ris3n's Apologetics Codex

Passage

Deuteronomy 32.4

Book: Deuteronomy · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

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ASV (ASV)

"2. My doctrine shall drop as the rain; My speech shall distil as the dew, As the small rain upon the tender grass, And as the showers upon the herb. 3. For I will proclaim the name of Jehovah: Ascribe ye greatness unto our God."

"4. The Rock, his work is perfect; For all his ways are justice: A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, Just and right is he."

"5. They have dealt corruptly with him, they are not his children, it is their blemish; They are a perverse and crooked generation. 6. Do ye thus requite Jehovah, O foolish people and unwise? Is not he thy father that hath bought thee? He hath made thee, and established thee." (Deuteronomy 32:2-6, ASV)

WEB (WEB)

"2. My doctrine will drop as the rain. My speech will condense as the dew, as the misty rain on the tender grass, as the showers on the herb. 3. For I will proclaim Yahweh’s name. Ascribe greatness to our God!"

"4. The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are just. A God of faithfulness who does no wrong, just and right is he."

"5. They have dealt corruptly with him. They are not his children, because of their defect. They are a perverse and crooked generation. 6. Is this the way you repay Yahweh, foolish and unwise people? Isn’t he your father who has bought you? He has made you and established you." (Deuteronomy 32:2-6, WEB)

KJV (KJV)

"2. My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass: 3. Because I will publish the name of the LORD: ascribe ye greatness unto our God."

"4. He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he."

"5. They have corrupted themselves, their spot is not the spot of his children: they are a perverse and crooked generation. They have: Heb. He hath corrupted to himself their: or, that they are not his children, that is their blot 6. Do ye thus requite the LORD, O foolish people and unwise? is not he thy father that hath bought thee? hath he not made thee, and established thee?" (Deuteronomy 32:2-6, KJV)

YLT (YLT)

"2. Drop as rain doth My doctrine; Flow as dew doth My sayings; As storms on the tender grass, And as showers on the herb, 3. For the Name of Jehovah I proclaim, Ascribe ye greatness to our God!"

"4. The Rock!, perfect [is] His work, For all His ways [are] just; God of stedfastness, and without iniquity: Righteous and upright [is] He."

"5. It hath done corruptly to Him; Their blemish is not His sons', A generation perverse and crooked! 6. To Jehovah do ye act thus, O people foolish and not wise? Is not He thy father, thy possessor? He made thee, and doth establish thee." (Deuteronomy 32:2-6, YLT)

Setting

  • Speaker: Moses (sermons recorded by narrator)
  • Audience: second-generation Israelites about to enter Canaan
  • Location: plains of Moab, east of the Jordan
  • Time period: events c. 1406 BC; composed c. 1406 BC

Theological reading

Key words

Quoted in

Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

  • ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
  • WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
  • KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
  • YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.