Deuteronomy 28:37-47

37 And thou shalt be lost, or forgotten, into a proverb, and into a fable, to all peoples, to whom the Lord shall bring thee in. (And thou shalt become a proverb, and a fable, to all the people into whom the Lord shall bring thee.)
38 Thou shalt cast much seed into the earth, and thou shalt gather again little; for locusts shall devour all things.
39 Thou shalt plant, and dig a vinery, and thou shalt not drink the wine of it, neither thou shalt gather thereof anything; for it shall be wasted with worms. (Thou shalt plant a vineyard, and dig it, but thou shalt not drink the wine of it, nor shalt thou gather anything from it; for it shall be wasted by worms.)
40 Thou shalt have olive trees in all thy coasts, and thou shalt not be anointed with (the) oil of them; for they shall fall down, and perish. (Thou shalt have olive trees in all thy land, but thou shalt not be anointed with their oil; for they shall all fall down, and perish.)
41 Thou shalt beget sons and daughters, and thou shalt not use them (but thou shalt not have them near); for they shall be led into captivity.
42 Rust, or mildew, shall waste all thy trees and the fruits of thy land.
43 A comeling, that dwelleth with thee in the land, shall go up upon thee, and he shall be the higher; forsooth thou shalt go down, and shalt be the lower. (A newcomer, who shall live with thee in the land, shall go up over thee, and he shall be higher; but thou shalt go down, and shalt be lower.)
44 He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him; he shall be into the head, and thou shalt be into the tail. (He shall lend to thee, but thou shalt not lend to him; he shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail.)
45 And all these cursings shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and take thee, till thou perish; for thou heardest not the voice of thy Lord God, neither keptest his commandments and ceremonies, which he commanded to thee. (And all these curses shall come upon thee, and they shall pursue thee, and shall overtake thee, until thou die; for thou heardest not the voice of the Lord thy God, nor obeyed his commandments and statutes, which he commanded to thee.)
46 And signs, and great wonders shall be in thee, and in thy seed, till into without end; (And these signs, and great wonders, shall be upon thee, and upon thy descendants, forevermore;)
47 for thou servedest not thy Lord God in joy and gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things that God sent thee. (for thou servedest not the Lord thy God with joy and gladness in your heart, for the abundance of all the good things that God hath sent thee.)

Deuteronomy 28:37-47 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO DEUTERONOMY 28

In this chapter Moses enlarges on the blessings and the curses which belong, the one to the doers, the other to the transgressors of the law; the blessings, De 28:1-14; the curses, some of which concern individual persons, others the whole nation and body of people, and that both under the former and present dispensations, and which had their fulfilment in their former captivities, and more especially in their present dispersion, De 28:15-68.

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.