Deuteronomy 28:27 kjv
The LORD will smite thee with the botch of Egypt, and with the emerods, and with the scab, and with the itch, whereof thou canst not be healed.
Deuteronomy 28:27 nkjv
The LORD will strike you with the boils of Egypt, with tumors, with the scab, and with the itch, from which you cannot be healed.
Deuteronomy 28:27 niv
The LORD will afflict you with the boils of Egypt and with tumors, festering sores and the itch, from which you cannot be cured.
Deuteronomy 28:27 esv
The LORD will strike you with the boils of Egypt, and with tumors and scabs and itch, of which you cannot be healed.
Deuteronomy 28:27 nlt
"The LORD will afflict you with the boils of Egypt and with tumors, scurvy, and the itch, from which you cannot be cured.
Deuteronomy 28 27 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Exod 9:9-11 | it became boils breaking out in sores on man and beast. | Sixth plague of Egypt, the origin of "boils". |
| Lev 26:16 | I will appoint over you a sudden terror, consumption, and fever... | Curses for disobedience including diseases. |
| Deut 7:15 | The LORD will remove from you all sickness... not put on you the evil diseases of Egypt | Promise of health for obedience, reverse of curse. |
| Deut 28:21 | The LORD will send on you the plague until He has consumed you... | Pestilence as a divine judgment. |
| Deut 28:35 | The LORD will strike you on the knees and on the legs with grievous boils... | Further description of skin disease curse. |
| Job 2:7 | Satan struck Job with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. | Physical affliction/boils as suffering. |
| 1 Sam 5:6 | The hand of the LORD was heavy against the people of Ashdod, and He afflicted them with tumors. | Tumors (emerods) as divine judgment. |
| 1 Sam 5:12 | The men who did not die were stricken with tumors... | Continuation of tumor judgment on Philistines. |
| 2 Ki 15:5 | The LORD struck the king, so that he was a leper to the day of his death... | Leprosy as divine judgment (Uzziah). |
| 2 Chr 21:14-15 | The LORD will strike your people... and you with a severe disease of your bowels... | Disease as specific judgment (Jehoram). |
| Psa 38:5 | My wounds stink and fester because of my foolishness! | Physical illness associated with sin. |
| Isa 1:5-6 | From the sole of the foot even to the head, there is nothing sound in it, but bruises and sores and raw wounds. | Spiritual decay portrayed as physical sickness. |
| Jer 8:22 | Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has the health of the daughter of my people not been restored? | Incurability, lack of remedy for spiritual wound. |
| Jer 14:19 | You have smitten us so that there is no healing for us. | Lack of healing from divine judgment. |
| Jer 30:12 | Your wound is incurable, and your injury is severe. | Severe, incurable wounds as divine judgment. |
| Ezek 14:21 | For thus says the Lord GOD: "How much more when I send upon Jerusalem My four dreadful judgments—sword, famine, wild beasts, and plague...?" | Plagues as a multi-faceted divine judgment. |
| Hos 5:13 | When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah his wound, then Ephraim went to Assyria... but could not cure you... | Attempting human solutions for divine judgment fails. |
| Nahum 3:19 | Your wound is incurable; your injury is grievous. | Incurable judgment on Nineveh. |
| Mal 2:3 | I will rebuke your offspring, and spread refuse on your faces... | Curses involving humiliation and decay. |
| Gal 3:13 | Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us... | Redemption from the curse through Christ. |
| Rev 16:2 | And foul and harmful sores came upon the people who had the mark of the beast... | End-time plagues mirroring ancient afflictions. |
| Rev 16:11 | and they blasphemed the God of heaven for their pains and their sores... | End-time sores as painful divine judgment. |
Deuteronomy 28 verses
Deuteronomy 28 27 Meaning
Deuteronomy 28:27 proclaims a severe divine curse from the LORD upon Israel for their disobedience to His covenant. It details the infliction of debilitating and incurable skin diseases, specifically "the boils of Egypt," along with tumors, scabs, and a persistent itch. This passage signifies a profound and painful physical judgment directly from God, from which there will be no human remedy or cure.
Deuteronomy 28 27 Context
Deuteronomy 28 is the climactic chapter in Moses' second address to Israel, delivered on the plains of Moab just before they entered the Promised Land. This chapter functions as a comprehensive summary of the covenant made at Sinai, outlining the blessings (verses 1-14) that will follow obedience and the terrifying curses (verses 15-68) that will result from disobedience. Verse 27 falls squarely within the extensive list of curses. These curses are detailed and specific, meant to impress upon the Israelites the gravity of breaking their covenant with YHWH. The historical context is crucial: Israel stands at a threshold, poised to possess the land God promised, but simultaneously surrounded by Canaanite cultures and their idolatrous practices. Moses emphasizes that their tenure in the land, and their well-being, is entirely conditional upon their faithfulness to God alone. The curse in verse 27 specifically describes physical, public, and painful diseases, a direct consequence for forsaking the one true God who had delivered them from similar afflictions in Egypt.
Deuteronomy 28 27 Word analysis
- The LORD (YHWH): This refers to the covenant God of Israel. The subject of the verb "will strike" emphasizes that these are not random occurrences but direct, intentional acts of divine judgment, underscoring His sovereignty and righteous wrath.
- will strike (נָכָה - nakah): A strong Hebrew verb meaning "to smite," "hit," "beat down," or "afflict." It denotes a decisive and powerful blow, directly imputing the cause of the suffering to God's intervention.
- you (אתכ - ethka): The direct object, singular "you," here referring to the collective nation of Israel. This signifies that the curse targets the people corporately for their collective disobedience.
- with the boils (שְׁחִין - shechin): This term describes festering sores, inflammations, or abscesses. Its explicit link to "Egypt" immediately connects it to the sixth plague inflicted on Egypt in Exodus 9:9-11.
- of Egypt (מִצְרַיִם - Mitzrayim): A potent and terrifying historical reference. This signifies that God will inflict upon His own people the very plagues He used to demonstrate His power over Pharaoh and redeem Israel. It acts as a profound reversal: what was once an instrument of liberation from Egypt's oppression becomes an instrument of judgment on disobedient Israel.
- and with tumors (עֲפֹלִים - aphelim): Refers to swellings, hemorrhoids, or potentially buboes (swollen lymph nodes associated with plague). It suggests painful internal growths that manifest outwardly, leading to discomfort and debilitation.
- and with scabs (גָּרָב - garav): Describes various itching, scaly, or crusted skin diseases, possibly like severe eczema or scabies. It indicates persistent, uncomfortable, and often disfiguring dermal afflictions.
- and with itch (חֶרֶס - cheres): This refers to an agonizing, uncontrollable, and persistent itching, likely a symptom of the severe skin conditions described. It speaks to a deep, maddening discomfort without relief.
- from which you cannot be cured (אֲשֶׁר לֹא־תוּכַל לְהֵרָפֵא - asher lo-tukhal leherafe'): This critical phrase highlights the supernatural, divine origin of these curses. It implies that no human physician, no remedy, and no amount of self-effort will be able to alleviate or heal these afflictions once they are divinely imposed. This emphasizes the utter helplessness of the afflicted in the face of God's judgment.
Deuteronomy 28 27 Bonus section
- The meticulous detailing of the diseases serves to paint a vivid, horrifying image, deeply impacting the hearers' imagination and fostering fear of disobedience.
- These physical curses signify a broader spiritual separation from God, mirroring the outward affliction with an inner decay that leaves the nation "without sound place" (Isa 1:5-6).
- The severity of these specific illnesses also represents a reversal of the divine blessing of health promised to Israel if they obey (Deut 7:15; Exod 15:26). The very protection God offered is removed, replaced by the very curses He afflicted on His enemies.
Deuteronomy 28 27 Commentary
Deuteronomy 28:27 paints a graphic picture of the physical horror awaiting a disobedient Israel. It is not a generalized threat but a specific litany of ailments designed to invoke maximum dread: painful, persistent, and visibly humiliating skin diseases. By recalling "the boils of Egypt," Moses vividly connects the covenant's consequences to God's demonstrated power and justice against His enemies. The same God who afflicted Pharaoh to save Israel will afflict Israel if they adopt the practices of His enemies. The inclusion of "tumors, scabs, and itch" broadens the scope of affliction to encompass internal and external torments, affecting one's comfort, appearance, and public life. Crucially, the declaration that these diseases are "incurable" underscores the theological point: human remedies are utterly futile against divine judgment. This verse functions as a powerful deterrent, urging absolute loyalty to the covenant God by portraying the inescapable, grievous consequences of spiritual infidelity, thus driving home the seriousness of walking contrary to God's commands.