Deuteronomy 32 23

Deuteronomy 32:23 kjv

I will heap mischiefs upon them; I will spend mine arrows upon them.

Deuteronomy 32:23 nkjv

'I will heap disasters on them; I will spend My arrows on them.

Deuteronomy 32:23 niv

"I will heap calamities on them and spend my arrows against them.

Deuteronomy 32:23 esv

"'And I will heap disasters upon them; I will spend my arrows on them;

Deuteronomy 32:23 nlt

I will heap disasters upon them
and shoot them down with my arrows.

Deuteronomy 32 verses

Deuteronomy 32 23 Meaning

Deuteronomy 32:23 declares God's deliberate and severe judgment upon His disobedient people, Israel. It depicts the Lord as a divine warrior who will purposefully unleash an abundance of calamities upon them, likening these judgments to a barrage of arrows completely expended, signifying the full extent and intensity of His righteous retribution against their apostasy. This is a divine declaration of determined and exhaustive punishment.

Deuteronomy 32 23 Context

Deuteronomy 32:23 is part of the "Song of Moses," delivered by Moses shortly before his death and before Israel's entry into the Promised Land. This song serves as a covenant lawsuit and a prophetic warning. God's faithfulness is highlighted, contrasted sharply with Israel's anticipated future unfaithfulness. The song outlines the severe consequences of their apostasy and idolatry, depicting God's coming judgment. Verses 19-25 specifically detail the Lord's resolve to bring affliction upon Israel because they provoked Him with foreign gods. This verse describes the decisive, personal, and overwhelming nature of God's promised chastisement. Historically, this song served to prepare Israel for the realities of living in covenant with a holy God in a hostile land, foretelling a cycle of disobedience and divine retribution.

Deuteronomy 32 23 Word analysis

• אָסֵף ('aseph - I will heap/gather): This is the Hiphil imperfect of the verb אָסַף (asaph), meaning "to gather," "to collect," or "to take away." In this causative stem, it implies an intentional action by God to bring upon or cause to be gathered calamities in great abundance. It indicates a systematic, comprehensive deployment of judgment, not merely isolated incidents.
• עָלֵימוֹ ('alemo - upon them): Composed of the preposition עַל (al), meaning "upon" or "against," and the suffix for "them." It directly specifies the recipients of this impending judgment – the apostate Israelites. This highlights the personal and direct nature of God's punitive action.
• רָעוֹת (ra'ot - misfortunes/evils/calamities): The plural of רָעָה (ra'ah), a broad term that encompasses moral evil, wickedness, distress, misery, calamity, or disaster. In this context, it refers to the wide range of adversities and sufferings that God will bring as consequences of their sin, implying that these will be multifarious and burdensome.
• חִצַּי (hitzzai - My arrows): חֵץ (chets) means "arrow." The suffix י (i) denotes first-person possession, "my." Arrows are a potent metaphor for swift, piercing, and destructive divine judgments. They represent various means through which God inflicts punishment, often encompassing famine, pestilence, wild beasts, or military defeat. God asserts divine ownership and control over these instruments of justice.
• אֲכַלֶּה ('akhalleh - I will spend/finish/consume): This is the Piel imperfect of the verb כָּלָה (kalah), meaning "to complete," "to finish," "to bring to an end," or "to consume." The Piel stem intensifies the action. It conveys that God will fully exhaust His supply of arrows, meaning the judgment will be complete, thorough, and relentless until its punitive purpose is achieved. It implies a total expenditure of punitive force.
• בָּם (bam - upon/among them): This combines the preposition בְּ (b), meaning "in," "on," or "among," and the suffix for "them." It further emphasizes that the arrows will be unleashed directly into or upon them, underscoring the personal impact and unavoidable nature of the judgment.

Words-Group Analysis:

• אָסֵף עָלֵימוֹ רָעוֹת (I will heap misfortunes on them): This phrase communicates God's intentionality and the comprehensive nature of the judgment. It's not a single isolated event, but an accumulation of various troubles deliberately brought upon them by divine agency. It paints a picture of cascading calamities.
• חִצַּי אֲכַלֶּה בָּם (and spend my arrows on them): This imagery functions as a powerful metaphor for the absolute finality and destructive intensity of God's judgment. By "spending" His arrows, God signifies that He will not hold back any means necessary to bring about His desired corrective or punitive end. It denotes a relentless pursuit of justice, where no avenue of divine judgment will be left unused against the target.

Deuteronomy 32 23 Bonus section

The "arrows" in biblical imagery often represent specific means of divine punishment beyond generic "misfortunes." For instance, they can signify famine, disease, war, or destructive forces of nature. The Lord’s judgment in Deuteronomy is presented not merely as consequences of actions but as divine actions. The choice of "arrows" also points to God's precision and unavoidable execution of judgment; unlike human judgment, divine arrows always find their intended target. This song as a whole also functions as a witness (Dt 31:19), indicating that these words would stand as testimony against Israel when these judgments inevitably came to pass.

Deuteronomy 32 23 Commentary

Deuteronomy 32:23 is a stark declaration of God's unwavering commitment to His covenant, even in judgment. As part of the Song of Moses, it warns future generations of Israel about the direct and severe consequences of breaking faith with the Lord. The imagery of "heaping misfortunes" highlights the multifaceted and accumulating nature of God's displeasure, indicating a widespread affliction rather than a singular event. The metaphor of "spending His arrows" conveys God as an expert divine warrior, meticulously aiming and fully expending His arsenal of justice. This is not arbitrary anger but righteous retribution for grave apostasy, ensuring that every facet of divine punishment reaches its mark until God's holy purpose, whether corrective or final, is achieved against His wayward people. This verse underscores God's absolute sovereignty over calamity and His ultimate resolve to uphold His covenant purity.