These passages from Deuteronomy examine the subtle distinctions between Hebrew prepositions—biglalchem, lemanchen, and divreichem—used to express causation and agency in relation to the people's sin and its consequences for Moses. The sources illustrate how different formulations convey nuances in biblical narrative and divine causality.
גַּם־בִּי֙ הִתְאַנַּ֣ף יְהֹוָ֔ה בִּגְלַלְכֶ֖ם
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What the sources say
The two pesukim present Moses using different language to describe the same divine anger: in Devarim 1:37 he says בִּגְלַלְכֶם — 'because of you' — framing God's wrath as caused by the people's actions, while in Devarim 3:26 he says לְמַעַנְכֶם — 'on your account' — a formulation that can carry a sense of 'for your sake,' subtly shifting the relational nuance of the same event.
Taken together, Devarim 1:37 with בִּגְלַלְכֶם and Devarim 3:26 with לְמַעַנְכֶם show Moses attributing his exclusion from the land to the people in two distinct registers — one more accusatory and causal, the other more intertwined and relational — reflecting how the same theological claim can be voiced with meaningfully different weight.
דברים א׳:ל״ז
Deuteronomy 1:37
Moshe says that Hashem was angry with him "because of you" (biglalchem) and decreed that he too would not enter the land. The verse is central for the idea that the generation's sin was the cause of Moshe's own punishment.
גַּם־בִּי֙ הִתְאַנַּ֣ף יְהֹוָ֔ה בִּגְלַלְכֶ֖ם לֵאמֹ֑ר גַּם־אַתָּ֖ה לֹא־תָבֹ֥א שָֽׁם׃
Because of you GOD was incensed with me too, saying: You shall not enter it either.
דברים ג׳:כ״ו-כ״ח
Deuteronomy 3:26-28
God became wrathful with Moses on the people's account (using the form lemanchen) and refused to listen to his prayer, commanding him to cease speaking about the matter.
וַיִּתְעַבֵּ֨ר יְהֹוָ֥ה בִּי֙ לְמַ֣עַנְכֶ֔ם וְלֹ֥א שָׁמַ֖ע אֵלָ֑י וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהֹוָ֤ה אֵלַי֙ רַב־לָ֔ךְ אַל־תּ֗וֹסֶף דַּבֵּ֥ר אֵלַ֛י ע֖וֹד בַּדָּבָ֥ר הַזֶּֽה׃
But GOD was wrathful with me on your account and would not listen to me. GOD said to me, “Enough! Never speak to Me of this matter again!