Deuteronomy 28:37 kjv
And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all nations whither the LORD shall lead thee.
Deuteronomy 28:37 nkjv
And you shall become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword among all nations where the LORD will drive you.
Deuteronomy 28:37 niv
You will become a thing of horror, a byword and an object of ridicule among all the peoples where the LORD will drive you.
Deuteronomy 28:37 esv
And you shall become a horror, a proverb, and a byword among all the peoples where the LORD will lead you away.
Deuteronomy 28:37 nlt
You will become an object of horror, ridicule, and mockery among all the nations to which the LORD sends you.
Deuteronomy 28 37 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Kgs 9:7-8 | ...Israel a proverb and a byword among all peoples... | Temple/nation become a scorn for disobedience. |
| Jer 24:9 | I will make them a horror and a byword... | Exile for disobedience; becomes public disgrace. |
| Jer 25:9 | ...make them a horror, a desolation, and an object of hissing and a perpetual reproach. | Judah's desolation and public shame. |
| Eze 5:14-15 | ...make you a horror and a reproach among the nations... | Jerusalem's destruction as a warning to nations. |
| Ps 44:13-14 | You have made us a byword among the nations, a shaking of the head... | Israel’s lament over public humiliation. |
| Lam 2:15-16 | All who pass along the way clap their hands... | Jerusalem's fall draws universal scorn. |
| Neh 1:8-9 | Remember the word... if you are unfaithful, I will scatter you... | Nehemiah recalling Moses' warning on dispersion. |
| Lev 26:33 | And I will scatter you among the nations... | Earlier covenant warning of scattering. |
| Deut 4:27 | And the LORD will scatter you among the peoples... | Prophecy of dispersion reiterated earlier in Deuteronomy. |
| Amos 9:9 | For behold, I will command, and shake the house of Israel among all the nations... | God’s sovereign action in scattering Israel. |
| Isa 1:7-8 | Your country is desolate; your cities are burned with fire... | Depiction of national devastation mirroring covenant curses. |
| Dan 9:7-8 | To you, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us open shame... | Daniel's prayer confessing the shame of Israel's exile due to sin. |
| Eze 20:23 | I swore to them in the wilderness that I would scatter them among the nations... | God's decree of scattering for spiritual rebellion. |
| Isa 42:24-25 | Who gave up Jacob to the plunderer, and Israel to robbers?... | The Lord as the one orchestrating judgment. |
| Lam 1:3 | Judah has gone into exile because of affliction... | The consequence of Judah's sins in exile. |
| Deut 30:1-3 | If you return to the LORD your God... He will gather you again... | Hope for future gathering and restoration after scattering. |
| Jer 29:10-14 | ...when seventy years are completed... I will restore to you... | Prophecy of return from Babylonian exile, after judgment. |
| Eze 36:22-24 | ...I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back... | God gathering His people to sanctify His name among nations. |
| Rom 11:11-26 | So that through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles... | Israel's partial hardening and scattering as part of God's larger plan. |
| 1 Cor 10:6,11 | Now these things took place as examples for us... | Israel’s past failures serving as warnings for believers today. |
| Heb 10:26-31 | If we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge... | Warning of severe judgment for deliberate sin in the New Testament. |
| Php 3:18-19 | Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame... | Analogous NT warning about spiritual destruction and public disgrace. |
| Jer 15:4 | I will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth... | Expulsion for Manasseh’s sins. |
| Jer 29:18 | ...and will make them a horror, a byword, an object of cursing and taunting... | Reiterated prophecy of disgrace upon exile. |
Deuteronomy 28 verses
Deuteronomy 28 37 Meaning
Deuteronomy 28:37 describes a profound state of disgrace for Israel should they disobey God's covenant commands. It declares that the disobedient nation would become a public spectacle of astonishment and a subject of mocking bywords among the Gentile nations. This outcome would be directly orchestrated by the LORD as He disperses them from their land.
Deuteronomy 28 37 Context
Deuteronomy chapter 28 presents a detailed exposition of the covenant made between God and Israel. Moses addresses the Israelites as they stand on the brink of entering the Promised Land. The chapter is famously bifurcated, outlining lavish blessings for obedience (vv. 1-14) and dire curses for disobedience (vv. 15-68). This structure reflects ancient Near Eastern suzerainty treaties, where blessings and curses were integral components defining the relationship between a great king and his vassal. Verse 37 falls within the extended section of curses, which escalate in severity from physical afflictions and agricultural failures to military defeat, siege, cannibalism, and ultimately, national exile and dispersion. It emphasizes the ultimate public and humiliating consequence of Israel's covenant unfaithfulness, positioning them not just as sufferers but as a notorious spectacle among all nations.
Deuteronomy 28 37 Word analysis
- And you shall become (וְהָיִיתָ - w'hayitah): Signifies a direct consequence, a transformation into a state. This is not accidental but a predetermined outcome of unfaithfulness, spoken in a prophetic perfect sense.
- a horror (לְשַׁמָּה - l'shammah): From the Hebrew root shamem, meaning "to be desolate, appalled, aghast." It conveys utter desolation and evokes shock, fear, and astonishment in observers. It implies being a desolate, fearful spectacle.
- a proverb (לְמָשָׁל - l'mashal): Refers to a saying or an adage. In this context, it implies becoming a widely known, cautionary tale, frequently spoken about as a negative example of divine judgment and failure. It points to a common saying born from derision.
- and a byword (וְלִשְׁנִינָה - w'lishniynah): From the root shanen, meaning "to sharpen." It denotes a sharp, piercing taunt, a cutting remark, or a gibe. Stronger than mashal, it emphasizes public ridicule, contempt, and severe mocking.
- among all the peoples (בְּכָל־הָעַמִּים - b'khol-ha'amim): Highlights the universal and public nature of this disgrace. The shame would not be confined to Israel but broadcast widely, diminishing their standing globally.
- where the LORD (אֲשֶׁר־יְנַהֶגְךָ יְהוָה - asher-y'nahegk'kha YHWH): Explicitly states the divine agency. God (YHWH, the covenant name) is not merely allowing this to happen but actively leading or driving them away. This signifies God's sovereign hand in orchestrating their judgment.
- will lead you away (יְנַהֶגְךָ): The verb "lead" or "drive" underscores the punitive and direct nature of God's action in their dispersion and exile, as a shepherd leads his flock, or in this case, a judge directs a sentence.
Words-group Analysis:
- "a horror, a proverb, and a byword": This triple categorization intensifies the description of Israel's destined ignominy. It conveys complete and multifaceted humiliation: perceived as a terrifying ruin (horror), used as a widely cited object lesson in failure (proverb), and targeted by sharp, mocking insults (byword). This triplet illustrates total societal and national disgrace.
- "among all the peoples where the LORD will lead you away": This phrase defines the scope and the ultimate cause of Israel's ignominy. It establishes that their shame will be public, witnessed universally by Gentile nations, and directly orchestrated by God. The "leading away" explicitly refers to their forced exile and diaspora, thereby connecting their suffering directly to divine judgment rather than chance or human malice alone.
Deuteronomy 28 37 Bonus section
- This curse reveals a chilling reversal of Israel's intended purpose: to be a holy nation, a light to the nations (Isa 49:6), and a testament to God's glory. Instead, they would become a dark beacon, showcasing the severity of divine judgment for covenant unfaithfulness.
- The meticulous specificity of the curses in Deuteronomy 28 underscores God's justice. The consequences are not arbitrary but directly linked to specific covenant violations, demonstrating that God is true to His word, both in blessings and in judgments.
- While devastating, this verse (and chapter) serves as a potent reminder of the conditional nature of the Old Covenant. However, the subsequent chapter, Deuteronomy 30, often immediately read after the curses, offers hope of repentance, return, and God's eventual restoration of Israel from their scattered state.
Deuteronomy 28 37 Commentary
Deuteronomy 28:37 delivers a sobering prophetic warning: should Israel reject the covenant through disobedience, they would undergo a radical transformation from a blessed, distinct nation to a public emblem of shame and desolation. This verse is not just about internal suffering, but profound, outward disgrace. The terms "horror," "proverb," and "byword" vividly depict the future contempt Israel would endure. They would become a chilling example, a notorious anecdote, and a constant target of derision among the nations. Critically, this degradation is presented not as random fate, but as a deliberate act of the LORD. God Himself, who covenanted with them, would "lead them away" into exile, showcasing His righteousness and the severe consequences of broken covenant. This verse foreshadows historical fulfillments like the Assyrian and Babylonian exiles, where Israel's land was laid waste and its people scattered, making them indeed an object lesson to the world of the fidelity of God's warnings.