Deuteronomy 32:13-15

New English Translation

Footnotes

1. Deuteronomy 32:13 tn The form of the suffix on this verbal form indicates that the verb is a preterite, not an imperfect. As such it simply states the action factually. Note as well the preterites with vav (ו) consecutive that follow in the verse.
2. Deuteronomy 32:13 tn Heb “he made him suck honey from the rock.”
3. Deuteronomy 32:13 tn Heb “oil,” but this probably refers to olive oil; see note on the word “rock” at the end of this verse.
4. Deuteronomy 32:13 tn Heb “flinty.”
5. Deuteronomy 32:13 sn Olive oil from rock probably suggests olive trees growing on rocky ledges and yet doing so productively. See E. H. Merrill, Deuteronomy (NAC), 415; cf. TEV “their olive trees flourished in stony ground.”
6. Deuteronomy 32:14 tn Heb “blood,” a figurative image based on the color of the juice.
7. Deuteronomy 32:15 tn To make the continuity of the referent clear, some English versions substitute “Jacob” here (NAB, NRSV) while others replace “Jeshurun” with “Israel” (NCV, CEV, NLT) or “the Lord’s people” (TEV).sn Jeshurun is a term of affection derived from the Hebrew verb יָשַׁר (yashar, “be upright”). Here it speaks of Israel “in an ideal situation, with its ‘uprightness’ due more to God’s help than his own efforts” (M. Mulder, TDOT 6:475).
8. Deuteronomy 32:15 tc The LXX reads the third person masculine singular (“he”) for the MT second person masculine singular (“you”), but such alterations are unnecessary in Hebrew poetic texts where subjects fluctuate frequently and without warning.