Deuteronomy 28:54

54 A man delicate of life, and full lecherous, shall have envy greatly to his brother, and to his wife that lieth in his bosom, (and also toward the remnant of his children, that he hath left,) (A delicate and tender man among you, shall be stingy toward his brother, and toward his wife who lieth in his bosom, and even toward the remnant of his children, who be left,)

Deuteronomy 28:54 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 28:54

[So that] the man [that is] tender among you, and very
delicate
Not only the rustic that has been brought up meanly, and used to hard living; but one that has been bred very tenderly, and lived in a delicate manner, like the rich man in ( Luke 16:19 ) ; that fared sumptuously every day:

his eye shall be evil towards his brother, and towards the wife of his
bosom, and towards the remnant of his children which he shall leave;
that is, he shall begrudge his brother, who is so nearly related to him, the least bit of food; yea, his wife, he dearly loved, and is one flesh with him, his other self, and even his children, which are parts of himself, such of them as were left not eaten by him; or his eye should be evil upon then, he should look with an evil eye on them, determining within himself to kill and eat them next. Though the particular instance in which his eye would be evil to them follows, yet no doubt there are other instances in which his eye would be evil towards them, as there were at the siege of Jerusalem, and have been since. Josephus

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FOOTNOTES:

F2 says,

``that in every house where there was any appearance of food (or anything that looked like it, that had the shadow of it) there was a battle; and the dearest friends fought with one another, snatching away from each other, the miserable supports of life;''

as the husband from his wife and children, and the wife from her husband and children; see more in ( Deuteronomy 28:56 ) ; and, in later times, we told by the Jewish historian ^F3, that wrote an account of their sufferings and distresses since their dispersion, that at Fez the Jews sold their children for slaves for bread.

F2 De Bello Jud. l. 6. c. 3. sect. 3.
F3 Shebet Judah, sive Hist. Jud. p. 326.

Deuteronomy 28:54 In-Context

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.

53 And thou shalt eat the fruit of thy womb, and the flesh of thy sons, and of thy daughters, which thy Lord God shall give to thee, in the anguish, and in the destroying, by which thine enemies shall oppress thee. (And thou shalt eat the fruit of thy womb, yea, the flesh of thy sons, and of thy daughters, whom the Lord thy God hath given thee, amidst the anguish and the destruction with which thy enemies shall oppress thee.)

54 A man delicate of life, and full lecherous, shall have envy greatly to his brother, and to his wife that lieth in his bosom, (and also toward the remnant of his children, that he hath left,) (A delicate and tender man among you, shall be stingy toward his brother, and toward his wife who lieth in his bosom, and even toward the remnant of his children, who be left,)

55 lest he give to them of the flesh of his sons which he shall eat; for he hath none other thing in [the] besieging, and (the) poverty, by which thine enemies shall waste thee within all thy gates. (lest he give them any of the flesh of his other children which he shall eat; for he hath nothing left amidst the anguish and the destruction, with which thy enemies shall oppress thee within all thy gates.)

56 A tender woman and delicate, that might not go upon the earth, neither set a step of [the] foot, for her most softness and tenderness, shall have envy to her husband that lieth in her bosom, on the flesh of her son, and daughter, (A delicate and tender woman, who, because of her great softness and tenderness, need not walk, nor even put a step of her foot upon the ground, shall be stingy toward her husband who lieth in her bosom, and toward her son and her daughter,)