Deuteronomy 32:5

They have corrupted themselves,.... This and what follows may seem to be the characters of the enemies of Christ, who lightly esteemed and rejected him, set in a contrast with him; who were not only

They have corrupted themselves, their spot is not the spot of his children: they are a perverse and crooked generation.

They, i.e. the Israelites, as the following words manifest. Corrupted themselves: this phrase sometimes in Scripture notes sin, and sometimes destruction. And so the sense may be either, 1. Their wickedness is not from God, but from themselves, and their own choice; they have wilfully and industriously depraved themselves, and sold themselves to sin. Or rather, 2. Their destruction is not from God. who is just and true, &c., as was now said, but wholly and solely from themselves, and from their own wickedness, as it here follows. Their spot is not the spot of his children, i.e. their blemishes or sins are not committed through ignorance, or frailty, or surprisal, as good men sometimes sin, but they proceed from design and deliberation, are accompanied with malice, and wilfulness, and contempt, and followed with obstinacy, impenitency, and incorrigibleness. So that they carry themselves not like my children and people, as they seem to be and profess to be, but like mine enemies. They are a perverse and crooked generation; not only some few of them, but the whole body or generation of them, are perverse, i.e. froward and untractable, and crooked, i.e. irregular and disorderly, not agreeing with the straight and righteous nature of God and of his law. Compare .

Deuteronomy 32:5 They have corrupted themselves, their spot [is] not [the spot] of his children: [they are] a perverse and crooked generation.Ver. 5. Their spot is not the spot.] Saints also have their spots, but not ingrained; not leopards’ spots, that are not in the skin only, but the flesh and bones, in the sinews, and the most inner parts, and so cannot be cured by any art, or washed away with any water. It is of incogitancy that the saints fall; put them in mind, and they mend all: it is of passion, and passions last not long. They are preoccupated, taken at unawares, &c. They have ever God for their chief end, and will not forego him upon any terms: only they err in the way, as thinking they may fulfil such a lust, and God keep too; but there is no way of wickedness found in them. Though shaken, yet they are rooted as trees, and though they wag up and down, yet they remove not, - as a ship at anchor. Sin stings the wicked, as the fiery serpents did the Israelites: the sins of the saints are but like the viper on Paul’ s hand, that hurt him not. Sin makes wicked men the object of God’ s hatred, the saints of his pity: as we hate poison in a toad, but we pity it in a man; in the one it is their nature, in the other their disease. Perverse and crooked.] They wriggle and writhe after the manner of wrestlers, that wave up and down, and wind the other way: so the Hebrew word signifieth.

(5)— “He (Israel) hath destroyed himself. Their undutifulness,[5] that is their blot, [5] Literally, they are no sons to him. (Comp. Deuteronomy 32:20.) A froward and crooked generation !” These first two lines are given up as hopeless by many interpreters, not because the words are difficult of translation, but from the great variety of possible interpretations. After careful consideration of the passage with a learned Christian Hebrew,[6] I venture to propound this as the true translation. It is substantially identical with that of the English margin. The Hebrew consists of five words only (1) “He-hath-corrupted (2) to-him (3) not (4) his-sons (5) their blemish.” That the first two ought to be taken together, if the text is correct, seems certain. The same construction is found in Numbers 32:15, “ye shall destroy all this people,” and also in 1 Samuel 23:10, “to destroy the city.” As to the third and fourth words, we have thought that their true relation is the same which we find in Deuteronomy 32:21, a “not-God,” and a “not-people,” and also in Deuteronomy 32:5, “not-wise.” In like manner Israel are in this verse called “not-sons of His.” Their not-sonship, their unfilial, undutiful, ungodly behaviour to Him who is the perfection of truth and sincerity, a very Rock of fidelity to them, that is their great blemish. He has said, “Israel is my son, even my firstborn.” But all Israel’s behaviour gives Him the lie. The contrast between the two descriptions—the faithful God of Deu 32:4, and the unfaithful children of Deu 32:5—is the cardinal point in the verse. In the form of the expression, lo-bânâv is strictly parallel to the Lo-ammi of Hos 1:9. The “froward and crooked generation” supplies two words to Psalms 18:26, “with the froward thou wilt shew thyself froward” Compare also the context of the two passages. Many other interpretations have been proposed, and some have altered the text. I believe the text to be correct, and that this is the true meaning. [6] Mr. Bernhard Maimon, to whom I desire once for all to express my great obligations for assistance in this and many other difficulties.

Verse 5. Their spot is not the spot of his children] This verse is variously translated and variously understood. They are corrupted, not his, children of pollution. - KENNICOTT. They are corrupt, they are not his children, they are blotted. - HOUBIGANT. This is according to the Samaritan. The interpretation commonly given to these words is as unfounded as it is exceptionable: "God's children have their spots, i. e., their sins, but sin in them is not like sin in others; in others sin is exceedingly sinful, but God does not see the sins of his children as he sees the sins of his enemies," c. Unfortunately for this bad doctrine, there is no foundation for it in the sacred text, which, though very obscure, may be thus translated: He (Israel) hath corrupted himself. They (the Israelites) are not his children: they are spotted. Coverdale renders the whole passage thus: "The froward and overthwart generation have marred themselves to himward, and are not his children because of their deformity." This is the sense of the verse. Let it be observed that the word spot, which is repeated in our translation, occurs but once in the original, and the marginal reading is greatly to be preferred: He hath corrupted to himself, that they are not his children that is their blot. And because they had the blot of sin on them, because they were spotted with iniquity and marked idolaters, therefore God renounces them. There may be here an allusion to the marks which the worshippers of particular idols had on different parts of their bodies, especially on their foreheads; and as idolatry is the crime with which they are here charged, the spot or mark mentioned may refer to the mark or stigma of their idol. The different sects of idolaters in the East are distinguished by their sectarian marks, the stigma of their respective idols. These sectarian marks, particularly on the forehead, amount to nearly one hundred among the Hindoos, and especially among the two sects, the worshippers of Seeva, and the worshippers of Vishnoo. In many cases these marks are renewed daily, for they account it irreligious to perform any sacred rite to their god without his mark on the forehead; the marks are generally horizontal and perpendicular lines, crescents, circles, leaves, eyes, c., in red, black, white, and yellow. This very custom is referred to in Revelation 20:4, where the beast gives his mark to his followers, and it is very likely that Moses refers to such a custom among the idolatrous of his own day. This removes all the difficulty of the text. God's children have no sinful spots, because Christ saves them from their sins and their motto or mark is, Holiness to the Lord.

5. The text of the first line is corrupt; lit. he has dealt corruptly (as in Deuteronomy 9:12, cp. Deuteronomy 31:29) with him, not his sons, their blemish. Sam. LXX: they dealt corruptly not his sons, blameworthy things. Possible emendations, they dealt corruptly with him sons of blemish; his sons have corrupted their faithfulness to him; or as above. The line is overloaded. On blemish in physical sense see Deuteronomy 15:21, Deuteronomy 17:1. twisted and crooked] Or tortuous; cp. Deuteronomy 5:20.

5. They have corrupted themselves — A striking contrast is now presented. Jehovah, their God, is perfect, is unchangeable.