Songful and poetic are the verses in Deuteronomy 32, full of imagery and pathos. Moses now staring at
the little time he had left to live, waxed rhapsodic. “Give you, you heavens, and I will speak…” Abravanel
analyzes the epic poem, proclaimed by the prophet. As all high poetry that can be interpreted in more
than one way, so too here.
“Give ear, you heavens, and I will speak and let the earth hear the words
of my mouth.”
For starters, Abravanel aids readers by showing how it subdivided into six sections. He delineates them
below. Moreover, he provides us a glance into its intent or message.
- Introduction. With the first five verses, Moses introduces the song.
- God’s compassion. The next component of the song relates the Maker’s kindnesses shown to
the nation. This part covers nine verses. - The Hebrews’ sin against God. The poem delves into the transgressions perpetrated by the
Jews against the Maker. Four verses describe the people’s wrongdoing. - Divine punishment. The song outlines apt punishment for their sins, described in seven verses.
- Near annihilation. Subsequent to the people’s backsliding, God weighed their total
destruction. This section of the song also teaches us why He forestalled apocalypse. Eight verses
discuss these topics. - Consolation & Revenge. Words of comfort to the Hebrews and reprisal against the Jews’
enemies concludes the song (but not the Torah portion).
Abravanel elaborates. The song’s opening introduction may be explained in two ways. For brevity, we’ll
share a sampling of the first way. “Give ear, you heavens, and I will speak and let the earth hear the
words of my mouth." The terms “heavens” and “earth” are metaphor. “Heavens” represent the people’s
rulers and policing officers. Allegorically, this class stands over the nation, exemplar by their conduct.
The image evokes a starry night, constellations fixed by nature’s constancy. “Heavens” allude to this
stellar and shining cadre of people, imposing leaders who influence their brethren by dint of their
standing.
“Earth”, in contrast, indicates the average guy. In their mediocracy, earthlings resemble the material
planet on which they reside. Passive, they receive orders from “heavens” above. That is, common folk
are governed by men in authority.
Moses addresses the elders and law enforcement officers standing before him: “Give ear, you heavens,
and I will speak…” Abravanel understands this to be the case as an earlier verse makes explicit:
“Assemble unto me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, that I may speak these words in their
ears…” Our Torah portion’s lead verse records the prophet’s attention grabber: “Give ear, you
heavens…” Targeting the most respected tier of society makes sense. Getting the religious men on
board first would, undoubtedly, serve as a catalyst to inspire the other segments of the encampment to
follow suit: “And let the earth hear the words of my mouth.” Moses understood the important role
influencers play in marshalling public support.
In sum Abravanel gives Moses’ song thematic order. He also deciphers some of the poetic images,
making the words more palatable for Bible students.