CHAPTER XXVIII _The blessings which God pronounces on the obedient_, 1-6. _Particular privileges which the faithful shall receive_, 7-13. _The curses pronounced against the ungodly and idolatrous_, 14-19. _A detailed account of the miseries which should be inflicted on_ _them, should they negle... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Deuteronomy 28:2. _ALL THESE BLESSINGS SHALL COME ON THEE_] God shall pour out his blessing from heaven upon thee. _And overtake thee_. Upright men are represented as _going_ to the kingdom of God, and God's blessings as _following_ and _overtaking_ them in their heavenly journey. There are se... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Deuteronomy 28:3. _IN THE CITY_] In all civil employments. _In the_ _field _- in all agricultural pursuits.... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Deuteronomy 28:4. _FRUIT OF THY BODY_] All thy children. _Increase of thy_ _kine_, c. every _animal_ employed in domestic and agricultural purposes shall be under the especial protection of Divine Providence.... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Deuteronomy 28:5. _THY BASKET_] Thy olive gathering and vintage, as the _basket_ was employed to collect those fruits. _STORE._] משארת _mishereth_, kneading-trough, or _remainder_; all that is laid up for _future use_, as well as what is prepared for _present_ consumption. Some think that by... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Deuteronomy 28:6. _WHEN THOU COMEST IN_] From thy employment, thou shalt find that no evil has happened to the _family_ or _dwelling_ in thy absence. _WHEN THOU GOEST OUT_] Thy way shall be made prosperous before thee, and thou shalt have the Divine blessing in all thy labours.... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Deuteronomy 28:7. _THE LORD SHALL CAUSE THINE ENEMIES, C._] This is a promise of security from foreign invasion, or total discomfiture of the invaders, should they enter the land. _They shall come_ _against thee one way _- in the firmest and most united manner. _And_ _flee seven ways _- shall... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Deuteronomy 28:8. _THE LORD SHALL COMMAND THE BLESSING UPON THEE_] Every thing that thou hast shall come by Divine appointment; thou shalt have nothing casually, but every thing, both spiritual and temporal, shall come by the immediate _command_ of God.... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Deuteronomy 28:9. _THE LORD SHALL ESTABLISH THEE A HOLY PEOPLE UNTO_ _HIMSELF_] This is the sum of all blessings, to be made _holy_, and be preserved in _holiness_. _IF THOU SHALT KEEP, C._] Here is the solemn condition _if they_ _did not_ keep God's testimonies, taking them for the regulator... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Deuteronomy 28:12. _THE LORD SHALL OPEN UNTO THEE HIS GOOD TREASURE_] The _clouds_, so that a sufficiency of fructifying showers should descend at all requisite times, and the vegetative principle in the earth should unfold and exert itself, so that their crops should be abundant.... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Deuteronomy 28:14. _THOU SHALT NOT GO ASIDE - TO THE RIGHT HAND OR TO THE_ _LEFT_] The way of obedience is a _straight_ way; it goes _right_ forward; he who declines either to _right_ or _left_ from this path goes _astray_ and misses heaven.... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Deuteronomy 28:20. _CURSING_] This shall be thy state; _vexation _- grief, trouble, and anguish of heart; _rebuke _- continual judgments, and marks of God's displeasure.... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Deuteronomy 28:21. _THE PESTILENCE CLEAVE UNTO THEE_] ידבק יהוה בך אה הדבר _yadbek Yehovah becha eth haddaber, the Lord shall_ CEMENT _the_ _pestilence_ or plague _to thee_. Sept., Προσκολλησει Κυριος εις σε τον θανατον, _The Lord will_ GLUE - inseparably attach, _the death unto_ _thee_. How d... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Deuteronomy 28:22. _CONSUMPTION_] שחפת _shachepheth_, atrophy through lack of food; from שחף _shacaph_, to be in want. _FEVER_] קדחת _kaddachath_, from קדח _kadach_, to be kindled, burn, sparkle; a burning inflammatory fever. _INFLAMMATION_] דלקת _dalleketh_, from דלק _dalak_, to pursue eage... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Deuteronomy 28:23. _THY HEAVEN - SHALL BE BRASS, AND THE EARTH - IRON._] The atmosphere should not be replenished with aqueous vapours, in consequence of which they should have neither the early nor the latter rain; hence the _earth _- the ground, must be wholly intractable, and, through its h... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Deuteronomy 28:24. _THE RAIN OF THY LAND POWDER AND DUST_] As their _heavens _- atmosphere, clouds, c., were to be as _brass_-yielding no rain so the surface of the earth must be reduced to powder; and this, being frequently taken up by the strong winds, would fall down in showers instead of r... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Deuteronomy 28:27. _THE LORD WILL SMITE THEE WITH THE BOTCH_] שחין _shechin_, a violent inflammatory swelling. In Job 2:7, one of the Hexapla versions renders it ελεφας, the _elephantiasis_, a disease the most horrid that can possibly afflict human nature. In this disorder, the whole body is... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Deuteronomy 28:28. _THE LORD SHALL SMITE THEE WITH MADNESS_] שגעון _shiggaon_, distraction, so that thou shalt not know what to do. _AND BLINDNESS_] _ivvaron_, blindness, both physical and mental; the גרב _garab_, (Deuteronomy 28:27), destroying their eyes, and the judgments of God confoundin... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Deuteronomy 28:29. _THOU SHALT BE ONLY OPPRESSED, C._] Perhaps no people under the sun have been more oppressed and spoiled than the rebellious Jews. Indeed, this has been their portion, with but little intermission, for nearly 1,800 years. And still they _grope_ _at noon day, as the blind gro... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Deuteronomy 28:30. _THOU SHALT BETROTH A WIFE, C._] Can any heart imagine any thing more grievous than the evils threatened in this and the following verses? To be on the brink of all social and domestic happiness, and then to be suddenly deprived of all, and see an enemy possess and enjoy eve... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Deuteronomy 28:32. _THY SONS AND THY DAUGHTERS SHALL BE GIVEN UNTO_ _ANOTHER PEOPLE_] In several countries, particularly in _Spain_ and _Portugal_, the children of the Jews have been taken from them by order of government, and educated in the Popish faith. There have been some instances of Jew... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse 35. _WITH A SORE BOTCH_] שחין _shechin_, an inflammatory swelling, a burning boil. See Deuteronomy 28:27.... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Deuteronomy 28:36-5. Can any thing be conceived more dreadful than the calamities threatened in these verses?... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse 48. _THEREFORE SHALT THOU SERVE THINE ENEMIES_] Because they would not serve GOD, therefore they became _slaves_ to _men_.... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Deuteronomy 28:49. _A 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... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Deuteronomy 28:52. _He _- Nebuchadnezzar first, (2 Kings 25:1, c.,) and _Titus_ next _shall besiege thee _- beset thee round on every side, and cast a trench around thee: viz., lines of circumvallation, as our Lord predicted; (see Matthew 24:1, c., and Luke 21:5, c.) _in all thy gates througho... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Deuteronomy 28:56. _THE 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 2 Kings 6:29; and Leviticus 26:29, Leviticus 26:2... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Deuteronomy 28:57. _TOWARD HER YOUNG ONE - AND TOWARD HER CHILDREN WHICH_ _SHE SHALL BEAR_] There seems to be a species of _tautology_ in the two clauses of this verse, which may be prevented by translating the last word, שליתה _shilyathah_, literally, _her secondines_, which is the meaning o... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Deuteronomy 28:64. _THE LORD SHALL SCATTER THEE AMONG ALL PEOPLE_] How literally has this been fulfilled! The people of the Jews are scattered over every nation under heaven.... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Deuteronomy 28:65. _NO EASE - A TREMBLING HEART, AND FAILING OF EYES_] The _trembling of heart_ may refer to their state of continual _insecurity_, being, under every kind of government, proscribed, and, even under the most mild, uncertain of toleration and protection; and the _failing of eyes... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Deuteronomy 28:68. _AND THE LORD SHALL BRING THEE INTO EGYPT AGAIN_] That is, into _another state of slavery and bondage_ similar to that of Egypt, out of which they had been lately brought. _And there ye_ _shall be sold_, that is, _be exposed to sale_, or _expose yourself to_ _sale_ as the w... [ Continue Reading ]