Deuteronomy 28:49
in Deuteronomy 28The LORD will bring a nation from afar, from the ends of the earth, to swoop down upon you like an eagle—a nation whose language you will not understand,
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Jehovah will bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand;
KJV
The Lord shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand;
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This verse in Deuteronomy 28
Commentary
6 notes on this verseA nation - from far - Probably the Romans. As the eagle flieth - The very animal on all the Roman standards. The Roman eagle is proverbial. Whose tongue thou shalt not understand - The Latin language, than which none was more foreign to the structure and idiom of the Hebrew.
This site's exposition
The Lord shall bring a nation against thee from far
on Deuteronomy 28:49-52
The nation from far comes as swift as the eagle flieth and speaks a tongue thou shalt not understand, and Jeremiah 5:15 and Habakkuk 1:6-8 use both figures of Babylon. The text names no nation, and readers have applied it to Assyria, to Babylon and to Rome according to which siege they had in view. Verse 52 brings down the walls wherein thou trustedst and repeats in all thy gates twice in one verse, which leaves no city standing outside the sentence.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
): A nation from far, namely, the Romans, as swift as the eagle hastening to the prey. Our Saviour makes use of this similitude, in foretelling this destruction, that where the carcase is there will the eagles be gathered together, Matt. xxiv. And bishop Patrick observes (to make the accomplishment the more remarkable) that the ensign of the Roman armies was an eagle.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
The Lord shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth,....
The blessings are here put before the curses, to intimate, 1. That God is slow to anger, but swift to show mercy: he has said it, and sworn, that he would much rather we would obey and live than sin and die. It is his delight to bless.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
Moreover, the ensign on the standards of the Roman army was "an eagle"; and the dialects spoken by the soldiers of the different nations that composed that army were altogether unintelligible to the Jews.
The words behind it
15 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| יִשָּׂ֣א | yisa' | he will raise up | H5375 → | 656 times |
| יְהוָה֩ | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| עָלֶ֨יךָ | ʾaleikha | on you | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| גּ֤וֹי | goy | a nation | H1471 → | 561 times |
| מֵרָחוֹק֙ | merachok | from a distance | H7350 → | 84 times |
| מִקְצֵ֣ה | miktzeh | from [the] end of | H7097 → | 97 times |
| הָאָ֔רֶץ | haaretz | the earth | H776 → | 2504 times |
| כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר | kaasher | just as | H834 → | 5497 times |
| יִדְאֶ֖ה | yideh | it swoops down | H1675 → | |
| הַנָּ֑שֶׁר | hanasher | <the> eagle | H5404 → | 26 times |
| גּ֕וֹי | goy | a nation | H1471 → | 561 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֥ר | ʾasher | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| לֹא־ | lo'- | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| תִשְׁמַ֖ע | tishma' | you will understand | H8085 → | 1159 times |
| לְשֹׁנֽוֹ׃ | leshono | language its | H3956 → |
יִשָּׂ֣אhe will raise up
yisa'H5375 →656 times
יְהוָה֩Yahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
עָלֶ֨יךָon you
ʾaleikhaH5921 →5755 times
גּ֤וֹיa nation
goyH1471 →561 times
מֵרָחוֹק֙from a distance
merachokH7350 →84 times
מִקְצֵ֣הfrom [the] end of
miktzehH7097 →97 times
הָאָ֔רֶץthe earth
haaretzH776 →2504 times
כַּאֲשֶׁ֥רjust as
kaasherH834 →5497 times
יִדְאֶ֖הit swoops down
yidehH1675 →
הַנָּ֑שֶׁר<the> eagle
hanasherH5404 →26 times
גּ֕וֹיa nation
goyH1471 →561 times
אֲשֶׁ֥רwhich
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
לֹא־not
lo'-H3808 →5168 times
תִשְׁמַ֖עyou will understand
tishma'H8085 →1159 times
לְשֹׁנֽוֹ׃language its
leshonoH3956 →
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
Lamentations 4:19Those who chased us were swifter than the eagles in the sky; they pursued us over the mountains and ambushed us in the wilderness.
it leads to
- Jeremiah 4:13
Behold, he advances like the clouds, his chariots like the whirlwind. His horses are swifter than eagles. Woe to us, for we are ruined!
Reached by 3 separate paths from here.
- Habakkuk 1:8
Their horses are swifter than leopards, fiercer than wolves of the night. Their horsemen charge ahead, and their cavalry comes from afar. They fly like a vulture, swooping down to devour.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Isaiah 5:26–28
He lifts a banner for the distant nations and whistles for those at the ends of the earth. Behold—how speedily and swiftly they come!
- Jeremiah 4:13
Through
Jeremiah 49:22Look! An eagle will soar and swoop down, spreading its wings over Bozrah. In that day the hearts of Edom’s mighty men will be like the heart of a woman in labor.
it leads to
- Hosea 8:1
Put the ram’s horn to your lips! An eagle looms over the house of the LORD, because the people have transgressed My covenant and rebelled against My law.
Reached by 3 separate paths from here.
- Jeremiah 48:40–41
For this is what the LORD says: “Behold, an eagle swoops down and spreads his wings against Moab.
- Hosea 8:1
Through
Hosea 8:1Put the ram’s horn to your lips! An eagle looms over the house of the LORD, because the people have transgressed My covenant and rebelled against My law.
it leads to
- Hosea 6:7
But they, like Adam, have transgressed the covenant; there they were unfaithful to Me.
- Hosea 6:7
Through
Jeremiah 48:40For this is what the LORD says: “Behold, an eagle swoops down and spreads his wings against Moab.
it leads to
- Isaiah 8:8
It will pour into Judah, swirling and sweeping over it, reaching up to the neck; its spreading streams will cover your entire land, O Immanuel!
- Jeremiah 49:22
Look! An eagle will soar and swoop down, spreading its wings over Bozrah. In that day the hearts of Edom’s mighty men will be like the heart of a woman in labor.
- Isaiah 8:8
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies3
On this verse
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About Deuteronomy
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; 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); Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: The Pentateuch and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.