Deuteronomy 28:15
in Deuteronomy 28If, however, you do not obey the LORD your God by carefully following all His commandments and statutes I am giving you today, all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of Jehovah thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day, that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee.
KJV
But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:
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This verse in Deuteronomy 28
Commentary
7 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
The curses correspond in form and number Deu 28:15-19 to the blessings Deu 28:3-6, and the special modes in which these threats should be executed are described in five groups of denunciations Deut. 28:20-68. Deu 28:20-26 First series of judgments. The curse of God should rest on all they did, and should issue in manifold forms of disease, in famine, and in defeat in war. Deu 28:20 Vexation - Rather, confusion: the word in the original is used Deu 7:23; 1Sa 14:20 for the panic and disorder with which the curse of God smites His foes.
This site's exposition
if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice
Fourteen verses of blessing have run and fifty-four verses of curse now follow, and the imbalance is the shape of the chapter rather than an accident of transmission. Sixty-eight verses make this the second longest chapter in the Torah, behind Numbers 7. The same lopsided proportion appears in the vassal treaties of the second millennium, where the curse section runs far longer than the blessing, a correspondence Meredith Kline set out in Treaty of the Great King and Kenneth Kitchen in On the Reliability of the Old Testament. Verse 15 repeats verse 1 clause for clause with the negative inserted.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
Overtake thee - So that thou shalt not be able to escape them, as thou shalt vainly hope and endeavour to do. There is no running from God, but by running to him; no flying from his justice, but by flying to his mercy.
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, Deu 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 Zec 5:3; namely, the curses which follow.
It is said of the sinner, when God's wrath is in pursuit of him, that he would fain flee out of his hand ( Job xxvii. 22 ), but he cannot; if he flee from the iron weapon, yet the bow of steel shall reach him and strike him through. There is no running from God but by running to him, no fleeing from his justice but by fleeing to his mercy.
Disobeying him, not doing his commandments, or not observing to do them. None fall under his curse but those that rebel against his command. "It is because of the wickedness of thy doings, not only whereby thou hast slighted me, but whereby thou hast forsaken me, "
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
But . . . if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord--Curses that were to follow them in the event of disobedience are now enumerated, and they are almost exact counterparts of the blessings which were described in the preceding context as the reward of a faithful adherence to the covenant.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
This is connected with the expression [in the preceding Verse 13] if thou shalt hearken, meaning that all these blessings will come upon you when you will hearken to His commandments, and when you will not turn aside to the right, or to the left.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 3 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
23 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְהָיָ֗ה | vehayah | and it will be | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| אִם־ | ʾim- | if | H518 → | 1069 times |
| לֹ֤א | lo' | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| תִשְׁמַע֙ | tishma' | you will listen | H8085 → | 1159 times |
| בְּקוֹל֙ | bekol | to [the] voice of | H6963 → | 506 times |
| יְהוָ֣ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ | ʾeloheikha | God your | H430 → | 2601 times |
| לִשְׁמֹ֤ר | lishmor | to take care | H8104 → | 468 times |
| לַעֲשׂוֹת֙ | laasot | to observe | H6213 → | 2628 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| מִצְוֹתָ֣יו | mitzvotav | commandments his | H4687 → | 181 times |
| וְחֻקֹּתָ֔יו | vechukotav | and statutes his | H2708 → | 104 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֛ר | ʾasher | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| אָנֹכִ֥י | ʾanokhi | I | H595 → | 359 times |
| מְצַוְּךָ֖ | metzavekha | [am] commanding you | H6680 → | 494 times |
| הַיּ֑וֹם | haiyom | this day | H3117 → | 2304 times |
| וּבָ֧אוּ | uvau | and they will come | H935 → | 2568 times |
| עָלֶ֛יךָ | ʾaleikha | on you | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| הַקְּלָל֥וֹת | hakelalot | the curses | H7045 → | 33 times |
| הָאֵ֖לֶּה | haeleh | <the> these | H428 → | 746 times |
| וְהִשִּׂיגֽוּךָ׃ | vehisigukha | and they will overtake you | H5381 → | 50 times |
וְהָיָ֗הand it will be
vehayahH1961 →3559 times
אִם־if
ʾim-H518 →1069 times
לֹ֤אnot
lo'H3808 →5168 times
תִשְׁמַע֙you will listen
tishma'H8085 →1159 times
בְּקוֹל֙to [the] voice of
bekolH6963 →506 times
יְהוָ֣הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָGod your
ʾeloheikhaH430 →2601 times
לִשְׁמֹ֤רto take care
lishmorH8104 →468 times
לַעֲשׂוֹת֙to observe
laasotH6213 →2628 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
כָּל־all
kol-H3605 →5413 times
מִצְוֹתָ֣יוcommandments his
mitzvotavH4687 →181 times
וְחֻקֹּתָ֔יוand statutes his
vechukotavH2708 →104 times
אֲשֶׁ֛רwhich
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
אָנֹכִ֥יI
ʾanokhiH595 →359 times
מְצַוְּךָ֖[am] commanding you
metzavekhaH6680 →494 times
הַיּ֑וֹםthis day
haiyomH3117 →2304 times
וּבָ֧אוּand they will come
uvauH935 →2568 times
עָלֶ֛יךָon you
ʾaleikhaH5921 →5755 times
כָּל־all
kol-H3605 →5413 times
הַקְּלָל֥וֹתthe curses
hakelalotH7045 →33 times
הָאֵ֖לֶּה<the> these
haelehH428 →746 times
וְהִשִּׂיגֽוּךָ׃and they will overtake you
vehisigukhaH5381 →50 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Deuteronomy 28:2And all these blessings will come upon you and overtake you, if you will obey the voice of the LORD your God:
it leads to
- Zechariah 1:6
But did not My words and My statutes, which I commanded My servants the prophets, overtake your fathers? They repented and said, ‘Just as the LORD of Hosts purposed to do to us according…
- 1 Timothy 4:8
For physical exercise is of limited value, but godliness is valuable in every way, holding promise for the present life and for the one to come.
- Deuteronomy 28:45
All these curses will come upon you. They will pursue you and overtake you until you are destroyed, since you did not obey the LORD your God and keep the commandments and statutes He…
- Zechariah 1:6
Through
Malachi 2:2If you do not listen, and if you do not take it to heart to honor My name,” says the LORD of Hosts, “I will send a curse among you, and I will curse…
it leads to
- Revelation 14:7
And he said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come. Worship the One who made the heavens and the earth and the sea…
- Luke 17:18
Was no one found except this foreigner to return and give glory to God?”
- Psalms 69:22
May their table become a snare; may it be a retribution and a trap.
- Psalms 81:11–12
But My people would not listen to Me, and Israel would not obey Me.
- Revelation 14:7
Through
Deuteronomy 29:20The LORD will never be willing to forgive him. Instead, His anger and jealousy will burn against that man, and every curse written in this book will fall upon him. The LORD will blot…
it leads to
- Psalms 74:1
Why have You rejected us forever, O God? Why does Your anger smolder against the sheep of Your pasture?
- Psalms 74:1
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies3
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About Deuteronomy
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: The Pentateuch and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.