Deuteronomy 32:15 · Bible study
Deuteronomy 32:15 Commentary: Jeshurun's Prosperity and Rebellion
Hebrew · 9 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
The irony of Israel called 'upright' yet growing fat and forsaking God. A warning about prosperity and spiritual amnesia.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Israel, called 'upright,' grows fat on God's provisions and kicks in rebellion, abandoning the Rock of salvation.
- Key words: Jeshurun (upright), kick (ba‘at), grow fat (shaman, avah, kasah), abandon (natash), treat with contempt (nabel), Rock (tzur).
- Main debate: Whether Jeshurun derives from 'upright' (yashar) or 'to see' (shur), but the ironic use against Israel is agreed.
- Theological theme: Prosperity as moral danger, God's blessings can harden the heart if not met with gratitude and remembrance.
- Best use: A warning passage for individuals and churches in seasons of comfort; calls for self-examination and renewed dependence on God.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked— becoming fat, bloated, and gorged. He abandoned the God who made him and scorned the Rock of his salvation.
WEB World English Bible 2000
But Jeshurun grew fat, and kicked. You have grown fat. You have grown thick. You have become sleek. Then he abandoned God who made him, and rejected the Rock of his salvation.
KJV King James Version 1769
But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness; then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: Thou art waxed fat, thou art grown thick, thou art become sleek; Then he forsook God who made him, And lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
And Jeshurun waxeth fat, and doth kick: Thou hast been fat--thou hast been thick, Thou hast been covered. And he leaveth God who made him, And dishonoureth the Rock of his salvation.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
Then Jeshurun grew fat, and kicked — Thou art waxen fat, Thou art grown thick, And thou art covered with fatness; — He gave up God who made him, And lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
The beloved grew fat, and kicked: he grew fat, and thick and gross, he forsook God who made him, and departed from God his saviour.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Y engrosó Jeshurun, y tiró coces: engordástete, engrosástete, cubrístete: y dejó al Dios que le hizo, y menospreció la Roca de su salud.
E engordou Jesurum, e deu coices: Engordaste-te, engrossaste-te, cobriste-te: E deixou ao Deus que lhe fez, E menosprezou a Rocha de sua salvação.
Israël est devenu gras, et il a regimbé;
Da aber Jesurun fett ward, ward er übermütig. Er ist fett und dick und stark geworden und hat den Gott fahren lassen, der ihn gemacht hat. Er hat den Fels seines Heils gering geachtet
Als nu Jeschurun vet werd, zo sloeg hij achteruit (gij zijt vet, gij zijt dik, ja, met vet overdekt geworden!); en hij liet God varen, Die hem gemaakt heeft, en versmaadde den Rotssteen zijns heils.
Ma Ieshurun s’è fatto grasso ed ha ricalcitrato, ti sei fatto grasso, grosso e pingue! ha abbandonato l’Iddio che l’ha fatto, e ha sprezzato la Ròcca della sua salvezza.
I roztył Izrael, i wierzgał (otyłeś, stłuściałeś, zgrubiałeś, i opuściłeś Boga, który cię uczynił,) i lekce poważył Boga, opokę zbawienia swego.
И [ел Иаков, и] утучнел Израиль, и стал упрям; утучнел, отолстел и разжирел; и оставил он Бога, создавшего его, и презрел твердыню спасения своего.
但耶書崙 漸漸肥胖，粗壯，光潤，踢跳，奔跑， 便離棄 造他的 神，輕看 救他 的磐石；
But Jeshurun became fat and would not be controlled: you have become fat, you are thick and full of food: then he was untrue to the God who made him, giving no honour to the Rock of his salvation.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Deuteronomy 32:15
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that Jeshurun is a poetic name for Israel, meaning 'the upright one.' It is used here with biting irony: the people called to be honest and straight have become bloated and rebellious. Matthew Henry and Calvin both note that the name taunts Israel by reminding them of what they should have been. The verse describes the pattern of prosperity leading to spiritual forgetfulness. Clarke stresses that this is spoken prophetically as a warning, not as an unavoidable fate. The metaphor of a well-fed animal that kicks against its owner appears across several commentaries: Jamieson-Fausset-Brown calls it a 'pampered animal' grown vicious. The three Hebrew verbs for growing fat (shaman, avah, kasah) pile up to intensify the picture of self-indulgence and its outcome: abandonment of God, the Rock of salvation.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Jeshurun as 'Upright One': Derivation from Hebrew yashar (straight); supported by most commentators (e.g., Calvin, Henry) and the obvious contrast with Israel's crooked behavior.
- Jeshurun as 'Seeing One': Gill mentions a derivation from shur (to see), connecting it to Israel's history of seeing God's wonders and still rejecting him.
- Prophetic warning vs. description: Clarke argues the prophecy is conditional—a warning to prevent the evil. Others treat it as a straightforward prediction, as in Deuteronomy 31:20.
What is clear: Regardless of the exact derivation or prophetic nuance, the verse describes a people blessed by God who respond with ingratitude, self-indulgence, and active rebellion, abandoning the very God who saved them.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning of Jeshurun | It is a poetic name for Israel, used here with irony because Israel was not living up to that name. | Some derive it from 'upright' (yashar); others from 'to see' (shur), giving 'seeing one.' Neither changes the ironic punch. |
| Prophetic nature | Moses writes this as a forecast of Israel's future rebellion. | Clarke insists it is a conditional warning; if Israel heeded it, the evil could be averted. Others read it as a straightforward prediction. |
| Application to Christ | Some see a foreshadowing of those who rejected Jesus. | Gill applies the 'kicking' specifically to Judas and the Jewish leaders' rejection of Christ; others see it as warning against any form of spiritual apostasy. |
| Level of condemnation | The verse condemns ingratitude and rebellion. | Whether the language of growing fat implies personal greed or national prosperity is debated, some focus on individual sin, others on systemic corruption. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Deuteronomy 32 is the Song of Moses, a covenant lawsuit that rehearses Israel's history and warns of future unfaithfulness. The name Jeshurun appears only here and in Deuteronomy 33:5, 26 and Isaiah 44:2. It is a term of endearment, meaning 'upright' or 'beloved,' drawn from the root yashar (straight). The Song contrasts God's faithful care with Israel's coming rebellion. Verses 10, 14 describe God's tender provision: an eagle stirring its nest, honey from the rock, oil from flinty stone, and the finest wheat and wine. Then verse 15 pivots sharply. Israel, now fat and prosperous, kicks like a stubborn ox.
The surrounding chapters hammer home the same warning. In Deuteronomy 6:10, 12, Moses tells the people that when they enter good cities they did not build and eat their fill, they must not forget Yahweh. Deuteronomy 8:14 cautions against a heart lifted up by abundance. Deuteronomy 31:20 explicitly predicts: 'When I have brought them into the land... and they have eaten and filled themselves, and grown fat, then they will turn to other gods.' Verse 15 of the Song is the poetic fulfilment of that prophecy, but Moses delivers it as a warning so that it might not happen.
The word 'kicked' (ba‘at) is used in 1 Samuel 2:29 of Eli’s sons 'kicking' at God’s sacrifice. It captures not just ingratitude but active rebellion. The phrase 'Rock of his salvation' (tzur yeshu‘ato) echoes Deuteronomy 32:4, where God is called the Rock whose work is perfect. Abandoning that Rock is the ultimate folly.
Textual Notes
The Cambridge Bible notes that the Samaritan Pentateuch and the Septuagint add the line 'And Jacob ate and was full' to this verse, while the Masoretic Text does not include it. The line appears in the surrounding material (Deuteronomy 31:20; 32:14) and may have been inserted for clarity. Aside from this, the consulted sources note no significant variants. The word translated 'sleek' (kasita) is obscure; some versions render it 'gorged,' other manuscripts show a reading close to the verb in Jeremiah 5:28 ('they have grown sleek'). The core meaning of overindulgence and rebellion is unaffected.
Reception History
This verse has been read across traditions as a caution against the spiritual perils of affluence. Early church fathers like Ambrose and Augustine referenced it in sermons on ingratitude, drawing the contrast between God's generous provision and human forgetfulness. Jewish commentators, including Rashi, connected 'kicking' to the arrogance of a well-fed animal; the Targum Jonathan paraphrases 'he forsook the worship of God.' In Reformed preaching, the verse was often used to warn against worldly security, Matthew Henry calls it 'the prosperity of fools destroys them.' The name Jeshurun appears only a few times in Scripture, so this verse became the classic proof-text for the irony of divine election betrayed by human indulgence. It remains a pointed reminder in liturgical readings of Deuteronomy during times of national or personal abundance.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- Name and shame. Jeshurun means upright. The name itself accuses: you were called to be straight, but you are bent. God's kindness in giving the name deepens the sin.
- Fullness and forgetfulness. The three verbs for growing fat (shaman, avah, kasah) show a deliberate, overindulgent consumption. Material blessing becomes a snare when it displaces the Giver.
- The kick and the Rock. Kicking is active rebellion, not passive drift. It is directed against the God who made them and the Rock who saves. Ingratitude turns to hostility.
Five-point outline
- The ironic name: Jeshurun, the upright one. God gave Israel an identity to live up to.
- The dangerous diet: Honey, oil, butter, wine, all God's gifts. Prosperity itself is not the sin, but the reaction it provokes.
- The animal metaphor: Like a pampered ox that grows fat and kicks the farmer. Comfort does not produce gratitude; it can produce arrogance.
- The triple abandonment: The people forsake God (natash), treat him with contempt (nabel), and reject the Rock of salvation. Progressively worse.
- The prophetic warning: Moses sings this before they enter the land, so that when it happens they might remember and return.
Illustration hooks
- The spoiled child: A teenager given everything, phone, car, allowance, who then speaks disrespectfully to the parents who provided it. The more they give, the more he resents their authority.
- The horse well-fed but unbroken: A farm horse that is fed grain every day but never exercised or trained. It becomes dangerous, kicking at the stall door. Ease without discipline leads to wildness.
- The 'success story' who forgets: Someone who credits their own hard work for prosperity, forgetting the people, opportunities, and grace that made it possible. The self-made myth is a kind of Jeshurun forgetting.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Is it wrong to enjoy material blessings? Where is the line between gratitude and gluttony?
- How do we know if comfort has made us spiritually lazy?
- What does 'kicking against God' look like in everyday life, is it only open rebellion, or can it include neglect?
Leading a Discussion
This verse is a mirror. It invites us to examine how God’s goodness can become the very thing that distances us from him. Prosperity is not a curse; it is a test, and one we often fail. The name Jeshurun reminds us that we carry an identity that we may not be living up to. Use these questions to explore the danger of comfort and the call to remember.
Discussion questions
- What does the name Jeshurun (upright one) tell us about how God sees Israel, and how does that make the rebellion worse?
- The verse uses three different words for growing fat. Why do you think Moses piles them up? What is he communicating about the condition of the people?
- Read Deuteronomy 8:10, 14. How does that passage echo the situation in verse 15, and what specific warning does Moses give?
- The word 'kicked' is used of an animal that fights its owner. In what ways can material comfort lead us to 'kick' against God rather than thank him?
- How does calling God 'the Rock of your salvation' (v. 4) deepen the tragedy of abandoning him? What does the word 'Rock' communicate about God’s character?
- Clarke notes that this is a prophetic warning, not a deterministic prediction. How does knowing this could have been avoided affect the way you read the verse?
- What practices help you remember God in times of abundance? How can your group encourage one another to avoid 'Jeshurun forgetting'?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Deuteronomy 6:10 | It shall be, when Yahweh your God brings you into the land which he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you, great and goodly cities which you didn’t build, |
| Deuteronomy 6:12 | then beware lest you forget Yahweh, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. |
| Deuteronomy 8:10 | You shall eat and be full, and you shall bless Yahweh your God for the good land which he has given you. |
| Deuteronomy 8:14 | then your heart might be lifted up, and you forget Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage; |
| Deuteronomy 31:16 | Yahweh said to Moses, “Behold, you shall sleep with your fathers. This people will rise up and play the prostitute after the strange gods of the land where they go to be among them, and will forsake me and break my covenant which I have made with them. |
| Deuteronomy 31:20 | For when I have brought them into the land which I swore to their fathers, flowing with milk and honey, and they have eaten and filled themselves, and grown fat, then they will turn to other gods, and serve them, and despise me, and break my covenant. |
| Deuteronomy 32:4 | The Rock: his work is perfect, for all his ways are just. A God of faithfulness who does no wrong, just and right is he. |
| Deuteronomy 32:6 | Is this the way you repay Yahweh, foolish and unwise people? Isn’t he your father who has bought you? He has made you and established you. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
8 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke stresses that the name Jeshurun, meaning the upright, is used prophetically to warn that Israel will later revolt against God. But he insists this prediction is not a fixed fate: its purpose is to alert the people so the evil may be prevented, just as a warning given to David allowed him to avoid disaster.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin highlights the irony in Moses calling Israel upright while their abundance made them insolent. Prosperity, which should draw them nearer to God as children to a Father, instead turned them into restive horses that kick against their rider. The reproof cuts to the depth of human ingratitude.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Note observes that the one who should have been upright instead grew prosperous and then turned against God. The repeated description of being fat and gross points to how abundance led to arrogance, so that he forgot his Maker and rejected his Savior. The emphasis falls on the danger of material blessing causing spiritual rebellion.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill sees this verse as a prophecy of Israel's rejection of Christ despite every spiritual advantage. The name Jeshurun describes a people who saw God's wonders and Christ himself, yet they "kicked" against him. Their great prosperity and unique privileges only made their contempt for the rock of salvation more grievous.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB notes that Jeshurun is a poetic name for Israel, and the image of a fat animal that kicks comes from a pampered beast turning vicious. Good living and kind treatment made Israel rebellious, murmuring, and idolatrous instead of tame and grateful.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
For Lange, the song is a dramatic dialogue between Moses and Jehovah, not merely Moses’s own words. He stresses that the repeated figure of the Rock presents a self-revelation of God as the faithful, unchanging foundation, while the song’s prophetic horizon is essentially Messianic, pointing to a future judgment that brings both vengeance and mercy for Israel and the nations.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry highlights the tragic irony that Israel, called Jeshurun meaning upright or seeing people, became fat and kicked against God precisely because of His blessings. Prosperity hardened them into pride and sensuality, so they forgot the God who made them.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley highlights the irony in the name Jeshurun, which means upright or righteous. Israel bore this title to remind them what they professed to be, yet they grew fat and kicked like well-fed cattle, becoming insolent and rebellious against God, His word, and His Spirit.