Deuteronomy 32:39 (WEB)
“See now that I myself am he. There is no god with me. I kill and I make alive. I wound and I heal. There is no one who can deliver out of my hand.
Catechism · 1
“This is not a "primitive mode of speech", but a profound way of recalling God's primacy and absolute Lordship over history and the world,” — Catechism footnote: Cf. Is 10:5-15; 45:51; Dt 32:39; Sir 11:14.
Fathers and councils · 25
Origen
- Origen, Against Celsus II.24Book II
“For they appear to have heard the declaration, “I kill,” and they often make it to us a subject of reproach; but the words, “I will make alive,” they do not remember,—the whole sentence showing that those who live…” — editor's note: Deut. xxxii. 39.
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Athanasius of Alexandria
“And the Lord Himself says of Himself through the Prophet, ‘See now that I, even I am He,’ and ‘I change not.’” — editor's note: Deut. xxxii. 39; Mal. iii. 6.
Read the whole comment- Athanasius of Alexandria, Against the Arians III.1Discourse III
“Accordingly when the Father is called the only God, and we read that there is one God, and ‘I am,’ and ‘beside Me there is no God,’ and ‘I the first and I the last,’ this has a fit meaning.” — editor's note: Ex. iii. 14; Deut. xxxii. 39, LXX.; Is. xliv. 6
Read the whole comment - Athanasius of Alexandria, Against the Arians III.2Discourse III
“…us, saying, ‘Behold God is said to be One and Only and First; how say ye that the Son is God? for if He were God, He had not said, “I Alone,” nor “God is One;”’ it is necessary to declare the sense of these phrases in addition, as far as we can, that all may know from this also that the Arians are really contending…” — editor's note: Deut. xxxii. 39; vi. 4, &c.
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Augustine of Hippo
“But where I could meet with such except in Thee, O Lord, I could not find,—except in Thee, who teachest by sorrow, and woundest us to heal us, and killest us that we may not die from Thee.” — editor's note: Deut. xxxii. 39.
Read the whole comment“He smiteth the rottenness of the deed, He healeth the pain of the wound.” — editor's note: Deut. xxxii. 39.
Read the whole comment““I will slay, and I will make alive: I will wound, and I will heal.”” — editor's note: Deut. xxxii. 39.
Read the whole comment“In him was fulfilled that which is written in the Prophet, “I will wound and I will heal.”” — editor's note: Deut. xxxii. 39.
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Tertullian
““I will smite and heal, I will make alive and put to death.”” — editor's note: Deut. xxxii. 39.
Read the whole comment“For, from the nature of the case, just as He knows how to “heal,” so does He withal know how to “smite;” “making peace,” but withal “creating evils;” preferring repentance, but withal commanding Jeremiah not to pray for the aversion of ills on behalf of the sinful…” — editor's note: Comp. Job v. 18; Deut. xxxii. 39.
Read the whole comment“…although sinful, since He says, “I desire rather the salvation of the sinner than his death;” although condemned, for says He, “I shall wound, and also heal.”” — editor's note: Deut. xxxii. 39.
Read the whole comment“There is, for instance, that passage in Isaiah: “I will kill, and I will make alive.”” — editor's note: Isa. xxxviii. 12, 13, 16. The very words, however, occur not in Isaiah, but in 1 Sam. ii. 6, Deut. xxxii. 39.
Read the whole comment““I will wound,” He says, “and I will heal;” “I will kill,” He says again, “and I will make alive”—even the same “who createth evil and maketh peace;” from which you are used even to censure Him with the imputation of fickleness and inconstancy, as if He forbade what He commanded, and commanded what He forbade.” — editor's note: Deut. xxxii. 39.
Read the whole comment“Even if “the letter killeth, yet the Spirit giveth life;” and both belong to Him who says: “I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal.”” — editor's note: Deut. xxxii. 39.
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Cyprian of Carthage
“I will kill, and will make alive; I will smite, and I will heal; and there is none who can deliver out of mine hands.”” — editor's note: Deut. xxxii. 39.
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Clement of Alexandria
“I will kill, and I will make to live; I will strike, and I will heal; and there is none who shall deliver out of My hands.”” — editor's note: Deut. xxxii. 39.
Read the whole comment“…He, and there is no god beside me: I will kill, and I will make to live; I will smite, and I will heal: and there is none that shall deliver out of my hands.”” — editor's note: Deut. xxxii. 39.
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Basil the Great
““There is no God beside me.”” — editor's note: Deut. xxxii. 39, LXX.
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Ephrem the Syrian
“And if it be not Thy forming, being Just, Thou wouldest not have healed it; and if it were not Thy creature, when in health, Thou wouldest not have afflicted it.” — editor's note: Deut. xxxii. 39.
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Hilary of Poitiers
“Note also the words of that Divine song of his; See, See, that I am the Lord, and there is no God beside Me.” — editor's note: Ib. xxxii. 39.
Read the whole comment“The true method of our enquiry demands that we should begin with him, through whom God first manifested Himself to the world, that is, with Moses, by whose mouth God the Only-begotten thus declared Himself; See, see that I am God, and there is no God beside Me.” — editor's note: Deut. xxxii. 39.
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Catena Aurea on Luke
- OrigenCatena Aurea on Luke
“(Deut. 32:39.)” — the author cites it
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Aphrahat
“And Moses again proclaimed clearly the Resurrection of the dead, for he said as from the mouth of his God:—It is I that cause to die and it is I that make alive.” — editor's note: Deut. xxxii. 39.
Read the whole comment“And they bring forward as an argument, that God said:—“I am God and there is none else beside Me.”” — editor's note: Deut. xxxii. 39.
Read the whole comment“Furthermore Moses said as from the mouth of God:—I make to die and I cause to live.” — editor's note: Deut. xxxii. 39.
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Cross-references · 49
Parallel passages
Deuteronomy 32:39 and Isaiah 43:13 share the same wording (13 words).
Cited together with
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Cited together in Nineteen Hymns on the Nativity of Christ in the Flesh Hymn 12.
Cited together in Catechism §304.
Cited together in Catechism §304.
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Cited together in Catechism §304.
Cited together in Catechism §304.
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Cited together in Catechism §304.
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Cited together in Confessions II.2.
Cited together in On the Resurrection of the Flesh Chapter 28.
Cited together in On the Resurrection of the Flesh Chapter 28.
Cited together in On the Resurrection of the Flesh Chapter 28.
Cited together in On the Resurrection of the Flesh Chapter 9.
Cited together in Nineteen Hymns on the Nativity of Christ in the Flesh Hymn 12.
Cited together in Confessions II.2.
Cited together in Exhortation to Martyrdom, Addressed to Fortunatus Chapter 3 and 1 other place.
Cited together in Exhortation to Martyrdom, Addressed to Fortunatus Chapter 3 and 1 other place.
Cited together in Exhortation to Martyrdom, Addressed to Fortunatus Chapter 3 and 1 other place.
Cited together in Exhortation to Martyrdom, Addressed to Fortunatus Chapter 3 and 1 other place.
Cited together in Exhortation to Martyrdom, Addressed to Fortunatus Chapter 3 and 1 other place.
Cited together in Exhortation to Martyrdom, Addressed to Fortunatus Chapter 3.
Cited together in Exhortation to Martyrdom, Addressed to Fortunatus Chapter 3.
Cited together in Origen on Luke 2:33–35 (5) (Catena Aurea).
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Cited together in Origen on Luke 2:33–35 (5) (Catena Aurea).
Cited together in Against the Arians I.9 and 1 other place.
Cited together in Exhortation to Martyrdom, Addressed to Fortunatus Chapter 3 and 1 other place.
Cited together in Confessions II.2.
Cited together in Confessions II.2.
Cited together in Confessions II.2.
Cited together in Against the Arians I.9.
Cited together in Exhortation to Martyrdom, Addressed to Fortunatus Chapter 3.
Cited together in Exhortation to Martyrdom, Addressed to Fortunatus Chapter 3.
Cited together in Nineteen Hymns on the Nativity of Christ in the Flesh Hymn 12.
Cited together in On the Resurrection of the Flesh Chapter 28.
Cited together in On the Resurrection of the Flesh Chapter 28.
Cited together in On the Resurrection of the Flesh Chapter 28.
Cited together in On the Resurrection of the Flesh Chapter 28.
Cited together in On the Resurrection of the Flesh Chapter 28.
Cited together in On the Resurrection of the Flesh Chapter 28.
Cited together in Exhortation to Martyrdom, Addressed to Fortunatus Chapter 3.