For I lift up my hand to heaven and declare, as I live forever,
Parallel Translations
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For I lift up my hand to heaven and declare, as I live forever,
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For I lift up my hand to heaven, and say, I live for ever.
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For I lift up My hand to heaven, and say: As I live for ever,
Cross-references (6)
Passages linked to Deuteronomy 32:40 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Genesis 14:22 Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have lifted up my hand to Yahweh, God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth,
- Jeremiah 4:2 and you will swear, ‘As Yahweh lives,’ in truth, in justice, and in righteousness. The nations will bless themselves in him, and they will glory in him.”
- Hebrews 6:17-18 In this way God, being determined to show more abundantly to the heirs of the promise the immutability of his counsel, interposed with an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we may have a strong encouragement, who have fled for refuge to take hold of the hope set before us.
- Revelation 10:5-6 The angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land lifted up his right hand to the sky, and swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things that are in it, the earth and the things that are in it, and the sea and the things that are in it, that there will no longer be delay,
- Numbers 14:28-30 Tell them, ‘As I live, says Yahweh, surely as you have spoken in my ears, so I will do to you. Your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness; and all who were counted of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, who have complained against me, surely you shall not come into the land concerning which I swore that I would make you dwell therein, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.
- Exodus 6:8 I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it to you for a heritage: I am Yahweh.’ ”
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (13 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain That is, I swear, read Gen. 14:12.
That is, I swear, read Gen. 14:12.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Deu 32:40 For I lift up my hand to…
Deu 32:40 For I lift up my hand to heaven, and say, I live for ever.
Ver. 40. And say, I live forever.] God can swear by no greater than himself. {Heb 6:13}
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain I lift up my hand to heaven, i.e. I…
I lift up my hand to heaven, i.e. I solemnly swear that I will do what here follows, that as I will deliver my people, so I will fully avenge myself upon all mine enemies, whom I have used as rods to scourge my people.
I live for ever, i.e. As sure as I live. Compare Jer 4:2; Heb 6:13; Rev 10:5,6.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain If I whet my glittering sword,.... That is, I…
If I whet my glittering sword,.... That is, I will do it as sure as I live, if I do not, be it so and so; what that is is not said, but left to be concluded. A glittering sword is a sword drawn, the blade of it drawn out of the scabbard, cleaned and polished, whetted and made sharp, that it may more easily penetrate and pierce; and this, being brandished, glitters like lightning, as the word used signifies. Whetting the sword is a preparation for doing execution with it; and is a warning, a giving notice of it, as girding: the sword on the thigh also is ascribed to Christ, Psa 45:3. This sword intends a sword of justice, the sharp sword said to proceed out of the mouth of Christ, the judiciary sentence which he will pronounce and execute on antichrist, and all his followers, Rev 19:15,
and my hand take hold on judgment: in order to execute it; the allusion is to the laying hold on the instruments of justice and death, as the glittering sword before mentioned, and arrows afterwards; and may have respect to the four sore judgments, or at least to some of them, which the Lord will execute on mystical Babylon, Eze 14:21; and particularly to the seven vials of God's wrath, which will be poured out on the antichristian states, Rev 16:1,
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I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and I will reward them that hate me; his enemies that hate him, and will not have him to rule over them, are the followers of antichrist, who has his name from his opposition to Christ, his hatred of him, and enmity against him; opposing him in his kingly office, taking upon him to exercise dominion and tyranny over the consciences of men, making new laws, and imposing them on them, and dispensing with the laws of Christ; and setting aside his priestly office by the sacrifice of the Mass, granting pardons and indulgences, and advancing the works and merits of men, in opposition to the righteousness of Christ, and pretending even to works of supererogation; making of none effect, as much as in him lies, his prophetic office, by setting up unwritten traditions before the word of God, and making them the rule of faith and practice, and assuming to himself an infallible interpretation of the sense of Scripture. The vengeance Christ will render, as a righteous reward to those his enemies, is expressed by destroying antichrist with the breath of his mouth; by the beast going into perdition; by leading them captive who have led others; by killing them with the sword who have killed others with it; by pouring out the vials of his wrath on them; by giving them the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath; by smiting them with the sword that comes out of his mouth, and by bringing upon them death, mourning, and famine, and burning them with fire; all which he will most surely render unto them, Th2 2:8 Rev 19:15.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain I lift up my hand - I solemnly swear,…
I lift up my hand - I solemnly swear, that I will do what here follows. I live - As sure as I live.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 40. For I lift up my hand to…
Verse 40. For I lift up my hand to heaven] See concerning oaths and appeals to God in Clarke's note on "De 6:13".
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain Deu 32:40-42. I lift up my hand to heaven…
Deu 32:40-42. I lift up my hand to heaven — I solemnly swear I will do what here follows. It was the custom to stretch out the hand in swearing, Gen 14:22. And say, I live for ever — As surely as I live for ever, I will whet my sword, &c. If I whet — If once I begin to prepare for war, and for the execution of my sentence. Mine hand take hold on judgment — The instruments of judgments, the weapons of war. A metaphor from warriors that take their weapons into their hands when they intend to fight. Glittering sword — Hebrew, the lightning of my sword. A similitude which shows God’s judgments to be swift, powerful, and terrible, Eze 21:10; Zec 9:14. I will render vengeance to mine enemies — No power shall be able to stop or hinder my proceedings. I will make mine arrows drunk with blood — I will execute vengeance upon them to the full. A strong poetical figure, implying the abundance of blood that should be shed. The blood — of the captives — Whom my sword hath sorely wounded, though not utterly killed. The beginning of revenges — When once I begin to revenge myself and people upon mine and their enemies, and will go on and make a full end.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain For ever. God can swear by no one greater…
For ever. God can swear by no one greater than himself, Hebrews vi. 13.
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 40. I live forever — The formula of an…
40. I live forever — The formula of an oath was, “The Lord liveth.” Comp. Num_14:21; 1Sa_14:39; Jer_5:2.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 40. lift up, etc.] Cp. Gen_14:22, Exo_6:8, Num_14:30 and…
40. lift up, etc.] Cp. Gen_14:22, Exo_6:8, Num_14:30 and many instances in Ezekiel.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (40, 41) For I lift up my hand.—This is…
(40, 41) For I lift up my hand.—This is the form in taking an oath. (Comp. Rev_10:5.) The two verses may be connected thus: “For I lift up my hand to heaven, and say, As I live for ever, if I whet my lightning sword, and my hand take hold on judgment, I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and repay them that hate me.”
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain Vers. 40, 41. These verses should be read continuously:…
Vers. 40, 41. These verses should be read continuously: For I lift up my hand to heaven, and say, As I live forever, if I whet my glittering sword, and if my hand take hold on judgment; I will render vengeance to mine enemies, etc. Lifting up the hand to heaven was a gesture intended to express that the person taking an oath appealed to God as a witness of his oath, and who would perish for falsehood; (cf. Gen_14:22) and "as the Lord liveth" was a common formula in taking an oath (cf. Num_14:21; 1Sa_14:39, 1Sa_14:45; Jer_5:2) As God could swear by none greater, he swore by himself (cf. Exo_6:8; Num_14:30; Isa_45:23; Jer_22:5; Heb_6:17) that if he did come forth to avenge himself of his enemies, he would not spare, but would do thoroughly what he had come forth to do. Glittering sword; literally, lightning of sword. (Eze_21:10)
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 32:40 I raise my hand to heaven: This anthropomorphism…
32:40 I raise my hand to heaven: This anthropomorphism (see study notes on 4:34 and 8:2) asserts God’s solemn intention to keep his covenant promises to deliver his people from their enemies. When God makes an oath, he is not bound to some course of action in the event that he proves undependable. Rather, the statement emphasizes the reliability of God’s promises above and beyond his character alone (see Num 14:21, 28; Isa 49:18; Ezek 20:5-6).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.