Some Research Concerning Deuteronomy 32:43

Deuteronomy 32:43

Hebrew Text (Leningrad Codex): הַרְנִ֤ינוּ גֹויִם֙ עַמֹּ֔ו כִּ֥י דַם־עֲבָדָ֖יו יִקֹּ֑ום וְנָקָם֙ יָשִׁ֣יב לְצָרָ֔יו וְכִפֶּ֥ר אַדְמָתֹ֖ו עַמֹּֽו׃ פ

Aramaic Targum Jonathan: "Rejoice, ye nations, (and) ye people of Beth Israel; for the blood of His servants which was shed, He hath avenged. He hath kept (in mind) and returned just vengeance upon His adversaries, and by His Word will He make Atonement for His land, and for His people."

LXX: εὐφράνθητε οὐρανοί ἅμα αὐτῷ καὶ προσκυνησάτωσαν αὐτῷ πάντες υἱοὶ θεοῦ εὐφράνθητε ἔθνη μετὰ τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐνισχυσάτωσαν αὐτῷ πάντες ἄγγελοι θεοῦ ὅτι τὸ αἷμα τῶν υἱῶν αὐτοῦ ἐκδικᾶται καὶ ἐκδικήσει καὶ ἀνταποδώσει δίκην τοῖς ἐχθροῖς καὶ τοῖς μισοῦσιν ἀνταποδώσει καὶ ἐκκαθαριεῖ κύριος τὴν γῆν τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτοῦ.

NETS Translation of the LXX:




Deuteronomy 32 from Scroll 4Q44 Deuteronomyq:

Rejoice, you nations heavens, with his people,

and bow down to him, all gods,

for he will avenge the blood of his servants sons.

He will take vengeance on his adversaries,

And avenge those who hate him,

and will make atonement for his land and for his people.

In a doctoral dissertation, “Angels and Sub-Divine Supernatural Beings: Their Characteristics, Function, and Relationship to God and Humanity in Deuteronomy-Kings,” (pages 29-31), Joni Amanda McGuire-Moushon makes these observations:

Deuteronomy 32:8 is relevant in the context of angels in the book. Although the MT has “sons of Israel” in this verse, in agreement with the Samaritan Pentateuch and the Tg., the DSS (4Q37 12:14) reads “sons of God,”29 while the LXX instead reads “angels of God.”30 Cunchillos argues that the DSS reading is older than the MT reading.31 Tigay and Heiser likewise prefer the DSS reading,32 and this study adopts this view as well. A similar situation is found in Deut 32:43, in which the MT has “Rejoice nations, His people,” as does the Samaritan Pentateuch, and the Tg. is similar. The DSS reads “Heavens rejoice with him and bow to him all gods” (4Q44 f5ii:7-8). 33 The LXX is quite different from the MT, including the additions of the “sons of God” and “angels of God.”34

Therefore, a potentially older manuscript tradition contains more references to supernatural beings within Deuteronomy. Again, the texts (in this case DSS and LXX) do not deny that these are real beings, nor are they characterized as worthless (unlike in 32:17). Rather, the focus is on the supremacy of YHWH and the covenant between YHWH and Israel.

Compare Deuteronomy 4:19; 4:35, 39; 6:4.

See https://biblicalelearning.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/0-DeuteronomyBibliography.pdf

http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/3806/1/3806_1367.pdf

Nathan Macdonald’s dissertation