Deuteronomy 32:6
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The verse highlights God's fatherly relationship not just through creation, but through a deliberate act of "acquiring" or "purchasing" them, setting them apart as His own unique possession, far beyond mere biological fatherhood. This isn't just a general existence God gave them; it's an intentional, redemptive acquisition that underscores their special status and the depth of their ingratitude.
Do you thus repay the LORD, you foolish and senseless people? Is not he your father, who created you, who made you and established you?
English Standard Version (ESV)
Moses begins to deliver a song of admonishment and praise to the Israelites. He calls on heaven and earth to witness his words, which detail God's faithfulness and Israel's stubborn rebellion and ingratitude. The song is meant to serve as a testimony, reminding them of God's loving care and their repeated failures to honor Him.
Imagine the deepest betrayal: someone you've nurtured from birth, loved fiercely, and provided for wholeheartedly, turning their back on you. That's the raw emotion behind Moses's words.
Moses confronts Israel with their profound ingratitude. He uses a powerful rhetorical question to highlight the absurdity of their actions:
A Question of Reciprocity
The Foundation of the Relationship
Moses then reminds them of the very basis of their bond:
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When we talk about God's relationship with us, we often focus on creation. But Deuteronomy 32:6 hints at an even deeper, more active form of ownership and care.
Moses doesn't just remind Israel that God is their Father by creation; he highlights two other crucial aspects of their relationship that underscore their ingratitude:
God's Act of 'Buying'
God as the Establisher
Moses is saying that Israel's relationship with God isn't passive. He actively chose them, redeemed them, formed them, and secured them. To turn away from such a God is not merely foolish; it's a profound rejection of the One who has invested so much in their very existence and identity.
Understand the original words
YHWH · Hebrew Proper Noun
The covenant name of the one true God of Israel, revealing His eternal self-existence, faithfulness, and personal relationship with His people.
nabal · Hebrew Adjective
In a biblical sense, this describes a lack of moral and spiritual understanding, often resulting from a hardened heart or refusal to acknowledge God's truth.
lo chakam · Hebrew Adjective Phrase
Describes an inability to perceive spiritual realities or understand the ways of God, leading to a life lived without divine guidance or wisdom.
ab · Hebrew Noun
Used here to denote God as the Source of life, the Progenitor who birthed and formed the nation of Israel as His own people.
qanah · Hebrew Verb
Refers to the act of bringing into existence or forming, highlighting God's role as the sovereign Architect and Creator of His people.
kun · Hebrew Verb
In a theological context, this signifies God’s sovereign action in fixing, stabilizing, or confirming a people or order, ensuring they are firm and enduring.
This verse highlights the deep, personal relationship God established with Israel, beginning with their redemption from Egypt. It emphasizes that Israel's ingratitude is not just a failure to follow rules, but a betrayal of their Father, who formed them and secured their very existence.
~1446 BC
Exodus from Egypt
God miraculously delivers the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, establishing them as a nation under His covenant. This event is the foundational act of God's 'purchase' and 'making' of Israel.
~1445-1405 BC
Wandering in the Wilderness
The Israelites spend 40 years in the wilderness. During this time, God 'finds' them, sustains them, and 'instructs' them, solidifying His fatherly relationship and establishing them as a people before entering the Promised Land.
~1405 BC
Entry into Canaan
Following Moses' leadership, the Israelites enter and begin conquering the land of Canaan, a land promised to them and 'established' as their inheritance by God.
c. 1405 BC— this verse
Moses' Final Address
Just before his death and the Israelites' full settlement in Canaan, Moses delivers this song and final instruction. The 'song' recounts God's faithfulness and Israel's repeated unfaithfulness, with Deuteronomy 32:6 serving as a key accusation of their ingratitude.
This passage calls on the heavens and earth to witness Israel's foolishness, echoing Deuteronomy's charge of them being 'foolish and senseless people' who have turned away from their Creator.
Jeremiah 2:5The prophet asks, 'What injustice did your fathers find in me that they strayed so far from me?' This directly parallels Deuteronomy's question of how Israel is repaying the LORD, highlighting their ungratefulness despite God's faithfulness.
Psalm 103:13Just as Deuteronomy reminds them God is their Father, Psalm 103 speaks of God's fatherly compassion, comparing it to a father's pity for his children, underscoring the depth of their betrayal.
Malachi 1:6This prophecy rebukes priests for despising God's name, asking 'A son honors his father, and a servant his master. But if I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my fear?' This echoes the core question of Deuteronomy 32:6 about honoring one's Father.
Matthew 23:37Jesus laments over Jerusalem, 'How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling!' This shows Jesus' own pain at Israel's rejection, mirroring God's hurt in Deuteronomy over their lack of response to His fatherly care.
calvinDeuteronomy 32:1-52: "Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth."
They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God; they have provoked me to anger with their vanities: and I will move them to jealousy with those which are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.
Ipsi ad zelum provocaverunt me, in eo quod non est Deus, ad iracundiam me provocaverunt in vanitatibus suis: et ego ad zelum provocabo eos in eo qui non…
cambridgeDeuteronomy 32:6: "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?"
6 . Is it Jehovah ye thus requite ] So the emphatic Heb. order. foolish ] See on Deuteronomy 22:21 : folly . bought ] Rather begat or produced , Genesis 4:1 ; Genesis 14:19 ; Genesis 14:22 . established ] Or framed, set up, settled .
The verse highlights God's fatherly relationship not just through creation, but through a deliberate act of "acquiring" or "purchasing" them, setting them apart as His own unique possession, far beyond mere biological fatherhood. This isn't just a general existence God gave them; it's an intentional, redemptive acquisition that underscores their special status and the depth of their ingratitude.
Moses begins to deliver a song of admonishment and praise to the Israelites. He calls on heaven and earth to witness his words, which detail God's faithfulness and Israel's stubborn rebellion and ingratitude. The song is meant to serve as a testimony, reminding them of God's loving care and their repeated failures to honor Him.
Moses begins to deliver a song of admonishment and praise to the Israelites. He calls on heaven and earth to witness his words, which detail God's faithfulness and Israel's stubborn rebellion and ingratitude. The song is meant to serve as a testimony, reminding them of God's loving care and their repeated failures to honor Him.
"Do you thus repay the LORD, you foolish and senseless people? Is not he your father, who created you, who made you and established you?" — The verse highlights God's fatherly relationship not just through creation, but through a deliberate act of "acquiring" or "purchasing" them, setting them apart as His own unique possession, far beyo…
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Last reviewed October 2026
