Deuteronomy 32:22
For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains.
Original Language Analysis
כִּי
H3588
כִּי
Strong's:
H3588
Word #:
1 of 14
(by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexed
בְאַפִּ֔י
in mine anger
H639
בְאַפִּ֔י
in mine anger
Strong's:
H639
Word #:
4 of 14
properly, the nose or nostril; hence, the face, and occasionally a person; also (from the rapid breathing in passion) ire
עַד
H5704
עַד
Strong's:
H5704
Word #:
6 of 14
as far (or long, or much) as, whether of space (even unto) or time (during, while, until) or degree (equally with)
שְׁא֣וֹל
hell
H7585
שְׁא֣וֹל
hell
Strong's:
H7585
Word #:
7 of 14
hades or the world of the dead (as if a subterranean retreat), including its accessories and inmates
תַּחְתִּ֑ית
unto the lowest
H8482
תַּחְתִּ֑ית
unto the lowest
Strong's:
H8482
Word #:
8 of 14
lowermost; as noun (feminine plural) the depths (figuratively, a pit, the womb)
וִֽיבֻלָ֔הּ
with her increase
H2981
וִֽיבֻלָ֔הּ
with her increase
Strong's:
H2981
Word #:
11 of 14
produce, i.e., a crop or (figuratively) wealth
Cross References
Lamentations 4:11The LORD hath accomplished his fury; he hath poured out his fierce anger, and hath kindled a fire in Zion, and it hath devoured the foundations thereof.Jeremiah 15:14And I will make thee to pass with thine enemies into a land which thou knowest not: for a fire is kindled in mine anger, which shall burn upon you.Psalms 86:13For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell.Jeremiah 17:4And thou, even thyself, shalt discontinue from thine heritage that I gave thee; and I will cause thee to serve thine enemies in the land which thou knowest not: for ye have kindled a fire in mine anger, which shall burn for ever.Numbers 16:35And there came out a fire from the LORD, and consumed the two hundred and fifty men that offered incense.Micah 1:4And the mountains shall be molten under him, and the valleys shall be cleft, as wax before the fire, and as the waters that are poured down a steep place.Zephaniah 3:8Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the LORD, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.
Historical Context
Moses describes God's wrath in cosmic terms that transcend any single historical judgment, pointing to ultimate eschatological judgment. While partially fulfilled in Israel's exiles (Assyrian, Babylonian), the language anticipates final judgment. Jesus's teaching on Gehenna (hell-fire, Matthew 5:22, 18:9) draws on this tradition of divine consuming wrath.
Questions for Reflection
- How does the reality of God's wrath as 'consuming fire' challenge modern attempts to eliminate divine judgment from theology?
- Why must proper fear of God's holiness precede appreciation of His grace and mercy?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
For a fire is kindled in mine anger—'ēsh qādĕḥāh bĕ'appî (אֵשׁ קָדְחָה בְאַפִּי). The verb qādaḥ means to kindle or ignite, depicting God's wrath as consuming fire, echoing Deuteronomy 4:24: 'the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.' This is not petulant rage but judicial holy wrath against covenant violation.
Shall burn unto the lowest hell—she'ôl taḥtîth (שְׁאוֹל תַּחְתִּית), the deepest part of Sheol, the realm of the dead. The cosmic scope—consume the earth...set on fire the foundations of the mountains—depicts total judgment. Peter likely alludes to this in 2 Peter 3:10-12, describing eschatological fire dissolving creation's elements.