Deuteronomy 32:14
Butter of the herd, and milk of the sheep with the fat of lambs, and of the rams of the breed of Basan: and goats with the marrow of wheat, and might drink the purest blood of the grape.
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- Vulgate (Clementine)
- butyrum de armento, et lac de ovibus cum adipe agnorum, et arietum filiorum Basan : et hircos cum medulla tritici, et sanguinem uvæ biberet meracissimum.
- Septuagint (Swete)
- βούτυρον βοῶν καὶ γάλα προβάτων μετὰ στέατος ἀρνῶν καὶ κριῶν, υἱῶν ταύρων καὶ τράγων μετὰ στέατος νεφρῶν πυροῦ, καὶ αἷμα σταφυλῆς ἔπιεν οἶνον.
- Hebrew (WLC)
- חֶמְאַ֨ת בָּקָ֜ר וַחֲלֵ֣ב צֹ֗אן עִם חֵ֨לֶב כָּרִ֜ים וְאֵילִ֤ים בְּנֵֽי בָשָׁן֙ וְעַתּוּדִ֔ים עִם חֵ֖לֶב כִּלְי֣וֹת חִטָּ֑ה וְדַם עֵנָ֖ב תִּשְׁתֶּה חָֽמֶר
Haydock's commentary
Butter or "cream," as the former article was probably not yet discovered, Genesis xviii. 8. (Calmet)
The proofs of this assertion, from the original, chemath, and from the Scripture, frequently representing butter as a liquid, seem not, however, very solid. See Judges v. 25., and Proverbs xxx. 33. The Septuagint have literally, "the butter of oxen," but the latter name includes all of the species. (Haydock)
Basan. The Septuagint have, "the young of bulls and of he-goats;" though they generally translate "fat sheep." See St. Jerome in Isaias liii.
Wheat. Hebrew, "fat of the kidneys of wheat."
Grape. See Genesis xlix. 11. Androcides wrote to Alexander, who loved wine too much, "when thou art about to drink wine, remember, O king, that thou art drinking the blood of the earth." (Pliny, [Natural History?] xiv. 15.)
From Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary, 1859, in the transcription made by Todd Easton and kept online by John Paul Wohlschied at johnblood.gitlab.io/haydock.
The Fathers on this verse
Clement of Alexandria The Instructor, Chapter VI. The Name Children Does Not Imply Instruction in Elementary Principles
Further, many also use the fat of milk, called butter, for the lamp, plainly indicating by this enigma the abundant unction of the Word, since He alone it is who nourishes the infants, makes them grow, and enlightens them. Wherefore also the Scripture says respecting the Lord, “He fed them with the produce of the fields; they sucked honey from the rock, and oil from the solid rock, butter of kine, and milk of sheep, with fat of lambs;” and what follows He gave them. But he that prophesies the birth of the child says: “Butter and honey shall He eat.” And it occurs to me to wonder how some dare call themselves perfect and gnostics, with ideas of themselves above the apostle, inflated and boastful, when Paul even owned respecting himself, “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfect; but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which I am apprehended of Christ. …