Acclaim, O Nations – Deuteronomy 32:43

[1] This verb has been translated as a transitive verb, “acclaim” (NJPS), or “make happy,” “cause to exult” (HALOT, meaning 1), as in Ps 65:9; Job 29:13 but can also be used intransitively as “to sing exultantly” (HALOT, meaning 2), for example in Ps 32:11 וְהַרְנִינוּ כָּל־יִשְׁרֵי־לֵב “shout for joy, all upright men!” (NJPS).

[2] εὐφράνθητε, οὐρανοί, ἅμα αὐτῷ

[3] When vocalized, the word can be read as either עִמוֹ “with Him” as understood by the LXX translator, or as עַמוֹ “His people” (as in MT).

[4] καὶ προσκυνησάτωσαν αὐτῷ πάντες υἱοὶ θεοῦ. If “sons of God” is original, we have no way of knowing whether the Greek reflected אל  בניor בני אלהים. Alternatively, the source of the LXX could have read just אלהים “gods” like 4QDeut^q, and the LXX translator adjusted the word to the more theologically acceptable “sons of God.”

[5] εὐφράνθητε, ἔθνη, μετὰ τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτοῦ

[6] καὶ ἐνισχυσάτωσαν αὐτῷ πάντες ἄγγελοι θεοῦ· The LXX reads “angels/messengers” as opposed to “sons” in the parallel stich. It was already noted above that different LXX manuscripts use either one or the other to translate בני אלהים, but here the same text uses first one then the other, perhaps for poetic variety. Another possibility is that the source text was shorter, without בני, reading only אלהים “gods,” and the translator softened the reference to “gods” with the more acceptable “angels of God.” Note that the Vetus Latina uses both equivalents, “angels” and “sons of God” in this stich: et confirment eum omnes angeli, Dei filii.

[7] ὅτι τὸ αἷμα τῶν υἱῶν αὐτοῦ ἐκδικᾶται.

[8] καὶ ἐκδικήσει καὶ ἀνταποδώσει δίκην τοῖς ἐχθροῖς.

[9] καὶ τοῖς μισοῦσιν ἀνταποδώσει. Presumably the LXX reflects the same Hebrew text as 4QDeut^q. While the Greek does not include a word identifying the object of the hatred, from the parallel phrases in v. 41, in which YHWH refers to his enemies and haters, it seems clear that the implied object is YHWH. 

[10] This is probably a case of a double reading (doublet), that is, two variants that were juxtaposed in the MT without a grammatical conjunction because of a textual mishap or because the scribe could not decide between them. See Shemaryahu Talmon, “Double Readings in the Masoretic Text,” Text and Canon, 217–267. According to one reading, the text originally read “And He will cleanse His land,” while according to another reading the text read “And He will cleanse His people.” The reading וכפר אדמת עמו of 4QDeut^q and SP and the LXX elegantly created a syntactical relation between the two words. Editor’s note: For a discussion of the phrase in MT and other possible meanings, see Zev Farber, “Haazinu: The Song’s Enigmatic Climax,” TheTorah (2016).

[11] καὶ ἐκκαθαριεῖ κύριος τὴν γῆν τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτοῦ. It is unclear whether the added “the Lord” of the LXX reflects a different Hebrew source or whether the translator is making the unspecified subject specified.

[12] For another discussion of this text, see Jonathan Ben-Dov, “Are There Gods, Angels, and Demons in Deuteronomy?” TheTorah (2018).

[13] The original poet invoked the heaven to exalt “together with” YHWH (עִמּוֹ “with Him”), but this idea may have been considered disrespectful by someone who therefore preferred to read the text as עַמּוֹ (“His people”).  The result was an illogical context as discussed above. The reading עִמּוֹ is clearly reflected in the LXX, and probably also in the Qumran text.

[14] This polytheistic picture is rare, but, as noted in the previous case study, it is not unparalleled in Scripture (“sons of God” are mentioned elsewhere in MT, e.g., in Gen 6:2; Ps 29:1; cf. Ps 82:1).

[15] For recent discussions of these variants, see Tigay, Deuteronomy, 516–18; Juha Pakkala, God’s Word Omitted: Omissions in the Transmission of the Hebrew Bible, FRLANT 251 (Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2013), 187–91; Rofé, Religion of Israel, 17–26.