Deuteronomy 28:31 kjv
Thine ox shall be slain before thine eyes, and thou shalt not eat thereof: thine ass shall be violently taken away from before thy face, and shall not be restored to thee: thy sheep shall be given unto thine enemies, and thou shalt have none to rescue them.
Deuteronomy 28:31 nkjv
Your ox shall be slaughtered before your eyes, but you shall not eat of it; your donkey shall be violently taken away from before you, and shall not be restored to you; your sheep shall be given to your enemies, and you shall have no one to rescue them.
Deuteronomy 28:31 niv
Your ox will be slaughtered before your eyes, but you will eat none of it. Your donkey will be forcibly taken from you and will not be returned. Your sheep will be given to your enemies, and no one will rescue them.
Deuteronomy 28:31 esv
Your ox shall be slaughtered before your eyes, but you shall not eat any of it. Your donkey shall be seized before your face, but shall not be restored to you. Your sheep shall be given to your enemies, but there shall be no one to help you.
Deuteronomy 28:31 nlt
Your ox will be butchered before your eyes, but you will not eat a single bite of the meat. Your donkey will be taken from you, never to be returned. Your sheep and goats will be given to your enemies, and no one will be there to help you.
Deuteronomy 28 31 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Lev 26:16 | "I will appoint terror over you, wasting disease and fever... you shall sow your seed in vain..." | God's curses, loss of labor fruits. |
| Lev 26:20 | "...your strength shall be spent in vain, for your land shall not yield its produce..." | Futility of effort, no return. |
| Deut 28:33 | "A people whom you have not known shall eat the fruit of your ground and of all your labors..." | Foreigners consuming one's hard-earned produce. |
| Deut 28:43-44 | "The foreigner... shall rise higher and higher above you, and you shall come down lower and lower..." | Oppression by strangers, loss of prosperity. |
| Deut 28:48 | "...you shall serve your enemies in hunger and thirst, in nakedness and in lack of everything..." | Slavery and destitution by enemies. |
| Isa 1:7 | "Your country is desolate... your land, strangers devour it in your presence..." | Land plundered by foreign invaders. |
| Isa 3:6-7 | "...come, be our ruler... this heap of ruins!" | Leadership failing, utter devastation. |
| Isa 5:17 | "Then the lambs shall graze as in their pasture, and nomads shall eat among the ruins of the rich." | Loss of wealth to others. |
| Jer 5:17 | "They shall eat up your harvest and your food; they shall eat up your sons and your daughters..." | Consumption by foreign invaders. |
| Jer 6:12 | "...their houses shall be turned over to others, their fields and their wives together..." | Loss of home and possessions. |
| Jer 8:10 | "Therefore I will give their wives to others and their fields to conquerors..." | Similar plundering by enemies. |
| Lam 5:2 | "Our inheritance has been turned over to strangers, our homes to foreigners." | Total loss of property. |
| Ezek 7:21 | "And I will give it into the hands of foreigners as plunder and to the wicked of the earth as prey..." | Wealth given to ungodly enemies. |
| Amos 5:11 | "...you shall build houses of hewn stone, but you shall not dwell in them; you shall plant pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink their wine." | Building but not benefiting from one's labor. |
| Zeph 1:13 | "Though they build houses, they shall not inhabit them; though they plant vineyards, they shall not drink wine from them." | Futility of effort due to judgment. |
| Hab 1:6 | "For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, who march through the breadth of the earth, to seize dwellings not their own." | Divine instrument of foreign invasion/plunder. |
| Joel 1:6-7 | "For a nation has come up against my land... it has laid waste my vines and splintered my fig trees..." | Destruction of agricultural means. |
| Job 1:14-17 | Depicts the Sabeans and Chaldeans taking Job's oxen, donkeys, and camels. | Plundering of livestock, parallel loss. |
| Prov 13:22 | "The good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children, but the sinner's wealth is laid up for the righteous." | Reversal of fortunes, wealth transfers. |
| Ps 109:10-11 | "May his children wander about and beg; may they be driven from their ruined homes! May the creditor seize all that he has..." | Consequences of wickedness: destitution. |
| Matt 24:38-39 | "...eating and drinking... till the flood came and swept them all away..." | Sudden judgment and loss for the disobedient. |
| Rev 18:11-17 | Depicts the lament over Babylon, whose immense wealth and merchandise are suddenly destroyed. | Spiritual Babylon's wealth suddenly gone. |
| Luke 12:20 | "Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?" | Futility of earthly accumulation. |
Deuteronomy 28 verses
Deuteronomy 28 31 Meaning
Deuteronomy 28:31 outlines severe consequences of disobedience to God's covenant, focusing on profound economic ruin and personal humiliation. It vividly describes the painful experience of an individual witnessing the destruction and appropriation of their most vital assets—oxen, donkeys, and sheep—without the ability to intervene, consume their own produce, or reclaim their lost livelihood. The ultimate horror is the complete absence of any external help, signifying utter powerlessness and abandonment under divine judgment.
Deuteronomy 28 31 Context
Deuteronomy 28 is the culmination of Moses' covenant teachings, detailing the stark choice set before Israel: obedience leads to abundant blessings, while disobedience results in severe curses. This chapter functions as a critical, final warning before the Israelites enter the Promised Land, serving as a powerful motivation to keep God's commands. Verse 31 specifically falls within the lengthy list of curses (Deut 28:15-68), which describe in vivid and increasing severity the social, economic, psychological, and physical calamities that would befall the nation. In a primarily agricultural and pastoral society, the loss of oxen (for labor and food), donkeys (for transport and labor), and sheep (for food, wool, and trade) represents total economic collapse and vulnerability, directly undermining the stability and prosperity promised in the blessings.
Deuteronomy 28 31 Word analysis
- Your ox (Hebrew: שׁוֹר, shor): Refers to a single bull or cow, crucial for plowing fields, a primary source of agricultural labor and an invaluable asset. Also a significant source of meat. Its loss signifies the immediate cessation of farm work and food.
- shall be slaughtered (Hebrew: טָבַח, tabach): To slaughter or butcher. Implies a controlled act, not accidental death. The act is observed, compounding the emotional impact. This verb can also imply slaughter for sacrifice, but here it is for consumption denied to the rightful owner.
- before your eyes: This phrase emphasizes the profound personal agony, humiliation, and powerlessness. The victim is forced to witness their livelihood being destroyed, underscoring the cruelty and inescapability of the curse.
- but you shall not eat of it: This highlights the cruel irony and deprivation. The ox is slaughtered for food, but the rightful owner, presumably hungry, is prevented from partaking, signifying total disenfranchisement and utter lack of control over their own sustenance.
- your donkey (Hebrew: חֲמוֹר, chamor): An animal of burden used for transport, grinding grain, and as an indicator of status. Its loss means an inability to move goods, transport water, or travel effectively, severely hindering daily life and commerce.
- shall be violently taken (Hebrew: גָּזַל, gazal): To snatch away, plunder, or rob by force. It conveys an aggressive, unjust, and overwhelming act of seizure. This isn't a mere loan or regulated confiscation, but a brutal, irreversible act of theft, highlighting the absence of legal protection or divine favor.
- from before you: Again emphasizes the personal witnessing of the traumatic event.
- and shall not be restored to you: This confirms the permanent nature of the loss. There will be no restitution, no possibility of recovery or compensation. It speaks to a complete breakdown of justice and order, indicating God's removal of protection.
- your sheep (Hebrew: צֹאן, tson): A collective term for sheep and goats, vital for food (meat and milk), clothing (wool/hair), and economic exchange. A primary form of portable wealth.
- shall be given to your enemies: This is a powerful statement of divine agency in the curse. It is not just stolen; God Himself permits or even orchestrates the transfer of Israel's wealth directly into the hands of their adversaries, highlighting their subjugation.
- and you shall have no one to help you: The culmination of the verse's sorrow. This signifies complete helplessness, abandonment, and isolation. No human ally, no judge, no benevolent deity (at least in their experience under this curse) will intervene to provide relief or reverse their plight. It contrasts sharply with God's character as Helper and Redeemer for the obedient.
Words-group analysis:
- "Your ox... shall be slaughtered before your eyes, but you shall not eat of it": This phrase paints a picture of visceral psychological torment combined with physical deprivation. It's a cruel form of "food insecurity" where the means are available but access is denied, highlighting the deep humiliation and powerlessness. The object of sustenance is transformed into an object of agonizing loss.
- "Your donkey shall be violently taken from before you, and shall not be restored to you": This depicts total dispossession and lack of justice. The violent removal underscores the chaos and danger, while the absence of restoration implies a legal and social system utterly broken or completely stacked against them, removing all recourse and hope.
- "Your sheep shall be given to your enemies, and you shall have no one to help you": This brings the curse to its devastating climax, revealing utter subjugation and isolation. The handing over of resources to enemies signifies a reversal of fortunes where former rivals now profit from Israel's misfortune. The lack of "anyone to help" conveys a crushing sense of abandonment, leaving the afflicted without advocate, defender, or deliverer, illustrating God's withdrawal of protection from a disobedient nation.
Deuteronomy 28 31 Bonus section
The progressive nature of the curses in Deuteronomy 28 means that verse 31 is but one example in a spectrum of woes, escalating in intensity and impact. This specific curse highlights a fundamental reversal of the blessings promised earlier in the chapter, where their livestock would multiply and prosper (Deut 28:4, 11). The detailed focus on the common farmer's or shepherd's basic assets makes the curse highly relatable and immediate to the original Israelite audience, whose entire economy and lifestyle revolved around these animals. The emphasis on things happening "before your eyes" also serves as a polemic against reliance on false gods or human strength, asserting that no idol could prevent such losses, and no human power could deliver from a divine curse when God's favor was removed.
Deuteronomy 28 31 Commentary
Deuteronomy 28:31 lays bare the economic devastation and psychological trauma intrinsic to God's judgment upon a disobedient Israel. Beyond the material loss of essential livestock—their wealth, labor, and sustenance—the core of the curse is the witnessing of this loss with no power to prevent or alleviate it. The meticulous destruction of their assets (ox slaughtered but uneatable), the violent, permanent theft of others (donkey seized, not restored), and the ultimate humiliation of their possessions being handed over to their enemies, all unfold "before their eyes." This visual experience amplifies the pain, humiliation, and hopelessness. The crushing blow of the verse is the final statement, "and you shall have no one to help you," signifying a complete breakdown of any social safety net, legal redress, or, most terrifyingly, God's intervention. This complete abandonment signifies the utter breakdown of the covenant relationship due to the people's rebellion, illustrating God's sovereign hand in judgment, removing His blessings and protection.