Deuteronomy 28:50

50 a folk most greedy asker this shall be (they shall be a nation, or a people, of fierce countenance), that shall not give reverence to an eld man, neither have mercy upon a little child.

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.''

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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 Thou shalt serve thine enemy, whom God shall send to thee, in hunger, and thirst, and in nakedness, and in poverty of all things; and he shall put an iron yoke on thy noll, till he all-break thee. (And so thou shalt serve thy enemy, whom God shall send against thee, in hunger, and thirst, and nakedness, and in the poverty of all things; and he shall put an iron yoke upon thy neck, until he all-break thee.)

49 The Lord shall bring on thee a folk from far place, and from the last ends of [the] earth, into the likeness of an eagle flying with rush, of which folk thou mayest not understand their language; (The Lord shall bring against thee a nation from a far place, and from the last ends of the earth, like an eagle flying swiftly to its prey, of which nation thou shalt not understand their language;)

50 a folk most greedy asker this shall be (they shall be a nation, or a people, of fierce countenance), that shall not give reverence to an eld man, neither have mercy upon a little child.

51 And it shall devour the fruit of thy beasts, and the fruits of thy land, till thou perishest, and this folk shall not leave to thee wheat, wine, and oil, nor droves of oxen, and flocks of sheep, till he lose thee, (And they shall devour the fruit of thy beasts, and the fruit of thy land, until thou diest, and this nation shall not leave thee any corn, or wine, or oil, or herds of oxen, or flocks of sheep, until they have completely destroyed thee,)

52 and all-break [thee] in all thy cities (and have all-broken thee in all thy cities), and till thy firm and high walls be destroyed, in which thou haddest trust in all thy land. Thou shalt be besieged within thy gates in all thy land, which thy Lord God shall give to thee.