Deuteronomy 28 57

Deuteronomy 28:57 kjv

And toward her young one that cometh out from between her feet, and toward her children which she shall bear: for she shall eat them for want of all things secretly in the siege and straitness, wherewith thine enemy shall distress thee in thy gates.

Deuteronomy 28:57 nkjv

her placenta which comes out from between her feet and her children whom she bears; for she will eat them secretly for lack of everything in the siege and desperate straits in which your enemy shall distress you at all your gates.

Deuteronomy 28:57 niv

the afterbirth from her womb and the children she bears. For in her dire need she intends to eat them secretly because of the suffering your enemy will inflict on you during the siege of your cities.

Deuteronomy 28:57 esv

her afterbirth that comes out from between her feet and her children whom she bears, because lacking everything she will eat them secretly, in the siege and in the distress with which your enemy shall distress you in your towns.

Deuteronomy 28:57 nlt

She will hide from them the afterbirth and the new baby she has borne, so that she herself can secretly eat them. She will have nothing else to eat during the siege and terrible distress that your enemy will inflict on all your towns.

Deuteronomy 28 verses

Deuteronomy 28 57 Meaning

Deuteronomy 28:57 describes the utter desolation and horrific consequences that would befall the disobedient Israelites under a divine curse of famine and siege. It depicts a woman, driven to unimaginable desperation by extreme starvation, consuming her own afterbirth and even her newborn child secretly, due to the absolute lack of any other sustenance as enemy forces besiege their cities. This portrays the breaking of the most sacred natural bonds, reflecting the extreme judgment for forsaking God's covenant.

Deuteronomy 28 57 Context

Deuteronomy 28 is the climax of Moses' second speech to Israel, presenting a profound legal and ethical framework for their life in the promised land. It delineates blessings for covenant obedience (vv. 1-14) and, in much greater detail and vivid horror, curses for disobedience (vv. 15-68). This chapter operates within the ancient Near Eastern covenant tradition, where fidelity to a suzerain-vassal treaty (God as Suzerain, Israel as vassal) carried explicit blessings for loyalty and dire consequences for rebellion.

Verses 53-57 describe the absolute nadir of human desperation under the curses of siege and famine. The verse prior to it (v. 56) also addresses the plight of a "tender and delicate woman" who, due to extreme wealth, had never walked on the ground, but would now resort to extreme measures for food. Verse 57 intensifies this image, portraying the breaking of fundamental human bonds and natural affection due to God's severe judgment. The vividness of this prophecy serves as a powerful deterrent, urging Israel to cling steadfastly to the Lord and His commandments, lest they face a horror previously unimaginable. This extreme imagery foreshadowed actual historical events such as the sieges of Samaria (2 Ki 6) and Jerusalem (Jeremiah, Lamentations, and by the Romans in 70 AD), validating the dire warnings given here.

Deuteronomy 28 57 Word analysis

• and on her afterbirth (וּבְשִׁלְיָתָהּ, uveshilyatah): The Hebrew word shilyah specifically refers to the placenta or afterbirth. The mention of consuming this biological material underscores the unparalleled extreme level of hunger and absolute absence of any other food source. It symbolizes a reversal of life-giving processes into means of survival by any means necessary, completely disregarding cleanliness or taboos, indicating the utter collapse of societal norms and basic human dignity.

• that comes from between her legs (הַיּוֹצֵא מִבֵּין רַגְלֶיהָ, hayyotze mibbên ragleha): This phrase explicitly denotes the afterbirth immediately upon its expulsion after childbirth. Its inclusion emphasizes the freshness and graphic nature of the impending cannibalism, leaving no ambiguity about the horror being described. It is a detail chosen to convey maximal revulsion and the peak of distress.

• and on her children whom she bears (וּבְבָנֶיהָ אֲשֶׁר תֵּלֵד, uveshivana asher teled): Banah (sons, children) refers generally to offspring, encompassing both male and female infants. "Whom she bears" ("asher teled") specifies that these are her own direct offspring, emphasizing the profound violation of the maternal instinct, considered one of the strongest natural bonds. This is the ultimate societal breakdown, where self-preservation extinguishes all natural affection and maternal love.

• for she will eat them secretly (כִּי תֹאכְלֵם בָּסָתֶר, ki tokhelem bassater): Bassater means "in secret" or "privately." This secrecy suggests a few possibilities:

  • Shame: The act is so abominable that she feels profound shame, attempting to conceal it from others, even fellow sufferers.
  • Fear: Fear of condemnation, or fear that others might try to take her "food" from her, demonstrating total breakdown of trust and community.
  • Isolation: The extreme nature of the famine leads to atomization of society, where survival is an individual, desperate struggle hidden from public view.

• for lack of anything else (בְּחֹסֶר כֹּל, beḥoser kol): Ḥoser kol translates literally to "lack of all" or "absolute destitution." This phrase confirms that the cannibalism is not wanton but forced by sheer desperation. There is literally nothing, absolutely no other food or resource, left to consume, leaving this abhorrent act as the last, horrifying option for survival. It underscores the utter completeness of the divine judgment and famine.

• because of the siege and distress (בְּמָצוֹר וּבְמָצוֹק, bematsor uvmatsok): Matsor (siege) refers to the military blockade of a city, cutting off its supplies. Matsok (distress, straits, extreme confinement) often pairs with matsor to emphasize the crushing pressure and complete lack of escape or resources. These terms describe the specific instruments of God's judgment leading to such dire conditions. The repeated emphasis highlights the covenant consequence.

• with which your enemy will surround you in your gates: This clearly identifies the immediate cause of the famine and distress. The enemy laying siege outside the city walls prevents food from coming in, creating the internal starvation. "In your gates" indicates that the people are trapped within their defenses, completely surrounded, helpless, and succumbing to the horrors within. The gates symbolize the vulnerable points of the city, now sealed but paradoxically becoming places of utter desperation.

Words-Group Analysis

• "her afterbirth that comes from between her legs and on her children whom she bears": This shocking grouping graphically portrays the depths of deprivation, directly contrasting the blessing of fruitfulness (Deut 7:13, 28:4) with the curses of famine, highlighting the perverse reversal of the natural order of life and nurturing into one of gruesome survival. It signifies the stripping away of dignity and humanity.
• "for she will eat them secretly for lack of anything else": This phrase emphasizes the motive and the nature of the act. The absolute destitution ('lack of anything else') makes this extreme measure a desperate last resort, while the secrecy underscores the shame, horror, and profound isolation inherent in such a dire situation.
• "because of the siege and distress with which your enemy will surround you in your gates": This final clause explains the external, causative circumstances for the internal horrors. It firmly ties the depicted starvation and cannibalism to the divinely ordained curses for disobedience, fulfilled through military conflict and confinement within their own defensive walls, sealing their fate.

Deuteronomy 28 57 Bonus section

The chilling prophecy in Deuteronomy 28:57 not only warned Israel of the physical horrors of unfaithfulness but also served as a profound theological statement. It revealed that departing from Yahweh, the source of life and blessing, would lead to a state worse than mere death – a spiritual and physical degradation that negates life itself, even turning its very products (afterbirth, newborn children) into sustenance in a perverse act of survival. This prophecy stands in direct contrast to pagan practices of child sacrifice (like Molech worship), as the horrific cannibalism here is a judgment imposed by God for idolatry and disobedience, rather than an act of worship itself. It is God withdrawing His sustaining hand to let His people experience the ultimate consequences of turning their backs on His life-giving covenant.

Deuteronomy 28 57 Commentary

Deuteronomy 28:57 presents a stark and horrific depiction of the ultimate consequence of Israel's unfaithfulness to God's covenant: self-cannibalism during an enemy siege. This verse highlights the complete degradation of humanity, the breaking of sacred natural bonds, and the collapse of all societal norms under the severe judgment of God through extreme famine and confinement. The inclusion of eating the afterbirth and the newborn child, performed secretly out of desperation, illustrates a level of suffering so profound that natural maternal instinct is overridden by the primal urge to survive. This prophecy, later fulfilled during the sieges of Samaria (2 Ki 6) and Jerusalem (Lamentations, Josephus's account of 70 AD), serves as a grave warning against apostasy, underscoring the absolute necessity of steadfast obedience to God's law. It also reveals the severity of divine wrath when a covenant people repeatedly disobeys, resulting in a world utterly devoid of God's protective blessings and instead consumed by unimaginable human depravity.