On the reading of the Peshitta in Dt. XXXIII: 2

In Deuteronomy XXXIII: 2, the LXX renders אשדת למו as “angels being with him”. In that case מימינו must have been taken as meaning “on his right” or “to his right”, which would be normal usage. This probably has something to do with what Paul says about the giving of the first Torah by angels. The Peshitta has a different explanatory translation, which I will look at when I have time. The word Rabbinic interpretation of אשדת is אש דת “a fire of religion” or better “the fire of revelation”. [The word dat in Hebrew is borrowed from Persian. It is a past participle meaning given. In Daniel it means religion. Compare the Latin datum, plural data. Note also that the name of Baghdad is Persian and means God-given]. I take this as not being intended as expressing the real etymology of the word, but a way of expressing a concept.

One overall concept of these verses is that the Torah having been brought down to Sinai radiates out from Sinai without any limit by space or time. The second Torah only seems to be second from our viewpoint within time. The blessing can thus speak of both the first and second Torah at once, though the focus is most definitely on the second. The second Moses is said to be sent from Sinai because he bears the Torah radiating from Sinai in a timeless present. The traditional Rabbinic interpretation preserves the concept of timeless radiation while deliberately obscuring the implications.

The Peshitta had a Hebrew text without the two words אשדת למו, or otherwise the translators deliberately left them out. The Samaritan text has ואתו meaning “and with him” instead of “and he came / comes” ואתה of the MT. The LXX, Peshitta, both Targums, and the Vulgate have either had the same reading as the SAMARITAN before them, or have read the letters ואתה as an archaic spelling of ואתו .

The separation of אשדת into two words is weakly attested in the MT and is a well attested minority reading in the Samaritan. The word is understood as a fiery Torah by Symmachus, and as the fire of the Torah by the Samaritan exegetical tradition, both Targums, Aquila, and the Vulgate. Only the LXX has a different interpretation.

Muhammad understood all this, but the Islamic way of expressing it is to say that all revealed Scripture is a manifestation of the Heavenly Book. Jesus said “I come not to destroy the Torah, but to make it complete”.