Deuteronomy 28:67 kjv
In the morning thou shalt say, Would God it were even! and at even thou shalt say, Would God it were morning! for the fear of thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see.
Deuteronomy 28:67 nkjv
In the morning you shall say, 'Oh, that it were evening!' And at evening you shall say, 'Oh, that it were morning!' because of the fear which terrifies your heart, and because of the sight which your eyes see.
Deuteronomy 28:67 niv
In the morning you will say, "If only it were evening!" and in the evening, "If only it were morning!"?because of the terror that will fill your hearts and the sights that your eyes will see.
Deuteronomy 28:67 esv
In the morning you shall say, 'If only it were evening!' and at evening you shall say, 'If only it were morning!' because of the dread that your heart shall feel, and the sights that your eyes shall see.
Deuteronomy 28:67 nlt
In the morning you will say, 'If only it were night!' And in the evening you will say, 'If only it were morning!' For you will be terrified by the awful horrors you see around you.
Deuteronomy 28 67 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Lev 26:36-37 | "And as for those of you who are left, I will send faintness into their hearts..." | Covenant curses include fear and internal dread |
| Deut 28:20 | "The Lord will send on you curses, confusion, and frustration in all that you undertake..." | Broad curse including mental anguish |
| Deut 28:34 | "So that you shall be driven mad by the sight that your eyes behold." | Direct connection to maddening sights |
| Deut 28:49-57 | Description of siege and famine horrors, leading to desperate acts. | Describes the context of unbearable sights |
| Job 3:20-21 | "Why is light given to him who is in misery, and life to those bitter in soul, who long for death...?" | Desperate longing for release from suffering |
| Job 7:3-4 | "...I am allotted months of emptiness, and nights of misery are appointed to me... I long for evening." | Personal experience of longing for relief |
| Job 10:1 | "I loathe my life; I will give free utterance to my complaint..." | Utter weariness with life due to suffering |
| Pss 88:15 | "Afflicted and close to death from my youth up; I suffer your terrors; I am helpless." | Terror and helplessness |
| Prov 1:26-27 | "...when terror strikes you like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind..." | Judgment bringing overwhelming terror |
| Isa 24:17-18 | "Terror, and the pit, and the snare are upon you, O inhabitant of the earth!" | Prophecy of widespread terror and judgment |
| Isa 33:14 | "The sinners in Zion are afraid; trembling has seized the godless: 'Who among us can dwell...fire?'" | Fear in the face of consuming judgment |
| Jer 20:18 | "Why did I come forth from the womb to see toil and sorrow, and spent my days in shame?" | Profound regret and despair for existence |
| Lam 1:20 | "My soul is in an uproar; my heart is within me appalled, for I have been most rebellious." | Internal terror from sin and judgment |
| Lam 2:11 | "My eyes are spent with weeping... my heart is poured out on the ground because of the destruction..." | Despair from witnessing widespread destruction |
| Ezek 12:18-19 | "...eat your bread with trembling, and drink water with quaking and anxiety..." | Constant fear and anxiety due to sin |
| Amos 8:3 | "...Many dead bodies; in every place. They shall be thrown out in silence." | Horror of witnessing widespread death |
| Luke 21:26 | "people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world." | Fear and anxiety in end-time prophecies |
| Rev 6:15-17 | "Then the kings... hid themselves... crying to the mountains and rocks, 'Fall on us...'." | Desperate longing for annihilation over wrath |
| Rev 9:6 | "In those days people will seek death but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will flee." | Ultimate expression of perpetual, inescapable torment |
| Rev 21:4 | "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither sorrow..." | Ultimate contrast: absence of all torment |
Deuteronomy 28 verses
Deuteronomy 28 67 Meaning
This verse describes a profound state of relentless torment and despair. People will reach a point where every waking moment and every thought is filled with such terror and misery that they desperately long for the opposite time of day, hoping for some slight relief that never comes. The dread stems from internal fear and the horrifying sights they witness.
Deuteronomy 28 67 Context
Deuteronomy chapter 28 presents a stark choice to the people of Israel as they stand on the brink of entering the Promised Land. It outlines the blessings that will result from covenant obedience (vv. 1-14) and the curses that will follow covenant disobedience (vv. 15-68). Verse 67 falls within the extended section of curses, which escalate in severity from natural disasters and disease to military defeat, famine, siege, exile, and finally, psychological and spiritual torment. This verse particularly highlights the extreme mental and emotional state of those under the full weight of these curses, experiencing an unceasing, pervasive dread that strips away all hope and peace, leaving them in a perpetual cycle of wishing for time to pass without relief. The historical context anticipates the periods of national decline, foreign oppression, and ultimately, the Babylonian exile and later the Roman destruction of Jerusalem, where the warnings of this chapter found fulfillment.
Deuteronomy 28 67 Word analysis
- In the morning (בַּבֹּקֶר - babbōqer): Usually a time for fresh beginnings, light, and hope. Here, it signifies the onset of daily renewed anguish.
- you shall say (תֹאמַר - tōmar): Future tense, indicating a prophetic pronouncement of their condition.
- ‘If only it were evening!’ (מִי יִתֵּן עֶרֶב - mî yittēn ‘erev): Mî yittēn is an idiomatic expression conveying an intense, desperate longing, "Would that it were!" Evening, typically a time for rest and cessation of labor, is desired as an escape from the current daylight horrors.
- And at evening (וּבָעֶרֶב - ūvā‘erev): The reciprocal condition, showing the lack of relief and persistence of terror.
- you shall say (תֹאמַר - tōmar): Again, prophetic, showing the continuation of despair.
- ‘If only it were morning!’ (מִי יִתֵּן בֹּקֶר - mî yittēn bōqer): Desperate desire for any change, a break in the unrelenting nightmare, even if that break brings different but equal horrors. This creates a cycle of ceaseless torment.
- because of the dread (מִפַּחַד - mippacḥad): From pachad (פַּחַד), meaning profound fear, terror, panic, often linked to divine judgment or overwhelming danger. It’s an inner, paralyzing fear.
- of your heart (לְבָבְךָ - l'vāvĕḵā): The Hebrew 'heart' refers not just to emotions, but to the entire inner person: mind, will, intellect, and core being. The dread permeates their very essence.
- that you shall dread (אֲשֶׁר תִּפְחָד - ’ăšer tiphḥāḏ): A repetition of the root p-ch-d, intensifying the idea. The dread is self-generating or continuously reinforced by the situation.
- and because of the sight (וּמִמַּרְאֵה - ūmimmara’eh): From mar'eh (מַרְאֵה), referring to something seen, an appearance, or a vision. This terror is not merely psychological but externally provoked by what they visually experience.
- of your eyes (עֵינֶיךָ - ‘êneyḵā): The organs of perception, emphasizing that the horrors are real, tangible, and constantly before them.
Deuteronomy 28 67 Bonus section
- The hyperbole in this verse serves a strong pedagogical purpose, intensifying the warning for Israel to uphold their covenant fidelity. It is a rhetorical device designed to impress the severity of God's righteous judgment.
- This verse paints a picture of ultimate disorientation. Time, a fixed reference point, becomes something people long to escape rather than inhabit. This is the spiritual outcome of rejecting the stability found in divine law and relationship.
- The description parallels accounts of extreme tribulation and judgment in prophetic books, where a profound existential dread is a hallmark of divine wrath, providing a glimpse into the internal torment that can accompany separation from the Creator.
Deuteronomy 28 67 Commentary
Deuteronomy 28:67 climaxes the curse passage, portraying a psychological hell that transcends mere physical suffering. It speaks of a continuous cycle of overwhelming terror and despair so absolute that relief is perpetually sought but never found. The internal dread (pachad levavcha) indicates an existential anxiety, a complete shattering of the inner being, while the external "sight of your eyes" implies unimaginable atrocities and miseries witnessed directly. This verse profoundly warns that alienation from God's covenant brings not just material loss or physical affliction, but a fundamental unraveling of peace, replaced by ceaseless fear. It teaches that disobedience ultimately leads to a state where life itself becomes a burden, and time, rather than bringing solace, only cycles through heightened misery.