  • 5. Psalms 83:14
  • 6. S Deuteronomy 29:21
  • 7. ver 42; 2 Samuel 22:15; Job 6:4; Psalms 7:13; Psalms 18:14; Psalms 45:5; Psalms 77:17; Psalms 120:4; Isaiah 5:28; Isaiah 49:2; Ezekiel 5:16; Habakkuk 3:9,11
  • 8. Genesis 26:1; S Genesis 41:55; Genesis 42:5; 2 Samuel 24:13; 1 Chronicles 21:12
  • 9. S Deuteronomy 28:22
  • 10. Psalms 91:6
  • 11. S Genesis 37:20; Leviticus 26:22
  • 12. ver 33; Job 20:16; Psalms 58:4; Jeremiah 8:17; Amos 5:18-19; Micah 7:17
  • 13. Job 20:16
  • 14. Isaiah 24:17
  • 15. Jeremiah 14:18; Lamentations 1:20; Ezekiel 7:15; 2 Corinthians 7:5
  • 16. 2 Chronicles 36:17; Isaiah 13:18; Jeremiah 4:31; Lamentations 2:21
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