Deut 32:27

[Chris Watts]

לוּלֵ֗י כַּ֤עַס אוֹיֵב֙ אָג֔וּר פֶּֽן־יְנַכְּר֖וּ צָרֵ֑ימוֹ פֶּן־יֹֽאמְרוּ֙ יָדֵ֣ינוּ רָ֔מָה וְלֹ֥א יְהוָ֖ה פָּעַ֥ל כָּל־זֹֽאת

Does one really accept the majority of almost every English translation by turning not only the standard definition of the word אָג֔וּר but also the very unacceptable concept that God is afraid of a man! Yes I do understand the very essence of meaning behind this clause up to the Zaquef, but the word 'Fear' is wrong! Surely it would be better to re-translate this whole clause as : 'Surely were it not for the fact that the anger of the enemy I will turn aside, OR - "unless the anger of the enemy I turn aside" - and the following clause explains the reason - LEST they exalt themselves etc etc...", these two clauses that both begin with the פֶּן act like a sort of after-thought a sort of parenthetical addition, after all this is a song, poetry, not a conversation nor a dialogue so there is poetical license.

לוּלֵ֗י is different from אם לא, the former word is imbued with a certainty of actuality and reality without doubt, and so this makes the 'anger' of the enemy something concrete rather than an abstract possibility. Hence God does not fear what is certain to happen, but rather He has designated their 'anger' as something He will counter by defending Israel.

Therefore, by no stretch of the imagination can one turn the meaning of אָג֔וּר into "I Fear". One can assume that by turning aside from the enemy due to an act of timidity is possible, but to apply this to God is absurdity beyond the realm of science fiction.

The only English translation that makes perfect sense is found in the Douay-Rheims version, I do not entirely agree with it, but it is the best of all the rubbish : "But for the wrath of the enemies I have deferred it". Now this follows on nicely from V 26. I think in this situation a meaning to this poetical clause is much needed more than any attempt to translate.

Chris watts

[ducky]

I don't see a real problem with this translation of "fear".
the word כעס as anger - is not that God afraid of the enemy's wrath.
But כעס as in acts that cause God to be angry.
Like in the same chapter (and other places) verse 19 מכעס בניו ובנותיו.
And the acts that cause God's anger would be hat the enemy would not recognize God, and actually see the ending of Israel as part of their action, and that Israel's God is a false God.
So It doesn't mean that God is afraid of the enemy.


Another understanding, in the old commentaries and in the Aramaic translation, is seeing the אגור from, root אגר, as gathered.
That the enemy has evil inside him. And with a reference to Psalms 55:16.

[Jason Hare]

This is what HALOT gives on a third root of גו״ר:

III גור: altern. form of יגר.
   qal: impf. אָ/תָּגוּר‎, יָג֫וּרוּ‎, וַיָּ֫גָר; impv. ג֫וּרוּ: to be afraid, with מִן, of Dt 18:22 Jb 41:17 Sir 11:33, of God Ps 22:24 33:8, with מִפְּנֵי Nu 22:3 Dt 1:17 1S 18:15 Jb 19:29 Sir 7:6; abs. Dt 32:27 cj. Ps 38:19 (rd. אָגוּר and מֵעֲוֹנִי because of my sin); with לְ, for, because of Hos 10:5. †
   cj. po: pt. מְגוֹרְרַי: who put me in fear Lam 2:22 (Rudolph). †
Der. מָגוֹר‎, *מְגוֹרָה‎, II *מְגוּרִים.

While I know that כַּ֫עַס most readily translates as “anger” in modern Hebrew, in the Bible it is more the sense of “grief” (MT יָגוֹן or צַ֫עַר), “frustration” (MH תִּסְכּוּל), or “vexation” (MT רֹ֫גֶז). It is used several times in the book of Qohelet and clearly doesn’t mean “anger,” though the idea of causing someone vexation is similar to provoking them to anger (like we see in the story of Hanna and Pnina in 1 Samuel, where לְהַכְעִיס is used).

[Chris Watts]

Hallo Jason,

Even-Shoshan provides us with 10 verses whereגורis translated as 'Fear', and designates it as such. Now we know that the most commonly used word that designates "being afraid of something" or "Terror" is ירא. Even the 'Fear' of God the word used is ירא. Now we all understand that this word in this context carries the meaning : 'Deep respect' with a nuance of "afraid to be offensive"'.

גור, however, appears in both Psalm 33:8 and 22:23 (24 heb) with ירא

1. יִֽירְא֣וּ מֵ֭יְהוָה כָּל־הָאָ֑רֶץ מִמֶּ֥נּוּ יָ֝ג֗וּרוּ כָּל־יֹשְׁבֵ֥י תֵבֵֽל
2. יִרְאֵ֤י יְהוָ֨ה ׀ הַֽלְל֗וּהוּ כָּל־זֶ֣רַע יַעֲקֹ֣ב כַּבְּד֑וּהוּ וְג֥וּרוּ מִ֝מֶּ֗נּוּ כָּל־זֶ֥רַע יִשְׂרָאֵֽל

If we now look at Deuteronomy 18:22 and Numbers 22:3

1. אֲשֶׁר֩ יְדַבֵּ֨ר הַנָּבִ֜יא בְּשֵׁ֣ם יְהוָ֗ה וְלֹֽא־יִהְיֶ֤ה הַדָּבָר֙ וְלֹ֣א יָב֔וֹא ה֣וּא הַדָּבָ֔ר אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹא־דִבְּר֖וֹ יְהוָ֑ה בְּזָדוֹן֙ דִּבְּר֣וֹ הַנָּבִ֔יא לֹ֥א תָג֖וּר מִמֶּֽנּוּ
2. וַיָּ֨גָר מוֹאָ֜ב מִפְּנֵ֥י הָעָ֛ם מְאֹ֖ד כִּ֣י רַב־ה֑וּא וַיָּ֣קָץ מוֹאָ֔ב מִפְּנֵ֖י בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל

Since when would anybody ever be afraid of someone who has been proven to be uttering nonsense in the Name of God? If that person has been shown to be telling wibbly wobblies then people would simply mock, ignore, insult, or walk away from. But never be in fear. So I believe God is saying here that one should not be 'Disturbed' or 'Agitated' or further Troubled by such a person, he should not be 'Respected'. If Fear was intended, then ירא would have been written, when such a person has been caught out, do not be so easily moved out of the way, be disturbed because of it. Continuing with this sentiment I saw then in Numbers 22:3 the same idea, a range of emotional swellings - I read Anxious, Moab is Disturbed, Dispossessed of feelings of stability, seriously concerned - but there is no indication of Terror or Strict Fear in this verse. The same emotions Saul has in 1 Samuel 18:12. He is moved to being agitated and seriously concerned by David, later on he is afraid, but he is King, he is not afraid just yet, in this saga.

My antagonism with translating גור simply as "To be afraid" or "Fear" lies with the fact that we have ירא that means exactly that; and also that there is a clear sense of "Awe", "Disturbance" and above all, provocation against the present stability of things, as expressed by the references that I have given.

In view of everything I believe that the English translation of Deut 32:27, as provided by all but one bible, is a lazy and thoughtless translation. I would therefore render Deut 32:7 as "I would cause the memory of them to cease from among men, were it not for the anger of the enemy by which I shall be provoked, lest they should believe that it was by their power that they afflicted my people".

By this translation I have taken poetical license and ignored the Sof Pasuk at the end of Verse 26. After all, this is a song and lots of Brevity at that.

Although the very essence of this verse is perhaps obvious to everyone by a thorough explanation as given in both Ezekiel Chapter 20 and say Psalm 140:8, two scriptures that pop into my head, (no doubt there are others), I have taken serious issue with the Bible translators since the English word 'Fear' does not convey the Truth at all, that God is NOT afraid, but rather that He is Agitated towards a serious Provocation by any nation, people, or individual that thinks for one moment that while God calls upon various nations to afflict Israel, their boasting would be a direct attack upon the Sovereignty of God and a presumptuous arrogance on their part.

I am inclined to believe that while ירא means 'Fear' in a variety of strengths, גור carries a completely different nuance, one of Severely agitated, provocation, dispossessed of internal feelings of security or happiness or stability, each nuance ascribed to whatever context that is appropriate. In the same way we do not translate a Fear of God as being Running away in terror


Chris watts