“He Loves the People”: The Grammar of Divine Embrace in Deuteronomy 33:3
אַף חֹבֵב עַמִּים כָּל־קְדֹשָׁיו בְּיָדֶךָ וְהֵם תֻּכּוּ לְרַגְלֶיךָ יִשָּׂא מִדַּבְּרֹתֶיךָ׃ In the poetic blessing of Moses over Israel, found in Devarim 33:3, we encounter a verse that is both emotionally rich and grammatically complex. At its center lies a phrase that has stirred centuries of debate: חֹבֵב עַמִּים Typically translated as “He loves the peoples,”…