What is the meaning of Deuteronomy 32:26? I would have said The line opens with the Lord reflecting on what He was fully entitled to do in light of Israel’s stubborn rebellion (see Deuteronomy 32:15–18). His “I would have said” is not indecision but a deliberate disclosure of divine intention, much like Exodus 32:10 where He tells Moses, “Now leave Me alone, so that My anger may burn against them and consume them.” The Lord is perfectly just and has every right to carry out the threatened judgment (Leviticus 26:27–28). • This statement reminds us that God’s plans are never thwarted; yet He often reveals what could have happened to underscore both His holiness and His mercy (Numbers 14:11-12; Psalm 106:23). • The phrase also sets up verse 27, where He explains why total annihilation is withheld—for the sake of His own reputation among the nations. That I would cut them to pieces Here the Lord speaks of decisive, violent judgment. “Cut them to pieces” evokes the covenant curses spelled out earlier: “The LORD will strike you with wasting disease… with the sword” (Deuteronomy 28:22, 25). • Similar language appears in 1 Samuel 2:31-33 when God foretells the downfall of Eli’s house, and in Isaiah 10:15-16 where He promises to “consume” the proud Assyrian. • The idea is physical destruction plus national dismemberment—scattering tribes, breaking their power (compare Deuteronomy 32:36). • Such severity proves God’s intolerance of idolatry and His faithfulness to His own covenant terms (Hebrews 10:26-31 echoes this principle for the New Covenant believer). And blot out their memory from mankind The ultimate penalty would be total erasure, as happened to Sodom (Jude 7) or Amalek (Exodus 17:14). To “blot out” is to remove from history’s record; no descendants, no legacy, no remembrance (Psalm 9:5-6). • Yet God did not let this happen to Israel. Verse 27 explains He restrained judgment so that “their adversaries would misconstrue.” His name and His promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob could not be mocked (Isaiah 48:9-11; Romans 9:29). • This restraint foreshadows the gospel: though judgment was deserved, God chose mercy for the sake of His glory, ultimately satisfied in Christ (Romans 3:25-26). summary Deuteronomy 32:26 reveals the severity of divine justice and the tenderness of divine restraint. God could have spoken the final word of destruction—cutting Israel to pieces and wiping their memory from the earth—yet He held back to protect His name and fulfill His covenant. The verse stands as a sober warning against presuming on grace, while assuring believers that the same God who judges righteously also preserves His people for His glory. |
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