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Deuteronomy Chapter
Twenty-eight
New King James Version (NKJV)
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
Deuteronomy 28:1;
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
Deuteronomy 28:15.
Deuteronomy 28:1 “Now it shall
come to pass
if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God
to observe carefully all His commandments which I command
you today
that the Lord your God will set you high above
all nations of the earth.
YLT
1`And it hath been
if thou
dost hearken diligently to the voice of Jehovah thy God
to observe to do all
His commands which I am commanding thee to-day
that Jehovah thy God hath made
thee uppermost above all the nations of the earth
And it shall come to pass
if thou shalt hearken diligently unto
the voice of the Lord thy God
.... In his law
and by his prophets:
to observe and to do all his commandments
which I command
thee this day; for without observing them to do them
hearing them would be to
little purpose
and they were all of them to be observed and done
the lesser
and weightier matters of the law as they were commanded by Moses in the name of
the Lord
and as they would be taught
explained
and enforced by the prophets:
that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of
the earth: as they were in the times of David and Solomon; See Gill on Deuteronomy 26:19.
Deuteronomy 28:2 2 And
all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you
because you obey the
voice of the Lord your God:
YLT
2and all these blessings
have come upon thee
and overtaken thee
because thou dost hearken to the voice
of Jehovah thy God:
And all these blessings shall come on thee and overtake thee
.... After
mentioned
which should come upon them from God from heaven
by the direction
of his providence
and that freely and plentifully
and beyond their
expectations and deserts
and continue with them:
if thou shall hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God; obedience to
the law being the condition of their coming and continuance; for only temporal
blessings in the land of Canaan are here intended
as follow.
Deuteronomy 28:3 3 “Blessed
shall you be in the city
and blessed shall you be
in the country.
YLT
3`Blessed [art] thou in the
city
and blessed [art] thou in the field.
Blessed shalt thou be in the city
.... Not only
in the city of Jerusalem
where the temple would be built
and there be blessed
with the service
worship
and ordinances of God
but in all other cities of
the land; where they should dwell in title
large
and spacious houses
and
their cities should be walled and fenced
and be very populous; yet should
enjoy health
and have plenty of all sorts of provisions brought unto them
as
well as prosper in all kinds of merchandise there
as Aben Ezra notes:
and blessed shalt thou be in the field; in the
country villages
and in all rural employments
in sowing and planting
as the
same writer observes; in all kinds of husbandry
in the culture of the fields
for corn
and of vineyards and oliveyards; all should prosper and succeed
and
bring forth fruit abundantly.
Deuteronomy 28:4 4 “Blessed
shall be the fruit of your body
the produce of your ground and the increase
of your herds
the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks.
YLT
4`Blessed [is] the fruit of
thy womb
and the fruit of thy ground
and the fruit of thy cattle
increase of
thine oxen
and wealth of thy flock.
Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body
.... Their
children
of which they should have many
and these live; be healthful
thrive
and arrive to manhood
and increase and perpetuate their families. Grotius
thinks this was eminently fulfilled in Mary
the mother of our Lord; see Luke 1:42
and the fruit of thy ground; of their gardens
orchards
and fields; grass for the cattle
and the wheat
barley
vines
figs
pomegranates
olives
and dates for the use of men:
and the fruit of thy cattle; which being
distinguished from oxen and sheep in the following clause
must be understood
of camels and asses
which were used for the carriage both of persons and
burdens
and were very serviceable
and were a considerable part of their
substance in those countries; see Job 1:3
the increase of thy kine
and the flocks of thy sheep; of their cows
and oxen
and of their sheep and goats
which were very increasing creatures
and in the increase of which much of their outward happiness lay; see Psalm 144:13.
Deuteronomy 28:5 5 “Blessed
shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.
YLT
5`Blessed [is] thy basket
and thy kneading-trough.
Blessed shall be thy basket
.... Which the Targums of
Jonathan and Jerusalem restrain to the basket of firstfruits
and the cake of
the first of their dough; but it intends any and every vessel in which they put
their provisions for present use
and that that should never be empty of them
and that they should always have a sufficiency:
and thy store; what remained
and was laid up in their
barns
cellars
and storehouses
for future use
or in proper places for seed.
Deuteronomy 28:6 6 “Blessed
shall you be when you come in
and blessed shall you be
when you go out.
YLT
6`Blessed [art] thou in thy
coming in
and blessed [art] thou in thy going out.
Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in
and
blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out. In all their
business and employments of life whether within doors or without; in the
administration of every office
whether more public or private; and in all
their journeys going out and coming home; and particularly when they went out
to war
and returned
all should be attended with success.
Deuteronomy 28:7 7 “The
Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before
your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven
ways.
YLT
7`Jehovah giveth thine
enemies
who are rising up against thee -- smitten before thy face; in one way
they come out unto thee
and in seven ways they flee before thee.
The Lord shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be
smitten before thy face
.... As the Philistines
Moabites
Syrians
Edomites
and
Ammonites were
especially in the times of David:
they shall come out against thee one way: in a body
all together
in large numbers
marching in great order
to give them battle:
and flee before thee seven ways; be entirely routed
and
flee some one way
and some another
even every way they could take to make
their escape. The phrase is expressive of an entire victory
and of a complete
rout and dispersion of an enemy.
Deuteronomy 28:8 8 “The
Lord will command the blessing on you in your storehouses and in all to
which you set your hand
and He will bless you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you.
YLT
8`Jehovah commandeth with
thee the blessing in thy storehouses
and in every putting forth of thy hand
and hath blessed thee in the land which Jehovah thy God is giving to thee.
The Lord shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses
.... Barns
granaries
and cellar
where their corn
wine
and oil
were laid up; by
preserving the corn from being devoured by vermin
and the casks of wine and
oil from bursting and running out:
and in all thou settest thine hand unto; in all their
manufactures
occupations
and trades
in which they were employed
and in the
culture of their vines
olives
and other fruit trees:
and he shall bless thee in the land which the Lord thy God giveth
thee; with health and long life in it
and with an abundance of all
good things
it being a land flowing with milk and honey.
Deuteronomy 28:9 9 “The
Lord will establish you as a holy people to Himself
just as He has
sworn to you
if you keep the commandments of the Lord your God and walk in His ways.
YLT
9`Jehovah doth establish
thee to Himself for a holy people
as He hath sworn to thee
when thou keepest
the commands of Jehovah thy God
and hast walked in His ways;
And the Lord shall establish thee an holy people unto himself
.... Having
separated them from all others
for his service
honour
and glory
should
continue them as such
and settle them in the land
and confirm all their
privileges
natural
civil
and religious. The Targum of Jonathan is
"the
Word of the Lord shall establish thee
&c.'he that brought them out of
Egypt
through the Red sea and wilderness
to the land of Canaan:
as he hath sworn unto thee: and to their fathers;
see Deuteronomy 7:12
if thou shall keep the commandments of the Lord thy God
and walk
in his ways; by which tenure they held the land of Canaan
and their
settlement and continuance in it
and enjoyment of all the good things thereof;
see Isaiah 1:19.
Deuteronomy 28:10 10 Then
all peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the Lord
and they shall be afraid of you.
YLT
10and all the peoples of the
land have seen that the name of Jehovah is called upon thee
and they have been
afraid of thee.
And all the people of the earth shall see that thou art called by
the name of the Lord
.... Called his children
his people
his portion
and his
inheritance; and that they are his
and he is theirs
by the care he takes of
them
the provision he makes for them
and the protection they have from him:
and they shall be afraid of thee; as not only the
Canaanites were
but all other nations; see Deuteronomy 11:25.
Deuteronomy 28:11 11 And
the Lord will grant you plenty of goods
in the fruit of your body
in the
increase of your livestock
and in the produce of your ground
in the land of
which the Lord swore to your fathers to give you.
YLT
11`And Jehovah hath made thee
abundant in good
in the fruit of the womb
and in the fruit of thy cattle
and
in the fruit of thy ground
on the ground which Jehovah hath sworn to thy
fathers to give to thee.
And the Lord shall make thee plenteous in goods
.... In all
temporal good things
give them an affluence of them
even all things richly to
enjoy; the Targum of Jonathan is
"the Word of the Lord shall
&c."
in the fruit of thy body
and in the fruit of thy cattle
and in
the fruit of thy ground: increase their children
cattle
and substance
as before
Deuteronomy 28:4
in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers to give thee; the land of
Canaan
often thus described.
Deuteronomy 28:12 12 The
Lord will open to you His good treasure
the heavens
to give the rain
to your land in its season
and to bless all the work of your hand. You shall
lend to many nations
but you shall not borrow.
YLT
12`Jehovah doth open to thee
his good treasure -- the heavens -- to give the rain of thy land in its season
and to bless all the work of thy hand
and thou hast lent to many nations
and
thou -- thou dost not borrow.
The Lord shall open unto thee his good treasure
.... The Lord
has his treasures of snow and of hail
and of wind
Job 38:22; but here
his good treasure
as appears by what follows
is his treasure of rain. In the
Targum of Jonathan it is said
"there
are four keys in the hand of the Lord of the whole world
which he does not
deliver into the hands of any prince; the keys of life
and of the grave
and
of food
and of rain:"
the heaven
to give the rain unto thy land in its season; that is
he
will open the heaven
where his good treasure of rain is laid up
and bring it
forth or
the land of Canaan for the enriching of it; or will open the windows
thereof
and pour down the blessing; see Malachi 3:10; and
that at the proper time
both in autumn and spring
the one is called the
former
and the other the latter rain; the one was in Marchesvan
or October
and the other in Nisan
or March
as the Targum of Jonathan; the former rain
for the fitting the earth for seed
or for watering it when sown
and the latter
for the plumping of it before harvest:
and to bless all the work of thine hand; in
agriculture
for without the blessing of rain
all the labour of the husbandman
would be to little purpose:
and thou shall lend unto many nations
and thou shall not borrow; See Gill on Deuteronomy 15:16.
The connection of these words with what goes before may lead to observe this
sense of them
that they should furnish other countries with corn
and not need
any of theirs; see Ezekiel 27:17.
Deuteronomy 28:13 13 And
the Lord will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only
and not be beneath
if you heed the commandments of the Lord your God
which I command you today
and are careful to observe them.
YLT
13`And Jehovah hath given
thee for head
and not for tail; and thou hast been only above
and art not
beneath
for thou dost hearken unto the commands of Jehovah thy God
which I am
commanding thee to-day
to keep and to do
And the Lord shall make thee the head
and not the tail
.... Give them
dominion over others
and not make them subject to them; the head signifies
rulers and governors
and the tail the common people that are subjects; or the
one such that are honourable and in high esteem
and the other such that are
mean and base; see Isaiah 9:14; the
Targum of Jonathan is
"the Word of the Lord shall make thee
&c."
and thou shalt be above only
and thou shall not be beneath; which
explains what is meant by head and tail
being uppermost and lowermost
as the
head is the upper part
and the tail the lower part of a creature; the one is
more honourable
the other vile: the sense is
that they should be superior to
other people in honour and dignity
and not below them
or vassals to them:
if that thou hearken to the commandments of the Lord thy God
which I command thee this day to observe and to do them; which is the
condition on which all this happiness depended.
Deuteronomy 28:14 14 So
you shall not turn aside from any of the words which I command you this day
to
the right or the left
to go after other gods to serve them.
YLT
14and thou dost not turn
aside from all the words which I am commanding you to-day -- right or left --
to go after other gods
to serve them.
And thou shall not go aside from any of the words which I command
thee this day
.... Depart from them as a rule to walk by
turn out from them as
a path to walk in
neglect and disobey them
and go into practices contrary to
them: turning
to the right hand or to the
left
to go after other gods to serve them; which to do was to break
the first and principal table of the law
than which nothing was more
abominable and provoking to God.
Deuteronomy 28:15 15 “But
it shall come to pass
if you do not obey the voice of the Lord your God
to observe carefully all His commandments and His
statutes which I command you today
that all these curses will come upon you
and overtake you:
YLT
15`And it hath been
if thou
dost not hearken unto the voice of Jehovah thy God to observe to do all His
commands
and His statutes
which I am commanding thee to-day
that all these
revilings have come upon thee
and overtaken thee:
But it shall come to pass
if thou wilt not hearken to the voice
of the Lord thy God
.... As directed
exhorted
and encouraged to
Deuteronomy 28:1
&c.
to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes
which I
command thee this day; both moral and ceremonial:
that all these curses shall come upon thee; from the hand
of God
certainly
suddenly
and unawares:
and overtake thee; pursuing after thee
will come up to thee
and seize upon thee
though they may seem to move slowly; see Zechariah 5:3;
namely
the curses which follow. Manasseh Ben IsraelF6De Termino
Vitae
l. 3. sect. 3. p. 126. divides them into two parts
the first from hence
to Deuteronomy 28:45;
which respects the destruction of the first temple
and the things that went
before or related to that; and the second from thence to the end of the
chapter
which he thinks refers to the destruction of the second temple
and
their present case and circumstances; and it must be owned that for the most
part the distinction may seem to hold good; what is prophesied of that should
befall the Jews for their disobedience being more remarkably and distinctly
fulfilled in the one than in the other; yet there are things in the whole which
respect both
or that were fulfilled
some under one dispensation
and some
under another
and some that were fulfilled in both; but chiefly and more
manifestly at and since their dispersion by the Romans.
Deuteronomy 28:16 16 “Cursed
shall you be in the city
and cursed shall you be
in the country.
YLT
16`Cursed [art] thou in the
city
and cursed [art] thou in the field.
Cursed shalt thou be in the city
and cursed shalt
thou be in the field. In Deuteronomy 28:16
the curses are delivered out in form
as the reverse of the blessings in Deuteronomy 28:3;
and by observing what the blessings mean
the sense of the curses may easily be
understood
the one being directly opposite to the other. See Gill on Deuteronomy 28:3.
Deuteronomy 28:17 17 “Cursed
shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.
YLT
17`Cursed [is] thy basket and
thy kneading-trough.
Cursed shall be thy basket and thy store. See Gill on Deuteronomy 28:5
Deuteronomy 28:16.
Deuteronomy 28:18 18 “Cursed
shall be the fruit of your body and the produce of your land
the
increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks.
YLT
18`Cursed [is] the fruit of
thy body
and the fruit of thy land
increase of thine oxen
and wealth of thy
flock.
Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body
and the fruit of thy
land
the increase of thy kine
and the flocks of thy sheep. See Gill on Deuteronomy 28:4
Deuteronomy 28:16.
Deuteronomy 28:19 19 “Cursed
shall you be when you come in
and cursed shall you be
when you go out.
YLT
19`Cursed [art] thou in thy
coming in
and cursed [art] thou in thy going out.
Cursed shalt thou be when thou comest in
and cursed
shalt thou be when thou goest out. See Gill on Deuteronomy 28:6
Deuteronomy 28:16.
Deuteronomy 28:20 20 “The
Lord will send on you cursing
confusion
and rebuke in all that you set
your hand to do
until you are destroyed and until you perish quickly
because
of the wickedness of your doings in which you have forsaken Me.
YLT
20`Jehovah doth send on thee
the curse
the trouble
and the rebuke
in every putting forth of thy hand
which thou dost
till thou art destroyed
and till thou perish hastily
because
of the evil of thy doings [by] which thou hast forsaken Me.
The Lord shall send upon thee cursing
.... Which is
either a general word for all that follows
or rather
since that had been
expressed before in various instances
this may denote some particular
judgment. Jarchi interprets it of penury
of want of all good things
extreme
poverty
so as to be reduced to the utmost necessity
and as to stand in need
of the common comforts and supports of life
and even to have their blessings
and mercies turned into curses; the consequence of which must needs be
vexation; trouble
distress
and anguish of spirit:
and rebuke; this may well be considered as a rebuke and correction in
Providence for sins committed
to awaken to a sense and acknowledgment of them
and to repentance for them:
in all that thou settest thine hand to do; nothing done
should prosper
to relieve them under their pressing wants
a curse attending
all their efforts
and so sad disappointment follows; and all as a just rebuke
for their many sins: and this would be their case more or less:
until thou be destroyed
and until thou perish quickly; through
famine
and want of the common necessaries of life; as at the sieges of Samaria
and Jerusalem
by the kings of Syria
Assyria
and Babylon:
because of the wickedness of thy doings
because thou hast
forsaken me; their several immoralities and impieties
and particularly their
idolatry
which was a forsaking the worship of the true God
and following
idols; an iniquity to be punished by the judge
and of all things the most
provoking to the Lord.
Deuteronomy 28:21 21 The
Lord will make the plague cling to you until He has consumed you from
the land which you are going to possess.
YLT
21`Jehovah doth cause to
cleave to thee the pestilence
till He consume thee from off the ground whither
thou art going in to possess it.
The Lord shall make the pestilence cleave unto thee
.... Not only
to come upon them; but to continue with them:
until he have consumed thee from off the land whither thou goest
to possess it; which shows that this respects not some particular seasons
when
the pestilence came and continued awhile
and then ceased
as in the times of
David; but when it became more general
and issued with other judgments in the
utter consumption of them
as at the destruction of Jerusalem
both by the
Babylonians and the Romans; at what times the pestilence raged and remained
until by that and other sore judgments the land was wholly depopulated.
Deuteronomy 28:22 22 The
Lord will strike you with consumption
with fever
with inflammation
with severe burning fever
with the sword
with scorching
and with mildew;
they shall pursue you until you perish.
YLT
22`Jehovah doth smite thee
with consumption
and with fever
and with inflammation
and with extreme
burning
and with sword
and with blasting
and with mildew
and they have
pursued thee till thou perish
The Lord shall smite thee with a consumption
.... An
emaciation of their bodies
either through famine or wasting diseases
whereby
the fluids are washed off
and men are reduced to skin and bones:
and with a fever; a hot burning disease
which dries up the
radical moisture
consumes it
and so threatens with death; of which there are
various sorts
and some very pestilential and mortal Jarchi and Aben Ezra
interpret it of a fire in the face
by which they seem to mean what is called
St. Anthony's fire:
and with an inflammation
and with an extreme burning; either in the
inward parts
as an inflammation of the lungs; or in the outward parts
as
carbuncles
burning ulcers
and the like:
and with the sword; in the margin it is
"with
drought"; so Aben Ezra interprets the word
which seems better to suit
with what it is in company with; and designs either drought in human bodies
occasioned by fevers
inflammations
and extreme burnings; or in the earth
through the force of the sun
and want of rain
which render the earth barren
and unfruitful
and so cause a famine:
and with blasting and with mildew; whereby the corn that is
sown
and springs up
comes to nothing
being blasted by east winds
or turns
pale and yellow by the mildew
and so withers away; the consequence of which is
want of food
and so destruction and ruin; see Amos 4:9
and they shall pursue thee until thou perish; follow hard
after them
and come so close one after another upon them
until they are
utterly destroyed.
Deuteronomy 28:23 23 And
your heavens which are over your head shall be bronze
and the earth
which is under you shall be iron.
YLT
23`And thy heavens which
[are] over thy head have been brass
and the earth which [is] under thee iron;
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 28:24 24 The
Lord will change the rain of your land to powder and dust; from the
heaven it shall come down on you until you are destroyed.
YLT
24Jehovah giveth the rain of
thy land -- dust and ashes; from the heavens it cometh down on thee till thou
art destroyed.
The Lord shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust
.... That is
instead of showers of rain in their season
to water
refresh
and enrich the
earth
and make it fruitful; and for want of them
and through the heat of the
sun
being dried and parched
and its clods crumbled into dust
this should be
raised up into the air by the force of winds
and let down again in showers of
dust; whereby the few herbs
plants
or green trees on it would be utterly
destroyed: and so the Targum of Jonathan interprets it of the Lord's sending a
wind that should raise the dust and earth upon the herbs of their fields. Such
ploughing winds
that cast up the earth and sand
and dust
into the air
whereby men and cattle are sometimes covered
are frequent in the eastern
countries; of which See Gill on Jonah 4:8
from heaven shall it come down upon thee until thou be destroyed; that is
from
the air
up to which the dust is carried by the wind
and then let fall in vast
quantities
like showers
which are very destructive.
Deuteronomy 28:25 25 “The
Lord will cause you to be defeated before your enemies; you shall go out
one way against them and flee seven ways before them; and you shall become
troublesome to all the kingdoms of the earth.
YLT
25`Jehovah giveth thee
smitten before thine enemies; in one way thou goest out unto them
and in seven
ways dost flee before them
and thou hast been for a trembling to all kingdoms
of the earth;
The Lord shall cause thee to be smitten fore thine enemies
.... And by
them
as they sometimes were by the Philistines and others
before their utter
destruction
when they sinned against the Lord; and by the Assyrians
Babylonians
and Romans:
thou shall go out one way against them
and flee seven ways before
them; march out against them in a body
promising themselves victory
but be utterly routed; so that they shall flee every way they can for their
safety; see Deuteronomy 28:7
and shall be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth; this shows
that Manasseh's case 2 Kings 21:1
observed Deuteronomy 28:15;
will not strictly and entirely hold good
nor is there any necessity to adhere
closely to it; it is enough that the things threatened and prophesied of were
at one time or another fulfilled in these people; for neither the ten tribes
when taken captive by Shalmaneser
were carried into all the kingdoms of the
earth
only to some particular places mentioned in 2 Kings 17:6; nor
the two tribes by Nebuchadnezzar
who were carried by him to Babylon
and
returned from thence again at the end of seventy years; but this was exactly
fulfilled at their last destruction by the Romans
when they were sent by them
into various countries
and have been ever since scattered about in each of the
nations of the world. And yet it must be owned that StraboF7Apud
Joseph. Antiqu. l. 14. c. 7. sect. 2.
who wrote before the last destruction
of them
affirms
that it was not easy to find any place in the world which had
not received them
and was not occupied by them.
Deuteronomy 28:26 26 Your
carcasses shall be food for all the birds of the air and the beasts of the
earth
and no one shall frighten them away.
YLT
26and thy carcase hath been
for food to every fowl of the heavens
and to the beast of the earth
and there
is none causing trembling.
And thy carcass shall be meat unto all fowls of the air
and unto
the beasts of the earth
.... Which was always reckoned a very grievous calamity
have no
other burial than in the bowels of beasts and birds; and was the case of many
of the Jews in the Antiochian persecution
Psalm 79:2; and in
a treatise of theirsF8Shebat Judahm sive Hist. Jud. a Gentio
sect.
46. p. 312.
which relates their many afflictions and sufferings in their
present captivity
speaking of a persecution of them in Spain
in the Jewish
year 5172
it is reported
how that those that fled to avoid punishment were
killed in the fields
where their carcasses lying unburied became a prey to
beasts:
and no man shall fray them away; the fowls and
the beasts; none of their friends being left to do it
and their enemies would
not show so much respect to them
and care of them.
Deuteronomy 28:27 27 The
Lord will strike you with the boils of Egypt
with tumors
with the
scab
and with the itch
from which you cannot be healed.
YLT
27`Jehovah doth smite thee
with the ulcer of Egypt
and with emerods
and with scurvy
and with itch
of
which thou art not able to be healed.
The Lord will smite thee with the botch of Egypt
.... Which
some understand of the leprosy
Of that sort of it called
"elephantiasis"
frequent among the Egyptians; See Gill on Leviticus 13:2.
ThevenotF9Apud Scheuchzer. Physic. Sacr. vol. 3. p. 426
427.
relates
that when the time of the increase of the Nile expires
the Egyptians
are attended with sharp prickings in their skin like needles. So Vansleb saysF11Relation
of a Voyage to Egypt
p. 35
36.
"the waters of the Nile cause an itch in
the skin
which troubles such as drink of them when the river increases. This
itch is very small
and appears first about the arms
next upon the stomach
and spreads all about the body
which causes a grievous pain; and not only the
river water
but that out of the cisterns drank of
brings it
and it lasts
about six weeks.'Though some take this botch to be the botch and blain which
the Egyptians were plagued with for refusing to let Israel go
Exodus 9:9
and with the emerods; or haemorrhoids
the
piles
a disease of the fundament
attended sometimes with ulcers there; see 1 Samuel 5:9
and with the scab and with the itch: the one moist
the other
dry
and both very distressing:
whereof thou canst not be healed; by any art of men; which
shows these to be uncommon ones
and from the immediate hand of God.
Deuteronomy 28:28 28 The
Lord will strike you with madness and blindness and confusion of heart.
YLT
28`Jehovah doth smite thee
with madness
and with blindness
and with astonishment of heart;
The Lord shall smite thee with madness
.... At the
calamities befallen them
and through the force of diseases on them:
and blindness; not of body
but of mind; with judicial
blindness and hardness of heart:
and astonishment of heart; at the miserable
condition they and their families should be in.
Deuteronomy 28:29 29 And
you shall grope at noonday
as a blind man gropes in darkness; you shall not
prosper in your ways; you shall be only oppressed and plundered continually
and no one shall save you.
YLT
29and thou hast been gropling
at noon
as the blind gropeth in darkness; and thou dost not cause thy ways to
prosper; and thou hast been only oppressed and plundered all the days
and
there is no saviour.
And thou shalt grope at noon day as the blind gropeth in darkness
.... That is
being in darkness through the loss of their sight; otherwise the darkness and
the light are alike to them
and they grope in the one as well as in the other.
This comparison shows that the darkness and blindness of the Jews
threatened
them
is to be understood not of the darkness of their bodily eyes
but of
their minds; not being able to understand
or form a judgment of things that
are as clear as noon day; and being at the utmost loss what methods to take and
pursue
when they are plain and manifest before them; but being infatuated and
besotted
follow the lusts and counsels of their own hearts
which lead them
wrong:
and thou shall not prosper in thy ways; in any steps
they may take to extricate themselves out of their difficulties
distresses
and calamities
or to bring themselves into easy and comfortable circumstances;
to get wealth and riches
and honour and esteem with men; but
on the contrary
become forlorn and miserable
poor and wretched
mean and despicable:
and thou shalt be only oppressed and spoiled evermore; continually
every day
all the days of their lives
oppressed with taxes and tributes
with
mulcts and fines
and spoiled of their goods and substance under one pretence
or another; which has been generally their case in Popish countries; for this
seems not to refer to the Babylonish captivity
where they built houses
and
dwelt in them
and planted gardens
and ate the fruit of them; and in the peace
of cities had peace themselves
Jeremiah 29:5
and no man shall save thee; from the oppressions
exactions
and spoils of their enemies
nor deliver them out of their hands;
whereas in process of time they had deliverance and salvation from the
Babylonish captivity
by the means of Cyrus king of Persia.
Deuteronomy 28:30 30 “You
shall betroth a wife
but another man shall lie with her; you shall build a
house
but you shall not dwell in it; you shall plant a vineyard
but shall not
gather its grapes.
YLT
30`A woman thou dost betroth
and another man doth lie with her; a house thou dost build
and dost not dwell
in it; a vineyard thou dost plant
and dost not make it common;
Thou shall betroth a wife
and another man shall lie with her
.... Espouse a
woman in order to make her his wife
and before he can take her home
and
consummate the marriage
through some calamity or another coming upon them
they should be set at a distance from each other
and she should fall into the
hands of another man
who either should ravish her
or gain her consent to lie
with her
or become his wife; which
when the marriage was so near being
consummated
must be a grievous disappointment
and a great vexation:
thou shall build an house
and thou shall not dwell therein; being
before
it is quite finished
or however before he is got into it
carried captive
or
obliged to flee to a distant place:
thou shall plant a vineyard
and shall not gather the grapes
thereof; or make it common
on the fourth year to eat the fruits of it
as Jarchi; which might not be done until sanctified and redeemed according to
the law in Leviticus 19:23;
See Gill on Deuteronomy 20:6.
Deuteronomy 28:31 31 Your
ox shall be slaughtered before your eyes
but you shall not eat of it;
your donkey shall be violently taken away from before you
and shall not
be restored to you; your sheep shall be given to your enemies
and you
shall have no one to rescue them.
YLT
31thine ox [is] slaughtered
before thine eyes
and thou dost not eat of it; thine ass [is] taken violently
away from before thee
and it is not given back to thee; thy sheep [are] given
to thine enemies
and there is no saviour for thee.
Thine ox shall be
slain before thine eyes
and thou shalt not eat thereof
.... Shall be
taken from the herd
and out of the field or stall
by the enemy
and killed
for the soldiers to feed on
and not the least part of it given to them:
thine ass shall be violently taken away from before thy
face
and shall not be restored unto thee; no leave shall be asked
to take it
but without their consent
and against their will
it should be
taken away by the soldiers to carry them and their burdens
and it may be the
booty and spoil of them
and never returned more:
thy sheep shall be given unto thine enemies
and thou shall
have none to rescue them; not given them by themselves
but they
should be suffered to fall into their hands
and they should never be able to get
them out again
nor any for them. These
strictly and literally taken
suppose
them to be in their own land
when those things would be done
where they were
possessed of farms
and fields
cattle
being much employed in husbandry; but
they may be put for any kind of substance they would be possessed of
which
they should be stripped of under one pretence or another; which has been
frequently their case in their present dispersion in several countries
and in
ours; when Popish princes have wanted money
they have made very exorbitant
demands on the Jews in their countries
and sadly squeezed and oppressed them
and who were not able to resist them
and never had any restoration made to
them.
Deuteronomy 28:32 32 Your
sons and your daughters shall be given to another people
and your eyes
shall look and fail with longing for them all day long; and there
shall be no strength in your hand.
YLT
32`Thy sons and thy daughters
[are] given to another people
and thine eyes are looking and consuming for
them all the day
and thy hand is not to God!
Thy sons and thy daughters
shall be given unto another people
.... This also was not
true in the Babylonish captivity; for then their sons and daughters went with
them
and continued with them
and returned again; but has been oftentimes
verified since their captivity by the Romans; frequently their sons and
daughters have been taken from them by force
to be brought up in another
religion
by the edicts of kings and popes
and by the canons of councils
and
particularly of the fourth council of Toledo:
and thine eyes shall look and fail; with longing:
for them all the day long; expecting every day
their children would be returned to them
at least wishing and hoping they
would; their hearts yearning after them
but all in vain:
and there shall be no might in thy hand; to recover
them out of the hands of those who had the possession of them
or fetch them
back from distant countries
whither they were carried. By an edict of the
Portuguese
the children of the Jews were ordered to be carried to the
uninhabited islands; and when
by the king's command
they were had to the
ships in which they were to be transported
it is incredible
the Jewish
historian saysF12Shebet Judah
sive Hist. Jud. sect. 59. p. 332.
what howlings and lamentations were made by the women; and there wore none
pitied them and comforted them
or could help them.
Deuteronomy 28:33 33 A
nation whom you have not known shall eat the fruit of your land and the produce
of your labor
and you shall be only oppressed and crushed continually.
YLT
33The fruit of thy ground
and all thy labour
eat up doth a people whom thou hast not known; and thou
hast been only oppressed and bruised all the days;
The fruit of thy land
and
all thy labour
shall a nation which thou knowest not eat up
.... The same
was prophesied of by Jeremiah
concerning the Babylonish captivity
and was
fulfilled in it
Jeremiah 5:17; and
has been also verified in the frequent pillage and spoil of this people
in
their present state; for though they have no land to till
from whence to
gather fruit
yet they are employed in manufactures and merchandise
the fruit
and benefit of which they have been frequently stripped of:
and thou shall be only oppressed and crushed always; this seems
best to agree with their present case; for in their former captivities they
were not always oppressed and crushed
but had respite and deliverance; See
Gill on Deuteronomy 28:29.
Deuteronomy 28:34 34 So
you shall be driven mad because of the sight which your eyes see.
YLT
34and thou hast been mad
because of the sight of thine eyes which thou dost see.
So that thou shalt be mad
for the sight of thine eyes that thou shall see. On account of the
shocking things seen by them
their dreadful calamities
oppressions
and
persecutions
such as before related; not only violent diseases on their
bodies
which were grievous to behold
as well as their pains were intolerable
and made them mad; but to be deprived of a betrothed wife
a newly built house
and a newly planted vineyard; to have an ox slain
and an ass taken away by
their enemies
and their sheep given to them before their eyes; to have their
sons and daughters taken from them
and brought up in another religion
and to
be stripped of their substance; these have made them stark mad
insomuch that
they have sometimes destroyed themselves and their families. In Germany
in
their rage and madness
they burnt a city and themselves in it; and
in the
same country
being summoned by an edict to change their religion
or to be
burnt
they agreed to meet together in a certain house
and destroy one
another; and first parents killed their children
and husbands their wives
and
then killed themselves; leaving only one person to be their doorkeeper
who
finished the tragedy by destroying himself
as their own historian relatesF13Ib.
(Shebet Judah
sive Hist. Jud.) sect. 34
36. p. 214
215
216
217. . Other
stories of the like kind are reported of them
and some such facts as done in
our own nationF14See Bishop Patrick in loc. and Dr. Newton (Bishop
of Bristol) on Prophecies
vol. 1. Dissert. 7. sect. 14. p. 195
196. .
Deuteronomy 28:35 35 The
Lord will strike you in the knees and on the legs with severe boils
which cannot be healed
and from the sole of your foot to the top of your head.
YLT
35`Jehovah doth smite thee
with an evil ulcer
on the knees
and on the legs (of which thou art not able
to be healed)
from the sole of thy foot even unto thy crown.
The Lord shall smite thee
in the knees
and in the legs
with a sore botch
that cannot be healed
.... Which in
those parts as it is very painful
so is not easily cured; and this which is
threatened was incurable by the art of man
as others in Deuteronomy 28:27;
and which should not stop there in the lower parts of the body
but proceed and
spread:
from the sole of thy foot unto the top of thy head; and so be
filled with them
as Job was with his boils and ulcers.
Deuteronomy 28:36 36 “The
Lord will bring you and the king whom you set over you to a nation which
neither you nor your fathers have known
and there you shall serve other
gods—wood and stone.
YLT
36`Jehovah doth cause thee to
go
and thy king whom thou raisest up over thee
unto a nation which thou hast
not known
thou and thy fathers
and thou hast served there other gods
wood
and stone;
And the Lord shall bring
thee
and thy king which thou shall set over thee
.... This was
fulfilled both in Jehoiachin and in Zedekiah
kings of Judah
who were carried
captive to Babylon
by Nebuchadnezzar
2 Kings 24:15
unto a nation which neither thou nor thy fathers have known; the land of
Babylon
which was at a distance from them
and is represented in Scripture as
afar off
Jeremiah 5:15; and
which the Jews
not being a trading people
or dealing in merchandise in
foreign parts
were unacquainted with:
and there shall thou serve other gods
wood and stone; which they
were obliged to do in Babylon
of which it seems best to understand it; for
though it may be interpreted of their compliance with the image worship of the
Papists in their present condition
as the former clause may be of their rulers
and governors
included in the name of king
carried captive by the Romans; who
were a nation as little
if not less known than the Babylonians: but the former
sense seems to suit best here
as this does with Deuteronomy 28:64;
where the language is somewhat different
and very appropriate. The Targum of
Jonathan is
"shall pay tribute to those that worship idols of wood and
stone.'
Deuteronomy 28:37 37 And
you shall become an astonishment
a proverb
and a byword among all nations
where the Lord will drive you.
YLT
37and thou hast been for an
astonishment
for a simile
and for a byword among all the peoples whither
Jehovah doth lead thee.
And thou shall become an
astonishment
.... To neighbouring nations
that shall hear of their overthrow
and captivity
and that shall see the miserable condition they are brought
into:
a proverb and a byword among all nations whither the Lord shall
lead thee; both for the wickedness committed by them
and for the ill usage
of them by the nations among whom they should be
as they were in the
Babylonish captivity; see Jeremiah 24:9; and
now are
it being common to say
"do you think I am a Jew?'or
"none
but a Jew would have done such a thing.'
Deuteronomy 28:38 38 “You
shall carry much seed out to the field but gather little in
for the locust
shall consume it.
YLT
38`Much seed thou dost take
out into the field
and little thou dost gather in
for the locust doth consume
it;
Thou shall carry much seed
into the field
.... And sow it plentifully; this and what is said in some
following verses plainly refer to them while in their own land
before carried
captive
and not to their present case and circumstances:
and shall gather but little in at harvest; little
springing up
or not coming to perfection
being blighted and blasted
and so
yielded but a small crop; see Haggai 1:9; and
chiefly for the following reason:
for the locust shall consume it; which is a great
destroyer of the fruits of the earth; see Joel 1:4.
Deuteronomy 28:39 39 You
shall plant vineyards and tend them
but you shall neither drink of
the wine nor gather the grapes; for the worms shall eat them.
YLT
39vineyards thou dost plant
and hast laboured
and wine thou dost not drink nor gather
for the worm doth
consume it;
Thou shalt plant
vineyards
and dress them
.... Plant them and prune
them
in expectation of much fruit from them:
but shall neither drink of the wine nor gather the
grapes; so far from drinking of the wine of them
that they should not
be able to gather any grapes from them:
for the worms shall eat them; a sort of worms
pernicious to vines
which the Greeks call "ipes"
or
"ikes"F15See Bochart. Hierozoic. par. 2. l. 4. c. 27. Colossians 622
623. ; and the Latins
"convolvuli" and "volvoces"
as PlinyF16Nat.
Hist. l. 17. c. 28. .
Deuteronomy 28:40 40 You
shall have olive trees throughout all your territory
but you shall not anoint yourself
with the oil; for your olives shall drop off.
YLT
40olives are to thee in all
thy border
and oil thou dost not pour out
for thine olive doth fall off.
Thou shalt have olive
trees throughout thy coasts
.... In the several parts of the land of
Canaan
which is therefore called a land of olive oil
Deuteronomy 8:8
but thou shalt not anoint thyself with the oil; nor any other
relations
friends
guests
as was usual at entertainments; see Psalm 23:5; for the
phrase "thyself" is not in the text. The reason why they should not
anoint is
because they would have no oil to anoint with:
for thine olive shall cast his fruit; before it is
ripe
by one means or another
as by winds
or blasting and mildew; see Amos 4:9.
Deuteronomy 28:41 41 You
shall beget sons and daughters
but they shall not be yours; for they shall go
into captivity.
YLT
41`Sons and daughters thou
dost beget
and they are not with thee
for they go into captivity;
Thou shalt beget sons and
daughters
but thou shall not enjoy them
.... Or
"they shall
not be thine"F17ולא יהיו לך "et non erunt
tibi"
Pagninus
Montanus. ; being taken from them
and given to others
see Deuteronomy 28:32;
and for the following reason:
for they shall go into captivity; as when the ten tribes
were carried captive by Shalmaneser
and the two tribes by Nebuchadnezzar
and
all the people of the Jews by the Romans.
Deuteronomy 28:42 42 Locusts
shall consume all your trees and the produce of your land.
YLT
42all thy trees and the fruit
of thy ground doth the locust possess;
All thy trees and fruit of
thy land shall the locust consume. Which is a creature that
not only consumes grass
and herbs
and the corn of the field
but all green
trees; see Exodus 10:15. This
sort here has its name from the shade they make
hiding the light of the sun
and darkening the face of the earth at no on day; or from the noise they make
with their wings in flying; see Joel 2:5.
Deuteronomy 28:43 43 “The
alien who is among you shall rise higher and higher above you
and you
shall come down lower and lower.
YLT
43the sojourner who [is] in
thy midst goeth up above thee very high
and thou goest down very low;
The stranger that is
within thee shall get up above thee very high
.... In wealth and
riches
in power and authority
in honour and dignity. This Manasseh Ben IsraelF18De
Termino Vitae
l. 3. sect. 3. p. 128. interprets of the Samaritans
whom the
king of Assyria drove out of Samaria
and the neighbouring places; but the
design of the expression is to show how mean and abject they should be in
another country; that even one who had been a stranger or proselyte of the
gate
when in their own country
should now be vastly above them:
and thou shall come down
very low; into a very mean
condition
to be in great subjection
a vassal and a slave; see Psalm 106:41; and
much more when reduced by the Romans
and sent to the mines in Egypt.
Deuteronomy 28:44 44 He
shall lend to you
but you shall not lend to him; he shall be the head
and you
shall be the tail.
YLT
44he doth lend [to] thee
and
thou dost not lend [to] him; he is for head
and thou art for tail.
He shall lend to thee
and
thou shall not lend to him
.... The stranger
or one of another nation
shall be in a capacity of lending to the Jew
when the Jew would not be able to
lend to the Gentile
his circumstances being so low and mean; to show which is
the design of the expression
and not the kindness or unkindness of either; see
Deuteronomy 28:12
he shall be the head
and thou shalt be the tail; he shall be
ruler and governor
and thou shalt be subject to him; see Deuteronomy 28:13.
Deuteronomy 28:45 45 “Moreover
all these curses shall come upon you and pursue and overtake you
until you are
destroyed
because you did not obey the voice of the Lord your God
to keep His commandments and His statutes which He
commanded you.
YLT
45`And come upon thee have
all these curses
and they have pursued thee
and overtaken thee
till thou art
destroyed
because thou hast not hearkened to the voice of Jehovah thy God
to
keep His commands
and His statutes
which he hath commanded thee;
Moreover
all these curses
shall come upon thee
.... Before related
as well as what follow:
and shall pursue thee
and overtake thee till thou be destroyed; which though
they would endeavour to flee from and escape
should not be able
since they
would follow them so closely and swiftly
and overtake them
and seize upon
them; see Deuteronomy 28:15
because thou hearkenedst not unto the voice of the Lord thy God
to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee; to which
disobedience all the curses are to be imputed that go before or follow after.
Deuteronomy 28:46 46 And
they shall be upon you for a sign and a wonder
and on your descendants
forever.
YLT
46and they have been on thee
for a sign and for a wonder
also on thy seed -- to the age.
And they shall be upon
thee for a sign and for a wonder
.... That is
those
curses before pronounced
Deuteronomy 27:15
and what follow
should rest and remain upon them
continue with them
and be
very visible on them; so as to be observed by others
as a sign of the wrath
and displeasure of God
and of the fulfilment of prophecy
and of the truth of
divine revelation: and so "for a wonder": as it is most astonishing
to observe how exactly all the curses threatened them have fallen upon them and
have abode with them
as they did in their former captivities
and more
especially do in the present one: and
what is the greater wonder
that
notwithstanding these dreadful calamities
and so long continued
enough to
have crushed any people from being a people
yet they have continued
and still
do continue
a distinct people; which is a standing miracle
and one would
think sufficient to convince the most hardened and obstinate deist of the truth
and authority of the sacred Scriptures; in which stand so many glaring
prophecies that have been fulfilled
and are continually fulfilling in this
people:
and upon thy seed for ever; this shows that these
curses
said to be upon them
not only refer to those that came upon them at
and in the Babylonish captivity
but to those that came upon them at their
destruction by the Romans
and which have continued on them nineteen hundred
years; and how much longer they will continue none can say: it will be their
case
until new heavens and a new earth are created
or there will be a new
state of things
at least with them; when they shall be converted to the Lord
and all Israel saved; see Isaiah 65:17; and
it may be observed
that the ten tribes carried captive never returned.
Deuteronomy 28:47 47 “Because
you did not serve the Lord your God with joy and gladness
of heart
for the abundance of everything
YLT
47`Because that thou hast not
served Jehovah thy God with joy
and with gladness of heart
because of the
abundance of all things –
Because thou servedst not
the Lord thy God
.... By attending his worship
and keeping his commandments:
with joyfulness and gladness of heart
for the abundance of all things; which they
enjoyed in the land of Canaan
a land that abounded with all good things; which
laid them under great obligations to serve the Lord: and yet
as they were
wanting in a ready attendance on his worship
and in a cheerful obedience to
his laws
so in their sacrifices
of praise and thanksgivings for their
manifold mercies; and
because of all this
the curses written in this book
came upon them.
Deuteronomy 28:48 48 therefore
you shall serve your enemies
whom the Lord will send
against you
in hunger
in thirst
in nakedness
and in need of everything; and
He will put a yoke of iron on your neck until He has destroyed you.
YLT
48thou hast served thine
enemies
whom Jehovah sendeth against thee
in hunger
and in thirst
and in
nakedness
and in lack of all things; and he hath put a yoke of iron on thy
neck
till He hath destroyed thee.
Therefore shall thou serve
thine enemies
which the Lord shall send against thee
.... Since
they would not serve the Lord their God
who was so good a master to them
and
supplied them with all good things
and with plenty of them
they should serve
other lords
their enemies
whom God would raise up and send against them; not
only
the Assyrians
Chaldeans
and Babylonians
but the Romans
after
described
whom they should find hard masters
and from whom they; should have
very severe usage
and should be
in hunger and in thirst
and in nakedness
and in want of all good
things; being destitute of food
and drink and raiment
and the common
necessaries of life
and so in famishing and starving circumstances:
and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck; bring them
into a state of subjection to their enemies
which would be intolerable to
them
and from which they would not be able to free themselves
any more than
to break an iron yoke; which
as it agrees with the Babylonish captivity
and
their subjection in that state
see Jeremiah 28:13; so
more especially with their bondage under the Romans
who are the legs of iron
in Nebuchadnezzar's image
and the fourth beast with great iron teeth in
Daniel's vision
Daniel 2:33
and
this yoke was to continue
until he have destroyed thee; the Jews were under the
Roman yoke
Roman governors being set over them
and Judea made a Roman
province many years before the destruction of their nation
city
and temple
by them.
Deuteronomy 28:49 49 The
Lord will bring a nation against you from afar
from the end of the
earth
as swift as the eagle flies
a nation whose language you will not
understand
YLT
49`Jehovah doth lift up
against thee a nation
from afar
from the end of the earth
as the eagle it
flieth; a nation whose tongue thou hast not heard
The Lord shall bring a
nation against thee from far
from the end of the earth
.... Now
though Babylon is represented as a country distant from Judea
and said to be a
nation "from far"
Jeremiah 5:15; yet
not "from the end of the earth"; as here; and though the Roman
nation
strictly speaking
was not at so great a distance from Jerusalem
yet
the Roman emperors
and great part of their armies brought against it
were
fetched from our island of Great Britain
which in former times was reckoned
the end of the earth
and the uttermost parts of the worldF19"----In
ultimos orbis Britannos"
Horat. Carmin. l. 1. Ode 35. ; and so Manasseh
Ben IsraelF20De Termino Vitae
l. 3. sect. 3. p. 129. interprets
this nation of Rome
and observes
that Vespasian brought for his assistance
many nations (or soldiers) out of England
France
Spain
and other parts of
the world: and not only Vespasian was sent for from Britain to make war with
the Jews
but when they rebelled
in the times of Adrian
Julius Severus
a
very eminent general
was sent for from thence to quell them. And it appears to
be a very ancient opinion of the Jews
that this passage is to be understood of
the Romans
from what is related in one of their TalmudsF21T.
Hieros. Succah
fol. 55. 2. : they say
that"Trajan
being sent for by his
wife to subdue the Jews
determined to come in ten days
and came in five; he
came and found them (the Jews) busy in the law on that verse
"the Lord
shall bring a nation against thee from far"
&c. he said unto them
what
are ye busy in? they answered him
so and so; he replied to them
this is the
man (meaning himself) who thought to come in ten days
and came in five; and he
surrounded them with his legions
and slew them:"
as swift as the eagle
flieth; which may respect not so much the swiftness of this creature
the words which convey the idea being a supplement of the text
as the force
with which it flies when in sight of its prey
and hastes unto it and falls
upon it
which is irresistible; and this is the sense of the Septuagint and
Vulgate Latin versions
and is what is ascribed to the eagle by other writersF23Vid.
Homer. Iliad. 21. l. 252. . Now though this figure is used of the Chaldeans and
Babylonians
Jeremiah 4:13; it
agrees full as well or better with the Romans
because of their swiftness in
coming from distant parts
and because of the force and impetus with which they
invaded Judea
besieged Jerusalem
and attacked the Jews everywhere; and
besides
the eagle was borne on the standard in the Roman armyF24Vid.
Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 10. c. 4. :
a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand; which
though
it is also said of the language of the Chaldean nation
Jeremiah 5:15; yet
as the Chaldee and Hebrew languages were only dialects of one and the same
language
common to the eastern nations
the Chaldee language
though on
account of termination of words
pronunciation
and other things
might be
difficult
and hard to be understood by the Jews
yet must be much more easy to
understand than the Roman language
so widely different from theirs.
Deuteronomy 28:50 50 a
nation of fierce countenance
which does not respect the elderly nor show favor
to the young.
YLT
50a nation -- fierce of
countenance -- which accepteth not the face of the aged
and the young doth not
favour;
A nation of fierce
countenance
.... Or
"strong of face"F25עז פנים "fortem
faciebus"
Montanus; "robustam facie"
Vatablus. ; 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 JosephusF26De
Bello Jud. l. 3. c. 7. sect. 1.
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 saysF1Ibid.
sect. 34.
"the Romans
remembering what they suffered in the siege
spared none
and showed no mercy.'
Deuteronomy 28:51 51 And
they shall eat the increase of your livestock and the produce of your land
until you are destroyed; they shall not leave you grain or new wine or oil
or
the increase of your cattle or the offspring of your flocks
until they have
destroyed you.
YLT
51and it hath eaten the fruit
of thy cattle
and the fruit of thy ground
till thou art destroyed; which
leaveth not to thee corn
new wine
and oil
increase of thine oxen
and wealth
of thy flock
till it hath destroyed thee.
And he shall eat the fruit
of thy cattle
.... Larger and lesser
oxen and sheep
as their calves and
lambs
and kids of the goat:
and the fruit of thy land; their wheat
barley
figs
grapes
pomegranates
olives
and dates:
until thou be destroyed; the land of Judea
and
all the increase of it: this being before said
Deuteronomy 28:31;
and here repeated
shows that the same should be fulfilled at different times
as by the Chaldeans
so by the Romans; whose nation
or army
with their
general at the head of them
may be more especially here intended by
"he"
that should eat up their fruit until utter destruction was
brought upon them:
which also shall not leave thee either corn
wine
or oil
or the increase of thy kine
or flocks of thy sheep
until he
have destroyed thee; all being consumed by the Roman army. There is a promise and
prophecy
that though this would be the case
as it has been
there shall be a
time when it shall be so no more; see Isaiah 62:8.
Deuteronomy 28:52 52 “They
shall besiege you at all your gates until your high and fortified walls
in
which you trust
come down throughout all your land; and they shall besiege you
at all your gates throughout all your land which the Lord your God has given you.
YLT
52`And it hath laid siege to
thee in all thy gates
till thy walls come down
the high and the fenced ones
in which thou art trusting
in all thy land; yea
it hath laid siege to thee in
all thy gates
in all thy land
which Jehovah thy God hath given to thee;
And he shall besiege thee
in all thy gates
.... That is
in all their cities and walled towns
which had
gates and bars for security:
until thy high and fenced walls come down
wherein thou trustedst
throughout all thy land; the Jews had several
cities well fenced and strongly fortified
besides Jerusalem
which was
fortified both by art and nature
and in which they greatly put their trust and
confidence; but these were broken down
particularly by the battering rams of
the Romans:
and he shall besiege thee in all thy gates
throughout all thy
land
which the Lord thy God hath given thee; this is
repeated for the certainty of it
and that it might be taken notice of
and
abate their trust and confidence in their outward strength. Now all this was
fulfilled
partly in the siege of Samaria by the king of Assyria
who went
through all the land of the ten tribes
2 Kings 17:5; and
in Sennacherib's taking the fenced cities of Judah
2 Kings 18:13; and
in the siege of Jerusalem
and breaking down the walls of it by Nebuchadnezzar
2 Kings 25:10; and
last of all
in the siege of Jerusalem
and battering down the walls of it
by
the Romans; at which time also all their strong and fenced cities throughout
the land were taken and demolished.
Deuteronomy 28:53 53 You
shall eat the fruit of your own body
the flesh of your sons and your daughters
whom the Lord your God has given you
in the siege and desperate straits in which
your enemy shall distress you.
YLT
53and thou hast eaten the fruit
of thy body
flesh of thy sons and thy daughters (whom Jehovah thy God hath
given to thee)
in the siege
and in the straitness with which thine enemies do
straiten thee.
And thou shall eat the
fruit of thine body
.... Than which nothing can be more shocking and unnatural
which
is explained as follows:
the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters
which the Lord thy God
hath given thee; which is an aggravation of the cruel and inhuman fact:
in the siege
and in the straitness wherewith thine enemies shall
distress thee; this shows the cause of it
a famine by reason of the closeness
of the siege
so that no provisions could be brought in for their relief; and
all within being eaten up
and everything that was eatable
even the most
nauseous and disagreeable
they would be led on to this strange
unheard of
and barbarous action
eating their own children. This was fulfilled in the
siege of Samaria
2 Kings 6:25; and
in the siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar
Lamentations 2:10
and again in the Apocrypha:"Moreover he hath delivered them to be in
subjection to all the kingdoms that are round about us
to be as a reproach and
desolation among all the people round about
where the Lord hath scattered
them.' (Baruch 2:4)and in the
siege of the same city by the Romans; of which an instance will be hereafter
given.
Deuteronomy 28:54 54 The
sensitive and very refined man among you will be hostile toward his brother
toward the wife of his bosom
and toward the rest of his children whom he
leaves behind
YLT
54`The man who is tender in
thee
and who [is] very delicate -- his eye is evil against his brother
and
against the wife of his bosom
and against the remnant of his sons whom he
leaveth
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. JosephusF2De
Bello Jud. l. 6. c. 3. sect. 3. 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 historianF3Shebet Judah
sive Hist. Jud. p. 326.
that wrote an account of their sufferings and
distresses since their dispersion
that at Fez the Jews sold their children for
slaves for bread.
Deuteronomy 28:55 55 so
that he will not give any of them the flesh of his children whom he will eat
because he has nothing left in the siege and desperate straits in which your
enemy shall distress you at all your gates.
YLT
55against giving to one of
them of the flesh of his sons whom he eateth
because he hath nothing left to
him
in the siege
and in the straitness with which thine enemy doth straiten
thee in all thy gates.
So that he will not give
to any of them of the flesh of his children whom he shall eat
.... Neither
give to a brother
nor to a wife
nor to any of his remaining children
the
least bit of the flesh of a child he has killed and dressed for his own food;
which adds to the barbarity of his action:
because he hath nothing left him in the siege
and in the
straitness wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee in all thy gates; every
creature being eaten up
dogs
cats
&c. and whatsoever else could be any
ways made food of; as the dung of beasts
belts
shoes
the leather on shields
&c. as JosephusF4De Bello Jud. l. 6. c. 3. sect. 3. says they
did eat; and this being the case
nothing eatable remaining
therefore his
heart would be hardened against his nearest relations
and not allow them the
least part with him
even of what was so shocking and unnatural.
Deuteronomy 28:56 56 The
tender and delicate woman among you
who would not venture to set the sole of
her foot on the ground because of her delicateness and sensitivity
will refuse[a] to the
husband of her bosom
and to her son and her daughter
YLT
56`The tender woman in thee
and the delicate
who hath not tried the sole of her foot to place on the
ground because of delicateness and because of tenderness -- her eye is evil
against the husband of her bosom
and against her son
and against her
daughter
And the tender and
delicate woman amongst you
.... Who is instanced in because of her sex
which is more pitiful and compassionate
and especially one that has been
brought up genteelly
and has always lived deliciously
on the most delicate
fare
and nicest dainties
and used to all the delights of nature:
which would not venture to set her foot upon the ground for
delicateness and tenderness; for fear of taking cold
or defiling her
feet:
her eye shall be evil towards the husband of her bosom
and
towards her son
and towards her daughter; begrudge them every bit
they eat
and restrain food from them as much as in her lies
and even snatch
it out of their mouths; so JosephusF5De Bello Jud. l. 5. c. l0.
sect. 3. relates
that"women snatched the food out of the mouths of their
husbands
and sons out of the mouths of their fathers; and
what is most
miserable
mothers out of the mouths of their infants.'
Deuteronomy 28:57 57 her
placenta which comes out from between her feet and her children whom she bears;
for she will eat them secretly for lack of everything in the siege and
desperate straits in which your enemy shall distress you at all your gates.
YLT
57and against her seed which
cometh out from between her feet
even against her sons whom she doth bear
for
she doth eat them for the lacking of all things in secret
in the siege and in
the straitness with which thine enemy doth straiten thee within thy gates.
And toward her young one
that cometh out from between her feet
.... Or her secundine
"her afterbirth"
as in the margin of our Bibles; so the Targum of
Jonathan and Aben Ezra interpret it. The latter describes it
"the place of
the fetus
while it abides in the womb of its mother;'the membrane in which the
child is wrapped; and it is suggested that
as nauseous as that is
the
delicate woman should eat it
and then the newborn child that was wrapped in
it; so Jarchi interprets it
little children; though it seems to be
distinguished from the children she bears or brings forth in the next clause:
and towards her children which she shall bear; that is
have
an evil eye towards them
to eat them as follows:
for she shall eat them for want of all things secretly in
the siege and straitness wherewith thine enemy shall distress thee in thy gates; that is
eat
her children
being reduced to the utmost extremity
being in want of all
things
having nothing at all to abate her sharp hunger; which
and nothing
else
could incline her
and prevail upon her to do an action so monstrously
horrid: and which she would do in the most private and secret manner; both lest
others should partake with her
as well as being conscious of the foulness and
blackness of the crime
that would not by any means bear the light; and all
this owing to the closeness of the siege
and the unspeakable distress they
should be in through it. For the illustration of this
take the following story
as related by JosephusF6De Bello Jud. l. 6. c. 3. sect. 4. ;"a
woman
whose name was Mary
that lived beyond Jordan
illustrious for her descent
and riches fled with the multitude to Jerusalem when besieged carrying with her
her substance
and what food she could get that were left to her by the
spoilers; where being pressed with famine
she took her sucking child
killed
it boiled it
and ate half of it
and then laid up the rest
and covered it;
and when the seditious party entered the house
they smelt it
and demanded her
food
threatening to kill her if she did not deliver it; which when she brought
forth
declaring what she had done
they were struck with horror; to whom she
said
this is my son
and this my own deed; eat
for I have eaten; be not more
tender or softer than a woman
and more sympathizing or more pitiful than a
mother.'All the ideas that this prophecy of Moses conveys are to be met with in
this account; as of a woman well bred and delicate
reduced to the utmost
distress
and wanting all the necessaries of life
killing her tender infant
a
sucking babe
eating it secretly
and laying up the rest covered for another
time. If Moses had lived to have known the fact committed
as Josephus did
he
could not have expressed it well in stronger and clearer terms than he has
done. This is a most amazing instance of a prophecy delivered out two thousand
years or more before the fact was done
and of the exact accomplishment of it;
and if the observation of a learned criticF7Dr. Kennicot's State of
the Hebrew Text
Dissert. 1. p. 421. can be established
that the first word of
this verse should be ובשלה
and so be rendered
"and she shall boil that which cometh out from between her feet
even her
children which she shall bear"
the fulfilment of the prophecy will appear
still more exact
both at the siege of Samaria
2 Kings 6:20; and
of Jerusalem
as in the above relation of Josephus.
Deuteronomy 28:58 58 “If
you do not carefully observe all the words of this law that are written in this
book
that you may fear this glorious and awesome name
THE LORD YOUR GOD
YLT
58`If thou dost not observe
to do all the words of this law which are written in this book
to fear this
honoured and fearful name -- Jehovah thy God –
If thou wilt not observe
to do all the words this law
that are written in this book
.... Of
Deuteronomy
in which there is a repetition of the laws before delivered
and
an addition of some new ones; all which were to be so observed as to be done
to this end:
that thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful name of the Lord
thy God; or that it might appear that the fear of God was before their
eyes
and in their hearts
by their obedience to his law; that they had a
proper awe and reverence of him
who is glorious in his titles and attributes
and whose name Jehovah is holy and reverend; and who
as the covenant God of
his people
is to
be feared for his goodness sake.
Deuteronomy 28:59 59 then
the Lord will bring upon you and your descendants extraordinary
plagues—great and prolonged plagues—and serious and prolonged sicknesses.
YLT
59then hath Jehovah made
wonderful thy strokes
and the strokes of thy seed -- great strokes
and
stedfast
and evil sicknesses
and stedfast.
Then the Lord will make
thy plagues wonderful
.... Visible
remarkable
distinguishable
and astonishing to all
that see them:
and the plagues of thy seed; for they were to
continue
as they have done
With their posterity
age after age:
even great plagues
and of long continuance; great as to quality and quantity
and firm
sure
lasting
and
durable; the word used is rendered "sure" in Isaiah 55:3; sure
by prophecy and in the event; and which when inflicted remained
as they have
1700 years; all which might be believed as certain
or what would certainly
come to pass
and be depended on:
and sore sicknesses
and of long continuance; besides those
diseases mentioned Deuteronomy 28:27;
or however others including them.
Deuteronomy 28:60 60 Moreover
He will bring back on you all the diseases of Egypt
of which you were afraid
and they shall cling to you.
YLT
60`And He hath brought back
on thee all the diseases of Egypt
of the presence of which thou hast been
afraid
and they have cleaved to thee;
Moreover
he will bring
upon thee all the diseases of Egypt
.... All that in a way of
judgment were brought upon the Egyptians for refusing to let Israel go; or all
such diseases as were peculiar to them
and common among them
as the leprosy
the itch
ulcers
&c.
which thou wast afraid of; when living among them
lest they should catch them of them
or they should be inflicted on them by the
hand of God:
and they shall cleave unto thee; not only should come
upon them
but continue with them; they should not easily get rid of them
or
be cured of them.
Deuteronomy 28:61 61 Also
every sickness and every plague
which is not written in this Book of
the Law
will the Lord bring upon you until you are
destroyed.
YLT
61also every sickness and
every stroke which is not written in the book of this law; Jehovah doth cause
them to go up upon thee till thou art destroyed
Also every sickness and every
plague which is not written in the book of this law
.... Which is
not here mentioned or threatened; and it suggests
that whatsoever sickness or
disease that could be thought of or named
or were at any time in any place
among men
might be expected to come upon them for their disobedience:
them will the Lord bring upon thee until thou be destroyed; the Jews
themselvesF8Shebet Judah
p. 318. own this has been fulfilled on
them.
Deuteronomy 28:62 62 You
shall be left few in number
whereas you were as the stars of heaven in
multitude
because you would not obey the voice of the Lord your God.
YLT
62and ye have been left with
few men
instead of which ye have been as stars of the heavens for multitude
because thou hast not hearkened to the voice of Jehovah thy God.
And ye shall be left few
in number
.... There were but very few left in the land of Judea by
Nebuchadnezzar's general when Jerusalem was taken by him; and these were of the
poorer sort
and were left for vinedressers and husbandmen
Jeremiah 39:10; and
how much they were reduced by the Romans will appear by the accounts Josephus
gives of those that were slain
and made prisoners by them: he saysF9De
Bello Jud. l. 6. c. 9. sect. 3.
"there were 1
100
000 slain at the siege
of Jerusalem and by the war
and 97
000 made prisoners;'and it is computed that
1
240
490 were destroyed in Jerusalem and other parts of the nationF11See
Dr. Newton (Bp. of Bristol) on Prophecies
vol. 1. Dissert. 7. sect. 6. p. 186.
; and it is also said by their historianF12Shebet Judah
sect. 49.
p. 316.
that of those that were transported from Jerusalem and other parts of
Palestine into Spain
scarce a thousandth part remained and that an infinite
number were slain in France and Germany; and though their number equalled those
that came out of Egypt
yet scarce five thousand of them were left:
whereas ye were as the stars of heaven for multitude; and
as it is
sometimes said
as the sand of the sea
as was promised to Abraham
Genesis 15:5; and
was fulfilled in the days of Solomon 1 Kings 4:20
because thou wouldest not obey the voice of the Lord thy God; in his law
and by his prophets; and especially by the voice of the true Messiah
in his
everlasting Gospel; of whom it is said
"today if ye will hear his
voice"; &c. Hebrews 3:7.
Deuteronomy 28:63 63 And
it shall be
that just as the Lord rejoiced
over you to do you good and multiply you
so the Lord will
rejoice over you to destroy you and bring you to nothing; and you shall be
plucked from off the land which you go to possess.
YLT
63`And it hath been
as
Jehovah hath rejoiced over you to do you good
and to multiply you
so doth
Jehovah rejoice over you to destroy you
and to lay you waste; and ye have been
pulled away from off the ground whither thou art going in to possess it;
And it shall come to pass
that as the Lord rejoiced over you to do you good
.... The Word
of the Lord
as the Targum of Jonathan; who with great delight and pleasure in
them brought them out of Egypt
conducted them through the wilderness
protecting them and providing all good things for them; and brought them into
the land of Canaan
a land flowing with milk and honey
and settled them there;
and gave them judges and kings
priests and prophets
for a long series of
time
with other innumerable blessings he bestowed upon them:
and to multiply you; so that they became as
the stars of heaven
and the sand of the sea
as before observed:
so the Lord will rejoice over you to destroy you and to bring you
to nought; take as much pleasure in their ruin and destruction
whereby his
justice would be glorified
and the honour of his laws preserved
as before in
bestowing good things on them
in which mercy and kindness were displayed:
and ye shall be plucked from off the land whither thou goest to
possess it; in a violent manner
by their enemies
and against their wills
they being loath to leave it. The Emperor Adrian
to prevent their
insurrections and rebellions
which had given him a great deal of trouble
ordered by an edict that no Jew should come into Jerusalem
nor into the land
of Judea
or be seen in it
which is observed by several writersF13Justin
Martyr
Tertullian
Eusebius. See Dr. Newton ut supra. (Prophesies
vol. 1.
Dissert. 7. sect. 6. p. 186.) ; by which means the country was cleared of them.
In later times some of them did get thither again
but they were but few.
Benjamin of Tudela
a Jew of the twelfth century
travelled into several parts
of the world in quest of his countrymen
and particularly into Judea
and his
view was to magnify his people; and yet owns he found at Jerusalem only two
hundred persons
whose employment was dyeing wool
and dwelt in a corner of the
town under the tower of David; and but twelve at Bethlehem
three at Maresha
at Shunem indeed three hundred
none at Gilead
two at Nob
who were dyers
three at Ramah
one at Joppa
none at Jafne
where had been a famous academy
none at Ashdod
and at Tiberias about fiftyF14Itinerar. p. 41-53. .
And our countryman SandysF15Travels
sect. 3. p. 114. Ed. 5.
who
travelled into Judea in the seventeenth century
says
"here be some Jews
yet inherit they no part of the land
but in their own country do live as
aliens.'
Deuteronomy 28:64 64 “Then
the Lord will scatter you among all peoples
from one end of the earth to
the other
and there you shall serve other gods
which neither you nor your
fathers have known—wood and stone.
YLT
64and Jehovah hath scattered
thee among all the peoples
from the end of the earth even unto the end of the
earth; and thou hast served there other gods which thou hast not known
thou
and thy fathers -- wood and stone.
And the Lord shall scatter
thee among all people
from the one end of the earth even to the other
.... Which
refers to their present dispersion
being now
more or fewer
in all parts of
the world
east
west
north
and south:
and there thou shalt serve other gods
which neither thou nor thy
fathers have known
even wood and stone: it may be observed
that
the phrase
"which either thou nor fathers have known"
is fitly
added here
which is not used of them
Deuteronomy 28:36;
and well agrees with the idols of the Papists
their images of the Virgin Mary
and saints departed
made of wood and stone
which were such the fathers of the
Jews never knew; just as it is said of the host
the consecrated wafer
the
breaden god honoured by antichrist
that it is "a god who his fathers knew
not"
Daniel 11:38; the
apostles and ancient fathers of the church. Now in Popish countries the Jews
have often been prevailed upon to change
or at least dissemble their religion
and embrace Popery: and have worshipped images of wood and stone. The author of
the history of their calamities and sufferings owns this;"multitudes (he
saysF16Shebet Judah
p. 108
154
312
313
338
339. ) in Spain and
Portugal forsook the law of Moses
and joined the Papists
pretending at least
to be of their religion.'
He
makes mention of sixteen thousand at one timeF17Ibid. p. 312.
and
some
he sayF18Ibid. sect. 56. p. 327.
"that were driven out
of Spain
came into Italy
where the young men pressed with famine could not
bear it
and changed their religion
and began to worship images that they
might have to satisfy their hunger; and the Papists used to go about with a
crucifix in one hand
and a piece of bread in the other
promising the bread to
those that would worship the crucifix; and so many famishing persons forsook
the law of Moses
and mixed with them:'and to this day the convents of monks
and nuns in Spain are full of them; and most of their canons
inquisitors
and
bishops
are JewsF19See Addison's present State of the Jews
c. 3.
p. 3o
31. Dr. Newton ut supra
(Prophesies
vol. 1. Dissert. 7.) sect. 15. p.
197. . The Targum of Jonathan indeed
to clear them from idolatry itself
gives
another sense of these words
paraphrasing them
"ye shall pay tribute to
the worshippers of idols.'
Deuteronomy 28:65 65 And
among those nations you shall find no rest
nor shall the sole of your foot
have a resting place; but there the Lord will give
you a trembling heart
failing eyes
and anguish of soul.
YLT
65`And among those nations
thou dost not rest
yea
there is no resting-place for the sole of thy foot
and Jehovah hath given to thee there a trembling heart
and failing of eyes
and grief of soul;
And among these nations
shalt thou find no ease
neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest
.... No quiet
settlement
nor certain dwelling
being obliged to move from place to place
through cruel edicts
heavy fines and mulcts
exorbitant taxes and impositions
and diligent search made after them by the courts of the inquisition
especially where any substance was to be gotten. The Jews themselvesF20Shebet
Judah
p. 108
109. Manasseh Ben Israel de Termino Vitae
l. 3. sect. 3. p. 132.
own that this passage is now fulfilled in them:
but the Lord shall give thee there a trembling heart; being always
in fear lest their persons should be seized on
their children taken from them
and their goods confiscated; hence the poetF21"----Judea
tremens----". Juvenal
Satyr 6. v. 543. gives them the epithet of
"trembling":
and failing of eyes: in looking for a vainly
expected Messiah
to deliver them from all their fears and troubles:
and sorrow of mind; under their present afflictions and
calamities.
Deuteronomy 28:66 66 Your
life shall hang in doubt before you; you shall fear day and night
and have no
assurance of life.
YLT
66and thy life hath been
hanging in suspense before thee
and thou hast been afraid by night and by day
and dost not believe in thy life;
And thy life shall hang in
doubt before thee
.... Whether it shall be spared or not by the enemy:
and thou shalt fear day and night; being in continual dread
of being killed:
and shalt have none assurance of thy life; of its being
continued a moment scarcely
but live in constant fear and expectation of its
being taken away.
Deuteronomy 28:67 67 In
the morning you shall say
‘Oh
that it were evening!’ And at evening you shall
say
‘Oh
that it were morning!’ because of the fear which terrifies your
heart
and because of the sight which your eyes see.
YLT
67in the morning thou sayest
O that it were evening! and in the evening thou sayest
O that it were morning!
from the fear of thy heart
with which thou art afraid
and from the sight of
thine eyes which thou seest.
In the morning thou shalt
say
would God it were even
.... Wishing they might get through the day
well
fearing their life would be taken away before night
or some sad calamity
befall them before the day was past:
and at even thou shall say
would God it were morning; dreading what
would happen to them in the night
that some messenger of death would be sent
to dispatch them
or they should be haled out of bed to a court of inquisition
and cast into a dungeon:
for the fear of thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear
and for the
sight of thine eyes which
thou shalt see; often beholding such
dreadful sights
as their countrymen put upon the rack
and cruelly tortured
and then burnt alive; and so their hearts would fear and tremble
lest they
should be the next that would be taken up and used in this manner; besides
other severities and hard usages
with which their brethren were treated
and they
in continual fear of.
Deuteronomy 28:68 68 “And
the Lord will take you back to Egypt in ships
by the way of which I said to
you
‘You shall never see it again.’ And there you shall be offered for sale to
your enemies as male and female slaves
but no one will buy you.”
YLT
68`And Jehovah hath brought
thee back to Egypt with ships
by a way of which I said to thee
Thou dost not
add any more to see it
and ye have sold yourselves there to thine enemies
for
men-servants and for maid-servants
and there is no buyer.'
And the Lord shall bring
thee into Egypt again with ships
.... Either into a state
of hard bondage and slavery
like that their fathers were in
in Egypt; or
rather
strictly and literally
should be brought into Egypt again
since it is
said to be "with" or "in ships". This does not respect the
going of those Jews into Egypt who were left in the land of Judea
after the
destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar; for that was against the express
command of God
Jeremiah 42:13.
There were several movings of them into Egypt after that time; an Heathen
historianF23Hecataeus apud Joseph. contr. Apion
l. 1. sect. 22.
tells us
that not a few thousands of Jews went into Egypt and Phoenicia
because of the sedition in Syria after the death of Alexander; and where
it
seems
in process of time
they became slaves: for we are told by JosephusF24Antiqu.
l. 12. c. 2. sect. 1.
that 120
000 slaves were set free by Ptolemy
Philadelphus; but what is chiefly respected here is their case in the times of
the Romans
and by their means. Now when Jerusalem was taken by Titus
those
above seventeen years of age were sent by him to the works
or mines
in Egypt
as the same historian relatesF25De Bello Jud. l. 6. c. 9. sect. 2. ;
and after their last overthrow by Adrian many thousands were sold
and what
could not be sold were transported into Egypt
and perished by
"shipwreck"
or famine
or were slaughtered by the peopleF26Hieron.
in Zech. ii. fol. 120. I. whereby this prophecy was literally and exactly
fulfilled
and which is owned by the Jews themselves. Manasseh Ben IsraelF1De
Termino Vitae
l. 3. sect. 3. p. 131
132. observes
that though Vespasian
banished the Jews into various countries
Egypt is only mentioned by way of
reproach
as if it had been said
ye shall go captives into the land from which
ye went out triumphant:
by the way whereof I spake unto thee
thou shall see it no more
again; the Targum of Jonathan is
"the Word of the Lord shall bring
thee into Egypt again in ships;'even the same divine Word
the Son of God
that
brought them out of it
and went before them in a pillar of cloud and fire
now
provoked by their rejection of him
would lead them back again thither; the
paraphrast adds
"through the midst of the Red sea
in the path in which ye
passed;'as if they were carried over into Egypt in ships
just in that part of
the sea in which they had passed before; but that was an unknown and unseen
path
after the waters were closed up
and never to be seen more
and which is
here meant; for not Egypt
but the way in which they passed
was to be seen no
more:
and there ye shall be sold unto your enemies for bondmen and for
bondwomen
and no man shall buy you; that is
there in Egypt
they would be offered to sale
and so many would be sold until the market was
glutted with them
and there would be no buyers. The Targum of Jonathan
is
"ye shall be sold there at first to your enemies
at a dear price
as
artificers
and afterwards at a mean price as servants and handmaids
until ye
become despised
and be brought to serve for nothing
and there be none to take
you in.'Jarchi interprets it of they themselves being desirous
and seeking to
be sold
to avoid cruelties and death; which agrees with the sense of the word
which may be rendered
"ye shall offer yourselves for sale"; but
there will be no buyer
because their enemies will determine upon the slaughter
and consumption of them; and to the same purpose Aben Ezra. There were such
numbers of them to be sold both at Egypt and at Rome
that the sellers of them
had but a poor market for them; and it seems not only because of their number
but the ill opinion had of them as servants. HegesippusF2De excidio
Urb. Hieros. l. 5. c. 47. p. 645. says
"there were many to be sold
but
there were few buyers; for the Romans despised the Jews for service
nor were
there Jews left to redeem their own.'It is saidF3Ib. p. 680.
that
thirty were sold for a penny; a just retaliation to them
who had sold their
Messiah for thirty pieces of silver.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)