Deuteronomy 32:19

And when the LORD saw it, he abhorred them, because of the provoking of his sons, and of his daughters.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(19) The Lord saw . . . abhorred.—Comp. Jeremiah 14:21.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

32:19-25 The revolt of Israel was described in the foregoing verses, and here follow the resolves of Divine justice as to them. We deceive ourselves, if we think that God will be mocked by a faithless people. Sin makes us hateful in the sight of the holy God. See what mischief sin does, and reckon those to be fools that mock at it.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The anger of God at the apostasy of His people is stated in general terms in this verse; and the results of it are described, in words as of God Himself, in the next and following verses. These results consisted negatively in the withdrawal of God's favor Deuteronomy 32:20, and positively in the infliction of a righteous retribution.

Daughters - The women had their full share in the sins of the people. Compare Isaiah 3:16 ff; Isaiah 32:9 ff; Jeremiah 7:18; Jeremiah 44:15 ff.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

17. They sacrificed unto devils—(See on [168]Le 17:7).

Matthew Poole's Commentary

Because of their sins, whereby they provoked him to anger. Or, by reason of his great and just anger against them he abhorred, or reprobated, or cast off his sons and his

daughters, for such they were by calling and profession, but not in truth and reality, Deu 32:5.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And when the Lord saw it,.... The disregard of the Jews to Christ, their forgetfulness of him, their disesteem and rejection of him; their continuance of sacrifices, when the great sacrifice was offered up; their setting up other messiahs and saviours, and the idol of their own righteousness, in opposition to the righteousness of Christ; all which not only as the omniscient God he saw, but took notice of, and considered, and did not at once pass judgment on them, at least did not immediately execute it, but waited some time to see how they would afterwards behave; for it was thirty years or more after the crucifixion of Christ that the utter destruction of the Jews came upon them:

he abhorred them; in his heart, despised them, and at last rejected them with contempt and abhorrence, very righteously and in just retaliation, see Zechariah 11:8; as for what before observed, so for what follows:

because of the provoking of his sons, and of his daughters; which is not to be understood of the Lord being provoked to wrath by the sins of those who called themselves or were called his sons and daughters; for these are such who were truly his sons and daughters, and different from those in Deuteronomy 32:20, said to be "children in whom is no faith": these are no other than the disciples and followers of Christ, that believed in him, both men and women, and so the children of God, his sons and his daughters by special grace; and the "provoking" of them is the wrath of the enemy against them, as the same word is used and rendered in Deuteronomy 32:27; and should be here, "because of wrath", or "indignation against his sons and his daughters" (m); meaning the affliction, distress, and persecution of them, through the wrath of the unbelieving Jews; for after the death of Christ they persecuted his apostles, they beat them and cast them into prison, and put some to death; a persecution was raised against the church at Jerusalem, in which Saul was concerned, who breathed out threatenings and slaughters against the disciples of the Lord, and haled men and women, the sons and daughters of God, and committed them to prison, and persecuted them to strange cities, and gave his voice to put them to death; and in the Gentile world, when the Gospel was carried there, the Jews stirred up the Gentiles everywhere against the followers of Christ, to harass and distress them; and this the Lord saw, and he abhorred them for it, and rejected them.

(m) "prae ira in filios suos", Pagninus; "propter iram in filios suos", Van Till; so Maimon. Moreh Nevochim, par. 1. c. 36.

Geneva Study Bible

And when the LORD saw it, he abhorred them, because of the provoking of his {m} sons, and of his daughters.

(m) He calls them God's children, not to honour them, but to show them from what dignity they are fallen.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

19. abhorred] Spurned, contemned, discarded, Deuteronomy 31:20, Jeremiah 14:21. The next line gives the motive, not as in R.V., but from grief with his sons, etc.

19–25. God’s Vengeance

19 But the Lord saw and He spurned,

From grief with His sons and His daughters.

20 ‘Let me hide my countenance from them,

I will see what their end shall be.

For an upsetting race are they,

Sons without steadfastness in them.

21 They moved me to jealousy with a nó-god,

With their vanities vexed me

And I make them jealous with a no-people,

With an infidel nation will vex them.

Pulpit Commentary

Verses 19-33. - Because of their rebellion. God would cast them off and visit them with terrible calamities. Verse 19. - When the Lord saw how they had departed from him to serve idols, he abhorred (rather, spurned or rejected) them in consequence of the provocation which their unworthy conduct had given him. Deuteronomy 32:19

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

For this foolish apostasy the Lord would severely visit His people. This visitation is represented indeed in Deuteronomy 32:19, as the consequence of apostasy that had taken place, - not, however, as a punishment already inflicted, but simply as a resolution which god had formed and would carry out, - an evident proof that we have no song here belonging to the time when God visited with severe punishments the Israelites who had fallen into idolatry. In Deuteronomy 32:19 the determination to reject the degenerate children is announced, and in Deuteronomy 32:20-22 this is still further defined and explained.

Deuteronomy 32:19

"And the Lord saw it, and rejected - from indignation at His sons and daughters." The object to "saw" may easily be supplied from the context: He saw the idolatry of the people, and rejected those who followed idols, and that because of indignation that His sons and daughters practised such abominations. The expression "he saw" simply serves to bring out the causal link between the apostasy and the punishment. ויּנאץ has been very well rendered by Kamphausen, "He resolved upon rejection," since Deuteronomy 32:20. clearly show that the rejection had only been resolved upon by God, and was not yet carried out. In what follows, Moses puts this resolution into the mouth of the Lord Himself.