About Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy contains Moses' final addresses to Israel, restating the Law and calling the new generation to covenant faithfulness.

Author: MosesWritten: c. 1406 BCReading time: ~9 minVerses: 68
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King James Version

Deuteronomy 28

68 verses with commentary

Blessings for Obedience

And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth.</strong> The blessings chapter begins with conditional promise - <em>if thou shalt hearken diligently</em>. Divine blessing flows from covenant obe...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

Deuteronomy 28:1-14. **BLESSINGS OF OBEDIENCE.** (1) **Will set thee on high.**—Literally, *will make thee Most High, *using a name of God, as in Deuteronomy 26:19. Compare what is said of Jerusalem. “She (Jerusalem) shall be called Jehovah-Tzidkenu” (Jeremiah 33:16), and “the name of the city from that day shall be Jehovah-Shammah” (Ezekiel 48:35), and “I will write upon him the name of my God, a...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**5-8. And the officers shall speak unto the people--**literally, Shoterim, who are called "scribes" or "overseers" (Ex 5:6). They might be keepers of the muster-roll, or perhaps rather military heralds, whose duty it was to announce the orders of the generals (2Ch 26:11). This proclamation (De 20:5-8) must have been made previous to the priest's address, as great disorder and inconvenience must h...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 28 Chapter Outline The blessings for obedience.(1-14) The curses for disobedience.(15-44) Their ruin, if disobedient.(45-68) **Verses 1-14** This chapter is a very large exposition of two words, the blessing and the curse. They are real things and have real effects. The blessings are here put before the curses. God is slow to anger, but swift to show mercy. It is his ...
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And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.</strong> The imagery of blessings <em>coming on thee and overtaking thee</em> pictures abundance pursuing and catching the obedient person. Blessings are not merely received passively but actively pursue those who walk in covenant faithfulness.<br><br>This reverses the t...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(2) **And overtake thee.**—A beautiful expression, *i.e., shall come home to thee, *and impress the heart with the thought of God’s love and of His promises, even when it is least expected. Comp. Zechariah 1:6. “My words and my statutes, did they not *take hold of *(*i.e., *overtake) your fathers? and they returned and said, Like as the Lord of hosts *thought *to do unto us . . . so hath he dealt ...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**5-8. And the officers shall speak unto the people--**literally, Shoterim, who are called "scribes" or "overseers" (Ex 5:6). They might be keepers of the muster-roll, or perhaps rather military heralds, whose duty it was to announce the orders of the generals (2Ch 26:11). This proclamation (De 20:5-8) must have been made previous to the priest's address, as great disorder and inconvenience must h...
Read full commentary →

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 28 Chapter Outline The blessings for obedience.(1-14) The curses for disobedience.(15-44) Their ruin, if disobedient.(45-68) **Verses 1-14** This chapter is a very large exposition of two words, the blessing and the curse. They are real things and have real effects. The blessings are here put before the curses. God is slow to anger, but swift to show mercy. It is his ...
Read full commentary →

Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field.</strong> Comprehensive blessing covers both urban and rural life - <em>in the city</em> represents commercial, social, and civic activities, while <em>in the field</em> represents agricultural and pastoral work. God's blessing extends to all spheres of life.<br><br>This totality demonstrates that covenant faithfulne...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**5-8. And the officers shall speak unto the people--**literally, Shoterim, who are called "scribes" or "overseers" (Ex 5:6). They might be keepers of the muster-roll, or perhaps rather military heralds, whose duty it was to announce the orders of the generals (2Ch 26:11). This proclamation (De 20:5-8) must have been made previous to the priest's address, as great disorder and inconvenience must h...
Read full commentary →

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 28 Chapter Outline The blessings for obedience.(1-14) The curses for disobedience.(15-44) Their ruin, if disobedient.(45-68) **Verses 1-14** This chapter is a very large exposition of two words, the blessing and the curse. They are real things and have real effects. The blessings are here put before the curses. God is slow to anger, but swift to show mercy. It is his ...
Read full commentary →

Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.</strong> Blessing extends to family (fruit of thy body), agriculture (fruit of thy ground), and livestock (cattle, kine, sheep). This comprehensive fertility affects human, plant, and animal reproduction - the three primary sources of sust...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**5-8. And the officers shall speak unto the people--**literally, Shoterim, who are called "scribes" or "overseers" (Ex 5:6). They might be keepers of the muster-roll, or perhaps rather military heralds, whose duty it was to announce the orders of the generals (2Ch 26:11). This proclamation (De 20:5-8) must have been made previous to the priest's address, as great disorder and inconvenience must h...
Read full commentary →

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 28 Chapter Outline The blessings for obedience.(1-14) The curses for disobedience.(15-44) Their ruin, if disobedient.(45-68) **Verses 1-14** This chapter is a very large exposition of two words, the blessing and the curse. They are real things and have real effects. The blessings are here put before the curses. God is slow to anger, but swift to show mercy. It is his ...
Read full commentary →

Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store. store: or, dough, or, kneadingtroughs

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store.</strong> The <em>basket</em> represents the container used for gathering and carrying produce, while <em>store</em> refers to permanent storage facilities (granaries, storehouses). Blessing encompasses both the current harvest being gathered and the accumulated reserves from past harvests.<br><br>This promises both present provision (basket) and f...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(5) **Thy basket**—(Only here and in Deuteronomy 28:17, and Deuteronomy 26:2; Deuteronomy 26:4)—*i.e., *the portion which is brought out for the present occasion. *Thy store, *that which is left, and put away for future use. But this view rests upon the LXX. translation of the word for *“*store.” All the Targums, and all the Jewish commentators I have been able to consult, and the lexicons also, t...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**9. they shall make captains of the armies to lead the people--**When the exempted parties have withdrawn, the combatants shall be ranged in order of battle.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 28 Chapter Outline The blessings for obedience.(1-14) The curses for disobedience.(15-44) Their ruin, if disobedient.(45-68) **Verses 1-14** This chapter is a very large exposition of two words, the blessing and the curse. They are real things and have real effects. The blessings are here put before the curses. God is slow to anger, but swift to show mercy. It is his ...
Read full commentary →

Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out.</strong> This blessing encompasses all movements and activities - <em>coming in</em> and <em>going out</em> represent returning home and departing for work, entering rest and undertaking activity. The totality means continuous blessing throughout daily life.<br><br>The phrase functions as merism - usi...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(6) **When thou comest in . . . and when thou goest out.**—These words may apply to the details of life, or they may have a further meaning, as the eisodus of Christ was His entrance into this world’s labour, and His exodus His departure (Acts 13:24; Luke 9:31). Rashi says, “So that thy departure from the world shall be like thine entrance into it, sinless.” (The Jews, as a whole, do not believe i...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**10-20. When thou comest nigh unto a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace unto it--**An important principle is here introduced into the war law of Israel regarding the people they fought against and the cities they besieged. With "the cities of those people which God doth give thee" in Canaan, it was to be a war of utter extermination (De 20:17, 18). But when on a just occasion, they wen...
Read full commentary →

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 28 Chapter Outline The blessings for obedience.(1-14) The curses for disobedience.(15-44) Their ruin, if disobedient.(45-68) **Verses 1-14** This chapter is a very large exposition of two words, the blessing and the curse. They are real things and have real effects. The blessings are here put before the curses. God is slow to anger, but swift to show mercy. It is his ...
Read full commentary →

The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways.</strong> God promises military victory over enemies - those who <em>rise up against thee</em> will be <em>smitten before thy face</em>. This visible defeat demonstrates God's protection of His covenant people before watching ...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(7) **And flee before thee seven ways.**—“So is the custom of them that are terrified, to flee, scattering in every direction” (Rashi). See the story of the flight of the Midianites (Judges 7:21-22), and of the Syrians (2Kings 7:7).

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**10-20. When thou comest nigh unto a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace unto it--**An important principle is here introduced into the war law of Israel regarding the people they fought against and the cities they besieged. With "the cities of those people which God doth give thee" in Canaan, it was to be a war of utter extermination (De 20:17, 18). But when on a just occasion, they wen...
Read full commentary →

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 28 Chapter Outline The blessings for obedience.(1-14) The curses for disobedience.(15-44) Their ruin, if disobedient.(45-68) **Verses 1-14** This chapter is a very large exposition of two words, the blessing and the curse. They are real things and have real effects. The blessings are here put before the curses. God is slow to anger, but swift to show mercy. It is his ...
Read full commentary →

The LORD shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. storehouses: or, barns

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>The LORD shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.</strong> God actively <em>commands</em> blessing - not passive permission but divine decree that prosperity shall attend the obedient. This emphasizes God's sovereignty in bestowing favor.<br><br>Blessing on ...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(8) **Thy storehouses.**—The word is only found here and in Proverbs 3:9-10, “Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: so shall *thy barns *be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.” There is the same kind of contrast here which has been already pointed out in Deuteronomy 28:5. The “gathering in” to the barn, and the “putting f...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**10-20. When thou comest nigh unto a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace unto it--**An important principle is here introduced into the war law of Israel regarding the people they fought against and the cities they besieged. With "the cities of those people which God doth give thee" in Canaan, it was to be a war of utter extermination (De 20:17, 18). But when on a just occasion, they wen...
Read full commentary →

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 28 Chapter Outline The blessings for obedience.(1-14) The curses for disobedience.(15-44) Their ruin, if disobedient.(45-68) **Verses 1-14** This chapter is a very large exposition of two words, the blessing and the curse. They are real things and have real effects. The blessings are here put before the curses. God is slow to anger, but swift to show mercy. It is his ...
Read full commentary →

The LORD shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, and walk in his ways.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>The LORD shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, and walk in his ways.</strong> God promises to <em>establish</em> Israel as <em>holy people</em> - set apart for His possession and purpose. This establishes both identity (who they are) and obligation (how they must live).<br><br>The phrase <em>as...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(9) **The Lord shall establish thee an holy people**—i.e., shall “maintain” thee in that position or shall “raise thee up” into it, and exalt thee to it, in its fullest sense. The word here employed has branched out into two lines of thought. In Jewish literature it has taken the sense of permanence and perpetuity. Through the LXX. translation it has given birth to the New Testament word for “resu...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**10-20. When thou comest nigh unto a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace unto it--**An important principle is here introduced into the war law of Israel regarding the people they fought against and the cities they besieged. With "the cities of those people which God doth give thee" in Canaan, it was to be a war of utter extermination (De 20:17, 18). But when on a just occasion, they wen...
Read full commentary →

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 28 Chapter Outline The blessings for obedience.(1-14) The curses for disobedience.(15-44) Their ruin, if disobedient.(45-68) **Verses 1-14** This chapter is a very large exposition of two words, the blessing and the curse. They are real things and have real effects. The blessings are here put before the curses. God is slow to anger, but swift to show mercy. It is his ...
Read full commentary →

And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee.</strong> Covenant blessing produces visible testimony - <em>all people of the earth shall see</em>. Israel's relationship with God and resulting flourishing would be evident to watching nations, demonstrating the reality and power of the true God.<br><br>Being <em>called by...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(10) **That thou art called.**—Literally, *that the name of Jehovah has been called upon thee.* **And they shall be afraid of thee.**—Comp. Jeremiah 33:9 : “And they shall *fear *and tremble for *all the goodness and for all the prosperity, *that I procure unto it” (Jerusalem).

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**10-20. When thou comest nigh unto a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace unto it--**An important principle is here introduced into the war law of Israel regarding the people they fought against and the cities they besieged. With "the cities of those people which God doth give thee" in Canaan, it was to be a war of utter extermination (De 20:17, 18). But when on a just occasion, they wen...
Read full commentary →

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 28 Chapter Outline The blessings for obedience.(1-14) The curses for disobedience.(15-44) Their ruin, if disobedient.(45-68) **Verses 1-14** This chapter is a very large exposition of two words, the blessing and the curse. They are real things and have real effects. The blessings are here put before the curses. God is slow to anger, but swift to show mercy. It is his ...
Read full commentary →

And the LORD shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers to give thee. in goods: or, for good body: Heb. belly

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>The LORD shall make thee plenteous in goods</strong> (<em>vehotirka YHWH letovah</em>)—the verb <em>yatar</em> means "to be left over, to have surplus." God promises not mere subsistence but <em>abundance</em>, more than enough. The blessings are comprehensive: <strong>fruit of thy body</strong> (children), <strong>fruit of thy cattle</strong> (livestock), and <strong>fruit of thy ground</...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(11) **In goods.**—Rather, *in good *or *goodness, i.e., in *prosperity. “Goodness” in Jeremiah 33:9.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**10-20. When thou comest nigh unto a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace unto it--**An important principle is here introduced into the war law of Israel regarding the people they fought against and the cities they besieged. With "the cities of those people which God doth give thee" in Canaan, it was to be a war of utter extermination (De 20:17, 18). But when on a just occasion, they wen...
Read full commentary →

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 28 Chapter Outline The blessings for obedience.(1-14) The curses for disobedience.(15-44) Their ruin, if disobedient.(45-68) **Verses 1-14** This chapter is a very large exposition of two words, the blessing and the curse. They are real things and have real effects. The blessings are here put before the curses. God is slow to anger, but swift to show mercy. It is his ...
Read full commentary →

The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure</strong> (אֶת־אוֹצָרוֹ הַטּוֹב, <em>et-otzaro hatov</em>)—God's 'treasure house' (<em>otzar</em>) refers to the heavenly storehouses from which rain and blessing flow (cf. Job 38:22). This covenant promise inverts the curse of drought; obedience unlocks divine provision.<br><br><strong>The heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season</...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(12) **The Lord shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain.**—The Jews have a saying that, “There are three keys in the hand of the Holy One, blessed be He! which He hath not intrusted to the hand of a messenger, and they are these, *the key of the rains, *the key of birth, and the key of the resurrection of the dead.” The key of the rain, as it is written (Deuteronomy 28:...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**10-20. When thou comest nigh unto a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace unto it--**An important principle is here introduced into the war law of Israel regarding the people they fought against and the cities they besieged. With "the cities of those people which God doth give thee" in Canaan, it was to be a war of utter extermination (De 20:17, 18). But when on a just occasion, they wen...
Read full commentary →

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 28 Chapter Outline The blessings for obedience.(1-14) The curses for disobedience.(15-44) Their ruin, if disobedient.(45-68) **Verses 1-14** This chapter is a very large exposition of two words, the blessing and the curse. They are real things and have real effects. The blessings are here put before the curses. God is slow to anger, but swift to show mercy. It is his ...
Read full commentary →

And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them:

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KJV Study Commentary

The promise 'the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail' uses imagery of leadership versus subordination. 'Above only, and... not beneath' emphasizes superiority and blessing. This isn't promising arrogant domination but covenantal precedence—Israel was to be God's showcase nation, demonstrating the benefits of knowing and serving the true God. The condition is explicit: 'if that thou hea...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**10-20. When thou comest nigh unto a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace unto it--**An important principle is here introduced into the war law of Israel regarding the people they fought against and the cities they besieged. With "the cities of those people which God doth give thee" in Canaan, it was to be a war of utter extermination (De 20:17, 18). But when on a just occasion, they wen...
Read full commentary →

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 28 Chapter Outline The blessings for obedience.(1-14) The curses for disobedience.(15-44) Their ruin, if disobedient.(45-68) **Verses 1-14** This chapter is a very large exposition of two words, the blessing and the curse. They are real things and have real effects. The blessings are here put before the curses. God is slow to anger, but swift to show mercy. It is his ...
Read full commentary →

And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left</strong>—the condition for covenant blessing is comprehensive obedience, <em>not deviating</em> (<em>lo tasur</em>) from God's commands in any direction. The imagery of <strong>right hand or left</strong> depicts total fidelity to the covenant path, neither through addition (legal...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(14) **And thou shalt not go aside.**—It is possible, of course, to connect this sentence with the “if” in Deuteronomy 28:13, “If that thou hearken and do not go aside.” But the LXX., and apparently the Targums also, begin a fresh sentence with this verse. The idea that obedience begets obedience is by no means foreign to the Jewish mind. There are many passages in their literature which contain t...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**10-20. When thou comest nigh unto a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace unto it--**An important principle is here introduced into the war law of Israel regarding the people they fought against and the cities they besieged. With "the cities of those people which God doth give thee" in Canaan, it was to be a war of utter extermination (De 20:17, 18). But when on a just occasion, they wen...
Read full commentary →

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 28 Chapter Outline The blessings for obedience.(1-14) The curses for disobedience.(15-44) Their ruin, if disobedient.(45-68) **Verses 1-14** This chapter is a very large exposition of two words, the blessing and the curse. They are real things and have real effects. The blessings are here put before the curses. God is slow to anger, but swift to show mercy. It is his ...
Read full commentary →

Curses for Disobedience

But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:

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KJV Study Commentary

This verse introduces Deuteronomy's curses section, forming a dark parallel to verse 1's blessings. The Hebrew construction mirrors verse 1: <em>vehayah im-lo tishma</em> (וְהָיָה אִם־לֹא תִשְׁמַע, 'but it shall be if you do not listen'). The negative particle <em>lo</em> (לֹא) makes the condition opposite—disobedience rather than obedience. The comprehensive scope remains: <em>la'asot et-kol-mits...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

Deuteronomy 28:15-48. **THE CURSE OF DISOBEDIENCE.** (15) **But it shall come to pass.**—The following verses to the end of 48 are the contrast to the first fourteen, which declare the blessings of obedience.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**10-20. When thou comest nigh unto a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace unto it--**An important principle is here introduced into the war law of Israel regarding the people they fought against and the cities they besieged. With "the cities of those people which God doth give thee" in Canaan, it was to be a war of utter extermination (De 20:17, 18). But when on a just occasion, they wen...
Read full commentary →

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 15-44** If we do not keep God's commandments, we not only come short of the blessing promised, but we lay ourselves under the curse, which includes all misery, as the blessing all happiness. Observe the justice of this curse. It is not a curse causeless, or for some light cause. The extent and power of this curse. Wherever the sinner goes, the curse of God follows; wherever he is, it ...
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Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field</strong>—The Hebrew <em>arur</em> (אָרוּר, cursed) appears repeatedly in verses 16-19, forming an anaphoric litany that mirrors the <em>baruk</em> (blessed) pattern of verses 3-6. This verse encompasses the totality of human activity: <em>ba'ir</em> (בָּעִיר, in the city) represents commerce, government, craftsmanship,...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(16-19) **Cursed. . . .—**Here we have the counterpart of Deuteronomy 28:3-6, inclusive. The only difference is in the position of “the basket and the store” which come one place earlier in the curses than in the blessings.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**10-20. When thou comest nigh unto a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace unto it--**An important principle is here introduced into the war law of Israel regarding the people they fought against and the cities they besieged. With "the cities of those people which God doth give thee" in Canaan, it was to be a war of utter extermination (De 20:17, 18). But when on a just occasion, they wen...
Read full commentary →

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 15-44** If we do not keep God's commandments, we not only come short of the blessing promised, but we lay ourselves under the curse, which includes all misery, as the blessing all happiness. Observe the justice of this curse. It is not a curse causeless, or for some light cause. The extent and power of this curse. Wherever the sinner goes, the curse of God follows; wherever he is, it ...
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Cursed shall be thy basket and thy store.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Cursed shall be thy basket and thy store</strong>—The Hebrew <em>tene'kha</em> (טַנְאֲךָ, your basket) refers to the woven container for gathering and presenting firstfruits and harvest (Deuteronomy 26:2, 4), while <em>mish'artekha</em> (מִשְׁאַרְתֶּךָ, your kneading bowl) was used for preparing bread dough. Together they represent the food supply chain from harvest to consumption, from fi...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 15-44** If we do not keep God's commandments, we not only come short of the blessing promised, but we lay ourselves under the curse, which includes all misery, as the blessing all happiness. Observe the justice of this curse. It is not a curse causeless, or for some light cause. The extent and power of this curse. Wherever the sinner goes, the curse of God follows; wherever he is, it ...
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Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep</strong>—This verse reverses the Abrahamic covenant's core promises: offspring and land (Genesis 12:2, 7; 17:2-8). The Hebrew <em>peri-vitnekha</em> (פְּרִי־בִטְנְךָ, fruit of your womb) parallels <em>peri-admatekha</em> (פְּרִי־אַדְמָתֶךָ, fruit of your ground), linking ...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

CHAPTER 21 De 21:1-9. Expiation of Uncertain Murder. **1-6. If one be found slain ... lying in the field, and it be not known who hath slain him--**The ceremonies here ordained to be observed on the discovery of a slaughtered corpse show the ideas of sanctity which the Mosaic law sought to associate with human blood, the horror which murder inspired, as well as the fears that were felt lest God s...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 15-44** If we do not keep God's commandments, we not only come short of the blessing promised, but we lay ourselves under the curse, which includes all misery, as the blessing all happiness. Observe the justice of this curse. It is not a curse causeless, or for some light cause. The extent and power of this curse. Wherever the sinner goes, the curse of God follows; wherever he is, it ...
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Cursed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and cursed shalt thou be when thou goest out.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Cursed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and cursed shalt thou be when thou goest out</strong>—The Hebrew <em>bevo'ekha</em> (בְּבֹאֶךָ, when you come in) and <em>uvetse'tekha</em> (וּבְצֵאתֶךָ, when you go out) form a merism encompassing all activities and movements. This construction appears in blessing contexts as well (Psalm 121:8; Deuteronomy 28:6), indicating comprehensive divine ov...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

CHAPTER 21 De 21:1-9. Expiation of Uncertain Murder. **1-6. If one be found slain ... lying in the field, and it be not known who hath slain him--**The ceremonies here ordained to be observed on the discovery of a slaughtered corpse show the ideas of sanctity which the Mosaic law sought to associate with human blood, the horror which murder inspired, as well as the fears that were felt lest God s...
Read full commentary →

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 15-44** If we do not keep God's commandments, we not only come short of the blessing promised, but we lay ourselves under the curse, which includes all misery, as the blessing all happiness. Observe the justice of this curse. It is not a curse causeless, or for some light cause. The extent and power of this curse. Wherever the sinner goes, the curse of God follows; wherever he is, it ...
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The LORD shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the wickedness of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken me. for: Heb. which thou wouldest do

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>The LORD shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to do</strong>—This verse intensifies previous pronouncements by making Yahweh Himself the active agent of judgment. Three terms describe His action: <em>me'erah</em> (מְאֵרָה, cursing/oath), <em>mehumah</em> (מְהוּמָה, confusion/panic), and <em>mig'eret</em> (מִגְעֶרֶת, rebuke/threat)...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(20) **Cursing, vexation, and rebuke.**—*Deficiency, *and *anxiety, *and *failure *in every enterprise, would convey the idea, according to another interpretation. There are two views of the derivation of the first of the three words employed. Probably the Authorised Version is right. The three words have each of them the definite article in the original, just as if they were so many diseases. “*T...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

CHAPTER 21 De 21:1-9. Expiation of Uncertain Murder. **1-6. If one be found slain ... lying in the field, and it be not known who hath slain him--**The ceremonies here ordained to be observed on the discovery of a slaughtered corpse show the ideas of sanctity which the Mosaic law sought to associate with human blood, the horror which murder inspired, as well as the fears that were felt lest God s...
Read full commentary →

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 15-44** If we do not keep God's commandments, we not only come short of the blessing promised, but we lay ourselves under the curse, which includes all misery, as the blessing all happiness. Observe the justice of this curse. It is not a curse causeless, or for some light cause. The extent and power of this curse. Wherever the sinner goes, the curse of God follows; wherever he is, it ...
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The LORD shall make the pestilence cleave unto thee, until he have consumed thee from off the land, whither thou goest to possess it.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>The LORD shall make the pestilence cleave unto thee, until he have consumed thee from off the land</strong>—The Hebrew <em>yadvek Yahweh bekha et-hadaver</em> (יַדְבֵּק יְהוָה בְּךָ אֶת־הַדָּבֶר, the LORD will cause pestilence to cling to you) uses the verb <em>davak</em> (cling/cleave), the same word describing covenant loyalty (Deuteronomy 10:20; 11:22; 13:4) and marital union (Genesis 2...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(21) **The pestilence.**—One of God’s four sore judgments to be sent upon Jerusalem (Ezekiel 14:19-21). Until he have consumed thee from off the land.—From Deuteronomy 28:21-35, inclusive, we seem to be reading of the gradual consumption of Israel “in the land of promise” before any actual captivity.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

CHAPTER 21 De 21:1-9. Expiation of Uncertain Murder. **1-6. If one be found slain ... lying in the field, and it be not known who hath slain him--**The ceremonies here ordained to be observed on the discovery of a slaughtered corpse show the ideas of sanctity which the Mosaic law sought to associate with human blood, the horror which murder inspired, as well as the fears that were felt lest God s...
Read full commentary →

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 15-44** If we do not keep God's commandments, we not only come short of the blessing promised, but we lay ourselves under the curse, which includes all misery, as the blessing all happiness. Observe the justice of this curse. It is not a curse causeless, or for some light cause. The extent and power of this curse. Wherever the sinner goes, the curse of God follows; wherever he is, it ...
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The LORD shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish. sword: or, drought

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>The LORD shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning</strong>—This verse catalogs seven plagues, showing comprehensive physical affliction. The Hebrew terms describe various diseases: <em>shakhefet</em> (שַׁחֶפֶת, consumption/tuberculosis, literally 'wasting disease'), <em>qaddakhat</em> (קַדַּחַת, fever), <em>dalleqet</em> (...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(22) **Consumption.**—Only here and in Leviticus 26:16. “With which the flesh is consumed and puffed out” (Rashi). **Fever.**—Only here and in Leviticus 26:16, where it is rendered “burning ague.” ( Comp. Deuteronomy 32:22 : “A fire *is kindled *in mine anger.”) **Inflammation.**—Here only. The word is derived from a verb signifying to burn, or pursue hotly, like a fire that hastens on its way. “A...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

CHAPTER 21 De 21:1-9. Expiation of Uncertain Murder. **1-6. If one be found slain ... lying in the field, and it be not known who hath slain him--**The ceremonies here ordained to be observed on the discovery of a slaughtered corpse show the ideas of sanctity which the Mosaic law sought to associate with human blood, the horror which murder inspired, as well as the fears that were felt lest God s...
Read full commentary →

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 15-44** If we do not keep God's commandments, we not only come short of the blessing promised, but we lay ourselves under the curse, which includes all misery, as the blessing all happiness. Observe the justice of this curse. It is not a curse causeless, or for some light cause. The extent and power of this curse. Wherever the sinner goes, the curse of God follows; wherever he is, it ...
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And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron</strong>—This powerful metaphor depicts total environmental hostility. <em>Shamekha asher al-roshkha nekhoshet</em> (שָׁמֶיךָ אֲשֶׁר עַל־רֹאשְׁךָ נְחֹשֶׁת, your heavens over your head shall be bronze) means the sky becomes hard, impermeable, refusing to release rain. <em>Nekkhoshet</em> (bro...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(23) **Thy heaven . . . shall be brass, and the earth . . . iron.**—Not only in respect of the drought, but of God’s refusal to remove it. See Jeremiah 14, 15 for a most pathetic intercession for Israel under this misery, answered by the order, “Pray not for this people for their good” (Jeremiah 14:11). Only grief is permitted (Deuteronomy 28:17). Relief is not given (Deuteronomy 15:1).

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

CHAPTER 21 De 21:1-9. Expiation of Uncertain Murder. **1-6. If one be found slain ... lying in the field, and it be not known who hath slain him--**The ceremonies here ordained to be observed on the discovery of a slaughtered corpse show the ideas of sanctity which the Mosaic law sought to associate with human blood, the horror which murder inspired, as well as the fears that were felt lest God s...
Read full commentary →

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 15-44** If we do not keep God's commandments, we not only come short of the blessing promised, but we lay ourselves under the curse, which includes all misery, as the blessing all happiness. Observe the justice of this curse. It is not a curse causeless, or for some light cause. The extent and power of this curse. Wherever the sinner goes, the curse of God follows; wherever he is, it ...
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The LORD shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>The LORD shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed</strong>—This verse continues the drought curse with devastating specificity. Instead of life-giving rain (<em>matar</em>, מָטָר), God sends <em>avak va'afar</em> (אָבָק וְעָפָר, powder and dust)—the same terms describing dry, pulverized earth or dust storms. The phra...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(24) **Powder and dust.**—The great desert, which lies on the eastern frontier of Palestine, makes this only too possible.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 15-44** If we do not keep God's commandments, we not only come short of the blessing promised, but we lay ourselves under the curse, which includes all misery, as the blessing all happiness. Observe the justice of this curse. It is not a curse causeless, or for some light cause. The extent and power of this curse. Wherever the sinner goes, the curse of God follows; wherever he is, it ...
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The LORD shall cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies: thou shalt go out one way against them, and flee seven ways before them: and shalt be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth. removed: Heb. for a removing

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>The LORD shall cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies</strong>—This curse reverses the military victory promises of verses 7 and 10. The Hebrew <em>yittenka Yahweh nigaf lifne oyevekha</em> (יִתֶּנְךָ יְהוָה נִגָּף לִפְנֵי אֹיְבֶיךָ, the LORD will cause you to be defeated before your enemies) makes Yahweh the active agent handing Israel over to defeat. The phrase <em>bederekh ekhad ...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(25) The contrary to Deuteronomy 28:7. **Removed.**—Literally, *a removing. *The LXX. in this place has διασπορά*, *or dispersion, the word used for the dispersed Israelites in the New Testament. (See Revised Version, John 7:35; 1Peter 1:1.) The threat is repeated in Jeremiah 15:4 for the sins of king Manaseeh.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 15-44** If we do not keep God's commandments, we not only come short of the blessing promised, but we lay ourselves under the curse, which includes all misery, as the blessing all happiness. Observe the justice of this curse. It is not a curse causeless, or for some light cause. The extent and power of this curse. Wherever the sinner goes, the curse of God follows; wherever he is, it ...
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And thy carcase shall be meat unto all fowls of the air, and unto the beasts of the earth, and no man shall fray them away.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And thy carcase shall be meat unto all fowls of the air, and unto the beasts of the earth, and no man shall fray them away.</strong> The Hebrew <em>nebhelah</em> (נְבֵלָה, dead body/carcass) emphasizes death without proper burial—the ultimate disgrace in ancient Near Eastern culture. Unburied corpses meant the person died under divine curse, without honor or remembrance.<br><br>To be <stro...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(26) **And thy carcase shall be meat.**—Repeated in Jeremiah 7:33, and to be fulfilled in Tophet, when they had buried until there was no more room. (Comp. also Jeremiah 15:3.) **No man shall fray (*i.e., **frighten) them away.*—Not even a woman like Rizpah, who at the foot of the gallows watched her children’s bodies for half the year, and “suffered neither the birds of the air to rest on them by...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 15-44** If we do not keep God's commandments, we not only come short of the blessing promised, but we lay ourselves under the curse, which includes all misery, as the blessing all happiness. Observe the justice of this curse. It is not a curse causeless, or for some light cause. The extent and power of this curse. Wherever the sinner goes, the curse of God follows; wherever he is, it ...
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The LORD will smite thee with the botch of Egypt, and with the emerods , and with the scab, and with the itch, whereof thou canst not be healed.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>The LORD will smite thee with the botch of Egypt, and with the emerods, and with the scab, and with the itch, whereof thou canst not be healed.</strong> The <em>sh'chin Mitzrayim</em> (שְׁחִין מִצְרַיִם, boils of Egypt) recalls the sixth plague (Exodus 9:9-11) that struck Egypt but not Israel—now covenant-breakers would suffer the same afflictions they had been protected from. This demonst...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(27) **The botch of Egypt.**—The “boil,” with which the Egyptians were plagued (Exodus 9:9, &c.) is the same word. (See also 2Kings 20:7; Job 2:7.) Rashi says of this boil, “It was very bad, being moist on the inside, and dry outside.” A learned Dalmatian Jew, with whom I have read this passage, tells me that he has seen many cases of this kind among the Hungarian and Polish Jews, and that it prev...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

De 21:10-23. The Treatment of a Captive Taken to Wife. **10-14. When thou goest to war ... and seest among the captives a beautiful woman ... that thou wouldest have her to thy wife--**According to the war customs of all ancient nations, a female captive became the slave of the victor, who had the sole and unchallengeable control of right to her person. Moses improved this existing usage by speci...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 15-44** If we do not keep God's commandments, we not only come short of the blessing promised, but we lay ourselves under the curse, which includes all misery, as the blessing all happiness. Observe the justice of this curse. It is not a curse causeless, or for some light cause. The extent and power of this curse. Wherever the sinner goes, the curse of God follows; wherever he is, it ...
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The LORD shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart:

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>The LORD shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart.</strong> Three psychological afflictions intensify the physical plagues: <em>shiga'on</em> (שִׁגָּעוֹן, madness/insanity) depicts mental breakdown, <em>ivvaron</em> (עִוָּרוֹן, blindness) indicates both physical and spiritual inability to perceive truth, and <em>timmahon levav</em> (תִּמְהוֹן לֵבָב, confusion...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(28) **Madness, and blindness, and astonishment.**—The three words are all found in Zechariah 12:4 But in that place the threat seems directed against the enemies of Jerusalem (see Deuteronomy 30:7).

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

De 21:10-23. The Treatment of a Captive Taken to Wife. **10-14. When thou goest to war ... and seest among the captives a beautiful woman ... that thou wouldest have her to thy wife--**According to the war customs of all ancient nations, a female captive became the slave of the victor, who had the sole and unchallengeable control of right to her person. Moses improved this existing usage by speci...
Read full commentary →

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 15-44** If we do not keep God's commandments, we not only come short of the blessing promised, but we lay ourselves under the curse, which includes all misery, as the blessing all happiness. Observe the justice of this curse. It is not a curse causeless, or for some light cause. The extent and power of this curse. Wherever the sinner goes, the curse of God follows; wherever he is, it ...
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And thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness, and thou shalt not prosper in thy ways: and thou shalt be only oppressed and spoiled evermore, and no man shall save thee.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness.</strong> The Hebrew <em>meshashesh</em> (מְשַׁשֵּׁשׁ, grope/fumble) depicts helpless searching without direction. <strong>At noonday</strong> intensifies the irony—even with full sunlight, the covenant-breaker cannot find his way, indicating spiritual blindness more devastating than physical sight loss.<br><br><strong>Thou ...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(29) **Thou shalt not prosper in thy ways.**—The exact opposite is promised to Joshua (Deuteronomy 1:8) if he follows the Book of the Law. (Comp. Isaiah 29:10-14.) When men find it no longer possible to follow the word of God, it is written that “the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.” **Oppressed.**—The children of Israel and of Judah w...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

De 21:10-23. The Treatment of a Captive Taken to Wife. **10-14. When thou goest to war ... and seest among the captives a beautiful woman ... that thou wouldest have her to thy wife--**According to the war customs of all ancient nations, a female captive became the slave of the victor, who had the sole and unchallengeable control of right to her person. Moses improved this existing usage by speci...
Read full commentary →

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 15-44** If we do not keep God's commandments, we not only come short of the blessing promised, but we lay ourselves under the curse, which includes all misery, as the blessing all happiness. Observe the justice of this curse. It is not a curse causeless, or for some light cause. The extent and power of this curse. Wherever the sinner goes, the curse of God follows; wherever he is, it ...
Read full commentary →

Thou shalt betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her: thou shalt build an house, and thou shalt not dwell therein: thou shalt plant a vineyard, and shalt not gather the grapes thereof. gather: Heb. profane, or, use it as common meat

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Thou shalt betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her</strong>—the Hebrew <em>arash</em> (אָרַשׂ, betroth) indicates formal engagement, making this violation especially heinous: covenant-breakers would lose their betrothed to enemy rapists. <strong>Thou shalt build an house, and thou shalt not dwell therein</strong> fulfills the curse of Amos 5:11 and Micah 6:15—labor without enjoy...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

De 21:10-23. The Treatment of a Captive Taken to Wife. **10-14. When thou goest to war ... and seest among the captives a beautiful woman ... that thou wouldest have her to thy wife--**According to the war customs of all ancient nations, a female captive became the slave of the victor, who had the sole and unchallengeable control of right to her person. Moses improved this existing usage by speci...
Read full commentary →

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 15-44** If we do not keep God's commandments, we not only come short of the blessing promised, but we lay ourselves under the curse, which includes all misery, as the blessing all happiness. Observe the justice of this curse. It is not a curse causeless, or for some light cause. The extent and power of this curse. Wherever the sinner goes, the curse of God follows; wherever he is, it ...
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Thine ox shall be slain before thine eyes, and thou shalt not eat thereof: thine ass shall be violently taken away from before thy face, and shall not be restored to thee: thy sheep shall be given unto thine enemies, and thou shalt have none to rescue them. shall not: Heb. shall not return to thee

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Thine ox shall be slain before thine eyes, and thou shalt not eat thereof.</strong> Ancient Israel's agricultural economy depended on oxen for plowing and threshing—watching your ox slaughtered without benefiting demonstrates absolute powerlessness. <em>Shachat</em> (שָׁחַט, slain) indicates ritual or violent slaughter, here by enemies who confiscate livestock as spoils of war.<br><br><str...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(31) **Thou shalt have none to rescue.**—Here and in Deuteronomy 28:29 the Hebrew literally is, “Thou shalt have no Saviour.” The times of oppression before the several judges were raised up, who are called saviours, must often have temporarily fulfilled these anticipations.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

De 21:10-23. The Treatment of a Captive Taken to Wife. **10-14. When thou goest to war ... and seest among the captives a beautiful woman ... that thou wouldest have her to thy wife--**According to the war customs of all ancient nations, a female captive became the slave of the victor, who had the sole and unchallengeable control of right to her person. Moses improved this existing usage by speci...
Read full commentary →

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 15-44** If we do not keep God's commandments, we not only come short of the blessing promised, but we lay ourselves under the curse, which includes all misery, as the blessing all happiness. Observe the justice of this curse. It is not a curse causeless, or for some light cause. The extent and power of this curse. Wherever the sinner goes, the curse of God follows; wherever he is, it ...
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Thy sons and thy daughters shall be given unto another people, and thine eyes shall look, and fail with longing for them all the day long: and there shall be no might in thine hand.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Covenant Curse of Loss:</strong> This verse forms part of the extensive covenant curses (Deuteronomy 28:15-68) that would befall Israel for disobedience. The phrase "given unto another people" (<em>nethunoth le'am akher</em>) indicates forced separation, likely through slavery, captivity, or tribute.<br><br><strong>Powerless Grief:</strong> The imagery of eyes that "look, and fail with lon...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(32) **Thy sons and thy daughters.**—The language of this verse is perhaps the most pathetic piece of description in the whole chapter. Many of the nations bordering on Israel were accustomed when they made inroads to take away, not only the cattle, but the children for slaves. Another equally pathetic passage in Jeremiah touches on the very same thing. “A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation and...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**15-17. If a man have two wives, one beloved, and another hated--**In the original and all other translations, the words are rendered "have had," referring to events that have already taken place; and that the "had" has, by some mistake, been omitted in our version, seems highly probable from the other verbs being in the past tense--"hers that was hated," not "hers that is hated"; evidently intim...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 15-44** If we do not keep God's commandments, we not only come short of the blessing promised, but we lay ourselves under the curse, which includes all misery, as the blessing all happiness. Observe the justice of this curse. It is not a curse causeless, or for some light cause. The extent and power of this curse. Wherever the sinner goes, the curse of God follows; wherever he is, it ...
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The fruit of thy land, and all thy labours, shall a nation which thou knowest not eat up; and thou shalt be only oppressed and crushed alway:

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>The fruit of thy land, and all thy labours, shall a nation which thou knowest not eat up.</strong> The phrase <em>am asher lo-yada'ta</em> (עַם אֲשֶׁר לֹא־יָדַעְתָּ, a nation which thou knowest not) identifies foreign invaders as culturally alien enemies—not neighboring peoples but distant empires like Assyria and Babylon. This intensifies the horror: conquered by strangers whose language ...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(33) **A nation which thou knowest not.**—Comp. Jeremiah 5:15-17, “*A nation *whose language *thou knowest not *. . . *shall eat up thy harvest and thy bread” *&c.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**15-17. If a man have two wives, one beloved, and another hated--**In the original and all other translations, the words are rendered "have had," referring to events that have already taken place; and that the "had" has, by some mistake, been omitted in our version, seems highly probable from the other verbs being in the past tense--"hers that was hated," not "hers that is hated"; evidently intim...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 15-44** If we do not keep God's commandments, we not only come short of the blessing promised, but we lay ourselves under the curse, which includes all misery, as the blessing all happiness. Observe the justice of this curse. It is not a curse causeless, or for some light cause. The extent and power of this curse. Wherever the sinner goes, the curse of God follows; wherever he is, it ...
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So that thou shalt be mad for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>So that thou shalt be mad for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see.</strong> The Hebrew <em>meshugga</em> (מְשֻׁגָּע, driven mad) derives from the same root as verse 28's "madness"—here specified as madness <em>caused by</em> witnessing horrors. The phrase <strong>for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see</strong> emphasizes traumatic visual experiences: watching family memb...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**15-17. If a man have two wives, one beloved, and another hated--**In the original and all other translations, the words are rendered "have had," referring to events that have already taken place; and that the "had" has, by some mistake, been omitted in our version, seems highly probable from the other verbs being in the past tense--"hers that was hated," not "hers that is hated"; evidently intim...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 15-44** If we do not keep God's commandments, we not only come short of the blessing promised, but we lay ourselves under the curse, which includes all misery, as the blessing all happiness. Observe the justice of this curse. It is not a curse causeless, or for some light cause. The extent and power of this curse. Wherever the sinner goes, the curse of God follows; wherever he is, it ...
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The LORD shall smite thee in the knees, and in the legs, with a sore botch that cannot be healed, from the sole of thy foot unto the top of thy head.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>The LORD shall smite thee in the knees, and in the legs, with a sore botch that cannot be healed, from the sole of thy foot unto the top of thy head.</strong> This returns to physical afflictions (cf. v.27) with specific targeting: <em>birkayim</em> (בִּרְכַּיִם, knees) and <em>shoqayim</em> (שֹׁקַיִם, legs) were essential for mobility, work, and worship (kneeling). The <em>sh'chin ra</em>...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(35) **A sore botch.**—A boil, as in Deuteronomy 28:27. In the knees.—Comp. Ezekiel 7:17; Ezekiel 21:7, “All knees shall be weak as water.”

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**18-21. If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son--**A severe law was enacted in this case. But the consent of both parents was required as a prevention of any abuse of it; for it was reasonable to suppose that they would not both agree to a criminal information against their son except from absolute necessity, arising from his inveterate and hopeless wickedness; and, in that view, the law was ...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 15-44** If we do not keep God's commandments, we not only come short of the blessing promised, but we lay ourselves under the curse, which includes all misery, as the blessing all happiness. Observe the justice of this curse. It is not a curse causeless, or for some light cause. The extent and power of this curse. Wherever the sinner goes, the curse of God follows; wherever he is, it ...
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The LORD shall bring thee, and thy king which thou shalt set over thee, unto a nation which neither thou nor thy fathers have known; and there shalt thou serve other gods, wood and stone.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>The LORD shall bring thee, and thy king which thou shalt set over thee, unto a nation which neither thou nor thy fathers have known.</strong> The exile curse reaches its climax—not just military defeat but deportation to <em>goy asher lo-yada'ta</em> (גּוֹי אֲשֶׁר לֹא־יָדַעְתָּ, a nation you have not known). <strong>And thy king</strong> means the monarchy instituted later (1 Samuel 8) wou...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(36) **Thee, and thy king that thou shalt set over thee.**—Comp. Deuteronomy 17:14. The former passage is not the only one in which Moses shows his fore knowledge that Israel would have a king. But could any later writer have concealed his knowledge that there were two kingdoms, or have avoided all allusion to the throne of David in passages like these? Several kings went into captivity. Jehoahaz ...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**18-21. If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son--**A severe law was enacted in this case. But the consent of both parents was required as a prevention of any abuse of it; for it was reasonable to suppose that they would not both agree to a criminal information against their son except from absolute necessity, arising from his inveterate and hopeless wickedness; and, in that view, the law was ...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 15-44** If we do not keep God's commandments, we not only come short of the blessing promised, but we lay ourselves under the curse, which includes all misery, as the blessing all happiness. Observe the justice of this curse. It is not a curse causeless, or for some light cause. The extent and power of this curse. Wherever the sinner goes, the curse of God follows; wherever he is, it ...
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And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all nations whither the LORD shall lead thee.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all nations whither the LORD shall lead thee.</strong> The Hebrew <em>shammah</em> (astonishment) conveys horror and desolation—Israel's covenant unfaithfulness would make them a shocking spectacle. <em>Mashal</em> (proverb) and <em>sheninah</em> (byword) indicate they would become proverbial examples of divine judgment,...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(37) **And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword.**—This verse is the contrary to Deuteronomy 28:10. It was verified in the first captivity, and did not wait for the last dispersion. (See 1Kings 9:7-9, where the threat is repeated; Jeremiah 42:18; Ezekiel 36:20-22.)

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**18-21. If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son--**A severe law was enacted in this case. But the consent of both parents was required as a prevention of any abuse of it; for it was reasonable to suppose that they would not both agree to a criminal information against their son except from absolute necessity, arising from his inveterate and hopeless wickedness; and, in that view, the law was ...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 15-44** If we do not keep God's commandments, we not only come short of the blessing promised, but we lay ourselves under the curse, which includes all misery, as the blessing all happiness. Observe the justice of this curse. It is not a curse causeless, or for some light cause. The extent and power of this curse. Wherever the sinner goes, the curse of God follows; wherever he is, it ...
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Thou shalt carry much seed out into the field, and shalt gather but little in; for the locust shall consume it.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Thou shalt carry much seed out into the field, and shalt gather but little in; for the locust shall consume it.</strong> The futility curse begins—intense labor producing meager results. The Hebrew <em>arbeh</em> (locust) was one of the Exodus plagues against Egypt (Exodus 10:4-15); now God would turn this same judgment weapon against disobedient Israel. What once demonstrated Yahweh's pow...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(38-42) These are the contrary to Deuteronomy 28:11; and Deuteronomy 28:44 is the contrary to Deuteronomy 28:12-13. From the order of the passage it might seem that these particular troubles were to come on Israel after their captivity. And perhaps it is not accidental that something very like a fulfilment of Deuteronomy 28:38-40 is found in Haggai 1:6-11. (Comp. also Isaiah 5:10, “Ten acres of vi...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**18-21. If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son--**A severe law was enacted in this case. But the consent of both parents was required as a prevention of any abuse of it; for it was reasonable to suppose that they would not both agree to a criminal information against their son except from absolute necessity, arising from his inveterate and hopeless wickedness; and, in that view, the law was ...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 15-44** If we do not keep God's commandments, we not only come short of the blessing promised, but we lay ourselves under the curse, which includes all misery, as the blessing all happiness. Observe the justice of this curse. It is not a curse causeless, or for some light cause. The extent and power of this curse. Wherever the sinner goes, the curse of God follows; wherever he is, it ...
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Thou shalt plant vineyards, and dress them, but shalt neither drink of the wine, nor gather the grapes; for the worms shall eat them.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Thou shalt plant vineyards, and dress them, but shalt neither drink of the wine, nor gather the grapes; for the worms shall eat them.</strong> Vineyards required years of cultivation before bearing fruit—this curse meant long-term investment without any return. The Hebrew <em>tola'at</em> (worm/grub) would destroy vines before harvest, compounding frustration. Isaiah 5:1-7 later used faile...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**22-23. if a man have committed a sin ... and thou hang him on a tree--**Hanging was not a Hebrew form of execution (gibbeting is meant), but the body was not to be left to rot or be a prey to ravenous birds; it was to be buried "that day," either because the stench in a hot climate would corrupt the air, or the spectacle of an exposed corpse bring ceremonial defilement on the land.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 15-44** If we do not keep God's commandments, we not only come short of the blessing promised, but we lay ourselves under the curse, which includes all misery, as the blessing all happiness. Observe the justice of this curse. It is not a curse causeless, or for some light cause. The extent and power of this curse. Wherever the sinner goes, the curse of God follows; wherever he is, it ...
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Thou shalt have olive trees throughout all thy coasts, but thou shalt not anoint thyself with the oil; for thine olive shall cast his fruit.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Thou shalt have olive trees throughout all thy coasts, but thou shalt not anoint thyself with the oil; for thine olive shall cast his fruit.</strong> Olive oil was essential in ancient Israel—used for cooking, lighting, medicine, anointing, and religious ritual. The Hebrew <em>nashal</em> (cast/drop prematurely) indicates crop failure before maturity. Possessing olive groves yet lacking oi...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**22-23. if a man have committed a sin ... and thou hang him on a tree--**Hanging was not a Hebrew form of execution (gibbeting is meant), but the body was not to be left to rot or be a prey to ravenous birds; it was to be buried "that day," either because the stench in a hot climate would corrupt the air, or the spectacle of an exposed corpse bring ceremonial defilement on the land.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 15-44** If we do not keep God's commandments, we not only come short of the blessing promised, but we lay ourselves under the curse, which includes all misery, as the blessing all happiness. Observe the justice of this curse. It is not a curse causeless, or for some light cause. The extent and power of this curse. Wherever the sinner goes, the curse of God follows; wherever he is, it ...
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Thou shalt beget sons and daughters, but thou shalt not enjoy them; for they shall go into captivity. thou shalt not: Heb. they shall not be thine

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Thou shalt beget sons and daughters, but thou shalt not enjoy them; for they shall go into captivity.</strong> The most devastating curse yet—losing children to exile. The Hebrew <em>shebi</em> (captivity) meant forced deportation to foreign lands. Children represented covenant continuity, inheritance, and future hope; their loss meant the covenant promises dying out. Where blessing promis...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 15-44** If we do not keep God's commandments, we not only come short of the blessing promised, but we lay ourselves under the curse, which includes all misery, as the blessing all happiness. Observe the justice of this curse. It is not a curse causeless, or for some light cause. The extent and power of this curse. Wherever the sinner goes, the curse of God follows; wherever he is, it ...
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All thy trees and fruit of thy land shall the locust consume. consume: or, possess

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>All thy trees and fruit of thy land shall the locust consume.</strong> This verse summarizes and intensifies verse 38's locust curse—now <em>all</em> trees and <em>all</em> fruit face consumption. The Hebrew <em>tslatsal</em> (likely whirring locust) emphasizes the relentless, comprehensive devastation. Nothing green escapes—total agricultural collapse follows covenant violation.<br><br>Jo...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

CHAPTER 22 De 22:1-4. Of Humanity toward Brethren. **1. Thou shalt not see thy brother's ox or his sheep go astray, and hide thyself from them, &amp;c.--**"Brother" is a term of extensive application, comprehending persons of every description; not a relative, neighbor, or fellow countryman only, but any human being, known or unknown, a foreigner, and even an enemy (Ex 23:4). The duty inculcated ...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 15-44** If we do not keep God's commandments, we not only come short of the blessing promised, but we lay ourselves under the curse, which includes all misery, as the blessing all happiness. Observe the justice of this curse. It is not a curse causeless, or for some light cause. The extent and power of this curse. Wherever the sinner goes, the curse of God follows; wherever he is, it ...
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The stranger that is within thee shall get up above thee very high; and thou shalt come down very low.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>The stranger that is within thee shall get up above thee very high; and thou shalt come down very low.</strong> Complete reversal of promised social order—the <em>ger</em> (sojourner/alien) who should have dwelt under Israel's blessing would instead rise above them. The contrast <em>very high/very low</em> emphasizes extreme status reversal. Where Deuteronomy 28:1 promised Israel would be ...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 15-44** If we do not keep God's commandments, we not only come short of the blessing promised, but we lay ourselves under the curse, which includes all misery, as the blessing all happiness. Observe the justice of this curse. It is not a curse causeless, or for some light cause. The extent and power of this curse. Wherever the sinner goes, the curse of God follows; wherever he is, it ...
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He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him: he shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him: he shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail.</strong> Economic reversal completes social reversal from verse 43. Deuteronomy 28:12 promised Israel would "lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow"—now that blessing inverts completely. The Hebrew <em>rosh</em> (head) and <em>zanab</em> (tail) picture leadership versus follo...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 15-44** If we do not keep God's commandments, we not only come short of the blessing promised, but we lay ourselves under the curse, which includes all misery, as the blessing all happiness. Observe the justice of this curse. It is not a curse causeless, or for some light cause. The extent and power of this curse. Wherever the sinner goes, the curse of God follows; wherever he is, it ...
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Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearkenedst not unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee:

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearkenedst not unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee.</strong> The Hebrew verbs intensify—curses will <em>come</em> (bo), <em>pursue</em> (radaph), and <em>overtake</em> (nasag). This describes relent...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(45) **Till thou be destroyed.**—Not exterminated. The root meaning of the word is connected with “smiting,” and the idea seems to be to crush. (Comp. 2Kings 13:7 : “The king of Syria had destroyed them, and *had made them like the dust by threshing.”*) This kind of destruction is consistent with what follows in Deuteronomy 28:46, and also at the end of Deuteronomy 28:48.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 45-68** If God inflicts vengeance, what miseries his curse can bring upon mankind, even in this present world! Yet these are but the beginning of sorrows to those under the curse of God. What then will be the misery of that world where their worm dieth not, and their fire is not quenched! Observe what is here said of the wrath of God, which should come and remain upon the Israelites f...
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And they shall be upon thee for a sign and for a wonder, and upon thy seed for ever.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And they shall be upon thee for a sign and for a wonder, and upon thy seed for ever.</strong> The Hebrew <em>oth</em> (sign) and <em>mopheth</em> (wonder/portent) turn Israel's suffering into perpetual testimony. These same words described the Exodus miracles (Deuteronomy 6:22)—God's delivering power was a sign to nations. Now Israel's judgment becomes an equally powerful sign of God's hol...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

De 22:5-12. The Sex to Be Distinguished by Apparel. **5. The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment--**Though disguises were assumed at certain times in heathen temples, it is probable that a reference was made to unbecoming levities practised in common life. They were properly forbidden; for the adoption of the habiliments of the one s...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 45-68** If God inflicts vengeance, what miseries his curse can bring upon mankind, even in this present world! Yet these are but the beginning of sorrows to those under the curse of God. What then will be the misery of that world where their worm dieth not, and their fire is not quenched! Observe what is here said of the wrath of God, which should come and remain upon the Israelites f...
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Because thou servedst not the LORD thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things;

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KJV Study Commentary

Moses identifies the root cause of judgment: 'Because thou servedst not the LORD thy God with joyfulness and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things.' The issue isn't merely disobedience but attitude—serving God grudgingly or mechanically rather than joyfully. The phrase 'for the abundance of all things' reveals the problem: prosperity led to complacency and ingratitude rather than...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**6-7. If a bird's nest chance to be before thee--**This is a beautiful instance of the humanizing spirit of the Mosaic law, in checking a tendency to wanton destructiveness and encouraging a spirit of kind and compassionate tenderness to the tiniest creatures. But there was wisdom as well as humanity in the precept; for, as birds are well known to serve important uses in the economy of nature, th...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 45-68** If God inflicts vengeance, what miseries his curse can bring upon mankind, even in this present world! Yet these are but the beginning of sorrows to those under the curse of God. What then will be the misery of that world where their worm dieth not, and their fire is not quenched! Observe what is here said of the wrath of God, which should come and remain upon the Israelites f...
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Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the LORD shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies</strong>—the Hebrew <em>ʿāḇaḏ</em> (עָבַד) means not mere labor but enslaved servitude. Israel would trade <strong>the yoke of God's law</strong> (which is freedom) for <strong>a yoke of iron</strong> (בְּעֹל בַּרְזֶל, <em>bǝʿōl barzel</em>)—unbreakable, crushing bondage. The prophesied conditions—<strong>hunger, thirst, nakedness, want of all thing...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**6-7. If a bird's nest chance to be before thee--**This is a beautiful instance of the humanizing spirit of the Mosaic law, in checking a tendency to wanton destructiveness and encouraging a spirit of kind and compassionate tenderness to the tiniest creatures. But there was wisdom as well as humanity in the precept; for, as birds are well known to serve important uses in the economy of nature, th...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 45-68** If God inflicts vengeance, what miseries his curse can bring upon mankind, even in this present world! Yet these are but the beginning of sorrows to those under the curse of God. What then will be the misery of that world where their worm dieth not, and their fire is not quenched! Observe what is here said of the wrath of God, which should come and remain upon the Israelites f...
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The LORD shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand; understand: Heb. hear

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>The LORD shall bring a nation against thee from far</strong>—the Hebrew <em>gôy</em> (גּוֹי) here means a distant, foreign power. The phrase <strong>as swift as the eagle flieth</strong> (כַּנֶּשֶׁר יִדְאֶה, <em>kannesher yidʾeh</em>) perfectly describes Rome's military eagles (standards) that swept through Judea. <strong>A nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand</strong> applied to ...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

Deuteronomy 28:49-57. **CONQUEST OF ISRAEL BY A STRANGE NATION. MISERIES OF THE SIEGE.** (49) **The Lord shall bring a nation against thee.**—Comp. “Lo, I will *bring a nation upon you from far, *O house of Israel, saith the Lord: it is a mighty nation, an ancient nation, a *nation whose language thou knowest not, neither understandest what they say” *(Jeremiah 5:15). In this instance the Chaldsea...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**8. thou shalt make a battlement for thy roof, that thou bring not blood upon thine house, if any man fall from thence--**The tops of houses in ancient Judea, as in the East still, were flat, being composed of branches or twigs laid across large beams, and covered with a cement of clay or strong plaster. They were surrounded by a parapet breast high. In summer the roof is a favorite resort for co...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 45-68** If God inflicts vengeance, what miseries his curse can bring upon mankind, even in this present world! Yet these are but the beginning of sorrows to those under the curse of God. What then will be the misery of that world where their worm dieth not, and their fire is not quenched! Observe what is here said of the wrath of God, which should come and remain upon the Israelites f...
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A nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor shew favour to the young: of fierce: Heb. strong of face

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>A nation of fierce countenance</strong>—Hebrew <em>ʿaz pānîm</em> (עַז פָּנִים) means literally 'strong of face,' conveying hardness and ruthlessness. The phrase <strong>shall not regard the person of the old, nor shew favour to the young</strong> describes total war without the ancient Near Eastern customs of mercy to non-combatants. Assyrian and Babylonian inscriptions boasted of such br...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(50) **Which shall not regard the person of the old, nor show favour to the young.**—Comp. 2Chronicles 36:17, “The king of the Chaldecs had no compassion upon young man or maiden, old man or him that stooped for age; and Lamentations 5:12, “Princes are hanged up by their hand: the faces of elders were not honoured.”

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**9. Thou shalt not sow thy vineyard with divers seeds--**(See on Le 19:19).

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 45-68** If God inflicts vengeance, what miseries his curse can bring upon mankind, even in this present world! Yet these are but the beginning of sorrows to those under the curse of God. What then will be the misery of that world where their worm dieth not, and their fire is not quenched! Observe what is here said of the wrath of God, which should come and remain upon the Israelites f...
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And he shall eat the fruit of thy cattle, and the fruit of thy land, until thou be destroyed: which also shall not leave thee either corn, wine, or oil, or the increase of thy kine, or flocks of thy sheep, until he have destroyed thee.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And he shall eat the fruit of thy cattle, and the fruit of thy land</strong>—the language of devouring (אָכַל, <em>ʾāḵal</em>) is intentionally agricultural, showing how completely the invader would strip the land. The specific mention of <strong>corn, wine, oil</strong> (דָּגָן תִּירוֹשׁ וְיִצְהָר, <em>dāḡān tîrôš wǝyiṣhār</em>) and <strong>kine and sheep</strong> lists the covenant bless...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**10. Thou shalt not plough with an ox and an ass together--**Whether this association, like the mixture of seeds, had been dictated by superstitious motives and the prohibition was symbolical, designed to teach a moral lesson (2Co 6:14), may or may not have been the case. But the prohibition prevented a great inhumanity still occasionally practised by the poorer sort in Oriental countries. An ox ...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 45-68** If God inflicts vengeance, what miseries his curse can bring upon mankind, even in this present world! Yet these are but the beginning of sorrows to those under the curse of God. What then will be the misery of that world where their worm dieth not, and their fire is not quenched! Observe what is here said of the wrath of God, which should come and remain upon the Israelites f...
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And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates, until thy high and fenced walls come down, wherein thou trustedst, throughout all thy land: and he shall besiege thee in all thy gates throughout all thy land, which the LORD thy God hath given thee.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates</strong>—Hebrew <em>ṣûr</em> (צוּר) describes a strangling siege cutting off all supplies. The repetition of <strong>all thy gates</strong> twice emphasizes total encirclement. <strong>Thy high and fenced walls come down, wherein thou trustedst</strong>—the verb <em>bāṭaḥ</em> (בָּטַח, 'trusted') is devastating: Israel would trust in walls (milita...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(52) **And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates.**—The siege of the last two “fenced cities” by Nebuchadnezzar’s army is mentioned in Jeremiah 34:7. The siege and capture of Jotapata by the Romans, in spite of all the efforts of the Jews to defend it, is specially recorded by Josephus.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**11. thou shalt not wear a garment of divers sorts--**The essence of the crime (Zep 1:8) consisted, not in wearing a woollen and a linen robe, but in the two stuffs being woven together, according to a favorite superstition of ancient idolaters (see on Le 19:19).

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 45-68** If God inflicts vengeance, what miseries his curse can bring upon mankind, even in this present world! Yet these are but the beginning of sorrows to those under the curse of God. What then will be the misery of that world where their worm dieth not, and their fire is not quenched! Observe what is here said of the wrath of God, which should come and remain upon the Israelites f...
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And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters, which the LORD thy God hath given thee, in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee: body: Heb. belly

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters</strong>—this is the most horrifying curse in the entire chapter. The Hebrew phrase <em>pǝrî ḇiṭnǝḵā</em> (פְּרִי בִטְנְךָ, 'fruit of your womb') uses tender language for pregnancy to describe unspeakable horror: cannibalism of one's own children. This prophesied the most extreme degradation possible...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(53) **Thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body.**—Specially confirmed in the siege of Samaria by the Syrians (2Kings 6:26-29; but see on Deuteronomy 28:56), and also in Jerusalem when besieged by Nebuchadnezzar. (See Lamentations 2:20; Lamentations 4:10.)

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**12. thou shalt make thee fringes upon the four quarters--**or, according to some eminent biblical interpreters, tassels on the coverlet of the bed. The precept is not the same as Nu 15:38.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 45-68** If God inflicts vengeance, what miseries his curse can bring upon mankind, even in this present world! Yet these are but the beginning of sorrows to those under the curse of God. What then will be the misery of that world where their worm dieth not, and their fire is not quenched! Observe what is here said of the wrath of God, which should come and remain upon the Israelites f...
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So that the man that is tender among you, and very delicate, his eye shall be evil toward his brother, and toward the wife of his bosom, and toward the remnant of his children which he shall leave:

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>The man that is tender among you, and very delicate</strong>—Hebrew <em>rāḵ</em> and <em>ʿānōḡ</em> (רַךְ וְעָנֹג) describe a refined, upper-class man unaccustomed to hardship. <strong>His eye shall be evil</strong> (תֵּרַע עֵינוֹ, <em>tēraʿ ʿênô</em>) is an idiom meaning 'he will look grudgingly/greedily'—he will refuse to share even human flesh with <strong>his brother... the wife of his...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**13-30. If a man take a wife, &amp;c.--**The regulations that follow might be imperatively needful in the then situation of the Israelites; and yet, it is not necessary that we should curiously and impertinently inquire into them. So far was it from being unworthy of God to leave such things upon record, that the enactments must heighten our admiration of His wisdom and goodness in the management...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 45-68** If God inflicts vengeance, what miseries his curse can bring upon mankind, even in this present world! Yet these are but the beginning of sorrows to those under the curse of God. What then will be the misery of that world where their worm dieth not, and their fire is not quenched! Observe what is here said of the wrath of God, which should come and remain upon the Israelites f...
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So that he will not give to any of them of the flesh of his children whom he shall eat: because he hath nothing left him in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee in all thy gates.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>So that he will not give to any of them of the flesh of his children whom he shall eat</strong>—the repetition hammers home the horror: a man eating his own children and refusing to share. The phrase <em>mibbǝśar bānāyw</em> (מִבְּשַׂר בָּנָיו, 'from the flesh of his sons') is grammatically precise—Moses uses no euphemism. <strong>Because he hath nothing left him in the siege</strong> expl...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(55) **So that he will not give to any of them.**-A complication of horrors is here described. They shall eat some of their children and refuse to share even this food with those that are left.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**13-30. If a man take a wife, &amp;c.--**The regulations that follow might be imperatively needful in the then situation of the Israelites; and yet, it is not necessary that we should curiously and impertinently inquire into them. So far was it from being unworthy of God to leave such things upon record, that the enactments must heighten our admiration of His wisdom and goodness in the management...
Read full commentary →

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 45-68** If God inflicts vengeance, what miseries his curse can bring upon mankind, even in this present world! Yet these are but the beginning of sorrows to those under the curse of God. What then will be the misery of that world where their worm dieth not, and their fire is not quenched! Observe what is here said of the wrath of God, which should come and remain upon the Israelites f...
Read full commentary →

The tender and delicate woman among you, which would not adventure to set the sole of her foot upon the ground for delicateness and tenderness, her eye shall be evil toward the husband of her bosom, and toward her son, and toward her daughter,

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>The tender and delicate woman among you, which would not adventure to set the sole of her foot upon the ground</strong>—the Hebrew <em>haʿănuggāh wǝharakkāh</em> (הָעֲנֻגָּה וְהָרַכָּה) describes an aristocratic lady so refined she never walked barefoot, perhaps carried in a litter. Yet <strong>her eye shall be evil toward the husband of her bosom, and toward her son, and toward her daught...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(56) **The tender and delicate woman.**—This was fulfilled to the very letter in the case of Mary of Beth-ezob in the siege of Jerusalem by Titus. The story is told with horrible minuteness by Josephus, and again by Eusebius in his Church History. The secrecy of the deed was one of its horrors.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**13-30. If a man take a wife, &amp;c.--**The regulations that follow might be imperatively needful in the then situation of the Israelites; and yet, it is not necessary that we should curiously and impertinently inquire into them. So far was it from being unworthy of God to leave such things upon record, that the enactments must heighten our admiration of His wisdom and goodness in the management...
Read full commentary →

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 45-68** If God inflicts vengeance, what miseries his curse can bring upon mankind, even in this present world! Yet these are but the beginning of sorrows to those under the curse of God. What then will be the misery of that world where their worm dieth not, and their fire is not quenched! Observe what is here said of the wrath of God, which should come and remain upon the Israelites f...
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And toward her young one that cometh out from between her feet, and toward her children which she shall bear: for she shall eat them for want of all things secretly in the siege and straitness, wherewith thine enemy shall distress thee in thy gates. young one: Heb. afterbirth

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And toward her young one that cometh out from between her feet</strong>—Hebrew <em>šilyātāh</em> (שִׁלְיָתָהּ) specifically means the afterbirth or placenta, suggesting she will eat it immediately after delivery. <strong>And toward her children which she shall bear</strong> clarifies: not just the afterbirth but the newborns themselves. <strong>For she shall eat them for want of all things...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**13-30. If a man take a wife, &amp;c.--**The regulations that follow might be imperatively needful in the then situation of the Israelites; and yet, it is not necessary that we should curiously and impertinently inquire into them. So far was it from being unworthy of God to leave such things upon record, that the enactments must heighten our admiration of His wisdom and goodness in the management...
Read full commentary →

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 45-68** If God inflicts vengeance, what miseries his curse can bring upon mankind, even in this present world! Yet these are but the beginning of sorrows to those under the curse of God. What then will be the misery of that world where their worm dieth not, and their fire is not quenched! Observe what is here said of the wrath of God, which should come and remain upon the Israelites f...
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If thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful name, THE LORD THY GOD;

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>If thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book</strong>—the phrase <em>šāmar laʿăśôt</em> (שָׁמַר לַעֲשׂוֹת, 'observe to do') requires not just hearing but doing. <strong>That thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful name, THE LORD THY GOD</strong>—Hebrew <em>haššēm hanniḵbāḏ wǝhannôrāʾ hazzeh</em> (הַשֵּׁם הַנִּכְבָּד וְהַנּוֹרָא הַזֶּה) uses 'THE...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(58, 59) See Note on Deuteronomy 25:2-3. **This glorious and fearful name, the Lord thy God.**—The first Note of the Decalogue is here referred to, as the great curse of the Law draws to its close. It is no light matter when the Almighty says to any people or to any person, “I am Jehovah thy God.” They who are His *must *obey Him, love Him, and acknowledge Him. He will not be mocked. Never did He ...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**13-30. If a man take a wife, &amp;c.--**The regulations that follow might be imperatively needful in the then situation of the Israelites; and yet, it is not necessary that we should curiously and impertinently inquire into them. So far was it from being unworthy of God to leave such things upon record, that the enactments must heighten our admiration of His wisdom and goodness in the management...
Read full commentary →

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 45-68** If God inflicts vengeance, what miseries his curse can bring upon mankind, even in this present world! Yet these are but the beginning of sorrows to those under the curse of God. What then will be the misery of that world where their worm dieth not, and their fire is not quenched! Observe what is here said of the wrath of God, which should come and remain upon the Israelites f...
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Then the LORD will make thy plagues wonderful, and the plagues of thy seed, even great plagues, and of long continuance, and sore sicknesses, and of long continuance.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Then the LORD will make thy plagues wonderful</strong>—Hebrew <em>wǝhiplāʾ YHWH</em> (וְהִפְלָא יְהוָה) uses the verb 'to make extraordinary/distinguished.' The word <em>makkôṯ</em> (מַכּוֹת, plagues) recalls Egypt's ten plagues, but these would be <strong>great plagues, and of long continuance</strong> (חֳלָיִם רָעִים וְנֶאֱמָנִים, <em>ḥŏlāyîm rāʿîm wǝneʾĕmānîm</em>—literally 'evil and fa...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**13-30. If a man take a wife, &amp;c.--**The regulations that follow might be imperatively needful in the then situation of the Israelites; and yet, it is not necessary that we should curiously and impertinently inquire into them. So far was it from being unworthy of God to leave such things upon record, that the enactments must heighten our admiration of His wisdom and goodness in the management...
Read full commentary →

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 45-68** If God inflicts vengeance, what miseries his curse can bring upon mankind, even in this present world! Yet these are but the beginning of sorrows to those under the curse of God. What then will be the misery of that world where their worm dieth not, and their fire is not quenched! Observe what is here said of the wrath of God, which should come and remain upon the Israelites f...
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Moreover he will bring upon thee all the diseases of Egypt, which thou wast afraid of; and they shall cleave unto thee.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Moreover he will bring upon thee all the diseases of Egypt, which thou wast afraid of</strong>—the Hebrew <em>kol-maḏwēh miṣrayim</em> (כָּל־מַדְוֵה מִצְרַיִם, 'every disease of Egypt') refers both to the ten plagues and to the endemic diseases Israel witnessed in Egypt. <strong>And they shall cleave unto thee</strong> (וְדָבְקוּ בָךְ, <em>wǝḏāḇǝqû ḇāḵ</em>)—the verb 'cleave' is used posit...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(60) **The diseases of Egypt, which thou wast afraid of.**—Contrast Exodus 15:26. “If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of Jehovah . . . I will put none of these diseases of Egypt which thou knowest, upon thee; for I am *Jehovah, that healeth thee” *But, on the other hand, it is said (Ezekiel 7:9), “Ye shall know that *I am Jehovah that smiteth.” eJehovah-Rophêka *and *Jehovah-Makkeh *are ...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**13-30. If a man take a wife, &amp;c.--**The regulations that follow might be imperatively needful in the then situation of the Israelites; and yet, it is not necessary that we should curiously and impertinently inquire into them. So far was it from being unworthy of God to leave such things upon record, that the enactments must heighten our admiration of His wisdom and goodness in the management...
Read full commentary →

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 45-68** If God inflicts vengeance, what miseries his curse can bring upon mankind, even in this present world! Yet these are but the beginning of sorrows to those under the curse of God. What then will be the misery of that world where their worm dieth not, and their fire is not quenched! Observe what is here said of the wrath of God, which should come and remain upon the Israelites f...
Read full commentary →

Also every sickness, and every plague, which is not written in the book of this law, them will the LORD bring upon thee, until thou be destroyed. bring: Heb. cause to ascend

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Also every sickness, and every plague, which is not written in the book of this law</strong>—the comprehensiveness is staggering: not just the listed curses but <em>every</em> unlisted one too. The phrase <em>kol-ḥolî wǝḵol-makkāh</em> (כָּל־חֳלִי וְכָל־מַכָּה) means literally 'all sickness and all plague.' <strong>Them will the LORD bring upon thee, until thou be destroyed</strong> (עַד ה...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(61) **Every sickness and every plague** (or “smiting;” Heb., *Makkah*) **which is not written.**—Well might the Apostle write, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**13-30. If a man take a wife, &amp;c.--**The regulations that follow might be imperatively needful in the then situation of the Israelites; and yet, it is not necessary that we should curiously and impertinently inquire into them. So far was it from being unworthy of God to leave such things upon record, that the enactments must heighten our admiration of His wisdom and goodness in the management...
Read full commentary →

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 45-68** If God inflicts vengeance, what miseries his curse can bring upon mankind, even in this present world! Yet these are but the beginning of sorrows to those under the curse of God. What then will be the misery of that world where their worm dieth not, and their fire is not quenched! Observe what is here said of the wrath of God, which should come and remain upon the Israelites f...
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And ye shall be left few in number, whereas ye were as the stars of heaven for multitude; because thou wouldest not obey the voice of the LORD thy God.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And ye shall be left few in number, whereas ye were as the stars of heaven for multitude</strong>—this directly reverses God's Abrahamic promise (Genesis 15:5, 22:17). The Hebrew <em>wǝnišʾartem bimtê mǝʿāṭ</em> (וְנִשְׁאַרְתֶּם בִּמְתֵי מְעָט, 'you shall be left as men of fewness') contrasts painfully with <strong>as the stars of heaven</strong> (כְּכוֹכְבֵי הַשָּׁמַיִם, <em>kǝḵôḵǝḇê hašš...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**13-30. If a man take a wife, &amp;c.--**The regulations that follow might be imperatively needful in the then situation of the Israelites; and yet, it is not necessary that we should curiously and impertinently inquire into them. So far was it from being unworthy of God to leave such things upon record, that the enactments must heighten our admiration of His wisdom and goodness in the management...
Read full commentary →

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 45-68** If God inflicts vengeance, what miseries his curse can bring upon mankind, even in this present world! Yet these are but the beginning of sorrows to those under the curse of God. What then will be the misery of that world where their worm dieth not, and their fire is not quenched! Observe what is here said of the wrath of God, which should come and remain upon the Israelites f...
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And it shall come to pass, that as the LORD rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you; so the LORD will rejoice over you to destroy you, and to bring you to nought; and ye shall be plucked from off the land whither thou goest to possess it.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And it shall come to pass, that as the LORD rejoiced over you to do you good</strong>—the Hebrew <em>śāśû śîś YHWH ʿălêḵem lǝhêṭîḇ</em> (שָׂשׂ יְהוָה עֲלֵיכֶם לְהֵיטִיב, 'the LORD rejoiced rejoicing over you to do good') uses emphatic repetition showing God's enthusiastic delight in blessing. But <strong>so the LORD will rejoice over you to destroy you</strong> (כֵּן יָשִׂישׂ יְהוָה עֲלֵיכ...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(63) **As the Lord rejoiced over you.**—See on Deuteronomy 30:9.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**13-30. If a man take a wife, &amp;c.--**The regulations that follow might be imperatively needful in the then situation of the Israelites; and yet, it is not necessary that we should curiously and impertinently inquire into them. So far was it from being unworthy of God to leave such things upon record, that the enactments must heighten our admiration of His wisdom and goodness in the management...
Read full commentary →

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 45-68** If God inflicts vengeance, what miseries his curse can bring upon mankind, even in this present world! Yet these are but the beginning of sorrows to those under the curse of God. What then will be the misery of that world where their worm dieth not, and their fire is not quenched! Observe what is here said of the wrath of God, which should come and remain upon the Israelites f...
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And the LORD shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And the LORD shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other</strong>—Hebrew <em>wĕhĕpîṣǝḵā YHWH</em> (וֶהֱפִיצְךָ יְהוָה, 'and the LORD will scatter you') describes the diaspora with prophetic precision. The phrase <strong>from the one end of the earth even unto the other</strong> is hyperbolic but historically accurate—Jews were scattered from Spain...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(64) **And the Lord shall scatter thee among all people.**—Fulfilled, literally, in this last dispersion. **Thou shalt serve other gods.**—We do not know of Israel’s falling into actual idolatry in dispersion, except in Egypt (Jeremiah 44:17), and possibly in Babylon (Ezekiel 14:22-23. Comp. Deuteronomy 33:25). But they were slaves to the worshippers of other gods.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**13-30. If a man take a wife, &amp;c.--**The regulations that follow might be imperatively needful in the then situation of the Israelites; and yet, it is not necessary that we should curiously and impertinently inquire into them. So far was it from being unworthy of God to leave such things upon record, that the enactments must heighten our admiration of His wisdom and goodness in the management...
Read full commentary →

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 45-68** If God inflicts vengeance, what miseries his curse can bring upon mankind, even in this present world! Yet these are but the beginning of sorrows to those under the curse of God. What then will be the misery of that world where their worm dieth not, and their fire is not quenched! Observe what is here said of the wrath of God, which should come and remain upon the Israelites f...
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And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the LORD shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind:

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest</strong>—the Hebrew phrase <em>lōʾ ṯarḡîaʿ</em> (לֹא תַרְגִּיעַ, 'you shall not find rest') and <em>wǝlōʾ-yihyeh mānôaḥ lǝḵap-raḡlǝḵā</em> (וְלֹא־יִהְיֶה מָנוֹחַ לְכַף־רַגְלֶךָ, 'no resting place for the sole of your foot') recall Noah's dove finding no rest (Genesis 8:9). <strong>But the LORD sha...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(65) **And among these nations shalt thou find no ease.**—The repeated persecutions of the Jews by other nations in the time of their dispersion are among the most fearful and wonderful phenomena of history. **And failing of eyes.**—“Looking for salvation, and it cometh not” (Rashi). How many years have they gone on praying that they may keep the feast “next year” in Jerusalem? and still the hope ...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**13-30. If a man take a wife, &amp;c.--**The regulations that follow might be imperatively needful in the then situation of the Israelites; and yet, it is not necessary that we should curiously and impertinently inquire into them. So far was it from being unworthy of God to leave such things upon record, that the enactments must heighten our admiration of His wisdom and goodness in the management...
Read full commentary →

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 45-68** If God inflicts vengeance, what miseries his curse can bring upon mankind, even in this present world! Yet these are but the beginning of sorrows to those under the curse of God. What then will be the misery of that world where their worm dieth not, and their fire is not quenched! Observe what is here said of the wrath of God, which should come and remain upon the Israelites f...
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And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life:

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee</strong>—Hebrew <em>wǝhāyû ḥayyeḵā tǝlûʾîm lǝḵā minneḡeḏ</em> (וְהָיוּ חַיֶּיךָ תְּלֻאִים לְךָ מִנֶּגֶד, 'and your life shall be hanging before you') uses the imagery of something suspended by a thread, precarious. <strong>And thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life</strong>—the phrase <em>wǝlōʾ ṯaʾămîn bǝḥayyeḵā...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(66) **Thy life shall hang in doubt before thee.**—“Perhaps 1 shall die to-day by the sword that cometh upon me” (Rashi).

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**13-30. If a man take a wife, &amp;c.--**The regulations that follow might be imperatively needful in the then situation of the Israelites; and yet, it is not necessary that we should curiously and impertinently inquire into them. So far was it from being unworthy of God to leave such things upon record, that the enactments must heighten our admiration of His wisdom and goodness in the management...
Read full commentary →

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 45-68** If God inflicts vengeance, what miseries his curse can bring upon mankind, even in this present world! Yet these are but the beginning of sorrows to those under the curse of God. What then will be the misery of that world where their worm dieth not, and their fire is not quenched! Observe what is here said of the wrath of God, which should come and remain upon the Israelites f...
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In the morning thou shalt say, Would God it were even! and at even thou shalt say, Would God it were morning! for the fear of thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>In the morning thou shalt say, Would God it were even! and at even thou shalt say, Would God it were morning!</strong>—this captures the psychology of despair: wishing away the present moment, unable to find relief. The Hebrew <em>mî-yitten ʿereḇ... mî-yitten bōqer</em> (מִי־יִתֵּן עֶרֶב... מִי־יִתֵּן בֹּקֶר, 'who will give evening... who will give morning') is literally 'O that it were ev...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(67) **Thou shalt say.**—The Talmud expounds this of the constant increase of trouble. Yesterday evening this morning was longed for. To-day the trouble is more terrible, and every hour adds to the curse. But the description in the text needs nothing to augment its horrors.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**13-30. If a man take a wife, &amp;c.--**The regulations that follow might be imperatively needful in the then situation of the Israelites; and yet, it is not necessary that we should curiously and impertinently inquire into them. So far was it from being unworthy of God to leave such things upon record, that the enactments must heighten our admiration of His wisdom and goodness in the management...
Read full commentary →

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 45-68** If God inflicts vengeance, what miseries his curse can bring upon mankind, even in this present world! Yet these are but the beginning of sorrows to those under the curse of God. What then will be the misery of that world where their worm dieth not, and their fire is not quenched! Observe what is here said of the wrath of God, which should come and remain upon the Israelites f...
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And the LORD shall bring thee into Egypt again with ships, by the way whereof I spake unto thee, Thou shalt see it no more again: and there ye shall be sold unto your enemies for bondmen and bondwomen, and no man shall buy you.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And the LORD shall bring thee into Egypt again with ships</strong>—this reverses the Exodus, Israel's founding narrative. The Hebrew <em>wĕhešîḇǝḵā YHWH miṣrayim bāʾŏniyyôṯ</em> (וֶהֱשִׁיבְךָ יְהוָה מִצְרַיִם בָּאֳנִיּוֹת, 'and the LORD will return you to Egypt in ships') means literal return to slavery. <strong>By the way whereof I spake unto thee, Thou shalt see it no more again</strong>...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(68) **The Lord shall bring thee into Egypt again with ships.**—Josephus says this was done with many of the Jews by Titus. **Thou shalt see it no more again.**—Deuteronomy 17:16. **Ye shall be sold . . . and no man shall buy you.**—Rashi explains thus: “Ye shall desire to be sold—ye shall offer yourselves as slaves to your enemies, and shall be refused, because you are appointed to slaughter and ...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**13-30. If a man take a wife, &amp;c.--**The regulations that follow might be imperatively needful in the then situation of the Israelites; and yet, it is not necessary that we should curiously and impertinently inquire into them. So far was it from being unworthy of God to leave such things upon record, that the enactments must heighten our admiration of His wisdom and goodness in the management...
Read full commentary →

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 45-68** If God inflicts vengeance, what miseries his curse can bring upon mankind, even in this present world! Yet these are but the beginning of sorrows to those under the curse of God. What then will be the misery of that world where their worm dieth not, and their fire is not quenched! Observe what is here said of the wrath of God, which should come and remain upon the Israelites f...
Read full commentary →

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