Deuteronomy 32 11

Deuteronomy 32:11 kjv

As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings:

Deuteronomy 32:11 nkjv

As an eagle stirs up its nest, Hovers over its young, Spreading out its wings, taking them up, Carrying them on its wings,

Deuteronomy 32:11 niv

like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and carries them aloft.

Deuteronomy 32:11 esv

Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, that flutters over its young, spreading out its wings, catching them, bearing them on its pinions,

Deuteronomy 32:11 nlt

Like an eagle that rouses her chicks
and hovers over her young,
so he spread his wings to take them up
and carried them safely on his pinions.

Deuteronomy 32 verses

Deuteronomy 32 11 Meaning

Deuteronomy 32:11 vividly portrays God's watchful, active, and tender care for Israel during their Exodus from Egypt and through the wilderness, likening it to an eagle's interaction with its young. The verse describes a process where God, like an eagle, gently disturbs Israel's complacent comfort, meticulously hovers over them to ensure protection, extends a sheltering embrace, and ultimately lifts them up and carries them safely, sustaining them on His mighty strength and provision. It speaks to God's deliberate intervention, persistent guardianship, and profound commitment to His chosen people.

Deuteronomy 32 11 Context

Deuteronomy 32:11 is part of Moses' great "Song of Witness" (Deut 32:1-43), sung just before his death. This song serves as a covenant lawsuit against Israel, testifying to God's faithfulness and Israel's recurrent rebellion. Chapter 32 begins by recounting God's majestic nature and then transitions to His steadfast love and benevolent acts toward Israel. Verse 11 specifically fits into the historical review (vv. 7-14), detailing how God uniquely cared for and developed Israel from a small, helpless nation into a people brought into a land of abundance. The imagery here highlights the stark contrast between God's consistent, patient, and strong care, and Israel's future (and often past) spiritual infidelity and forgetfulness, making God's actions a powerful and irrefutable witness. The song aims to remind Israel of their unique identity and their covenant obligations.

Deuteronomy 32 11 Word analysis

• As an eagle (`כְּנֶשֶׁר` - k'nesher): The Hebrew nesher denotes a large raptor, often understood as the eagle. In the ancient Near East, the eagle was a symbol of strength, swiftness, and high soaring, often associated with deity. Here, it conveys a powerful, majestic, yet also caring and protective nature of God. The simile emphasizes God's superior strength and ability to navigate dangerous terrains.
• stirs up (`יָעִיר` - ya'ir): From the root `עור` (ur), meaning "to stir up," "arouse," "awaken," or even "to disturb." This is not a passive action. It implies a deliberate disturbance of the eaglets' comfort in the nest, compelling them to leave and learn to fly. For Israel, this depicts God actively moving them out of bondage in Egypt and then the security of wilderness comfort (such as at Sinai) to progress towards the promised land. It is a necessary catalyst for growth and dependence.
• its nest (`קִנּוֹ` - qinno): Refers to the eagle's dwelling place for its young. This signifies a place of security and dependence that eventually must be left. For Israel, this points to their comfortable, albeit enslaved, life in Egypt, and later, times of rest or complacency in the wilderness.
• hovers over (`יְרַחֵף` - y'raḥef): A significant word also found in Gen 1:2, describing the Spirit of God "hovering" over the waters. It implies a protective, nurturing, watchful, and immanent presence. The eagle is not distant but intimately involved in the training. This portrays God's ever-present oversight, guarding, and maintaining vigilance over Israel even when they felt unsettled.
• its young (`אֶפְרֹחָיו` - efrōḥav): The fledgling birds, vulnerable and inexperienced. This imagery beautifully highlights Israel's nascent state at the Exodus – weak, untaught, and dependent – entirely reliant on God for their development and survival.
• spreads out (`יִפְרֹשׂ` - yifroś): Implies opening wide, extending. This action signifies a preparation for gathering or protecting, like a cloak or tent. It points to God's broad, comprehensive provision of safety and refuge.
• its wings (`כְּנָפָיו` - k'nafav): Metaphorical for shelter, power, and readiness to act. This symbolizes God's encompassing protection, sheltering Israel from harm and hostile elements, like a parent bird shielding its brood.
• takes them up (`יִקָּחֵהוּ` - yiqqāḥehu): From `לקח` (laqah), meaning to take, seize, fetch. It suggests a personal, direct action of lifting. This represents God's active rescue and elevation of Israel from the perils of the wilderness, and indeed, from Egyptian servitude.
• carries them (`יִשָּׂאֵהוּ` - yiśśā'ehu): From `נשׂא` (nasa), meaning to lift, bear, carry, sustain. This speaks to the ongoing, sustaining burden-bearing by God, especially over the challenging 40 years in the wilderness, where He bore their complaints, needs, and rebellions.
• on its pinions (`עַל־אֶבְרָתוֹ` - al-evrato): The strongest, largest flight feathers on the eagle's wings. To carry "on its pinions" signifies carrying with utmost strength, stability, and care. It emphasizes that Israel was carried not weakly, but on the very mightiest part of God's power, ensuring absolute security and preservation through difficult journeys.
  Words-group analysis:
• "stirs up its nest, hovers over its young": This sequence beautifully describes God's initiation of Israel's journey out of comfort, not abandoning them, but remaining intimately present and watchful. The disturbance leads directly to development under His watchful eye.
• "spreads out its wings, takes them up, carries them": This illustrates God's protective readiness, His active intervention in lifting them out of danger or limitation, and His ongoing sustenance and support through their arduous journey. The eagle does not drop its young; it lifts and sustains them.
• "on its pinions": The conclusion emphasizes the ultimate strength and security of God's provision. Israel was not simply carried but carried by the most powerful means possible, signifying invulnerable safety and support.

Deuteronomy 32 11 Bonus section

• The "stirring up" of the nest can also imply an uncomfortable training process where the eaglets are coaxed or nudged towards the edge to learn the terrifying act of flight, symbolizing God allowing challenges or discomfort to drive Israel (and believers today) into deeper dependence and spiritual maturity.
• The unique characteristic of an eagle, reportedly, is that if its young are too afraid to leave the nest, the mother eagle will sometimes pick them up and drop them, catching them again before they hit the ground, to teach them to extend their wings. While the veracity of this exact behavior is debated among ornithologists, the biblical imagery undeniably conveys God's profound, at times intense, training method to foster true reliance and independence under His ultimate protection.
• The parallelism in Hebrew poetry is strong here, with repeated verbs emphasizing God's continuous and manifold actions of care: "stirs," "hovers," "spreads," "takes," "carries." This repetition reinforces the complete nature of God's guardianship.

Deuteronomy 32 11 Commentary

Deuteronomy 32:11 is a powerful anthropomorphism that distills the essence of God's character and His relationship with Israel during their formative wilderness years. The eagle metaphor underscores God's active role as a divine parent: a majestic power who deliberately yet carefully instigates change ("stirs up"), maintains constant, intimate watchfulness ("hovers"), offers unparalleled refuge ("spreads out its wings"), and actively elevates and sustains ("takes them up, carries them"). This profound care extends even to Israel's moments of immaturity and vulnerability. The reference to "pinions" stresses that this carrying is done not out of mere strength, but with a deliberate choice of the most powerful, secure part of the wing, assuring absolute safety. This verse provides a foundation for understanding God's faithful, loving, and teaching nature, even when His actions appear challenging or disruptive, as they are ultimately designed for growth, protection, and leading His people to their intended inheritance.