Deuteronomy 28:23

23 The sky over your head will be bronze, the ground beneath you iron.

Deuteronomy 28:23 in Other Translations

KJV
23 And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron.
ESV
23 And the heavens over your head shall be bronze, and the earth under you shall be iron.
NLT
23 The skies above will be as unyielding as bronze, and the earth beneath will be as hard as iron.
MSG
23 The sky over your head will become an iron roof, the ground under your feet, a slab of concrete.
CSB
23 The sky above you will be bronze, and the earth beneath you iron.

Deuteronomy 28:23 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 28:23

And the heaven that [is] over thy head shall be brass
Or like brass, not for its clearness, brightness, and splendour, or for its being spread out like a molten looking glass which was of brass, ( Job 37:18 ) ; but for its dryness and hardness, no moisture being in it, or passing through it; no showers of rain nor dew being let down from it:

and the earth that is under thee [shall be] iron;
or like iron, hard and impenetrable, into which the plough and spade will not enter; nor anything spring out of it, for want of rain and dew to moisten and soften it. The same is said in ( Leviticus 26:19 ) ; only there is an inversion of the figures; there the heaven is said to be as iron, and the earth like brass, but signify the same thing.

Deuteronomy 28:23 In-Context

21 The LORD will plague you with diseases until he has destroyed you from the land you are entering to possess.
22 The LORD will strike you with wasting disease, with fever and inflammation, with scorching heat and drought, with blight and mildew, which will plague you until you perish.
23 The sky over your head will be bronze, the ground beneath you iron.
24 The LORD will turn the rain of your country into dust and powder; it will come down from the skies until you are destroyed.
25 The LORD will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. You will come at them from one direction but flee from them in seven, and you will become a thing of horror to all the kingdoms on earth.

Cross References 1

  • 1. S Leviticus 26:19
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