Deuteronomy 28:50

50 a nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old nor show favour to the young;

Deuteronomy 28:50 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 28:50

A nation of fierce countenance
Or, "strong of face" ^F25; which aptly describes the old Romans, who are always represented as such; and whereas it is said of the Chaldeans, that they were a nation dreadful and terrible, ( Habakkuk 1:7 ) ; the same is said of the fourth beast, or Roman empire, ( Daniel 7:7 ) ; who were a terror to all the world:

which shall not regard the person of the old, nor show favour to the
young:
cruel, unmerciful, and uncompassionate, to persons of whatsoever age or sex; which, as it was the character of the Chaldeans, ( 2 Chronicles 36:17 ) ; so of the Romans, who especially showed no mercy to the Jews, as Josephus ^F26, who was an eyewitness, testifies.

``The Romans (says he) showed no mercy to any age, out of hatred to the nation (of the Jews), and in remembrance of the injuries done to Cestius;''

one of their governors, when among them. And in another place he says {a},

``the Romans, remembering what they suffered in the siege, spared none, and showed no mercy.''

---

FOOTNOTES:

F25 (Mynp ze) "fortem faciebus", Montanus; "robustam facie", Vatablus.
F26 De Bello Jud. l. 3. c. 7. sect. 1.
F1 Ibid. sect. 34.

Deuteronomy 28:50 In-Context

48 therefore, thou shalt serve thine enemies which the LORD shall send against thee, in hunger and in thirst and in nakedness and in lack of all things; and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck until he has destroyed thee.

49 The LORD shall bring a nation against thee from afar, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flies, a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand,

50 a nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old nor show favour to the young;

51 and he shall eat the fruit of thy beast and the fruit of thy land until thou art destroyed, which also shall not leave thee either grain, wine, or oil, or the increase of thy cows or flocks of thy sheep until he has destroyed thee.

52 And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates until thy high and fenced walls come down, in which thou dost trust, throughout all thy land; and he shall besiege thee in all thy gates throughout all thy land, which the LORD thy God has given thee.