Deuteronomy 28 22

Deuteronomy 28:22 kjv

The LORD shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish.

Deuteronomy 28:22 nkjv

The LORD will strike you with consumption, with fever, with inflammation, with severe burning fever, with the sword, with scorching, and with mildew; they shall pursue you until you perish.

Deuteronomy 28:22 niv

The LORD will strike you with wasting disease, with fever and inflammation, with scorching heat and drought, with blight and mildew, which will plague you until you perish.

Deuteronomy 28:22 esv

The LORD will strike you with wasting disease and with fever, inflammation and fiery heat, and with drought and with blight and with mildew. They shall pursue you until you perish.

Deuteronomy 28:22 nlt

The LORD will strike you with wasting diseases, fever, and inflammation, with scorching heat and drought, and with blight and mildew. These disasters will pursue you until you die.

Deuteronomy 28 verses

Deuteronomy 28 22 Meaning

The Lord will bring upon the disobedient a series of debilitating physical ailments, including consumption-like wasting, intense fevers, and inflamed conditions, alongside devastating agricultural calamities such as scorching heat, blight, and mildew. These judgments are portrayed as relentless, persistently afflicting the people until they are utterly destroyed and perish from the land.

Deuteronomy 28 22 Context

Deuteronomy 28 is a central chapter within Moses' farewell address to Israel before they enter the promised land. It forms part of the "Covenant Blessings and Curses," detailing the consequences of obedience and disobedience to the Mosaic Law. The chapter serves as a solemn and dramatic reinforcement of the covenant made at Sinai, structured much like ancient Near Eastern suzerain-vassal treaties, where the suzerain (God) lays out terms for His vassal (Israel) and specifies rewards for loyalty and severe penalties for rebellion. Verse 22 falls within the extended section of curses (verses 15-68), specifically addressing the direct affliction of the people's health and their agricultural sustenance. These curses are not arbitrary but are presented as a direct, divinely administered consequence of breaking faith with the Lord, illustrating the serious and tangible implications of covenant fidelity in all aspects of life—personal, communal, and environmental.

Deuteronomy 28 22 Word analysis

• The LORD will strike you (יַכְּכָ֤ה יְהוָה, yakkekha YHWH): YHWH (יְהוָה): The sacred, personal name of God, indicating His active involvement and sovereign will as the one inflicting these judgments. It underscores that these calamities are not random natural events but direct acts of the divine Judge. Strike (יַכְּכָה, yakkeh): From the root nakah (נָכָה), meaning to strike, smite, kill. It implies a direct, forceful, and intentional blow, signifying that God is actively causing these afflictions as a punishment, not merely allowing them. This refutes any idea of chance or fate; God is in control.
• with wasting disease (בַּשַּׁחֶ֨פֶת, bashaḥefet): Shaḥefet (שַּׁחֶפֶת): Derived from a root meaning to waste away, pine away, become lean. Refers to a consumption-like illness, a chronic, debilitating disease that causes gradual physical decline, such as tuberculosis or severe emaciation. It signifies a slow, drawn-out process of decay rather than a swift, decisive blow.
• and with fever (וּבַקַּדַּ֙חַת֙, uvakadakhat): Kaddakhaṯ (קַדַּחַת): From a root meaning to burn. Describes a burning or scorching fever, implying intense heat and physiological distress. This points to the severe discomfort and energy-draining nature of such sicknesses.
• and inflammation (וּבַדַּלֶּ֣קֶת, uּvadalleḳet): Dalleḳeṯ (דַּלֶּקֶת): From a root meaning to burn, set alight. Denotes inflammation, specifically a burning or eruptive fever, possibly rashes or skin conditions associated with intense heat and burning sensations. This suggests painful and outwardly visible physical symptoms.
• and with fiery heat (וּבַחַרְחֻר, uּvaḥarkhur): Ḥarkhur (חַרְחֻר): From a root meaning to scorch or burn fiercely. Refers to an extreme burning or parching heat within the body, indicating a more intense, perhaps oppressive and dehydrating, form of fever or bodily affliction.
• and with drought (וּבַחֶ֥רֶב, uּvaḥorev): Ḥorev (חֶרֶב): While a common word for "sword" (ḥereḇ), in this context (amongst agricultural calamities), the word vocalized as ḥorev refers to extreme dryness, desolation, or parching heat. It signifies the destruction of crops due to lack of water or excessive sun, showing the link between personal health and the land's health, all subject to God's curse. Some ancient versions, like the Septuagint, interpret this as a direct, 'sword-like' disease/pestilence, aligning it more directly with the previous afflictions. However, "drought" in conjunction with blight and mildew, is a more common and direct agricultural interpretation of ḥorev.
• and with blight (וּבַשִּׁדָּפֹ֖ון, uּvashiddaphon): Shiddaphon (שִּׁדָּפֹון): Means blasting, scorching, or blighting, particularly by the east wind (sirocco) which brought intense heat and dried up crops. This is a severe agricultural disaster, indicating a supernatural destruction of harvests.
• and with mildew (וּבַיֵּרָקֹֽון, uּvayyeraḳon): Yeraqon (יֵרָקֹון): Refers to paleness or yellowish discoloration of plants, akin to rust or mold, indicating diseased crops that are rendered unusable. Together with "blight," it describes a comprehensive destruction of agricultural output.
• and they shall pursue you (וּרְדָפ֖וּךָ, uּredaphuka): Radap (רָדַף): To chase, pursue, harass, or hunt down. This imagery powerfully conveys the inescapable and relentless nature of these curses. They are not fleeting events but active agents, metaphorically hunting down the disobedient, giving them no respite or escape.
• until you perish (עַד־אׇבְדֶךָ, ʿad-ovdeka): ʿOved (אׇבְדֶךָ): From the root ʾavad* (אבַד), meaning to perish, be lost, be destroyed. This signifies the ultimate, complete, and terminal consequence of the curses. They will continue to afflict the people until they are entirely wiped out or lost from their land and covenant status.

Deuteronomy 28 22 Bonus section

This verse demonstrates the holistic understanding of blessing and curse in ancient Israel, where the well-being of the individual, the community, and the land were intrinsically linked and dependent on their covenant relationship with God. The listed afflictions touch upon two primary domains of human existence: personal health and food security. The phrase "until you perish" indicates a judgment that is terminal and all-enconsuming, designed not merely to correct but to utterly eradicate. This concept contrasts sharply with modern, secular views that attribute disease and famine to naturalistic causes alone, highlighting the biblical perspective of divine sovereignty over all of creation and circumstances as means of justice. The deliberate listing of specific conditions implies that the curses would be discernible and undeniably of divine origin, making it impossible for the people to mistake their predicament as mere misfortune.

Deuteronomy 28 22 Commentary

Deuteronomy 28:22 succinctly describes a profound aspect of God's covenant curses: the relentless and comprehensive impact of disobedience on both the physical body and the essential means of survival. The detailed enumeration of wasting diseases, various fevers, and agricultural failures emphasizes the specific and inescapable nature of divine judgment. These are not merely natural occurrences but instruments wielded by the Sovereign Lord to manifest the consequences of covenant betrayal. The progression from internal physical decay to outward burning afflictions, followed by the ruination of the very source of sustenance—the land—paints a stark picture of escalating misery. The vivid imagery of these curses "pursuing" the disobedient highlights their inescapable and unceasing nature, culminating in complete annihilation. This verse serves as a powerful reminder of God's holy character, His demands for obedience, and the dire, inescapable consequences when His people forsake His commands, affecting every facet of life until destruction is complete.