Deuteronomy 32:1-6 The Unforgettable Song - An Introduction - Updated 31 October 2025

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Welcome to the 'InAllWisdom Podcast', a daily podcast dedicated to wisdom for life. I am Jim Donnelly, your host. 

The title of today's podcast is "The Unforgettable Song", a Wise World View, an introduction to the song of Moses. It is a song that appears first in the Hebrew Bible, then a second time in the book of Revelation, hundreds of thousands of God's people sang this song before they entered the Promised Land. And people will sing this song again just before the seven bowls of God's wrath. 

In the book of Revelation, chapter 15, we read, 'Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels who have seven plagues, which are the last, because in them the wrath of God is finished. Then I saw something like a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who have overcome the beast in his image and the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having harps of God. And they sang the song of Moses, the slave of God, and the song of the lame, saying, "Great and marvelous are your works. O Lord God, the Almighty, righteous and true are your ways, king of the nations. Who will not fear O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone or holy, for all nations will come and worship before you. For your righteous acts have been revealed." 

Legacy Standard Bible, 2022, Revelation 15 verses 1 to 4 

For sure this song will challenge you to think about some of the most important things in life. Please be patient with me and with the text of the song of Moses. The heart of God formed all the words of the song. The song sings prophetically to every generation. It is a song about the past, the present, and the future. One thousand years after people first sang the song, the book of Revelation says people will again sing the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb. 

I am persuaded that this song that Yahweh composed and gave to Moses to write and to teach is the prophetic song of the Lamb. Is not Yahweh the Lamb of God? Should not we then desire to learn the song of the Lamb? 

I am indebted to Jan P. Fokkelman, whose life work has been Hebrew poetry, especially his book, Major Poems of the Hebrew Bible, Volume I, covering Exodus 15, Deuteronomy 32, and Job 3. He considers the song of Moses to be an extremely complex edifice. Its 461 Hebrew words, he writes, "have been accommodated in 140 Cola, half lines, arranged into 27 strophes, turns in thought." As spoken language the poem is complex as well, containing speeches on at least four discursive levels, see the footnote I provided. 

For each podcast about the song of Moses, I will read a single stanza, a paragraph that contains strokes. These are the thoughts that provide my top podcast titles. This will help many readers who may know nothing about this song, and others who know some things will better understand this song. Also, I will use a different translation each month. This will help us hear and better understand one of the longest songs in the Bible. This song should bring the reader to a knowledge and understanding of what God has already done, is doing now, and will continue to do until he returns on the clouds of the sky. I emphasize once more that the song of Moses is all Hebrew poetry. The author, Yahweh, uses what we call stanzas, strokes, and cold ones to communicate with utmost clarity, his plans, his thoughts. Further, like a paragraph, as stanza is a section of thought, a strobe is a turn in the conversation. A colon is a sentence. I quote, "the most common feature of Hebrew poetry is a sentence, colon, which is divided into two parts by a pause, or break, in the sense of what is being said." Again, see my footnote. My method is to go one stanza, one strobe, one colon at a time. One paragraph, one turn of thought at a time, one sentence at a time. This method will bring out the thoughts of the author and what he wants us to understand. First, I grouped them together for a nerve review, then I ponder every word. Let's learn some introductory things about the Song of Moses by considering Stanza 1. The immediate setting of the Song of Moses reads, then Moses resided the words of the following poem to the very end in the hearing of all the congregation of Israel, Deuteronomy 3130. Today, I am reading from the contemporary Torah, 2006, the Jewish publication society. This edition prints out the verses in Half-lines, half sentences. 

Deuteronomy 32 verses 1 to 6, Stanza 1. "Give me ear, O heavens, let me speak. Let the earth hear the words I utter. May my discourse come down as the rain, my speech, to still as to do, like showers on young growth, like droplets on the grass." 

For the name of Yahweh, I proclaim, "Give glory to our God, the rock whose deeds are perfect. Ye, all God's ways are just a faithful God never false, true and upright, indeed." 

Unworthy children, that crooked perverse generation, their baseness has played God false. "Do you thus requite Yahweh, O Dull, and witless people, is not this the Father who created you, fashioned you, and made you endure?" 

The contemporary Torah, 2006, the Jewish Publication Society. 

In this introduction to the Song of Moses, I emphasize that each stanza, paragraph contains turns of thought. Deuteronomy 32, 1 to 6, Stanza 1 contains three struts, turns of thought. 32, verses 1 and 2, thought 1, I will speak with utmost clarity. 32, verses 3 and 4, thought 2. I will proclaim the name of Yahweh, 

32, 5 and 6, thought 3. They are a crooked, perverse generation. 

These thoughts in the first three strophes form a divine arrangement of life-giving words, 24 thoughts to go. I say divine because Yahweh is the speaker of all the words of this song. I say arrangement of life-giving words because it was Yahweh who gave King Solomon great wisdom in order to write this instruction. The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from Yahweh, legacy standard Bible, Proverbs 16, 1, 20, 22. Literarily, to man belongs the responsibility for the organizing of the heart from Yahweh is the answer of the tongue. I learned that phrase organizing of the heart when I asked a friend a Jewish rabbi, what the Hebrew "mararake lib" meant. He said, "Oh, that is the organizing of the heart." 

That answer was and continues to be most helpful to me as I keep one learning from Proverbs 16 verses 1 to 4. In Proverbs 16, 1 the idea is the arranging of one's thoughts. The Hebrew word also translates to a range or to organize or to prepare. In Genesis 22, 9, Abraham arranged the wood to sacrifice his son Isaac, Leviticus 24, 4 and 6. The priest arranged the loaves of bread and the lampstands in the sanctuary, 1 Samuel 1721, kings arranged armies for battle. Job 32, 14, Job arranged his words to take before the Lord. Psalms 5 verse 3, "The psalmist arranged his prayers before God, Proverbs 9 verse 2. Lady Wisdom prepared her table to invite those in need of Wisdom, Psalms 23, verse 5. Yahweh prepares the table for us to feast in fellowship with him. Second Samuel 23, 5. God, El, made a covenant with David arranged in every way. 

Again, I am persuaded that the Wisdom of Yahweh composed this song with utmost perfection, which he gave to Moses to write and teach the people on the plains of Moab. And why do I call it the unforgettable song? Because Yahweh promised his word would remain in the mouth of his people, quote, "Then it will be when many evils and troubles have found them that this song will answer them as a witness for it shall not be forgotten from the males of their seed. For I know their intent, which they are developing today, before I have brought them into the land which I have sworn,"
Legacy Standard Bible, Deuteronomy 31, 21. 

Moses wrote the song Yahweh gave him around 1270 BCE, Before the Christian Era. 300 years later, circa 970 BCE, an example, quote, "That the words of this song will not be forgotten from the males of their seed" comes from the mouth of King David. Yahweh is my shepherd. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. This 23rd song is a direct quote of the words from the song of Moses, quote, Yahweh alone guided him. Brackets [leads him], close brackets. There were no strange gods with him.”  See Deuteronomy 32:12. 

What a comfort to know that Yahweh alone will lead his dear children along. One step at a time, one day at a time, as we are able, not too fast, not too slow, but always forward. 

We have come to the end of today's InAllWisdom podcast. A daily podcast dedicated to wisdom for life. 

Thank you for listening. Please join me again for another interesting episode of Wisdom for Life. 

Until he comes on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory, 

May Yahweh bless you and keep you. 

Yahweh, make his face shine on you and be gracious to you. 

Yahweh lift up his face when you and give you peace. 

Legacy Standard Bible, The Book of Numbers 6:24-27.