Deuteronomy 28:50

_A NATION OF FIERCE COUNTENANCE, WHICH SHALL NOT REGARD THE PERSON OF THE OLD, NOR SHEW FAVOUR TO THE YOUNG:_ A nation of fierce countenance - a just description of the Romans, who were not only bold and unyielding, but ruthless and implacable, sparing, as Josephus expressly records, neither age, nor condition, nor sex....

45-68 If God inflicts vengeance, what miseries his curse can bring upon mankind, even in this present world! Yet these are but the beginning of sorrows to those under the curse of God. What then will be the misery of that world where their worm dieth not, and their fire is not quenched! Observe what is here said of the wrath of God, which should come and remain upon the Israelites for their sins. It is amazing to think that a people so long the favourites of Heaven, should be so cast off; and yet that a people so scattered in all nations should be kept distinct, and not mixed with others. If they would not serve God with cheerfulness, they should be compelled to serve their enemies. We may justly expect from God, that if we do not fear his fearful name, we shall feel his fearful plagues; for one way or other God will be feared. The destruction threatened is described. They have, indeed,...

The curses correspond in form and number Deuteronomy 28:15 to the blessings Deuteronomy 28:3, and the special modes in which these threats should be executed are described in five groups of denunciations Deuteronomy 28:20. Deuteronomy 28:20 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. Deuteronomy 28:20...

EXPOSITION THE BLESSING AND THE CURSE. Having enjoined the proclamations of the blessing and the curse on their entering into possession of Canaan, Moses, for the sake of impressing on the minds of the people both the blessing and the curse, proceeds here to dilate upon both, dwelling especially upon the latter as that which the people the more needed to have brought home to them. As he proceeds, the language of terrible denunciation passes into that of no less terrible prediction, in which the calamities that should come upon the nation because of their apostasy and rebellion are clearly and pointedly foretold. DEUTERONOMY 28:1 _The_ _blessing_._ _The condition _sine qua non _of all enjoyment of the Divine bounty was obedience on

A NATION OF FIERCE COUNTENANCE,.... Or, "strong of face" y; which aptly describes the old Romans, who are always represented as such; and whereas it is said of the Chaldeans, that they were a nation dreadful and terrible, Habakkuk 1:7; the same is said of the fourth beast, or Roman empire, Daniel 7:7; who were a terror to all the world: WHICH SHALL NOT REGARD THE PERSON OF THE OLD, NOR SHOW FAVOUR TO THE YOUNG: cruel, unmerciful, and uncompassionate, to persons of whatsoever age or sex; which, as it was the character of the Chaldeans, 2 Chronicles 36:17; so of the Romans, who especially showed no mercy to the Jews, as Josephus z, who was an eyewitness, testifies. "The Romans (says he) s

24. THE BLESSING AND THE CURSE CHAPTER 28 _ 1. The blessing promised (Deuteronomy 28:1)_ 2. The curse announced (Deuteronomy 28:15) This is one of the most solemn Chapter s in the Pentateuch. Orthodox Hebrews read in their synagogues each year through the entire five books of Moses. When they read this chapter, the Rabbi reads in a subdued voice. And well may they read it softly and ponder over it, for here is prewritten the sad and sorrowful history of that wonderful nation. Here thousands of years ago the Spirit of God through Moses outlined the history of the scattered nation, all their suffering and tribulations, as it has been for well nigh two millenniums and as it is still. Here are arguments for the divine, the supernatural origin of this book which

The curses to follow disobedience. These answer generally to the blessings of Deuteronomy 28:1, only that the order Deuteronomy 28:5; Deuteronomy 28:4 is presumed and Deuteronomy 28:1_ b_ and Deuteronomy 28:2_ b_ are ignored. Deuteronomy 28:21. pestilence: a general term; so Jeremiah 14:12....

OF FIERCE COUNTENANCE. Hebrew. strong of face: "strong" put by Figure of speech _Metonymy_ (of Adjunct) for boldness or fierceness. Compare Isaiah 5:26....

A Further Development of the Curses Invasion by a far-off, unknown nation, who shall ruthlessly devastate the land and besiege Israel's cities; with the horrors of his siege. All this is not threatened conditionally on the possible disobedience of the people, but predicted absolutely because of their actual failure to serve God....

_VER._ 50. _A NATION OF FIERCE COUNTENANCE, WHICH SHALL NOT REGARD,_ &C.— Such were the Chaldeans. The sacred historian, 2 Chronicles 36:17 expressly declares, that, for the wickedness of the Jews, God _brought upon them the king of the Chaldees, who slew their young men—and had no compassion upon young man or maiden, old man, or him that stooped for age;_ but _gave them all into his hand._ Such also were the Romans; for when Vespasian entered Gedara, as Josephus informs us, "he slew all, man by man, the Romans shewing mercy to no age, out of hatred to the nation, and from a remembrance of their former injuries." The like slaughter was made at Gamala; "for, (the same historian observes) nobody escaped, except two women, and they by concealing themselves from the rage of the Romans, who did not so much as spare young children; but every one at that time sna