Deuteronomy 32:29

Summary

The verse expresses a conditional wish: if the people addressed possessed wisdom, they would comprehend what has been described and grasp the outcome awaiting them. The Hebrew construction frames this as a hypothetical contrary to the actual state of affairs.

Key words

• lu ("if", H3863) — a conjunction introducing an unfulfilled or contrary-to-fact condition, roughly "if only" or "would that."
• chakhemu ("they were wise", H2449) — qal perfect, describing a completed state; combined with lu it expresses a wish about a condition not currently met.
• yaskilu ("they will comprehend", H7919A) — hiphil imperfect, causative in stem, indicating an action of gaining insight or causing understanding to occur, projected into future/ongoing time.
• yavinu ("they will understand", H0995) — qal imperfect, a simple future/ongoing action of understanding, paired with yaskilu to reinforce the idea of comprehension.
• 'acharitam ("their end", H0319 + H9028) — construct noun with pronominal suffix, literally "the end/outcome of them," pointing to a future state or destiny.

What the text says

The sentence opens with lu ("if", H3863), a particle that in Biblical Hebrew grammar typically introduces conditions understood as unreal or unfulfilled — the condition is presented as contrary to present fact. This governs chakhemu ("they were wise", H2449), a qal perfect verb. Although perfect tense normally marks completed action, here under lu it functions to describe a hypothetical state of wisdom that does not presently exist among the subjects.

The apodosis (the consequence of the condition) follows with two imperfect verbs in sequence: yaskilu ("they will comprehend", H7919A) in the hiphil stem, and yavinu ("they will understand", H0995) in the qal stem. The hiphil form of yaskilu carries a causative nuance, suggesting an active process of gaining or producing insight, while yavinu denotes the more general act of understanding. Both are imperfect, indicating action that would unfold or continue if the condition were met.

The object of the first verb is zot ("this", H2063), a demonstrative pointing to something already stated or implied in context. The second verb takes as its focus 'acharitam ("their end", H0319 with suffix H9028), a construct phrase meaning "the end of them" — their future outcome or final state. The construct relationship ties "end" directly to the third-person plural suffix, marking whose end is in view.

Differences between versions

The LXX (Swete) diverges structurally from the Hebrew: instead of a conditional "if only," it states ouk ephronēsan synienai ("they did not understand, to comprehend"), presenting the lack of wisdom as a factual statement rather than a wish. It also renders the final phrase as eis ton epionta chronon ("into the coming time"), differing from the Hebrew's "their end" ('acharitam, H0319+H9028). The Vulgate (Utinam saperent, et intelligerent, ac novissima providerent) follows the Hebrew's conditional/wish structure more closely, using "utinam" ("would that") to mirror lu, and "novissima" ("last things") to render 'acharitam.