What Does Deuteronomy 32:43 Mean?
Shout for joy, O nations, with his people, for he avenges the blood of his servants, and returns vengeance to those who press him, and covers the ground of his land, his people.
Key words are shown with the Hebrew or Greek and what each word meant.
Selah Decoded Version The Selah Decoded Version renders what the Hebrew and Greek words meant to the people who first heard them.
King James wording
King James Version
Rejoice, O ye nations, with his people: for he will avenge the blood of his servants, and will render vengeance to his adversaries, and will be merciful unto his land, and to his people.THE KEY
The verse answers spilled blood with vengeance and closes by covering both the land and the people.
THE MEANING
The servants’ blood is answered, and their adversaries receive vengeance. The land and the people are covered, and the nations rejoice with his people.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
The idea that covering erases the wrong is undone here: the servants’ blood remains named and answered.
THE ROOT
יִקּוֹם
yiqqom
GROWS FROM
נ־ק־ם
N-Q-M
To avenge; to answer a wrong with vengeance.
“avenge / vengeance” in this verse is yiqqom. The verse repeats the same root: first in “he will avenge,” then in “vengeance.” The repetition joins the servants’ blood to the consequence returned to their adversaries.
ALSO GROWS
naqam: Vengeance
נָקָם
This noun appears in the verse after the verb from the same root, making the repeated answer audible.
yiqqom: He will avenge
יִקּוֹם
This verb directly links the servants’ blood to the act of vengeance.
וְכִפֶּר
ve-khipper
GROWS FROM
כ־פ־ר
K-P-R
To cover; to make a covering.
“covers” in this verse is ve-khipper. The verse closes with ve-khipper, a verb from the root of covering. That covering reaches both the land and the people, placing restoration beside the answer to blood within the same verse.
ALSO GROWS
kappōret: The covering over the ark
כַּפֹּרֶת
This related form names a physical cover, giving the verse’s closing verb a concrete covering image.
kaphar: To cover; to make covering
כָּפַר
This is the root behind the closing verb applied to the land and the people.
הַרְנִינוּ
harninu
GROWS FROM
ר־נ־ן
R-N-N
To ring out, shout, or sing for joy.
“shout for joy” in this verse is harninu. The call to rejoice uses a root associated with a ringing shout or song. The nations’ rejoicing is voiced together with his people as the verse names vengeance and covering.
ALSO GROWS
rinnah: A ringing cry or song of joy
רִנָּה
This related noun gives the verse’s call to rejoice the sound of a voiced celebration.
ranan: To shout or sing for joy
רָנַן
This verb shares the root and echoes the verse’s call for the nations to rejoice.
THE PATTERN
The blood of the wronged is heard and answered, and the nations share in the people’s rejoicing.
And the LORD said, What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground.Why should the nations say, Where now is their God? Let him be made known among the nations before our eyes, in the avenging of your servants' blood, poured out.And again he says, Rejoice, you nations, with his people.THE THREAD
Why should the nations say, Where now is their God? Let him be made known among the nations before our eyes, in the avenging of your servants' blood, poured out.Psalm 79:10 uses the same Hebrew root נ־ק־ם (N-Q-M) for “revenging” that Deuteronomy 32:43 uses for “avenge” and “vengeance,” and joins it to the blood of God’s servants. It opens the verse further by showing that this answer is made known among the nations, who are also called to rejoice with his people.
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