Deuteronomy 28 – Commentary

¹And 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:

² And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God.

Commentary Verses 1 – 2

The chapter opens by stating that it “shall come to pass” if Israel observes and does all of the commandments, they will be set above all nations on earth and will receive all of the blessings contained in verses 3 – 14. Those in favor of this being future prophecy point to the declarative “shall come to pass” as a promise of these events occurring in the future.

Continue reading…

The Blessings

³ Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field.

⁴ 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.

⁵ Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store.

⁶ Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out.

Commentary Verses 3 – 6

• Verse 3 is a blessing in direct opposition to the curse found in verse 16.
• Verse 4 is a blessing in direct opposition to the curse found in verse 18.
• Verse 5 is a blessing in direct opposition to the curse found in verse 17.
• Verse 6 is a blessing in direct opposition to the curse found in verse 19.

Continue reading…

⁷ 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.

⁸ 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.

⁹ 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.

¹⁰ 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.

¹¹ 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.

¹² 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.

¹³ 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:

¹⁴ 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.

Commentary Verses 7 – 14

The blessings lay the groundwork for the rest of the chapter. Some of the curses appearing in verses 15 – 68 are the exact opposite of the blessings appearing in the previous verses.

Continue reading…

The Curses

¹⁵ 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:

Commentary Verse 15

Once again, we encounter the phrase “shall come to pass” in reference to the curses. It is because of this phrase that many believe the curses in Deuteronomy can be used to identify and trace the children of Israel throughout history. Scripture is clear that Israel disobeyed God, which would have led to them being cursed with the curses listed in this chapter. If Israel was cursed, they should be easy to identify based on the curses.

Continue reading…

¹⁶ Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field.

¹⁷ Cursed shall be thy basket and thy store.

¹⁸ 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.

¹⁹ Cursed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and cursed shalt thou be when thou goest out.

Commentary Verses 16 – 19

• Verse 16 is a curse in direct opposition to the blessings found in verse 3.
• Verse 17 is a curse in direct opposition to the blessing found in verse 5.
• Verse 18 is a curse in direct opposition to the blessing found in verse 4.
• Verse 19 is a curse in direct opposition to the blessing found in verse 6.

Continue reading…

²⁰ 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.

Commentary Verse 20

Verse 20 lays out the reasoning for the curses, vexation, and rebuke. It will be a result of Israel forsaking The Most High. This is a reminder of Verse 2.

Continue reading…

²¹ The Lord shall make the pestilence cleave unto thee, until he have consumed thee from off the land, whither thou goest to possess it.

²² 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.

Commentary Verses 21 – 22

Verse 21 is the first mention of Israel being removed from the land they were going to possess after the exodus. In Verse 22 we learn that the curses will pursue Israel until they perish. The sword specifically becomes a recurring theme throughout the rest of Bible prophecy. It is mentioned in the following verses:

Cross References

Ex. 15:9 | Luke 21:24 | Rev. 13:10

Continue reading…

²³ And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron.

²⁴ The Lord shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed.

Commentary Verses 23 – 24

Verses 23 – 24 refer what seems to be a very severe famine, which would destroy both livestock and crops. Thus leading to the destruction of many of God’s people, possibly through famine. Some Bible scholars believe that a similar judgment will be poured upon the nations in Revelation 6:6.

Continue reading…

²⁵ 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.

Commentary Verse 25

Verse 25 contains a very clear reference to Israel being removed (by force) into all kingdoms of the earth. Christ refers to this verse in Luke 21:24 and confirms that Israel will be removed into all kingdoms of the earth via slavery, and it will be the Gentiles the occupy Jerusalem until their time is fulfilled. If the time of the Gentiles has not yet be fulfilled (completed), it means that Gentiles are currently living in the land The Most High chose for his people.

Continue reading…

²⁶ 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.

Commentary Verse 26

This reference to the dead bodies of Israel being left in the streets have led some to connect it with what happens to the two prophets in Revelation 11:9. This tactic was also used during American slavery as a means of intimidation and striking fear into slaves in order to get them to comply.

Continue reading…

²⁷ 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.

²⁸ The Lord shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart:

Commentary Verses 27 – 28

In verses 27 – 28 we see the curses as punishment on the Israelites both mentally and physically. This curse seems to contrast with what Christ said would happen to some of the people living at the end of the age in Luke 21:26.

Continue reading…

²⁹ 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.

Commentary Verse 29

Verse 29 curses Isarael to be a people that will not prosper in their ways and will live under constant oppression (prolonged cruel or unjust treatment by those in authority). Many point to the economic condition and the historical treatment of the descendants of slaves as a possible fulfilment of this curse.

Continue reading…

³⁰ 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.

³¹ 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.

³² 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.

³³ 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:

Commentary Verse 30 – 33

Israel being led into all nations as slaves would result in them being  used as slave labor, similar to what happened in Egypt. The unfortunate reality is that during slavery, women are often raped, families are separated, and children are sold away from their parents. Verses 30 – 31 deal with the harsh reality of such an ordeal.

Verse 33 tells us that the fruit of Israel’s land will be eaten by a nation they did not know. Based on these verses being written after the Exodus, it could refer to almost any nation in the future. This verse also contains the second reference to Israel being continuously oppressed and destroyed.

Continue reading…

³⁴ So that thou shalt be mad for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see.

Commentary Verse 34

Some believe that anything other than “righteous” anger is a sin, but in verse 34 we see that Israel will be mad because of the evils that they will see done to them. Israel’s disobedience causes The Most High to step back and allow the nations to do to Israel what they’ve always wanted to do to Israel. While some in the present day would refer to this as a “victim mentality”, the Bible makes it clear that they are indeed victims, but The Most High will take vengeance on the nations that commit these evils against his people.

Continue reading…

³⁵ 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.

³⁶ 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.

Commentary Verses 35 – 36

After The Most High freed Israel from their Egyptian bondage, Israel continually returned to worshiping other gods. As part of the curses, Israel would be forced to worship other gods, while in slavery. Their bondage to idol worship would be manifested as physical bondage to other nations.

Continue reading…

³⁷ And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all nations whither the Lord shall lead thee.

Commentary Verse 37

Israel becoming an astonishment, proverb, and byword among all nations is repeated throughout scripture. An astonishment refers to people being shocked or surprised by what is happening to Israel as a nation. A proverb refers to their disobedience and punishment becoming a lesson to future generations. A byword refers to Israel being referred to by racial slurs all over the world.  Israel being called racial slurs is found in 1 Kings 9:7, 2 Chronicles 7:20, and Psalms 44:14.

Continue reading…

³⁸ Thou shalt carry much seed out into the field, and shalt gather but little in; for the locust shall consume it.

³⁹ Thou shalt plant vineyards, and dress them, but shalt neither drink of the wine, nor gather the grapes; for the worms shall eat them.

⁴⁰ 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.

Commentary Verses 38 – 40

These three verse indicate that nature itself would join in on the punishments because of Israel’s disobedience. The seed in the field was typically grown for food, vineyards were grown for selling wine, and olive oil was also made for profit. Not only would Israel’s food source be cursed, but they would be economically cursed as well. This economic destruction is also alluded to in verses 43 – 44.

Continue reading…

⁴¹ Thou shalt beget sons and daughters, but thou shalt not enjoy them; for they shall go into captivity.

Commentary Verse 41

Perpetual slavery was not allowed among Israelites and was not practiced in antiquity. The form of slavery we read about in the Bible is actually referred to as “Indentured Servitude”. Slaves were usually only in slavery to pay a debt. No matter how big their debt was, all slaves had to be released after seven years, but the slave could choose to remain forever, but it was their own choice (Exodus 21:1-6). The concept of perpetual or chattel slavery was mainly practiced by Europeans. Even if the parents owed a debt under Biblcal law, the children could not and would not be taken as slaves. This curse is unique in the fact that the children would inherit slavery from the parents.

Continue reading…

⁴² All thy trees and fruit of thy land shall the locust consume.

⁴³ The stranger that is within thee shall get up above thee very high; and thou shalt come down very low.

⁴⁴ He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him: he shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail.

Commentary Verses 42 – 44

The strangers or foreigners would be above Israel. Some believe this refers to economically and politically. Some only believes it refers to financially because they lend to Israel but Israel does not lend to them. Israel being the borrower reinforces that they will become not only physical slaves, but financial slaves. “The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender”, according to Proverbs 22:7.

Continue reading…

⁴⁵ 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:

⁴⁶ And they shall be upon thee for a sign and for a wonder, and upon thy seed for ever.

Commentary Verses 45 – 46

Verse 45 states that the curses will pursue and overtake Israel until they are destroyed. Verse 46 tell us that these curses will be upon Israel for a sign and a wonder forever. Many interpret forever to be until the return of Christ and not for all eternity. If these curses are to be a sign on Israel “for ever”, many believe that we should be able to use them to identify them throughout history. Some of the curses may fit many different groups of people, but only one group of people, as nation, should fit every single curse written in this chapter. If a group doesn’t fit all of the curses, they likely aren’t who they may claim to be.

Continue reading…

⁴⁷ Because thou servedst not the Lord thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things;

⁴⁸ 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.

Commentary Verses 47 – 48

Verse 47 and 48 are a set of contrasting verses. Because Israel did not serve The Most High with gladness for their abundance (verse 47); they will go into slavery and serve their enemies in lack of all things. (verse 48). At the end of Verse 48, the reference to a yoke of iron upon the necks of the captive Israelites, is seen by many as referring to yokes of iron placed on descendants of slaves during the Transatlantic Slave Trade.

Continue reading…

⁴⁹ 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;

⁵⁰ A nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor shew favour to the young:

⁵¹ 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.

Commentary Verses 49 – 51

The reference to the eagle in verse 49 leads many to lean towards one of three nations: Egypt, Rome, and the United States. Those that believe it is a reference to America, believe so due to various other references throughout the chapter.

The end of verse 49 closes with a reference to the nations speaking a language the Israelites would not understand. The prophet Jeremiah references this portion of the verse as part of a future judgement on Israel for disobedience to The Most High (Jeremiah 5:15).

Continue reading…

⁵² 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.

⁵³ 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:

⁵⁴ 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:

⁵⁵ 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.

⁵⁶ 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,

⁵⁷ 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.

Commentary Verses 52 – 57

The reference to what may be cannibalism of their own children in verse 53, points to a time of extreme desperation and very likely starvation. There are multiple sources that describe both voluntary and forced cannibalism during the Transatlantic Slave Trade and various other enslavements of Israelites.

Continue reading…

⁵⁸ 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;

⁵⁹ 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.

⁶⁰ Moreover he will bring upon thee all the diseases of Egypt, which thou wast afraid of; and they shall cleave unto thee.

⁶¹ 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.

Commentary Verses 58 – 61

Verse 58 – 61 plainly states that the punishments listed in this chapter would come as a result of disobeying the terms and conditions laid out in this same chapter. This is in contrast to the blessings (verses 1 – 14) that Israel will receive if they keep the terms and conditions laid out in the chapter.

Continue reading…

⁶² 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.

Commentary Verse 62

This verse prophesies that Israel will become a minority, even though they were once very numerous. Some point out that there are various minority groups that fit the curses found in Deuteronomy 28 and they also claim to be descendants of the Children of Israel, even though many believers reject their claims.  

Continue reading…

⁶³ 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.

⁶⁴ 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.

Commentary Verses 63 – 64

Verse 63 tells us very plainly that Israel will be removed from the land they were going to possess after their exodus from Egypt.

In verse 64, Israel is warned that they will be scattered among all nations and serve new and unfamiliar gods. Many Israelites believe that this verse, in addition to verse 68, offer strong Biblical evidence that the Transatlantic Slave Trade is the only slave trade that fits the exact details of these prophecies.

Continue reading…

⁶⁵ 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:

⁶⁶ And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life:

⁶⁷ 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.

Commentary Verses 65 – 67

These three verses summarize the constant misery that Israel would be under day and night. During the day, run away slaves could be easily spotted and captured. At night, every little sound would terrify run away slaves and non run away slaves alike. Lynching, beating, rape, torture, and capture were all very real threats all day every day for victims of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, which to date, is the only worldwide slave trade to ever happen in human history.

Verse 66 indicates that this unsurety of life and death would lead to mental health issues. Some believe that those that survived slavery suffered from PTSD and others believe that trauma was not only suffered by the enslaved, but the trauma can be passed on generationally.

Continue reading…

⁶⁸ 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.

Commentary Verse 68

This is arguably the most controversial verse in the entire chapter. There are some that believe this particular verse was already fulfilled when Rome invaded Israel in 70 AD and there are others that believe it refers to the Transatlantic Slave Trade.

Proponents of the Transatlantic Slave Trade interpretation point out that “no man shall buy you”, should be translated as “no man shall redeem you.” The main argument of this position is that no one would redeem enslaved Israel from their slavery, and not that they would not be bought as slaves. Thus, the need for a redeemer of not just their souls, but out of physical slavery. Jeremiah 30:10 plainly states that The Most High will deliver Israel from “the land of their captivity.” Many point out that those taken as slaves would still need to be living in the places they were taken captive to, in order for this prophecy to be fulfilled. The majority of the descendants of the Transatlantic Slave Trade still live in the same countries where their ancestors were held as slaves. Those in opposition to the theory use the same text to make the argument that it does not refer to the Transatlantic Slave Trade because slaves were being bought and sold. The ultimate weak point in this argument is that during the Olivet Discourse, Christ quoted from Deuteronomy 28 when telling his disciples what the signs of his coming would be. This timing only leaves the invasion of 70 Ad and the Transatlantic Slave Trade as possible historical fulfillments of verse 68.