Deuteronomy 28:50
in Deuteronomy 28a ruthless nation with no respect for the old and no pity for the young.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
a nation of fierce countenance, that shall not regard the person of the old, nor show favor to the young,
KJV
A nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor shew favour to the young:
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This verse in Deuteronomy 28
Commentary
4 notes on this verseThis 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
A nation of fierce countenance,....
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 words behind it
11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| גּ֖וֹי | goy | a nation | H1471 → | 561 times |
| עַ֣ז | ʾaz | fierce of | H5794 → | |
| פָּנִ֑ים | panim | face | H6440 → | 2123 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֨ר | ʾasher | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| לֹא־ | lo'- | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| יִשָּׂ֤א | yisa' | it will lift up | H5375 → | 656 times |
| פָנִים֙ | fanim | face | H6440 → | 2123 times |
| לְזָקֵ֔ן | lezaken | for an old [person] | H2205 → | 178 times |
| וְנַ֖עַר | venaar | and a youth | H5288 → | |
| לֹ֥א | lo' | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| יָחֹֽן׃ | yachon | it will show favor to | H2603 → | 78 times |
גּ֖וֹיa nation
goyH1471 →561 times
עַ֣זfierce of
ʾazH5794 →
פָּנִ֑יםface
panimH6440 →2123 times
אֲשֶׁ֨רwhich
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
לֹא־not
lo'-H3808 →5168 times
יִשָּׂ֤אit will lift up
yisa'H5375 →656 times
פָנִים֙face
fanimH6440 →2123 times
לְזָקֵ֔ןfor an old [person]
lezakenH2205 →178 times
וְנַ֖עַרand a youth
venaarH5288 →
לֹ֥אnot
lo'H3808 →5168 times
יָחֹֽן׃it will show favor to
yachonH2603 →78 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
Isaiah 47:6I was angry with My people; I profaned My heritage, and I placed them under your control. You showed them no mercy; even on the elderly you laid a most heavy yoke.
it leads to
- Zechariah 1:15
but I am fiercely angry with the nations that are at ease. For I was a little angry, but they have added to the calamity.’
- 2 Chronicles 28:9
But a prophet of the LORD named Oded was there, and he went out to meet the army that returned to Samaria. “Look,” he said to them, “because of His wrath against Judah, the…
- Obadiah 1:10
Because of the violence against your brother Jacob, you will be covered with shame and cut off forever.
- James 2:13
For judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
- Zechariah 1:15
Through
Ecclesiastes 8:1Who is like the wise man? Who knows the interpretation of a matter? A man’s wisdom brightens his face, and the sternness of his face is changed.
it leads to
- Acts 6:15
All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.
- Acts 6:15
Through
Hosea 13:16Samaria will bear her guilt because she has rebelled against her God. They will fall by the sword; their little ones will be dashed to pieces, and their pregnant women ripped open.
it leads to
- 2 Kings 8:12
“Why is my lord weeping?” asked Hazael. “Because I know the evil you will do to the Israelites,” Elisha replied. “You will set fire to their fortresses, kill their young men with the sword,…
- 2 Kings 15:16
At that time Menahem, starting from Tirzah, attacked Tiphsah and everyone in its vicinity, because they would not open their gates. So he attacked Tiphsah and ripped open all the pregnant women.
- Isaiah 13:16
Their infants will be dashed to pieces before their eyes, their houses will be looted, and their wives will be ravished.
- 2 Kings 8:12
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies3
On this verse
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About Deuteronomy
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; 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.