The Meaning of Deuteronomy 32:13 Explained

Deuteronomy 32:13

KJV: He made him ride on the high places of the earth, that he might eat the increase of the fields; and he made him to suck honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock;

YLT: He maketh him ride on high places of earth, And he eateth increase of the fields, And He maketh him suck honey from a rock, And oil out of the flint of a rock;

Darby: He made him ride on the high places of the earth, And he ate the produce of the field; And he made him suck honey out of the crag, And oil out of the flinty rock;

ASV: He made him ride on the high places of the earth, And he did eat the increase of the field; And he made him to suck honey out of the rock, And oil out of the flinty rock;

What is the context of Deuteronomy 32:13?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

He made him ride  on the high places  of the earth,  that he might eat  the increase  of the fields;  and he made him to suck  honey  out of the rock,  and oil  out of the flinty  rock; 

What does Deuteronomy 32:13 Mean?

Context Summary

Deuteronomy 32:1-14 - Moses' Song: The Lord's Favor Upon Israel
The song of Moses, like the fabled song of the swan, was his last and sweetest. It is probably the noblest ode in the whole compass of the Bible, and is the source from which subsequent singers derived suggestions for their noblest outbursts. The marginal references prove how deeply it dyed the national sentiment.
It excels in the names and designations of the Almighty. He is the Rock: Deuteronomy 31:4; Deuteronomy 31:15; Deuteronomy 31:18; Deuteronomy 31:30; Jehovah: Deuteronomy 31:6; Father: Deuteronomy 31:6; the Most High: Deuteronomy 31:8; God: El, the strong, Deuteronomy 31:15, etc. What a study are the names of God, scattered through the Bible! Each was coined to meet some need of the human soul. What the rocks of the desert are to its shifting sands God is amid the changes of this mortal existence.
This earlier part of the song is very tender. We are God's portion; the apple of His eye; as young eaglets, whom the mother-bird is carefully teaching to fly, the favored recipients of God's richest gifts, Deuteronomy 31:13, etc. [source]

Chapter Summary: Deuteronomy 32

1  Moses' song, which sets forth God's mercy and vengeance
46  He exhorts them to set their hearts upon it
48  God sends him up to mount Nebo to see the land, and to die

What do the individual words in Deuteronomy 32:13 mean?

He made him ride in - the heights of the earth that he might eat the produce of the fields and He made him draw honey from the rock and oil from flinty the rock
יַרְכִּבֵ֙הוּ֙ עַל־ [במותי] (בָּ֣מֳתֵי‪‬) אָ֔רֶץ וַיֹּאכַ֖ל תְּנוּבֹ֣ת שָׂדָ֑י וַיֵּנִקֵ֤הֽוּ דְבַשׁ֙ מִסֶּ֔לַע וְשֶׁ֖מֶן מֵחַלְמִ֥ישׁ צֽוּר

יַרְכִּבֵ֙הוּ֙  He  made  him  ride 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, third person masculine singular, third person masculine singular
Root: רָכַב  
Sense: to mount and ride, ride.
[במותי]  - 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct
(בָּ֣מֳתֵי‪‬)  the  heights  of 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct
Root: בָּמָה  
Sense: high place, ridge, height, bamah (technical name for cultic platform).
אָ֔רֶץ  the  earth 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
וַיֹּאכַ֖ל  that  he  might  eat 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָכַל  
Sense: to eat, devour, burn up, feed.
תְּנוּבֹ֣ת  the  produce 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct
Root: תְּנוּבָה  
Sense: fruit, produce.
שָׂדָ֑י  of  the  fields 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: שָׂדֶה 
Sense: field, land.
וַיֵּנִקֵ֤הֽוּ  and  He  made  him  draw 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular, third person masculine singular
Root: יָנַק 
Sense: to suckle, nurse, suck.
דְבַשׁ֙  honey 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: דְּבַשׁ  
Sense: honey.
מִסֶּ֔לַע  from  the  rock 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular
Root: סֶלַע  
Sense: crag, cliff, rock.
וְשֶׁ֖מֶן  and  oil 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular
Root: שֶׁמֶן  
Sense: fat, oil.
מֵחַלְמִ֥ישׁ  from  flinty 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: חַלָּמִישׁ  
Sense: flint, rock.
צֽוּר  the  rock 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: צוּר 
Sense: rock, cliff.