“Butter of kine, and milk of sheep, with fat of lambs, and rams of the breed of Bashan, and goats, with the fat of kidneys of wheat; and thou didst drink the pure blood of the grape.”
My Notes
What Does Deuteronomy 32:14 Mean?
Moses' song describes what God gave Israel: the richest foods available. Butter from cattle. Milk from sheep. Fat lambs. Bashan rams. Premium goats. The finest wheat. Wine described as "the pure blood of the grape." The provision wasn't basic sustenance. It was the best of everything.
The catalogue reads like a feast menu — every item is the premium version. Not just grain — the fat of kidneys of wheat (the finest part of the finest grain). Not just grape juice — the pure blood of the grape (the richest, most concentrated wine). God didn't give Israel bare minimum. He gave them lavish abundance.
The song's purpose is to set up the fall: God gave them the best (verse 14). They grew fat (verse 15). They forgot God (verse 15). They turned to other gods (verse 16). The provision was supposed to produce gratitude. It produced amnesia.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Can you catalogue the abundance God has given you the way Moses catalogues Israel's — item by item?
- 2.Does the progression (feast → fat → forgot) describe a pattern you've experienced?
- 3.How do you prevent abundance from producing amnesia instead of gratitude?
- 4.What's on your 'table' right now that you haven't thanked God for?
Devotional
Butter. Milk. Fat lambs. Premium rams. The finest wheat. The purest wine. God gave them a feast. And they forgot who set the table.
Moses' song catalogues the abundance with the precision of a chef: every item is the best available. Not economy-grade provision. The fat of the kidneys of wheat — the richest part of the richest grain. The pure blood of the grape — wine so concentrated it's described as blood. God served Israel the finest meal the land could produce.
The list is deliberately excessive: butter AND milk AND fat AND rams AND goats AND wheat AND wine. Item after item. God piling the table so high that the recipients couldn't help but see the generosity. This wasn't survival rations. This was a wedding banquet.
And then verse 15: they grew fat and kicked. The abundance that was supposed to produce worship produced rebellion. The feast that was meant to make them say "thank you" made them say "who needs God?" The very generosity of the provision became the fuel for the forgetting.
The tragedy isn't that God gave too much. It's that the recipients had the capacity to receive everything and thank nothing. The table was set. The food was served. And the guests left without acknowledging the host.
That's the human story in every generation. God provides the feast. We eat. We get fat. We forget. The abundance that should anchor our gratitude becomes the cushion that insulates our ingratitude. We're so comfortable we can't remember who made us comfortable.
Look at your table. Name what's on it. And remember who put it there before you get fat enough to forget.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked,.... This is undoubtedly a name of the people of Israel; it is to be met with only in…
Song of Moses If Deu 32:1-3 be regarded as the introduction, and Deu 32:43 as the conclusion, the main contents of the…
Moses, having in general represented God to them as their great benefactor, whom they were bound in gratitude to observe…
Curd of kine Fermented milk, Ar. leben.
fat of lambs and of rams So LXX, bringing forward ramsfrom next line.
Bulls of…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture