Ulangan 32:11

32:11 Like an eagle that stirs up ¹  its nest,

that hovers over its young,

so the Lord ²  spread out his wings and took him, ³ 

he lifted him up on his pinions.

Matius 23:37

Judgment on Israel

23:37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, ⁴  you who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! ⁵  How often I have longed ⁶  to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but ⁷  you would have none of it! ⁸ 

[32:11]  ¹ tn The prefixed verbal form is an imperfect, indicating habitual or typical behavior. The parallel verb (cf. “hovers” in the next line) is used in the same manner.

[32:11]  ² tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[32:11]  ³ tn The form of the suffix on this and the following verb forms (cf. “lifted him up”) indicates that the verbs are preterites, not imperfects. As such they simply state the action factually. The use of the preterite here suggests that the preceding verb (cf. “spread out”) is preterite as well.

[23:37]  ⁴ sn The double use of the city’s name betrays intense emotion.

[23:37]  map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[23:37]  ⁵ tn Although the opening address (“Jerusalem, Jerusalem”) is direct (second person), the remainder of this sentence in the Greek text is third person (“who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her”). The following sentences then revert to second person (“your… you”), so to keep all this consistent in English, the third person pronouns in the present verse were translated as second person (“you who kill… sent to you”).

[23:37]  ⁶ sn How often I have longed to gather your children. Jesus, like a lamenting prophet, speaks for God here, who longed to care tenderly for Israel and protect her.

[23:37]  ⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[23:37]  ⁸ tn Grk “you were not willing.”