What is the meaning of Deuteronomy 32:33? Their wine • In Scripture, “wine” regularly pictures the fruit or outflow of a person’s life—what they produce and share with others (cf. Proverbs 9:2; Isaiah 5:22). • The previous verse says, “Their vine is from the vine of Sodom and from the fields of Gomorrah” (Deuteronomy 32:32). If the vine itself is corrupt, the wine will be corrupt. • Here, the “wine” of the rebellious nation is not a blessing but a curse. Like the bad fruit Jesus warns of—“every bad tree bears bad fruit” (Matthew 7:17)—their influence is spiritually spoiled. • The picture invites us to check our own “vine” and fruit (John 15:4–5). When God is not the source, what we offer others will inevitably harm rather than heal. is the venom of serpents • The Song of Moses shifts from corrupted wine to outright poison: “venom of serpents.” Scripture often links serpents with deception and deadly harm (Genesis 3:1; 2 Corinthians 11:3; Revelation 12:9). • Psalm 58:4–5 echoes the idea: “Their venom is like the venom of a serpent….” Paul cites the same imagery in Romans 3:13 to describe sin-filled speech that destroys. • Venom works subtly—once inside, it spreads. In the same way, false teaching or godless influence can appear appealing yet inject spiritual death (2 Peter 2:1). • The phrase underlines culpability: the people are not merely misguided; they are actively toxic, passing on what kills. the deadly poison of cobras • The verse intensifies: from generic snakes to “the deadly poison of cobras.” Cobras were feared in the ancient Near East for their swift, fatal strike (Job 20:16). • James 3:8 warns that “the tongue is a restless evil, full of deadly poison,” mirroring this cobra image. • The double description—“venom” and “deadly poison”—shows there is no antidote apart from God’s intervention. Left unchecked, the effect is eternal death (Romans 6:23). • By depicting the enemy’s product as cobra poison, Moses stresses the urgency of rejecting their influence and returning to the Lord who alone “heals” (Deuteronomy 32:39). summary Deuteronomy 32:33 teaches that the output of a corrupt, God-rejecting people is spiritually lethal. What they present as pleasant “wine” is in reality snake venom—deceptive, spreading, and ultimately deadly. The verse calls believers to discern the source of all influence, cling to the true Vine, and avoid the poisonous fruit of rebellion that leads to destruction. |
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