Deuteronomy 28:48

48 thou shalt serve thine enemies whom Jehovah will send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of everything; and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee.

Deuteronomy 28:48 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 28:48

Therefore shall thou serve thine enemies, which the Lord
shall send against thee
Since they would not serve the Lord their God, who was so good a master to them, and supplied them with all good things, and with plenty of them, they should serve other lords, their enemies, whom God would raise up and send against them; not only, the Assyrians, Chaldeans, and Babylonians, but the Romans, after described, whom they should find hard masters, and from whom they; should have very severe usage, and should be

in hunger and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all [good
things];
being destitute of food, and drink and raiment, and the common necessaries of life, and so in famishing and starving circumstances:

and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck;
bring them into a state of subjection to their enemies, which would be intolerable to them, and from which they would not be able to free themselves, any more than to break an iron yoke; which, as it agrees with the Babylonish captivity, and their subjection in that state, see ( Jeremiah 28:13 Jeremiah 28:14 ) ; so more especially with their bondage under the Romans, who are the legs of iron in Nebuchadnezzar's image, and the fourth beast with great iron teeth in Daniel's vision, ( Daniel 2:33 Daniel 2:40 ) ( 7:7 ) , and this yoke was to continue

until he have destroyed thee;
the Jews were under the Roman yoke, Roman governors being set over them, and Judea made a Roman province many years before the destruction of their nation, city, and temple, by them.

Deuteronomy 28:48 In-Context

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

47 Because thou servedst not Jehovah thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of everything,

48 thou shalt serve thine enemies whom Jehovah will send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of everything; and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee.

49 Jehovah will bring a nation against thee from afar, from the end of the earth, like as the eagle flieth, a nation whose tongue thou understandest not;

50 a nation of fierce countenance, which regardeth not the person of the old, nor is kind to the young;