Kommentar zu Dewarim 32:38

אשר חלב זבחימו THE FAT OF WHOSE SACRIFICES THEY, i.e. these gods — used to eat, which they offered to them, and which used to drink יין נסיכם THE WINE OF THEIR DRINK OFFERING.

יקומו ויעזרכם, "Let them arise and help you!" There are two kinds of idolatry and idolators. 1) Someone is wholly committed to serve idols for their own sake. 2) Someone who only serves idols for self-serving purposes, i.e. in order to manipulate the deity for his own purpose. G'd forbade both kinds of idolatry in Exodus 20,4. Concerning the person who only goes through the motions of serving an idol for what he expects to get out of it, G'd said here: "let the deity arise and help you, i.e. you will be sorely disappointed." Concerning the other type of idolator G'd says sarcastically: יהי עליכם סתרה, "let them be a hide-out for you!"

אשר חלב זבחימו יאכלו, the deities whom the Israelites worshipped and to whom they presented their offerings.

יקומו ויעזרכם, “let them arise now and help you!” G’d will follow up by mockingly telling the Jewish people that now the time had come for them to appeal to the gentile nations whose lifestyles they had shared to help them against the judgment being visited upon them by the G’d, the One whom they had forsaken. They had assumed that by assimilating during their exile, these host nations as well as their gods would protect them.

אשר חלב זבחימו יאכלו, “the fat of whose offerings they would eat, etc.” Nachmanides writes that the reason that Moses employs the plural mode is that the nations of the world are numerous, so that when the Jews ate of the offerings presented to the various deities of the nations, they ate of a whole variety of such offerings. This made their sins even worse

אשר חלב זבחמו יאכלו, “the ones who should have consumed the fat parts of their offerings.” This is part of the taunt of Israel’s enemies at the time of their political low point. The plural יאכלו is a reference to the ‘gods’ of Israel by its enemies, and reflects their inability to comprehend that Israel believes in a single G’d, not in a variety of competing powers in the universe. They are taunting us by suggesting that these “gods” of ours should arise and help us. When the enemy continues with יהי עליכם סתרה, “may it be for you a protection,” instead of saying יהיו in the plural i.e. “let them be a protection” [as would have been appropriate in light of what we just explained]. The nations keeping Israel captive jeer, saying: “if indeed the god whom you believe in is only one, let Him hide you from all the persecutions which you are suffering and which you are about to endure still.”
Alternatively, we can understand these words as referring to G’d saying: “where is this god of the pagans to whom they offered all these sacrifices and libations of wine? This is the way Rashi understands the line. This is the basis for our sages in Avodah Zarah 29 deriving that יין נסך, wine of the pagans (normally used as a sacrificial offering to their gods), is prohibited not only to drink but to derive any benefit from. The fact that the Torah mentions this wine right next to the sacrifices of animals, זבחמו, establishes this halachic linkage between the two.

WHO ‘YOCHEILU’ (DID EAT) THE FAT OF THEIR SACRIFICES — for Israel was more constant in the service of offerings and drink-offerings than any other nation to its gods. He mentions the plural: ‘yocheilu’ (‘they’ did eat), ‘yishthu’ (‘they’ did drink), and their ‘gods’¹³⁵Above, Verse 37. which are in the plural [although referring to G-d Who is One] because according to the nations [whose words He is now citing] there are many deities. Therefore He turns [to Israel] and says, See now all My people, that I, even I, am He, One, and there is no god with Me¹³⁶Verse 39. to assist Me, and there is no one to oppose Me, to deliver out of My hand or object to My doing whatever I wish — to kill, to wound, to make alive and to heal.¹³⁶Verse 39.

אשר חלב זבחמו יאכלו, “Who would consume the fat of their sacrifices?” (At the time when these would be offered in their Temple)

אשר חלב זבחימו יאכלו, “who did eat the fat of their sacrifices;” the sacrifices offered by the gentile nations to their respective deities. The fact is that the gentiles themselves consume the “offerings” they present to their inert deities.

יהי עליכם סתרה LET IT BE YOUR PROTECTION — i.e., let that rock (v. 37) be a refuge and shelter to you.

סתרה, let these deities hide you and protect you, if they indeed possess such power. Now that you know they are unable to help you, G’d will once again take you under His protective shadow.

אשר חלב זבחמו יאכלו, "the fat of whose offerings they used to eat, etc." This is G'd's response to their words. The sequence of the words here has to be read as follows: "For G'd will judge His people…and He will then relent considering all they have already suffered, taking into consideration also their present state of utter helplessness plus the fact that after all the people do turn to Him." G'd then responds that those who used to offer sacrifices and eat the fat parts themselves experienced that not therein lay their salvation יקומו. They should arise (anew) in order to finally realise that their salvation did not lie in the number of their sacrifices but that only G'd is the Saviour. This is the meaning of ראו עתה כי אני השם, "See, now, that only I am the Lord" (verse 39).

ישתו יין נסכם, “and drink the wine of their offering?” A reference to the libations offered on the altar.

יקומו ויעזרכם, “let them arise now and help you!” The Israelites will say this about the deities of the gentiles when the time for their own salvation has come.

יקומו ויעזרכם, “Let them rise up and help you!” (This is a sarcastic comment, including all the gentiles’ various deities.)

יהי עליכם סתרה, “let him be your protection!”