Devarim (Deuteronomy) Chapter 32

19And the Lord saw this and became angry, provoked by His sons and daughters.   יטוַיַּ֥רְא יְהֹוָ֖ה וַיִּנְאָ֑ץ מִכַּ֥עַס בָּנָ֖יו וּבְנֹתָֽיו:
20And He said, "I will hide My face from them. I will see what their end will be, for they are a generation of changes; they are not [recognizable] as My children whom I have reared.   כוַיֹּ֗אמֶר אַסְתִּ֤ירָה פָנַי֙ מֵהֶ֔ם אֶרְאֶ֖ה מָ֣ה אַֽחֲרִיתָ֑ם כִּ֣י ד֤וֹר תַּהְפֻּכֹת֙ הֵ֔מָּה בָּנִ֖ים לֹֽא־אֵמֻ֥ן בָּֽם:
I will see what their end will be [i.e., I will see] what will befall them in the end.   מָה אַֽחֲרִיתָם  מַה תַּעֲלֶה בָהֶם בְּסוֹפָם:
for they are a generation of changes i.e., they change My good will into anger.   כִּי דוֹר תַּהְפֻּכֹת הֵמָּה  מְהַפְּכִין רְצוֹנִי לְכַעַס:
they are not [recognizable]… whom I have reared Heb. אֵמֻן. My rearing [them] is not recognizable in them, for I taught them a good way, but they deviated from it.   לֹֽא־אֵמֻן בָּֽם  אֵין גִדּוּלַי נִכָּרִים בָּהֶם, כִּי הוֹרֵיתִים דֶּרֶךְ טוֹבָה וְסָרוּ מִמֶּנָּה:
reared אֵמֻן is an expression related to “And he reared (אֹמֵן) [Hadassah]” (Esther 2:7), nourriture in French. Another explanation of אֵמֻן: It is an expression of אֱמוּנָה, faithfulness, which is how the Targum renders it [literally, “children who have no faithfulness”]. At Sinai, they said, “We will do and we will hear,” and a short while later, they broke their promise and made the golden calf!"- [Sifrei 32:20]   אֵמֻן  לְשׁוֹן "וַיְהִי אֹמֵן" (אסתר ב'), נורריטור"ה בְּלַעַז; דָּבָר אַחֵר — אמן לְשׁוֹן אֱמוּנָה, כְּתַרְגּוּמוֹ, אָמְרוּ בְסִינַי נַעֲשֶׂה וְנִשְׁמָע וּלְשָׁעָה קַלָּה בִטְּלוּ הַבְטָחָתָם וְעָשׂוּ הָעֵגֶל (ספרי):
21They have provoked My jealousy with a non god, provoked My anger with their vanities. Thus, I will provoke their jealousy with a non people, provoke their anger with a foolish nation.   כאהֵ֚ם קִנְא֣וּנִי בְלֹא־אֵ֔ל כִּֽעֲס֖וּנִי בְּהַבְלֵיהֶ֑ם וַֽאֲנִי֙ אַקְנִיאֵ֣ם בְּלֹא־עָ֔ם בְּג֥וֹי נָבָ֖ל אַכְעִיסֵֽם:
have provoked my jealousy They kindled My anger.   קִנְאוּנִי  הִבְעִירוּ חֲמָתִי:
with a non-god With something that is not a god.   בְלֹא־אֵל  בְּדָבָר שֶׁאֵינוֹ אֱלוֹהַּ:
with a non-people With a nation that has no name, as Scripture states, “This land of the Chaldeans-this people was not” (Isa. 23:13). And regarding Esau, Scripture states, “You are very despised” (Obad. 1:2).   בְלֹא־עָם  בְּאֻמָּה שֶׁאֵין לָהּ שֵׁם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ישעיהו כ"ג) הֵן אֶרֶץ כַּשְׂדִים זֶה הָעָם לֹא הָיָה, בְּעֵשָׂו הוּא אוֹמֵר (עובדיה א') בָּזוּי אַתָּה מְאֹד:
I will… provoke their anger with a foolish nation These are the heretics. So Scripture states, “The fool (נָבָל) said in his heart, There is no God!” (Ps. 14:1). - [Sifrei 32: 21]   בְּגוֹי נָבָל אַכְעִיסֵֽם  אֵלּוּ הַמִּינִים, וְכֵן הוּא אוֹמֵר (תהילים י"ד) אָמַר נָבָל בְּלִבּוֹ אֵין אֱלֹהִים (ספרי; יבמות ס"ג):
22For a fire blazed in My wrath, and burned to the lowest depths. It consumed the land and its produce, setting aflame the foundations of mountains.   כבכִּֽי־אֵשׁ֙ קָֽדְחָ֣ה בְאַפִּ֔י וַתִּיקַ֖ד עַד־שְׁא֣וֹל תַּחְתִּ֑ית וַתֹּ֤אכַל אֶ֨רֶץ֙ וִֽיבֻלָ֔הּ וַתְּלַהֵ֖ט מֽוֹסְדֵ֥י הָרִֽים:
blazed Heb. קָדְחָה, burned.   קָֽדְחָה  בָּעֲרָה:
and burned within you, to the very foundation.   וַתִּיקַד  בָּכֶם עַד הַיְסוֹד:
It consumed the land and its produce i.e., your land and its produce.   וַתֹּאכַל אֶרֶץ וִֽיבֻלָהּ  אַרְצְכֶם וִיבוּלָהּ (ספרי):
setting aflame Jerusalem, which has her foundations set upon the mountains, as Scripture states: “Jerusalem is surrounded by mountains” (Ps. 125:2). - [Sifrei 32: 22]   וַתְּלַהֵט  יְרוּשָׁלַיִם הַמְיֻסֶּדֶת עַל הֶהָרִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהילים קכ"ה) יְרוּשָׁלַיִם הָרִים סָבִיב לָהּ:
23I will link evils upon them. I will use up My arrows on them.   כגאַסְפֶּ֥ה עָלֵ֖ימוֹ רָע֑וֹת חִצַּ֖י אֲכַלֶּה־בָּֽם:
will link evils upon them Heb. אַסְפֶּה, I will link evil upon evil. [This expression is] similar to the verse, “join (סְפוּ) year upon year,” (Isa. 29:1) and, “add (סְפוֹת) the punishment of the unintentional sins,” (Deut. 29:18) and, “Add (סְפוּ) your burnt-offerings to your sacrifices.” (Jer. 7:21). Another explanation: אַסְפֶּה means, I will consume. This is similar to the verse, “lest you be consumed (תִּסָּפֶּה)” (Gen. 19:15) [thus, our verse here would mean: “I will use up all evils on them”].   אַסְפֶּה עָלֵימוֹ רָעוֹת  אַחְבִּיר רָעָה עַל רָעָה, לְשׁוֹן "סְפוּ שָׁנָה עַל שָׁנָה" (ישעיהו כ"ט), "סְפוֹת הָרָוָה" (דברים כ"ט), "עֹלוֹתֵיכֶם סְפוּ עַל זִבְחֵיכֶם" (ירמיהו ז'). דָּבָר אַחֵר — אספה אֲכַלֶּה, כְּמוֹ "פֶּן תִּסָּפֶה" (בראשית י"ט):
I will use up my arrows on them I will finish up all My arrows on them [i.e., until there are no arrows left, as it were]. This curse, according to [the usual way] retribution [is expressed], is really a[n implied] blessing, namely: [God says,] "My arrows may come to an end, but Israel will not come to an end [i.e., they will never be annihilated].   חִצַּי אֲכַלֶּה־בָּֽם  כָּל חִצַּי אַשְׁלִים בָּהֶם, וּקְלָלָה זוֹ לְפִי הַפֻּרְעָנוּת לִבְרָכָה הִיא — חִצַּי כָּלִים וְהֵם אֵינָם כָּלִים (ספרי; סוטה ט'):
24They will sprout hair from famine, attacked by demons, excised by Meriri. I will incite the teeth of livestock upon them, with the venom of creatures that slither in the dust.   כדמְזֵ֥י רָעָ֛ב וּלְחֻ֥מֵי רֶ֖שֶׁף וְקֶ֣טֶב מְרִירִ֑י וְשֶׁן־בְּהֵמֹת֙ אֲשַׁלַּח־בָּ֔ם עִם־חֲמַ֖ת זֹֽחֲלֵ֥י עָפָֽר:
They will sprout hair from famine Heb. מְזֵי רָעָב. Onkelos renders this as: “swollen from famine,” but I have no evidence from Scripture for this [translation]. In the name of Rabbi Moses Hadarshan of Toulouse, however, I heard that the expression מְזֵי רָעָב is equivalent to שְׂעִירֵי רָעָב, “hairy from famine,” for an emaciated person grows hair on his skin.   מְזֵי רָעָב  אֻנְקְלוֹס תִּרְגֵּם "נְפִיחֵי כָפָן", וְאֵין לִי עֵד מוֹכִיחַ עָלָיו, וּמִשְּׁמוֹ שֶׁל רַבִּי מֹשֶׁה הַדַּרְשָׁן מִטּוּלוּשָׂא שָׁמַעְתִּי שְׂעִירֵי רָעָב — אָדָם כָּחוּשׁ מְגַדֵּל שֵׂעָר עַל בְּשָׂרוֹ:
hair מְזֵי is Aramaic for hair, as the term מַזְיָא [in the clause]: דַּהֲוָה מְהַפֵּךְ בְּמַזְיָא, meaning “turning over his hair.” - [Meg. 18a]   מְזֵי  לְשׁוֹן אֲרַמִּי שֵׂעָר — מִזַיָּא, "דַּהֲוָה מְהַפֵּךְ בְּמִזַיָּא" (מגילה י"ח):
attacked by demons Heb. וּלְחֻמֵי רֶשֶׁף. Demons fought (לחם) against them, as Scripture states: “and flying creatures (בְּנֵי רֶשֶׁף) fly upwards” (Job 5:7). These are demons.   וּלְחֻמֵי רֶשֶׁף  הַשֵּׁדִים נִלְחֲמוּ בָהֶם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר "וּבְנֵי רֶשֶׁף יַגְבִּיהוּ עוּף" (איוב ה'), וְהֵם שֵׁדִים:
excised by Meriri Heb. וְקֶטֶב מְרִירִי, and excision caused by a demon named מְרִירִי. Heb. קֶטֶב means excision, similar to, “I will decree the grave upon you (קָטָבְךָ)!” (Hos. 13:14) [In Hebrew, the word for decree is גְּזֵרָה, the root of which is גזר, to cut. Hence, its primary meaning is “to cut.” There are many such roots in Hebrew, in the Bible, the Mishnah, and the Targum. They all bear the first meaning of cutting, and the second meaning of a final, permanent decision or ruling. Among them are the following: פסק, חקק, גזר, צמת, חרץ, כרת, חלט.]   וְקֶטֶב מְרִירִי  וּכְרִיתוּת שֵׁד שֶׁשְּׁמוֹ מְרִירִי, קטב כְּרִיתָה, כְּמוֹ "אֱהִי קָטָבְךָ שְׁאוֹל" (הושע י"ג):
the teeth of livestock It indeed once happened that sheep were biting people to death. — [Sifrei 32:24]   וְשֶׁן־בְּהֵמֹת  מַעֲשֶׂה הָיָה וְהָיוּ הָרְחֵלִים נוֹשְׁכִין וּמְמִיתִין (ספרי):
with the venom of creatures that slither in the dust Heb. זֹחִלֵי עָפָר, the venom of snakes, which crawl on their bellies on the dust. — [Sifrei 32:24] [They crawl] just as the water flows (זחל) upon the ground. The word זְחִילָה denotes the slithering action of water upon the dust [of the ground], and similarly, the way anything slithers and shuffles across the ground to move along [is described as זְחִילָה].   חֲמַת זֹֽחֲלֵי עָפָֽר  אֶרֶס נְחָשִׁים הַמְהַלְּכִים עַל גְּחוֹנָם עַל הֶעָפָר כַּמַּיִם הַזּוֹחֲלִים עַל הָאָרֶץ; זְחִילָה לְשׁוֹן מְרוּצַת הַמַּיִם עַל הֶעָפָר וְכֵן כָּל מְרוּצַת דָּבָר הַמְשַׁפְשֵׁף עַל הֶעָפָר וְהוֹלֵךְ:
25From outside, the sword will bereave, and terror from within; young men and maidens, suckling babes with venerable elders.   כהמִחוּץ֙ תְּשַׁכֶּל־חֶ֔רֶב וּמֵֽחֲדָרִ֖ים אֵימָ֑ה גַּם־בָּחוּר֙ גַּם־בְּתוּלָ֔ה יוֹנֵ֖ק עִם־אִ֥ישׁ שֵׂיבָֽה:
From outside, the sword will bereave Outside the city, the sword of hostile troops will bereave them.   מִחוּץ תְּשַׁכֶּל־חֶרֶב  מִחוּץ לָעִיר תְּשַׁכְּלֵם חֶרֶב גְּיָסוֹת.
and terror from within When you flee, escaping from the sword, the inner recesses (חֲדָרִים) of your heart will pound within you out of terror, and you will gradually die from this. — [Sifrei 32:25] Another explanation [וּמֵחֲדָרִים אֵימָה]: Within your house, there will be the terror of [impending] fear of plague, as Scripture states, “For death has come up into our windows” (Jer. 9:20). Onkelos renders this in this way. Another explanation of “Outside, the sword will bereave”- [They will be killed by the sword] on account of what they did in the streets (חוּצוֹת), as Scripture states, “Corresponding to the number of streets in Jerusalem, you set up altars to the shameful thing.” (Jer. 11:13) [And along the same lines,] וּמֵחֲדָרִים אֵימָה means: On account of that which they did in the innermost chambers of their houses, as Scripture states, “[Have you seen] what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the darkness, each one in his paved chambers?” (Ezek. 8:12) - [Sifrei 32:25]   וּמֵֽחֲדָרִים אֵימָה  כְּשֶׁבּוֹרֵחַ וְנִמְלָט חַדְרֵי לִבּוֹ נְקוּפִים עָלָיו מֵחֲמַת אֵימָה, וְהוּא מֵת וְהוֹלֵךְ בָּה (ספרי); דָּבָר אַחֵר, ומחדרים אימה — בַּבַּיִת תִּהְיֶה אֵימַת דֶּבֶר, כְּמָה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ירמיהו ט') "כִּי עָלָה מָוֶת בְּחַלּוֹנֵינוּ", וְכֵן תִּרְגֵּם אֻנְקְלוֹס; דָּבָר אַחֵר, מחוץ תשכל חרב — עַל מַה שֶּׁעָשׂוּ בַחוּצוֹת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר "וּמִסְפַּר חוּצוֹת יְרוּשָׁלַיִם שַׂמְתֶּם מִזְבְּחוֹת לַבֹּשֶׁת" (שם י"א); ומחדרים אימה, עַל מַה שֶּׁעָשׂוּ בְחַדְרֵי חֲדָרִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר "אֲשֶׁר זִקְנֵי בֵית יִשְׂרָאֵל עוֹשִׂים בַּחֹשֶׁךְ אִישׁ בְּחַדְרֵי מַשְׂכִּיתוֹ" (יחזקאל ח'):
26I said that I would make an end of them, eradicate their remembrance from mankind.   כואָמַ֖רְתִּי אַפְאֵיהֶ֑ם אַשְׁבִּ֥יתָה מֵֽאֱנ֖וֹשׁ זִכְרָֽם:
I said that I would make an end of them Heb. אַפְאֵיהֶם. I said in My heart, “I will make an end (אַפְאֶה) of them.” One may also explain אַפְאֵיהֶם to mean: I would make them as פֵּאָה [the corners of one’s field which are left as ownerless for the poor to collect]; i.e., I will cast them away as ownerless. We find a similarity to this [expression] in Ezra (Neh. 9:22), “And You gave them kingdoms and peoples, and You separated them as ownerless things (לְפֵאָה).” Menachem [ben Saruk] (Machbereth pp. 29, 140) also classified it in this way. [Note that Nehemiah is officially part of the book of Ezra, as in San. 93b. Note also that Menachem’s interpretation is not identical with Rashi’s.] Others, however, explain the expression according to the rendition of the Targum: My wrath (אַף) will fall upon them [thereby assuming that the word אַפְאֵיהֶם stems from the root אף, anger]. But this is incorrect, for if this were so, our verse should have been written: אֲאַפְאֵיהֶם [with two alephs], one aleph to serve [as the pronominal prefix for “I will,”] and the other aleph as a root letter, like, “I will strengthen you (אֲאַזֶּרְךָ)” (Isa. 45:5); and, “I would encourage you (אֲאַמִּצְכֶם) with my mouth” (Job 16:5). Moreover, the aleph in the middle of the word אַפְאֵיהֶם is completely inappropriate there. [Thus, we can see that Onkelos, in rendering his translation here, could not have meant that the word is simply a form of the stem אף. So how does he justify this translation?] Onkelos rendered this expression in accordance with the explanation of the Baraitha [a talmudic source not included in the canon of the Mishnah], which is taught in Sifrei (32:26). This Baraitha divides the word אַפְאֵיהֶם into three separate words, to read: אַף אֵי הֶם, which has the meaning, “I said in My anger (אַף) that I would make them as if they were naught,” so that those who behold them would say about them, “Where are they אַיֵּה הֵם?”   אָמַרְתִּי אַפְאֵיהֶם  אָמַרְתִּי בְלִבִּי אַפְאֶה אוֹתָם, וְיֵשׁ לְפָרֵשׁ אפאיהם אֲשִׁיתֵם פֵּאָה, לְהַשְׁלִיכָם מֵעָלַי הֶפְקֵר, וְדֻגְמָתוֹ מָצִינוּ בְעֶזְרָא (נחמיה ט') "וַתִּתֵּן לָהֶם מַמְלָכוֹת וַעֲמָמִים וַתַּחְלְקֵם לְפֵאָה" — לְהֶפְקֵר, וְכֵן חִבְּרוֹ מְנַחֵם. וְיֵשׁ פּוֹתְרִים אוֹתוֹ כְּתַרְגּוּמוֹ "יָחוּל רוּגְזִי עֲלֵיהוֹן", וְלֹא יִתָּכֵן, שֶׁאִם כֵּן הָיָה לוֹ לִכְתֹּב אֲאַפְאֵיהֶם, אַחַת לְשִׁמּוּשׁ וְאַחַת לִיסוֹד, כְּמוֹ "אֲאַזֶּרְךָ" (ישעיהו מ"ה), "אֲאַמִּצְכֶם בְּמוֹ פִי" (איוב ט"ו), וְהָאָלֶ"ף הַתִּיכוֹנָה אֵינָהּ רְאוּיָה בוֹ כְלָל. וְאֻנְקְלוֹס תִּרְגֵּם אַחַר לְשׁוֹן הַבָּרַיְתָא הַשְּׁנוּיָה בְסִפְרֵי הַחוֹלֶקֶת תֵּבָה זוֹ לְשָׁלוֹשׁ תֵּבוֹת, אָמַרְתִּי אַף אֵי הֵם — אָמַרְתִּי בְאַפִּי אֶתְּנֵם כְּאִלּוּ אֵינָם שֶׁיֹּאמְרוּ רוֹאֵיהֶם עֲלֵיהֶם אַיֵּה הֵם:
27Were it not that the enemy's wrath was heaped up, lest their adversaries distort; lest they claim, "Our hand was triumphant! The Lord did none of this!"   כזלוּלֵ֗י כַּ֤עַס אוֹיֵב֙ אָג֔וּר פֶּן־יְנַכְּר֖וּ צָרֵ֑ימוֹ פֶּן־יֹֽאמְרוּ֙ יָדֵ֣נוּ רָ֔מָה וְלֹ֥א יְהֹוָ֖ה פָּעַ֥ל כָּל־זֹֽאת:
Were it not that the enemy’s wrath was heaped up Heb. אָגוּר. Were it not that the enemy’s wrath was heaped up (אָגוּר) against them to destroy them, and if the enemy would succeed in overtaking them and destroying them, he would attribute the greatness to himself and to his deity, but he would not attribute the greatness to Me [says God]. This, then, is the meaning of “lest their adversaries distort” (Heb. פֶּן יְנַכְּרוּ צָרֵימוֹ): lest they misconstrue the matter by attributing their might to an alien (נָכְרִי), to whom the greatness does not belong.   לוּלֵי כַּעַס אוֹיֵב אָגוּר  אִם לֹא שֶׁכַּעַס הָאוֹיֵב כָּנוּס עֲלֵיהֶם לְהַשְׁחִית, וְאִם יוּכַל לָהֶם וְיַשְׁחִיתֵם יִתְלֶה הַגְּדֻלָּה בּוֹ וּבֵאלֹהָיו וְלֹא יִתְלֶה הַגְּדֻלָּה בִּי, וְזֶהוּ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר פן ינכרו צרימו — יְנַכְּרוּ הַדָּבָר לִתְלוֹת גְּבוּרָתָם בְּנָכְרִי שֶׁאֵין הַגְּדֻלָּה שֶׁלּוֹ — פן יאמרו ידנו רמה וגו':
lest they claim, Our hand was triumphant…! For that nation is one “devoid of counsel.”   פן יאמרו ידנו רמה וגו'  כי אותו גוי אובד עצות המה:
28For they are a nation devoid of counsel, and they have no understanding.   כחכִּי־ג֛וֹי אֹבַ֥ד עֵצ֖וֹת הֵ֑מָּה וְאֵ֥ין בָּהֶ֖ם תְּבוּנָֽה:
and they have no understanding For if they were wise people, they would understand this, namely: “How could one [person] pursue [a thousand…]?” (verse 30).   כִּי־  אוֹתוֹ גוי אבד עצות המה ואין בהם תבונה. שֶׁאִלּוּ הָיוּ חֲכָמִים ישכילו זאת איכה ירדף וגו':