Deut 32:40–43: the oath, the sword, and the closing call (MT)

Says 32:40 has the Lord swear by himself: כִּי־אֶשָּׂא אֶל־שָׁמַיִם יָדִי (ki-essa' el-shamayim yadi, "For I lift up My hand to heaven," BSB) … חַי אָנֹכִי לְעֹלָם (khay anokhi le'olam, "As surely as I live forever," BSB).

Says 32:41 says אָשִׁיב נָקָם לְצָרָי וְלִמְשַׂנְאַי אֲשַׁלֵּם (ashiv naqam letsaray velimsan'ay ashallem, "I will take vengeance on My adversaries and repay those who hate Me," BSB), taking up נָקָם and, in the verb אֲשַׁלֵּם, the root of שִׁלֵּם from 32:35.

Says The MT of 32:43 has four lines. It opens הַרְנִינוּ גוֹיִם עַמּוֹ (harninu goyim 'ammo, "make his people rejoice, O nations," or "rejoice, O nations, his people," literal), a Hiphil imperative. The BSB follows a longer text here; the variants are treated in their own records.

Says The MT ends וְכִפֶּר אַדְמָתוֹ עַמּוֹ (vekhipper admato 'ammo, "and he will make atonement for his land, his people," literal), with no "and" between "land" and "people."

Uncertain Whether וְכִפֶּר here means "atone for" or "cleanse." The lean is "cleanse," as the BSB has it ("He will cleanse His land"), since its object is the land after the blood of 32:43a is avenged. The alternative is "make atonement for," taking the shed blood of 32:43 as something to be expiated; Onqelos reads it so, וִיכַפֵּר ("and he will atone").