God’s Word Translation
Deuteronomy 32:27
27But I didn’t want their enemies to make me angry. I didn’t want their opponents to misunderstand and say, ‘We won this victory! It wasn’t the Lord who did all this!’ ”
Deuteronomy 32:27 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Were it not that I feared the wrath of the enemy, lest their adversaries should behave themselves strangely, and lest they should say, Our hand is high, and the Lord hath not done all this.
- New International Version (NIV)but I dreaded the taunt of the enemy, lest the adversary misunderstand and say, ‘Our hand has triumphed; the Lord has not done all this.’ ”
- English Standard Version (ESV)had I not feared provocation by the enemy, lest their adversaries should misunderstand, lest they should say, "Our hand is triumphant, it was not the Lord who did all this."'
- New King James Version (NKJV)Had I not feared the wrath of the enemy, Lest their adversaries should misunderstand, Lest they should say, “Our hand is high; And it is not the Lord who has done all this.” ’
Context of Deuteronomy 32:27
25Foreign wars will kill off their children, and even at home there will be horrors. Young men and young women alike will die as well as nursing babies and gray-haired men. 26I said that I would cut them in pieces and erase everyone’s memory of them. But I didn’t want their enemies to make me angry. I didn’t want their opponents to misunderstand and say, ‘We won this victory! It wasn’t the Lord who did all this!’ ” 28My people have lost their good sense. They are not able to understand. 29If only they were wise enough to understand this and realize what will happen to them!
Read all of Deuteronomy 32Deuteronomy 32:27 word by word
לוּלֵ֗י כַּ֤עַס אוֹיֵב֙ אָג֔וּר פֶּֽן־יְנַכְּר֖וּ צָרֵ֑ימוֹ פֶּן־יֹֽאמְרוּ֙ יָדֵ֣ינוּ רָ֔מָה וְלֹ֥א יְהוָ֖ה פָּעַ֥ל כָּל־זֹֽאת׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Were it notלוּלֵאlûlê' lûlêy · unlessH3884
- that I fearedגּוּרgûr · to dreadH1481
- the wrathכַּ֫עַסka‛as ka‛aώ · vexationH3708
- of the enemyאֹיֵב'ôyêb 'ôyêb · enemyH341
- lest their adversariesצַרtsar tsâr · enemyH6862
- should behave themselves strangelyנָכַרnâkar · to alienateH5234
- lest they should sayאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- Our handיָדyâd · hand: powerH3027
- highרוּםrûm · to exaltH7311
- and the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- hath not doneפָּעַלpâ‛al · to workH6466
Cross-references for Deuteronomy 32:27
- 1 Samuel 12:22For the sake of his great name, the Lord will not abandon his people, because the Lord wants to make you his people.
- Isaiah 37:28I know when you ⌞get up⌟ and sit down, when you go out and come in, and how you rage against me.
- Isaiah 47:7You said, “I will always be a queen.” You didn’t carefully consider these things or keep in mind how they would end.
- Jeremiah 19:4“The people, their ancestors, and the kings of Judah have abandoned me. They have made this place unrecognizable by burning incense as an offering to other gods that they hadn’t heard of. They have filled this place with the blood of innocent people.
- Lamentations 1:9Jerusalem’s own filth ⌞covers⌟ its clothes. It gave no thought to its future. Its downfall was shocking. No one offers it comfort. ‘O Lord, look at my suffering, because my enemies have triumphed.’
- Ezekiel 20:13“ ‘But the people of Israel rebelled against me in the desert. They didn’t live by my laws, and they rejected my rules. If people obey them, they will live. They dishonored the days of rest—holy days on which to worship me. So I was going to pour out my fury on them in the desert and completely wipe them out.
- Zechariah 1:14The angel who was speaking with me said, “Announce: This is what the Lord of Armies says: I’m very jealous about Jerusalem and Zion,
- Exodus 32:12Don’t let the Egyptians say, ‘He was planning all along to kill them in the mountains and wipe them off the face of the earth. That’s why he brought them out ⌞of our land⌟.’ Don’t be so angry. Reconsider your decision to bring this disaster on your people.
- Numbers 14:15But if you kill all these people at the same time, then the nations who have heard these reports about you will say,
- Joshua 7:9When the Canaanites and everyone who lives in the land hears about it, they will surround us and remove every memory of us from the earth. What will you do then so that your great name ⌞will be remembered⌟?”
- Psalms 115:1Don’t give glory to us, O Lord. Don’t give glory to us. Instead, give glory to your name because of your mercy and faithfulness.
- Psalms 140:8O Lord, do not give wicked people what they want. Do not let their evil plans succeed, ⌞or⌟ they will become arrogant. Selah
- Isaiah 10:8They ask, ‘Aren’t all our commanders kings?
- Isaiah 37:10“Tell King Hezekiah of Judah, ‘Don’t let the god whom you trust deceive you by saying that Jerusalem will not be put under the control of the king of Assyria.
- Isaiah 37:12Did the gods of the nations which my ancestors destroyed rescue Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were in Telassar?
- Daniel 4:30The king thought, “Look how great Babylon is! I built the royal palace by my own impressive power and for my glorious honor.”
Commentaries on Deuteronomy 32:27
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 27Were it not that I feared the wrath of the enemy - Houbigant and others contend that wrath here refers not to the enemy, but to God; and that the passage should be thus translated: "Indignation for the adversary deters me, lest their enemies should be alienated, and say, The strength of our hands, and not of the Lord's, hath done this." Had not God punished them in such a way as proved that his hand and not the hand of man had done it, the heathens would…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1-42Verses 1-42 Song of Moses If Deuteronomy 32:1-3 be regarded as the introduction, and Deuteronomy 32:43 as the conclusion, the main contents of the song may be grouped under three heads, namely, (1) Deuteronomy 32:4-18, the faithfulness of God, the faithlessness of Israel; (2) Deuteronomy 32:19-33, the chastisement and the need of its infliction by God; (3) Deuteronomy 32:34-42, God‘s compassion upon the low and humbled state of His people. The Song…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 26-38Verses 26-38 The idolatry and rebellions of Israel deserved, and the justice of God seemed to demand, that they should be rooted out. But He spared Israel, and continues them still to be living witnesses of the truth of the Bible, and to silence unbelievers. They are preserved for wise and holy purposes and the prophecies give us some idea what those purposes are. The Lord will never disgrace the throne of his glory. It is great wisdom, and will help much…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 27if I had not dreaded: God is never terrified or intimidated. This fear is concern that Israel’s enemies would attribute their success to their own efforts rather than to God’s sovereign judgment of his people (see Exodus 32:11–14).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-431. Give ear, O ye heavens; ... hear, O earth--The magnificence of the exordium, the grandeur of the theme, the frequent and sudden transitions, the elevated strain of the sentiments and language, entitle this song to be ranked amongst the noblest specimens of poetry to be found in the Scriptures.Read the comment
Topics related to Deuteronomy 32:27
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Deuteronomy 32
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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