Commentary for Deuteronomy 32:24
מְזֵ֥י רָעָ֛ב וּלְחֻ֥מֵי רֶ֖שֶׁף וְקֶ֣טֶב מְרִירִ֑י וְשֶׁן־בְּהֵמוֹת֙ אֲשַׁלַּח־בָּ֔ם עִם־חֲמַ֖ת זֹחֲלֵ֥י עָפָֽר׃
The wasting of hunger, and the devouring of the fiery bolt, And bitter destruction; And the teeth of beasts will I send upon them, With the venom of crawling things of the dust.
Rashi on Deuteronomy
מזי רעב — Onkelos rendered this by “swollen by famine”. I have, however, no convincing proof for this meaning. In the name of R. Moses the Preacher of Toulouse have heard that it is the same as שעירי רעב, “hairy through hunger”, for an emaciated person grows much hair on his flesh.
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Rashbam on Deuteronomy
מזי רעב. This word has different meanings in different contexts. When it appears in the Talmud as in Chulin 45 it means ((נתמזמז being emptied of vital content.
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Tur HaArokh
מזי רעב, “bloating of famine;” Ibn Ezra understands the expression as “burned by the pangs of hunger,” as in Daniel 3,19 למזא לאתונה, “to heat up the kiln.”
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