Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Sforno · Torah
Sforno on Deuteronomy 32:33/ספורנו על דברים ל״ב:ל״ג
אחֲמַת תַּנִּינִם יֵינָם. וְהִנֵּה בְּאוֹתָם אַשְׁכֹּלוֹת נִמְצָא יַיִן שֶׁהוּא חֲמַת תַּנִּינִים מְשֻׁמָּר בַּעֲנָבָיו, וְהוּא פֻּרְעָנוּת רָאוּי לָהֶם בְּמִדַּת הַדִּין וְנִשְׁמָר עַד שֶׁיּוֹצִיאֵהוּ הָאֵל יִתְבָּרַךְ מֵאוֹתָם הָעֲנָבִים לְהַשְׁקוֹתָם, כְּאָמְרוֹ ״פּוּרָה דָּרַכְתִּי לְבַדִּי״ (ישעיהו סג:ג).
1חמת תנינים יינם, their wine is the venom of asps; among the clusters mentioned in verse 32 there are also poisonous grapes, hidden and unidentifiable among the grapes. This disaster awaits them as a manifestation of the attribute of Justice they have richly deserved. Until they actually are extracting the juice from these grapes [this is all hyperbole, of course, Ed.] G’d did not convert His threat of retribution into something actual. Compare Isaiah 63,3, G’d saying that He alone squeezed out these grapes by treading on them.