Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Deuteronomy 32:17
They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new [gods that] came newly up, whom your fathers feared not.
17. demons ] Heb. shedm, only here and in Psa 106:37, ‘certainly a Babylonian loan-word,’ shedu, a good demon figured in the bull-colossi that guarded the entrances to temples (Zimmern, KAT 3 [152] , 455 f., 460 2, 649); but according to Psa 106:37 human sacrifices were offered them, which of course does not preclude the idea that they were protective spirits.
[152] Die Keilinschriften und das AIte Testament, 3rd edition (1903), by H. Zimmern and H. Winckler.
no God ] Heb. ’Elo a h as in Deu 32:15.
whom they had not known ] Deu 11:28, Deu 13:2; Deu 13:6; Deu 13:13, Deu 28:64.
new ones lately come in ] Or arrived.
dreaded ] Lit. bristled or shuddered at, Heb. sa c ar, as in Jer 2:12, Eze 27:35; Eze 32:10. Some, however, translate knew, on the strength of the Ar. sa c ara.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Deu 32:17
They sacrificed unto devils.
Devil worship
I. The devil of sensuality. This includes intemperance, debauchery, and the gratification of all the lower animal appetites. Do not men everywhere sacrifice intellect, genius, time, money, health, and even life itself at its infernal shrine?
II. The devil of avarice. Greed of gain, desire for wealth, is the inspiration of millions in this mercenary age. Truth, honesty, conscience, self-respect, moral freedom, peace, and honour are all sacrificed to this grim deity.
III. The devil of vanity. Love of show, desire for popular applause. Fortunes are sacrificed to this devil.
IV. The devil of sectarianism. A greater devil than this can scarcely be found. To it men sacrifice truth, charity, moral nobleness. (Homilist.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 17. They sacrificed unto devils] The original word shedim has been variously understood. The Syriac, Chaldee, Targums of Jerusalem and Jonathan, and the Samaritan, retain the original word: the Vulgate, Septuagint, Arabic, Persic, Coptic, and Anglo-Saxon, have devils or demons. The Septuagint has , they sacrificed to demons: the Vulgate copies the Septuagint: the Arabic has [Arabic] sheeateen, the plural of [Arabic] Sheetan, Satan, by which the rebellious angels appear to be intended, as the word comes from the root [Arabic] shatana, he was obstinate, proud, refractory, went far away. And it is likely that these fallen spirits, having utterly lost the empire at which they aimed, got themselves worshipped under various forms and names in different places. The Anglo-Saxon has [Anglo-Saxon], devils.
New gods that came newly up] mikkarob bau, “which came up from their neighbours;” viz., the Moabites and Amorites, whose gods they received and worshipped on their way through the wilderness, and often afterwards.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Unto devils, i.e. unto idols, which the devils brought into the world in opposition to God, in and by which the devils ofttimes manifested themselves unto men, and gave them answers, and received their worship. Compare 1Co 10:20. The Gentiles pretended to worship God in those idols, and the devils which inspired them deluded the nations with false pretences that they were a sort of lower gods. Moses therefore takes off this mask, and shows the Israelites that these pretended gods were really devils, those great enemies of mankind, and therefore that it was the height of madness to honour or worship them.
Not to God: this he saith, either because though at first they joined God and idols together in worship, yet at last they quite forsook God, and adhered to idols only; or because God utterly rejected those sacrifices which they offered to him together with idols, and took them for no sacrifices. See 1Co 10:21.
Whom they knew not, or, who never knew them, i.e. never showed any kindness to them, or did them any good; for so words of knowledge are oft used, as Psa 1:6; Hos 13:5.
That came newly up; not simply or absolutely, for some of these gods had been worshipped for many generations, and had a fair pretence of long antiquity, but comparatively to the true God, who is the Ancient of days, Dan 7:9, and who was worshipped from the beginning of the world. To this original and first antiquity Moses recalls them; as also our Saviour doth recall the Jews to the first institution, Mat 19:8. And therefore we may safely follow both their patterns in despising all pretences of antiquity, which are contrary to Gods first institutions contained (as all confess) in the Holy Scriptures.
Whom your fathers feared not, i.e. served not, worshipped not, but justly despised and abhorred them.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
17. They sacrificed unto devils(Seeon Le 17:7).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
They sacrificed to devils, not to God,…. Their sacrifices being continued, when it was the will of God they should cease, were reckoned by him not as, offered to him, but to demons, and to such that were not God; they being therein under the instigation of Satan, and doing his lusts, Joh 8:44; just as Pagans and Papists, worshipping idols under the influence and direction of Satan, are said to worship devils, and sacrifice to them, 1Co 10:20; and indeed setting up their own righteousness was sacrificing to their own net, and burning incense to their own drag, to an idol, and not to God: to which may be added, that whereas they trampled under foot the Son of God, and did despite to the Spirit of grace, by which Christ cast out devils, and offered himself without spot, they excluded two of the divine Persons in the Deity, and so worshipped not the true God, Father, Son, and Spirit:
to gods whom they knew not, to [gods that] came newly up; such as angels, into the worship of which they fell, as their writings testify i, and to which the apostle seems to have respect, Col 2:18;
whom your fathers feared not; paid no regard unto, put no trust or confidence in; or, as the Targum of Jonathan,
“with whom your fathers had nothing to do:”
as they had not with the idol of man’s righteousness, but wholly looked unto and trusted in the grace and righteousness of Christ, and expected salvation alone by him: the Gospel of righteousness and salvation by Christ was preached to our first parents in Eden’s garden, which they embraced and believed in; Noah was an heir and preacher of the righteousness of faith, that is, of the righteousness of Christ, received by faith; that righteousness, which was what Abraham believed in, was imputed to him for his justifying righteousness; and Jacob waited for the Messiah, the salvation of God; in short all the Old Testament saints were saved by the grace of Christ, as we are; the idols, the works of men’s own righteousness, are new deities they paid no deference to, placed no confidence in.
i Vid. Van Till in loc.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(17) They sacrificed unto devils, not to God.St. Paul repeats this expression in 1Co. 11:20.
Gods that came newly up.Literally, that came from close at hand. Compare the description of the idol in Isa. 44:15, easily made from the firewood; and see also Wis. 13:13, A carpenter taking a crooked piece of wood, and full of knots, hath carved it diligently, when he had nothing else to doa comment on the passage in Isaiah 44
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
17. They sacrificed unto devils, not to God The word rendered devils is destroyers; Sept. : wicked spirits, demons. The people of God will leave his service, and worship at the shrines of the gods of the heathen.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Ver. 17. They sacrificed unto devils The original word rendered devils, is shedim, concerning the import of which etymologists are much divided. Some think it imports destroyers, as the devil is called a destroyer, Rev 9:11. Others think it is of the same import with Sirim; see Lev 17:7 and there are many critics who derive it from shaddi, one of the names given in Scripture for Jehovah. Parkhurst has embraced this opinion, and observes, that, as Shedi, one of the divine names, signifies the pourer or shedder forth, i.e. of blessings, both temporal and spiritual; (see Gen 49:25.) so shedim, in the plural, imports the same, and is applied to objects of idolatrous worship here, and Psa 106:37 from which passage it appears, that these Shedim were worshipped by the Canaanites, and from them the valley of Siddim, of which we read, Gen 8:10 so early as the time of Abraham, was probably denominated. So it is emphatically observed by the sacred writer, Gen 14:3 that this place, which had been thus idolatrously dedicated to pretended genial powers of nature, was changed into the Salt sea, barren and waste. He adds from Hutchinson, (with what probability we leave the reader to judge,) that by the Shedim, it is highly probable the idolaters meant the great agents of nature, or the heavens, considered as giving rain, causing the earth to send forth springs and shed forth her increase, vegetables to yield and nourish their fruit, and animals to abound with milk for the subsistence of their young. To these refer the multimammiae, or many-breasted idols, which were worshipped among the heathens, and of which sort in particular was the Diana of the Ephesians, mentioned Acts 19.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Deu 32:17 They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new [gods that] came newly up, whom your fathers feared not.
Ver. 17. They sacrificed unto devils. ] See Trapp on “ Lev 17:7 “
To new gods that came newly up.
a Bellarm. de cultu sanct., cap. 5.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
devils = demons. Hebrew. shed. First occurrence. Compare Psa 106:37. 1Co 10:20.
GOD = ‘eloah. See App-4.
gods = ‘elohim. App-4.
new = recent, lately. Hebrew. karob, as in Jdg 5:8.
newly = recently.
feared = trembled at. Hebrew. sa’ar. Not gur, reverence.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
sacrificed: Lev 17:7, Psa 106:37, Psa 106:38, 1Co 10:20, 1Ti 4:1, Rev 9:20
not to God: or, which were not God, Deu 32:21, Jer 10:15, 1Co 8:4, 1Co 10:19
to God: Deu 28:64, Isa 44:8
to new gods: Jdg 5:8
Reciprocal: Deu 7:4 – so will 1Ki 14:9 – thou hast gone 2Ch 11:15 – for the devils 2Ch 13:9 – no gods Psa 78:58 – moved Psa 106:21 – forgat Psa 106:28 – joined Isa 65:11 – prepare Jer 7:9 – and walk Jer 11:13 – For according Jer 19:4 – burned Jer 44:3 – gods Jer 44:8 – ye provoke Hos 9:10 – and their Amo 5:25 – General
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
32:17 They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to {l} new [gods that] came newly up, whom your fathers feared not.
(l) Scripture calls new, whatever man invents, be the error ever so old.