כִּי־אֵשׁ֙ קָדְחָ֣ה בְאַפִּ֔י וַתִּיקַ֖ד עַד־שְׁאֹ֣ול תַּחְתִּ֑ית וַתֹּ֤אכַל אֶ֨רֶץ֙ וִֽיבֻלָ֔הּ וַתְּלַהֵ֖ט מֹוסְדֵ֥י הָרִֽים׃
Contextual Introduction
Deuteronomy 32:22 forms part of the Shirat Ha’azinu, the Song of Moshe, which is both a poetic prophecy and covenantal indictment against Israel’s disobedience. This verse vividly describes the fury of YHWH’s wrath using the imagery of fire. The poetic structure employs powerful verbs, parallelism, and spatial descent—from the nostrils of divine anger down to the foundations of the mountains—to emphasize the total, consuming scope of judgment.
Grammatical Focus: Causative Verbs, Sequential Wayyiqtol, and Poetic Parallelism
1. כִּי־אֵשׁ֙ קָדְחָ֣ה בְאַפִּ֔י – Causal Clause with Poetic Imagery
– כִּי (“for”) introduces a causal clause.
– אֵשׁ֙ קָדְחָ֣ה (“a fire has been kindled”) – קָדְחָ֣ה is Qal perfect 3fs from קָדַח (“to burn, kindle”), matching the feminine noun אֵשׁ.
– בְאַפִּ֔י (“in My nostril/wrath”) – אַף literally means “nose,” but idiomatically “anger” or “wrath.”
Together: “For a fire has been kindled in My wrath.”
2. וַתִּיקַ֖ד עַד־שְׁאֹ֣ול תַּחְתִּית – Wayyiqtol + Spatial Metaphor
– וַתִּיקַ֖ד (wayyiqtol from יָקַד, “to burn”) = “and it shall burn.”
– עַד־שְׁאֹ֣ול תַּחְתִּית (“to the lowest Sheʾol”) – emphasizes the depth of the consuming fire; שְׁאֹ֣ול is the underworld, and תַּחְתִּית (“lowest, deepest part”) intensifies the descent.
This line reflects the extent of divine wrath—down to the spiritual depths.
3. וַתֹּ֤אכַל אֶ֨רֶץ֙ וִֽיבֻלָ֔הּ – Destructive Consequence Clauses
– וַתֹּ֤אכַל (wayyiqtol from אָכַל, “to consume”) – “and it shall consume.”
– אֶ֨רֶץ֙ וִֽיבֻלָ֔הּ (“land and its produce”) – coordinated nouns with וְ, showing that both the earth and its fruitfulness are consumed.
The fire affects both the ground and the bounty it produces.
4. וַתְּלַהֵ֖ט מֹוסְדֵ֥י הָרִֽים – Final Poetic Climax
– וַתְּלַהֵ֖ט (wayyiqtol from לָהַט, “to scorch, blaze”) – “and it scorches.”
– מֹוסְדֵ֥י הָרִֽים (“the foundations of the mountains”) – a poetic image of elemental destruction, reaching into creation’s very structure.
Theological and Literary Implications
This verse portrays divine wrath as a cosmic force. The grammar—especially the chain of wayyiqtol verbs—drives the sequence of destruction, moving from divine anger to elemental undoing. It reflects covenantal justice: YHWH’s wrath is not impulsive, but proportional to disobedience.
Poetically, the downward movement—from nostrils to Sheʾol, to earth and produce, to mountain roots—suggests that divine judgment is thorough and uncontainable. The metaphors align with ancient Near Eastern views of divine fire as both judgment and purification.
Versions and Comparative Observations
The Septuagint: ὅτι πῦρ ἐξήφθη ἐν τῷ θυμῷ μου, καυθήσεται ἕως ᾅδου κάτω· καταφάγεται γῆν καὶ τοὺς καρποὺς αὐτῆς, καταφλέξει θεμελίους ὀρέων – mirrors the progression and poetic movement faithfully.
The Vulgate: ignis succensus est in furore meo, et ardebit usque ad inferni novissima: devorabit terram et fructum eius, montium fundamenta comburet – also preserves the structure and depth of divine wrath.
When Wrath Burns to the Roots: Syntax of a Consuming Fire
Deuteronomy 32:22 is a furnace of grammar and imagery. The sequential wayyiqtol verbs ignite a movement from divine breath to total devastation. Fire here is not merely metaphor—it is theology: consuming injustice, purifying covenant, and reminding all that YHWH’s anger touches even the unseen roots of the mountains.
