Deuteronomy 28 presents a stark dichotomy of blessings and curses contingent upon Israel's obedience or disobedience to the LORD's commandments. It promises abundant prosperity, victory, and national exaltation for faithfulness. Conversely, it warns of severe plagues, famine, defeat, oppression, and eventual exile and dispersion for rebellion against God's law. The chapter emphasizes that Israel's destiny is directly tied to their adherence to the covenant.
¶ 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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
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.
¶ 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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
¶ 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:
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.
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;
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.
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.
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:
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:
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.
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,
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.
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;
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
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.
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.
Study Notes for Deuteronomy 28
Verse 1
This verse establishes the conditional nature of the Mosaic Covenant: national prosperity and exaltation are contingent upon diligent obedience to God's commandments.
Verse 2
The phrase 'overtake thee' suggests that the blessings will be abundant and comprehensive, following Israel wherever they go.
Verse 4
The blessings are comprehensive, covering all aspects of life: family ('fruit of thy body'), agriculture ('fruit of thy ground'), and livelihood ('fruit of thy cattle').
Verse 7
This is a classic military promise: enemies will approach organized ('one way') but scatter utterly in defeat ('flee before thee seven ways').
Verse 9
The ultimate purpose of the covenant is theological: to establish Israel as a holy people, set apart to demonstrate God's character to the surrounding nations.
Verse 12
God promises control over nature (rain in its season) and economic supremacy, making Israel a creditor nation rather than a debtor.
Verse 14
The primary cause of covenant failure is defined here: turning aside from God's way to serve other gods (idolatry).
Verse 15
This verse marks the crucial transition, reversing the promise of V. 1. The curses are presented as equally certain and comprehensive as the promised blessings.
Verse 20
The curses are not merely bad luck, but active divine judgment ('cursing, vexation, and rebuke'), demonstrating God's opposition to covenant violation.
Verse 23
This striking metaphor describes severe drought: the lack of rain leaves the sky like brass, and the parched ground becomes hard as iron.
Verse 25
This is the direct reversal of the military blessing in V. 7, resulting in utter defeat and forcible removal ('removed into all the kingdoms of the earth'), predicting exile.
Verse 28
The curses move beyond physical hardship to include psychological distress, leading to social dysfunction and hopelessness.
Verse 36
This explicitly foretells the Exile, where both the people and their king (a future institution) would be taken to a foreign land and forced into idolatry.
Verse 37
Israel's humiliation will be so complete that they will become a cautionary tale ('proverb, and a byword') among the nations, demonstrating the consequences of rejecting Yahweh.
Verse 38
The curses now focus on futility in labor; tremendous effort will yield no reward due to plagues and natural disaster.
Verse 45
The longevity of the curses is emphasized, ensuring they will continue until total destruction, confirming the covenant violation.
Verse 47
This verse provides a crucial theological insight: the root failure was not just outward transgression, but a lack of joyful, heartfelt service to God despite His provision.
Verse 49
This describes a specific, terrifying invader—often interpreted historically as the Babylonians or, later, the Romans—whose swiftness ('as swift as the eagle') and foreign language would render them incomprehensible and merciless.
Verse 53
This horrific curse, the ultimate sign of desperation, predicts cannibalism during prolonged sieges. This was tragically fulfilled multiple times in Israel's history (e.g., 2 Kings 6:24-30; Lamentations 4:10).
Verse 58
The final section of curses is introduced by recalling the necessity of fearing the covenant name (Yahweh), emphasizing the majestic authority of the Lawgiver.
Verse 63
This chilling theological statement asserts that God will execute judgment with the same intentional satisfaction ('rejoiced') with which He offered prosperity, underlining the seriousness of sin and covenant integrity.
Verse 64
This verse predicts the Diaspora, the scattering of the people among all nations, where they would be forced into serving foreign deities.
Verse 68
The final curse is the symbolic reversal of the Exodus, Israel's foundational redemptive event, forcing them back into slavery ('Egypt again with ships') and demonstrating the utter failure of the covenant relationship.
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