Deuteronomy 32 2

Deuteronomy 32:2 kjv

My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass:

Deuteronomy 32:2 nkjv

Let my teaching drop as the rain, My speech distill as the dew, As raindrops on the tender herb, And as showers on the grass.

Deuteronomy 32:2 niv

Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants.

Deuteronomy 32:2 esv

May my teaching drop as the rain, my speech distill as the dew, like gentle rain upon the tender grass, and like showers upon the herb.

Deuteronomy 32:2 nlt

Let my teaching fall on you like rain;
let my speech settle like dew.
Let my words fall like rain on tender grass,
like gentle showers on young plants.

Deuteronomy 32 verses

Deuteronomy 32 2 Meaning

Deuteronomy 32:2 describes the profound and beneficial effect of God's teaching and speech, comparing its influence to the essential, life-giving elements of rain and dew upon the earth. Just as rain and dew are crucial for sustaining vegetation, so God's divine revelation and instruction provide spiritual nourishment, refreshment, and growth to His people. This imagery emphasizes the gentle yet pervasive, indispensable, and blessing-laden nature of God's word, ensuring it settles deeply and brings forth life and fruitfulness.

Deuteronomy 32 2 Context

Deuteronomy 32 presents "The Song of Moses," a lengthy prophetic poem intended to serve as a witness against Israel when they inevitably departed from the covenant (Deut 31:19, 21). Composed near the end of Moses' life, this song summarizes God's faithful care for Israel, their future apostasy, and God's eventual judgment and restoration. Verse 2 specifically sets the stage for the delivery of this divine message, portraying its nature and intended impact. It is part of Moses' call for heaven and earth to listen (v. 1), emphasizing the weight and authority of the message that follows. Historically, the song serves as a profound testament for future generations, anchoring them to God's past mercies and foretelling consequences for disobedience in the promised land, contrasting the life-giving nature of His word with the barrenness of idolatry.

Deuteronomy 32 2 Word analysis

• Let: Implicit, part of the jussive or cohortative sense of the verbs, conveying a wish or command that the teaching be received.
• my teaching: Hebrew: לֶקַח (leqaḥ). Refers to doctrine, instruction, what is received or learned. Here, it denotes God's divine revelation communicated through Moses. It is authoritative and foundational truth for life.
• drop: Hebrew: יַעֲרֹף (yaʿarōf). To distil, to drip gently and steadily. This verb emphasizes the slow, penetrating, and non-violent absorption of the teaching, ensuring it seeps into the hearer's heart and mind.
• as the rain: Hebrew: כַּמָּטָר (kammāṭar). Rain is a vital life-source in an arid land, a symbol of blessing, refreshment, and fruitfulness. The teaching is as indispensable as physical rain. This imagery implicitly opposes the futile rain-giving powers attributed to pagan deities like Baal.
• My speech: Hebrew: אִמְרָתִי (ʾimraṯi). My utterance, saying, word. Parallel to "my teaching," affirming the divine origin and power of the message.
• distill: Hebrew: תִּזַּל (tizzal). To flow, trickle down. Similar to "drop," reinforcing the gentle, pervasive, and natural dissemination of the divine word.
• as the dew: Hebrew: כַּטַּל (kaṭṭal). Dew provides essential moisture, especially during dry seasons when rain is scarce, symbolizing delicate, silent, and restorative blessings. God's word sustains even when seemingly absent or in difficult times.
• As the gentle rain: Hebrew: כִּרְבִיבִים (kirᵉbīvīm). Refers to light showers or sprinkles. Conveys tenderness, nurturing, and that the word is not burdensome but easily absorbed.
• on the tender grass: Hebrew: עֲלֵי-דֶשֶׁא (ʿalei-dešeʾ). Tender, new grass. It implies fresh growth, vulnerability, and receptivity. God's word nurtures even the weakest or those beginning their spiritual journey.
• And as the showers: Hebrew: וְכִרְבִיבִים (vᵉkhirᵉbīvīm). While earlier "rᵉbīvīm" can mean gentle rain, in conjunction with "showers," it continues the theme of beneficial, penetrating moisture. Some interpret the repetition and varied translation here as emphasizing comprehensive coverage. The LXX uses different words for these two instances, reinforcing slightly distinct types of nourishing precipitation.
• on the herb: Hebrew: עֲלֵי-עֵשֶׂב (ʿalei-ʿēśev). Broader term for vegetation, mature plants, or even trees. It implies that God's word nourishes all stages of spiritual life, from tender new faith to established maturity.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "Let my teaching drop as the rain, My speech distill as the dew": This opening poetic parallelism sets the foundational analogy. Teaching (doctrine, instruction) and speech (divine utterance) are paralleled, indicating comprehensive communication from God. The actions "drop" and "distill" emphasize gradual, gentle, and thorough saturation. The similes "as the rain" and "as the dew" evoke images of natural, vital, and universal blessings, highlighting the life-giving, refreshing, and permeating quality of God's word that brings about growth.
• "As the gentle rain on the tender grass, And as the showers on the herb": This second parallelism further refines and intensifies the imagery. It specifies the recipient of this divine nourishment. "Gentle rain" (or light showers) signifies a tender and unhurried nurturing. "Tender grass" speaks to initial, delicate growth, implying that the word fosters the vulnerable beginnings of faith. "Showers" and "herb" refer to the more robust and mature stages of vegetation, suggesting that God's word continues to sustain and bring fruition at every level of spiritual development. The verse thus paints a holistic picture of divine provision from initial spark to full flourishing.

Deuteronomy 32 2 Bonus section

The structure of Deuteronomy 32:2 showcases classical Hebrew parallelism, particularly synonymous and intensifying parallelism. "Teaching" and "speech" are synonyms for divine revelation, while "rain" and "dew," though distinct forms of precipitation, serve a common purpose: life-giving moisture. The second part of the verse then elaborates on this, making the metaphor more vivid by specifying the recipients—from tender new growth to more mature plants. This poetic form enhanced memorability and facilitated the oral transmission of the song. The choice of rain and dew as metaphors also carries deep cultural resonance. In ancient Israel, rain was synonymous with blessing and God's favor, and its absence brought famine and hardship, symbolizing divine displeasure. Therefore, to compare God's teaching to rain underscored its absolute necessity and beneficent nature as covenant blessing. This verse also serves as a polemic against the cult of Baal, the Canaanite god of storm and fertility. By attributing the life-giving "rain" of true knowledge to Yahweh's teaching, Moses affirmed God's exclusive sovereignty over life, blessing, and the spiritual nourishment of His people, undermining the claims of competing deities.

Deuteronomy 32 2 Commentary

Deuteronomy 32:2 encapsulates the divine purpose and inherent power of God's word, particularly as delivered through Moses. The fourfold analogy with rain and dew illustrates that God's instruction is not merely intellectual information but a vital, life-sustaining force. It falls gently, permeating deeply, and nourishing comprehensively. This contrasts starkly with the often harsh, unfulfilling, and barren dictates of human ideologies or the powerlessness of pagan worship which promises rain but cannot deliver (Jer 14:22). God's word brings true life, spiritual flourishing, and ethical vitality, establishing a foundation of spiritual health and wisdom for His people. It is designed to be fully absorbed by believers at all stages of their spiritual walk, ensuring growth from tender shoots to mature fruit-bearing plants, acting as an indispensable spiritual provision from the Creator.