Who is Jeshurun?
It is a poetic name for Israel, usually understood as the upright or beloved one. Here it is used with irony: the people who were meant to be upright grew fat and rebelled.
Deuteronomy · chapter 32 of 34
Deuteronomy 32: Summary, Key Verses and Study Questions
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What happens in Deuteronomy 32?
Deuteronomy 32 contains the song of Moses, a poem that proclaims the Lord as the perfect and faithful Rock. It recalls how he cared for Israel in the wilderness, how Israel grew fat, rebelled and followed other gods, and how the Lord disciplined it. The song ends with the promise that the Lord will have compassion on his people. At the end God tells Moses to go up Mount Nebo to see the land and die.
Deuteronomy 31 ended with the command to teach a song to the people of Israel, and chapter 32 presents it in full. It is a solemn poem that works as a witness against the people and at the same time as a confession of God's faithfulness. In a few images it sums up the whole history of Israel: election, care, rebellion, punishment and hope.
Deuteronomy 32 summary
Moses calls on the heavens and the earth to hear his song. He proclaims the greatness of the Lord: he is the Rock, whose work is perfect, all his ways are just, a God of faithfulness and without injustice. In contrast the people are a crooked and twisted generation that has corrupted itself. The Lord is their Father, who made them and established them.
The song recalls that when the Most High divided the nations, the Lord's portion was his people, Jacob. He found him in a desert land, encircled him, cared for him as the apple of his eye, like an eagle that stirs up its nest and carries its young on its wings. He made him ride on the heights of the land and fed him honey from the rock, curds from the herd and milk from the flock.
But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked, forsook God who made him and scorned the Rock of his salvation. They provoked him to jealousy with strange gods and abominations. So the Lord decides to hide his face and send hunger, plague and sword on them. Yet their enemies will not credit the victory to their own power, and the Lord will have compassion on his servants when he sees their strength is gone. He says he kills and brings to life, wounds and heals, and no one can deliver from his hand. The song ends by calling the nations to rejoice with his people, because the Lord will avenge the blood of his servants and make atonement for his land.
Moses and Joshua teach the song to the people. Moses tells them it is no empty word, for it is their life. That same day the Lord orders Moses to go up Mount Nebo, in Moab, opposite Jericho, to see the land of Canaan. There he will die, as Aaron did on Mount Hor, because both were unfaithful to the Lord at the waters of Meribah-kadesh.
Chapter outline
- vv. 1-6: Introduction: the perfect Rock and the crooked people.
- vv. 7-14: The Lord's care for Jacob, his portion.
- vv. 15-18: Jeshurun grows fat, rebels and forsakes the Rock.
- vv. 19-35: The Lord judges the people's rebellion.
- vv. 36-43: The Lord has compassion, is the only God and will avenge his servants.
- vv. 44-47: Moses and Joshua teach the song, which is no empty word.
- vv. 48-52: The Lord tells Moses to go up Mount Nebo to see the land.
Key verses in Deuteronomy 32
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
Deuteronomy 32:4
The Lord is the Rock, his work is perfect, all his ways are just, a God of faithfulness without injustice, right and upright. The whole song revolves around this confession: God is trustworthy in every one of his actions.
Deuteronomy 32:10-11
The Lord found his people in the wilderness and cared for them as the apple of his eye, like an eagle that tends its young. This image shows an active tenderness and protection, in contrast with Israel's later ingratitude.
Deuteronomy 32:15
Jeshurun grew fat and kicked, and forsook God who made him. Prosperity can become dangerous when it makes us forget the Giver, and the song describes that road from pride to apostasy with bluntness.
Deuteronomy 32:39
The Lord declares that he alone is God, that he kills and brings to life, wounds and heals, and no one delivers from his hand. It is an assertion of his absolute sovereignty and also that he can restore the one he has wounded.
Main themes
- God as the faithful Rock
- The Lord's tenderness toward his people
- Ingratitude and idolatry
- Judgment and compassion
- The sovereignty of God
People and places
- Moses
- Joshua
- The Lord
- Jacob and Jeshurun
- Mount Nebo
- Aaron
Deuteronomy 32 study questions and answers
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
1. What does the song call the Lord in verse 4?
Answer: The Rock, whose work is perfect and whose ways are just. — Deuteronomy 32:4
2. What was the Lord's portion, according to the song?
Answer: His people, Jacob, his allotted inheritance. — Deuteronomy 32:9
3. With what image is the Lord's care for his people in the wilderness described?
Answer: As an eagle that hovers over its young and carries them on its wings. — Deuteronomy 32:11
4. What did Jeshurun do when he grew fat?
Answer: He kicked, forsook God and scorned the Rock of his salvation. — Deuteronomy 32:15
5. What does the Lord say about himself in verse 39?
Answer: That he alone is God, that he kills and brings to life, wounds and heals. — Deuteronomy 32:39
6. To what mountain was Moses to go up to see the land and die?
Answer: Mount Nebo, in the land of Moab, opposite Jericho. — Deuteronomy 32:49-50
Application for today
The song teaches us to think of our own story honestly: God has been faithful, and we have been inconstant. Moses uses a song so that children and adults will remember it, which invites us to use music and poetry in forming faith. In a class you can sing or recite a hymn that proclaims God's faithfulness and discuss why things are remembered better that way.
It also warns against the danger of comfort. When all goes well, it is easy to forget the Lord and trust in our things. The image of the eagle reminds us that God carries us even when we do not notice, and the promise of final compassion encourages us to return. The New Testament cites parts of the song, including the statement that vengeance belongs to the Lord.
Deuteronomy 32 leaves a song that sums up God's history with Israel and ends with the command to Moses to go up Mount Nebo. The next chapter gathers Moses' blessing on each tribe before his death.
Frequently asked questions about Deuteronomy 32
What does it mean to call God the Rock?
It is an image of stability, refuge and firmness. God is the Rock because he does not change and can be trusted. The Psalms and the New Testament repeat the image, and Paul applies it to Christ in 1 Corinthians 10.
Why did Moses die outside the promised land?
The text says it was because of his unfaithfulness at the waters of Meribah-kadesh, when he did not honor the Lord as holy before the people. Even so, the Lord let him see the land from Mount Nebo.