Deuteronomy 32:22

Deu 32:22 For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains.

Ver. 22. For a fire.] {See Trapp on "Deu 10:4"}

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Deu 32:22. For a fire is kindled in mine anger — In this verse are predicted the dreadful calamities which God would bring upon the land of Judea, in words which seem to import the total ruin of it. Devouring judgments are here compared to fire, as they are also Eze 30:8; Amo 2:5. And from hence to Deu 32:28, the destruction of their city and country by the Romans, and the dreadful calamities which they have suffered since in different ages, seem chiefly to be intended. And shall burn to the lowest hell — Or to the lowest parts of the earth, as the word שׁאול, sheol, here rendered hell, signifies: Num 16:30-33. Most destructive calamities are meant, judgments that should never cease till they had overturned the whole Jewish constitution. And set on fire the foundations of the mountains — That is, subvert their strongest fortresses, yea, Jerusalem itself, founded on the holy mountains, which was perfectly fulfilled in its destruction by Titus. And, according to Josephus, Titus himself, though a heathen, saw and acknowledged the hand of God in the affair. For, observing the vast height of the walls, the largeness of every stone, and the exact order wherein they were laid and compacted, he cried out, “God was with us in this war: it is he that drove the Jews from these munitions. For what could the hands of men or machines have availed against such towers?” Perhaps it may not be improper to mention here, as a further illustration of this prophecy, and its accomplishment, what is related, not only by the Christian writers of that age, Chrysostom, Sozomen, and Socrates, but also by Ammianus Marcellinus, a heathen historian, that when Julian the Apostate ordered the temple of Jerusalem to be rebuilt, with a view to give the lie to our Saviour’s prophecy concerning it, “terrible globes of fire burst out near the foundations, which overturned all, burned the workmen, and made the place so inaccessible, that they desisted from the attempt.” See Bishop Warburton’s book, entitled Julian.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

32:22 The realm of the dead was thought to be in the depths beneath the earth, and the entrance to that world was the grave. God is omnipresent, and his judgment reaches the most inaccessible places (see Ps 139:7-12).

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 22. The lowest hell] שאול תחתית sheol tachtith, the very deepest destruction; a total extermination, so that the earth - their land, and its increase, and all their property, should be seized; and the foundations of their mountains - their strongest fortresses, should be razed to the ground. All this was fulfilled in a most remarkable manner in the last destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, so that of the fortifications of that city not one stone was left on another. See the notes on Mt 24:1-51.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(22) For a fire is kindled in mine anger.—Quoted by Jeremiah (Jer_15:14, and comp. Jer_17:4).

The foundations of the mountains.—Rashi says, “Jerusalem, which is founded on the mountains,” as it is said, “Jerusalem, the mountains are about her” (Psa_125:2).

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

22. is kindled] but with the force of flaring up quickly, Jer_15:14; Jer_17:4, Isa_50:11; Isa_64:2 (1); it is not necessary to render ’aph, anger, by its original meaning nostril.

pit] Heb. She’ol, underworld, Psa_86:13.

increase] See Deu_11:17.

And setteth on fire] licks or flames about; only in late writings.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

I will heap mischief upon them,.... One calamity upon another, which are after particularly mentioned:

I will spewed mine arrows upon them; God is here represented as an enemy to the Jews, as having bent his bow against them like an enemy, Lam 2:4; and as having a quiver, and that full of arrows, and as determined to draw out and spend everyone of them, in taking vengeance upon them; which arrows are his four sore judgments mentioned Eze 14:21; and expressed in Deu 32:24.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

A fire. He alludes to the destruction of Sodom, (Calmet) which may be considered as a figure of that which will overtake the whole world at the last day, and excruciate both the souls and the bodies of the reprobate in the flames of hell. (Haydock) --- Fire also denotes war, the horrors of which overwhelmed the Jews both at the first and the last sieges of Jerusalem. (Calmet)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

A fire is kindled, i.e. great and grievous judgments shall be inflicted, which oft come under the name of fire, &c. See Deu 4:24; Eze 30:8; Amo 2:2,5.

Unto the lowest hell, or, unto hell, or the graves beneath. The sense is, it shall not only burn up all the corn and fruits and buildings which appear above ground, but it shall reach to the inwards and depths of the earth, and burn up the very roots and hopes of future increase.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

22. For a fire is kindled in mine anger — A fire blazes up in my face. Comp. Psa_18:8 : “There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.” The figure of the anger of Jehovah consuming to the lowest depths is terrible in grandeur, and calculated to impress upon the Hebrews the peril of apostasy.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

cf. Jer_15:14 Jer_17:4; Lam_4:11. The lowest hell; the lowest sheol, the uttermost depth of the under-world. The Hebrew sheol (lwOav) answering to the Greek adhv, by which it is usually rendered by the LXX, is a general designation of the unseen state, the place of the dead. By some the word is derived from lav; to ask, because sheol is ever asking, is insatiable; (Pro_30:16) but more probably it is from a root signifying to excavate, to hollow, and, like the German holle, means primarily a hollow place or cavern. The Divine wrath kindles a consuming fire, that burns down to the lowest depths to the deepest part of sheol consumes the earth"s produce, and sets on fire the foundations of the mountains. This does not refer to any particular judgment that was to befall the national Israel, but is a general description of the effects of the Divine wrath when that is poured forth in judgments on men.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

A fire is kindled - Great and grievous judgments shall be inflicted, which often come under the name of fire. Are they proud of their plenty? It shall burn up the increase of the earth. Are they confident of their strength? It shall destroy the very foundations of the mountains. It shall burn unto the lowest hell: it shall bring them to the very depth of misery in this world, which yet will he but a faint resemblance of their endless misery in the next.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

General Information:

Moses speaks a poetic song to the people of Israel. He continues to quote Yahweh's words. (See: Parallelism)

For a fire is kindled by my anger ... foundations of the mountains

Yahweh compares his anger to a fire. This emphasizes his power to destroy what makes him angry. (See: Metaphor)

a fire is kindled by my anger and is burning ... it is devouring ... it is setting

This can be stated in active form. AT: "I start a fire because I am angry, and it burns ... it is devouring ... it is setting" or "when I am angry, I destroy my enemies like a fire, and I destroy everything on earth and in ... I devour ... I set" (See: Active or Passive)

to the lowest Sheol

"even to the world of the dead"

translationWords

fire

anger

Hades

devour

earth

harvest

found

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

קדחה means, IT BURNS.

ותיקד AND IT SHALL BLAZE in your midst to the very foundations (Rashi merely supplies the words “in your midst” and paraphrases עד שאול תחתית).

ותאכל ארץ ויבלה AND IT SHALL CONSUME THE LAND WITH HER INCREASE — i.e., your land and its produce (Rashi means that ארץ does not mean “the ground”, “the soil”).

ותלהט AND IT SHALL SET ON FIRE [THE FOUNDATIONS OF THE MOUNTAINS] — i.e. Jerusalem that is founded on the mountains, as it is said, (Psalms 125:2) “Jerusalem, mountains are round about it” (Sifrei Devarim 320:12).

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.