Deuteronomy 28:56
in Deuteronomy 28The most gentle and refined woman among you, so gentle and refined she would not venture to set the sole of her foot on the ground, will begrudge the husband she embraces and her son and daughter
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
The tender and delicate woman among you, who would not adventure to set the sole of her foot upon the ground for delicateness and tenderness, her eye shall be evil toward the husband of her bosom, and toward her son, and toward her daughter,
KJV
The tender and delicate woman among you, which would not adventure to set the sole of her foot upon the ground for delicateness and tenderness, her eye shall be evil toward the husband of her bosom, and toward her son, and toward her daughter,
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This verse in Deuteronomy 28
Commentary
6 notes on this verseThe tender and delicate woman - This was literally fulfilled when Jerusalem was besieged by the Romans; a woman named Mary, of a noble family, driven to distraction by famine, boiled and ate her own child! See a similar case 2Ki 6:29 (note); and Lev 26:29 (note).
This site's exposition
The tender and delicate woman among you
on Deuteronomy 28:56-57
The woman of verse 56 is described before her act is named, so delicate that she would not set the sole of her foot upon the ground. Her eye turns evil toward her husband, her son and her daughter, the same three degrees of nearness the man's case listed at verse 54. Verse 57 adds that the eating is done secretly, the one detail the man's case did not carry. The chapter states the case and leaves it standing without comment.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
And the tender and delicate woman amongst you,....
This threatening was fulfilled in the letter of it, more than once, to the perpetual reproach of the Jewish nation: never was the like done either by Greek or barbarian, but in the siege of Samaria, a woman boiled her own son, 2 Kings vi. And it is spoken of as commonly done among them in the siege of Jerusalem by the Babylonians, Lam. iv.
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)
Such were the dreadful extremities to which the inhabitants during the siege were reduced that many women sustained a wretched existence by eating the flesh of their own children. Parental affection was extinguished, and the nearest relatives were jealously, avoided, lest they should discover and demand a share of the revolting viands.
The words behind it
19 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| הָרַכָּ֨ה | harakah | the gentle [woman] | H7390 → | 16 times |
| בְךָ֜ | vekha | among <the> you | ||
| וְהָעֲנֻגָּ֗ה | vehaanugah | and the delicate [woman] | H6028 → | |
| אֲשֶׁ֨ר | ʾasher | who | H834 → | 5497 times |
| לֹא־ | lo'- | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| נִסְּתָ֤ה | nisetah | she has attempted | H5254 → | 36 times |
| כַף־ | khaf- | [the] sole of | H3709 → | 192 times |
| רַגְלָהּ֙ | raglah | foot her | H7272 → | 247 times |
| הַצֵּ֣ג | hatzeg | to place | H3322 → | |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| הָאָ֔רֶץ | haaretz | the ground | H776 → | 2504 times |
| מֵהִתְעַנֵּ֖ג | mehitaneg | because was delicate | H6026 → | |
| וּמֵרֹ֑ךְ | umerokh | and from gentleness | H7391 → | |
| תֵּרַ֤ע | tera' | it will be evil | H7489 → | 107 times |
| עֵינָהּ֙ | ʾeinah | eye her | H5869 → | 887 times |
| בְּאִ֣ישׁ | beish | on [the] husband of | H376 → | 1663 times |
| חֵיקָ֔הּ | cheikah | bosom her | H2436 → | 38 times |
| וּבִבְנָ֖הּ | uvivnah | and on son her | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| וּבְבִתָּֽהּ׃ | uvevitah | and on daughter her | H1323 → | 588 times |
הָרַכָּ֨הthe gentle [woman]
harakahH7390 →16 times
בְךָ֜among <the> you
vekha
וְהָעֲנֻגָּ֗הand the delicate [woman]
vehaanugahH6028 →
אֲשֶׁ֨רwho
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
לֹא־not
lo'-H3808 →5168 times
נִסְּתָ֤הshe has attempted
nisetahH5254 →36 times
כַף־[the] sole of
khaf-H3709 →192 times
רַגְלָהּ֙foot her
raglahH7272 →247 times
הַצֵּ֣גto place
hatzegH3322 →
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
הָאָ֔רֶץthe ground
haaretzH776 →2504 times
מֵהִתְעַנֵּ֖גbecause was delicate
mehitanegH6026 →
וּמֵרֹ֑ךְand from gentleness
umerokhH7391 →
תֵּרַ֤עit will be evil
tera'H7489 →107 times
עֵינָהּ֙eye her
ʾeinahH5869 →887 times
בְּאִ֣ישׁon [the] husband of
beishH376 →1663 times
חֵיקָ֔הּbosom her
cheikahH2436 →38 times
וּבִבְנָ֖הּand on son her
uvivnahH1121 →4930 times
וּבְבִתָּֽהּ׃and on daughter her
uvevitahH1323 →588 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 3:16The LORD also says: “Because the daughters of Zion are haughty—walking with heads held high and wanton eyes, prancing and skipping as they go, jingling the bracelets on their ankles—
it leads to
- Isaiah 32:9–11
Stand up, you complacent women; listen to me. Give ear to my word, you overconfident daughters.
- Ezekiel 16:49–50
Now this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed, and complacent; they did not help the poor and needy.
- Proverbs 30:13
There is a generation—how haughty are their eyes and pretentious are their glances—
- Luke 23:28
But Jesus turned to them and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.
- Isaiah 4:4
when the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and cleansed the bloodstains from the heart of Jerusalem by a spirit of judgment and a spirit of fire.
- Isaiah 32:9–11
Through
Deuteronomy 28:54The most gentle and refined man among you will begrudge his brother, the wife he embraces, and the rest of his children who have survived,
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 15:9
Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought in your heart: “The seventh year, the year of release, is near,” so that you look upon your poor brother begrudgingly and give him nothing. He…
- Matthew 20:15
Do I not have the right to do as I please with what is mine? Or are you envious because I am generous?’
- Deuteronomy 13:6
If your very own brother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you embrace, or your closest friend secretly entices you, saying, “Let us go and worship other gods” (which neither you nor…
- Deuteronomy 15:9
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Deuteronomy
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; 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.