Deuteronomy 32:39

The Vindication of the Lord

32:39 “See now that I, indeed I, am he!” says the Lord, ¹ 

“and there is no other god besides me.

I kill and give life,

I smash and I heal,

and none can resist ²  my power.

Deuteronomy 32:1

Invocation of Witnesses

32:1 Listen, O heavens, and I will speak;

hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.

Deuteronomy 2:6

2:6 You may purchase ³  food to eat and water to drink from them.

Psalms 147:3

147:3 He heals ⁴  the brokenhearted,

and bandages their wounds.

Isaiah 30:26

30:26 The light of the full moon will be like the sun’s glare

and the sun’s glare will be seven times brighter,

like the light of seven days, ⁵ 

when the Lord binds up his people’s fractured bones ⁶ 

and heals their severe wound. ⁷ 

[32:39]  ¹ tn Verses 39-42 appear to be a quotation of the Lord and so the introductory phrase “says the Lord” is supplied in the translation for clarity.

[32:39]  ² tn Heb “deliver from” (so NRSV, NLT).

[2:6]  ³ tn Heb includes “with silver.”

[147:3]  ⁴ tn Heb “the one who heals.”

[30:26]  ⁵ sn Light here symbolizes restoration of divine blessing and prosperity. The number “seven” is used symbolically to indicate intensity. The exact meaning of the phrase “the light of seven days” is uncertain; it probably means “seven times brighter” (see the parallel line).

[30:26]  ⁶ tn Heb “the fracture of his people” (so NASB).

[30:26]  ⁷ tn Heb “the injury of his wound.” The joining of synonyms emphasizes the severity of the wound. Another option is to translate, “the wound of his blow.” In this case the pronominal suffix might refer to the Lord, not the people, yielding the translation, “the wound which he inflicted.”