Deuteronomy 32:47

Summary

The verse states that the preceding words (referring to the Torah/song just delivered) are not empty or meaningless but constitute the life of the people addressed. It further states that through these words, the audience will lengthen their days in the land they are about to enter by crossing the Jordan to take possession of it.

Key words

• da.Var ("word", H1697G) — appears twice (positions 3, 14), masculine singular noun; first denotes the "thing/word" being described as not empty, second denotes "this word" as the means (ba- prefix) by which days are prolonged.
• rek ("empty", H7386) — masculine singular adjective modifying da.Var, describing what the word is not.
• chai.yei. ("lives", H2416E) — masculine plural noun in construct form ("lives of"), bound to the suffix -khem ("your"), yielding "your life/lives" as the predicate of the second clause.
• ta.'a.Ri.khu ("you will prolong", H0748) — Hiphil (causative) imperfect, 2nd person masculine plural; the causative stem indicates the subject actively causing an extension (of days), not merely experiencing it.
• rish.Ta ("to take possession of", H3423H) — Qal infinitive with 3rd feminine singular suffix ("it," referring to the land), expressing purpose ("in order to possess it").

What the text says

The verse is built on two parallel ki ("for", H3588A) clauses (positions 1 and 8), each introduced by the same particle functioning as a causal or explanatory conjunction. The first clause negates emptiness: lo' da.Var rek hu' mikkem — "it is not an empty word [to/from] you" — using the negation lo' (H3808) plus the noun-adjective pair da.Var rek. The second clause affirms identity: ki hu' chai.yei.khem — "for it is your life(s)" — where the construct noun chai.yei. directly links the pronoun hu' ("it") to the possessive suffix -khem ("your"), stating that the "word" itself constitutes the life of the addressees.

The following clause shifts to consequence: u-va-da.Var ha.zeh ta.'a.Ri.khu yamim — "and by this word you will prolong days." The preposition va- ("in/by") attaches to da.Var, marking the word as the instrumental means. The verb ta.'a.Ri.khu is Hiphil, indicating that the subject (the people) is the causative agent of the prolonging, not a passive recipient. This action occurs 'al ha-'adamah ("upon the land", H0127G), further specified by the relative clause 'asher 'attem 'ovrim et-ha-Yarden ("which you are crossing the Jordan"), using the Qal participle 'oe.Rim ("crossing") to depict an action in progress. The final infinitive le-rishtah ("to possess it", H3423H) states the purpose of the crossing, with the 3rd feminine singular suffix referring back to ha-'adamah ("the land"), a feminine noun.

Differences between versions

The LXX renders da.Var ("word", H1697G) as λόγος ("word/statement"), matching the Hebrew closely, but translates the second occurrence with the demonstrative pronoun αὕτη ("this") applied to ζωὴ ("life") rather than preserving a construct "lives of you" structure — the Hebrew's plural construct chai.yei.khem becomes a singular ζωὴ ὑμῶν. The Vulgate diverges further, rendering da.Var rek not as "empty word" but as "incassum praecepta" ("precepts in vain"), introducing the term praecepta ("precepts/commands") where the Hebrew has only da.Var ("word"). The Vulgate also expands the second clause with "sed ut singuli in eis viverent" ("but that each one might live by them"), adding explanatory phrasing not present in the Hebrew's simple hu' chai.yei.khem ("it [is] your life").