Deuteronomy 32:30
How should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, except their Rock had sold them, and the LORD had shut them up?
Original Language Analysis
Cross References
Historical Context
Moses' rhetorical question found tragic fulfillment throughout Israel's history. After Achan's sin at Ai, thirty-six Israelites died fleeing a small force (Joshua 7:5). During the judges period, small enemy raids devastated Israel when they abandoned God (Judges 2:14-15). The Assyrian conquest (722 BC) and Babylonian destruction (586 BC) demonstrated overwhelming defeats when God 'sold' His people to enemies. Conversely, miraculous victories occurred when God fought for Israel—Joshua's conquest of Canaan, Gideon's rout of Midian, David's defeat of Goliath, Jehoshaphat's victory through worship (2 Chronicles 20). The pattern validates Moses' principle: God's presence determines victory, His absence ensures defeat. This applies spiritually to Christians—'apart from Me you can do nothing' (John 15:5).
Questions for Reflection
- How does the reversal of covenant blessings into curses demonstrate the consequences of broken covenant relationship?
- What does God 'selling' or 'delivering up' His people teach about how He uses even enemies to accomplish disciplinary purposes?
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Analysis & Commentary
How should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, except their Rock had sold them, and the LORD had shut them up?—Moses poses a rhetorical question exposing Israel's defeat as divine abandonment, not military weakness. The phrase eikha yirdof echad elef (אֵיכָה יִרְדֹּף אֶחָד אֶלֶף, 'how should one chase a thousand') references covenant blessing's reversal. Leviticus 26:8 promised: 'Five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred put ten thousand to flight.' Now the inverse occurs—one enemy defeats a thousand Israelites.
The answer: im lo ki-tsuram mekharam (אִם לֹא כִּי־צוּרָם מְכָרָם, 'except that their Rock had sold them'). Tsur (צוּר, 'Rock') is God's covenant title (Deuteronomy 32:4), emphasizing His unchanging faithfulness. Makar (מָכַר, 'sold') means to hand over, deliver up, abandon—God withdrawing protective presence. The parallel phrase va-YHVH hisggiram (וַיהוָה הִסְגִּירָם, 'and the LORD shut them up') uses sagar, to deliver over, surrender—God actively giving Israel to enemies. This isn't passive permission but judicial decree.
The theology is sobering: Israel's military strength never derived from numbers, weapons, or strategy but from God's covenant presence. When He withdraws, invincibility becomes vulnerability. This explains defeats by Ai after Achan's sin (Joshua 7) and repeated judge-period cycles. Conversely, Gideon's 300 defeat Midian's thousands (Judges 7) and Jonathan's solo assault routs Philistines (1 Samuel 14) when God fights for Israel.