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英語原文
This chapter is a very large exposition of two words in the foregoing chapter, the blessing and the curse. Those were pronounced blessed in general that were obedient, and those cursed that were disobedient; but, because generals are not so affecting, Moses here descends to particulars, and describes the blessing and the curse, not in their fountains (these are out of sight, and therefore the most considerable, yet least considered, the favour of God the spring of all the blessings, and the wrath of God the spring of all the curses), but in their streams, the sensible effects of the blessing and the curse, for they are real things and have real effects. I. He describes the blessings that should come upon them if they were obedient; personal, family, and especially national, for in that capacity especially they are here treated with, De 28:1-14. II. He more largely describes the curses which would come upon them if they were disobedient; such as would be, 1. Their extreme vexation, De 28:15-44. 2. Their utter ruin and destruction at last, De 28:45-68. This chapter is much to the same purport with Le 26:1-46, setting before them life and death, good and evil; and the promise, in the close of that chapter, of their restoration, upon their repentance, is here likewise more largely repeated, De 30:1-20 Thus, as they had precept upon precept in the repetition of the law, so they had line upon line in the repetition of the promises and threatenings. And these are both there and here delivered, not only as sanctions of the law, what should be conditionally, but as predictions of the event, what would be certainly, that for a while the people of Israel would be happy in their obedience, but that at length they would be undone by their disobedience; and therefore it is said (De 30:1) that all those things would come upon them, both the blessing and the curse.
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Promises (1451 BC)
繁體中文
應許（主前1451年）
¹ 你若留意聽從耶和華─你神的話，謹守遵行他今日所吩咐你的一切誡命，耶和華─你的神就必使你超乎天下萬民之上。 ² 城裏的福必臨到你、追上你；你若聽從耶和華─你神的話，以下的福必如此。 ³ 你在城裏必蒙福，在田間也必蒙福。 ⁴ 你身所生的、地所產的、牲畜所下的，以及牛犢、羊羔，都必蒙福。 ⁵ 你的筐子和你的摶麵盆都必蒙福。 ⁶ 你入也蒙福，出也蒙福。 ⁷ 耶和華必使起來攻擊你的仇敵在你面前被你擊殺；他們從一條路來攻擊你，必從七條路在你面前逃跑。 ⁸ 在你倉房裏、並你手所辦的一切事上，耶和華必命定福給你；耶和華─你的神必在所賜你的地上賜福與你。 ⁹ 你若謹守耶和華─你神的誡命、遵行他的道，耶和華必照著他所應許你的，立你作為聖潔的子民歸他自己。 ¹⁰ 天下萬民必見你稱為耶和華名下的人，又必懼怕你。 ¹¹ 耶和華必照著他向你列祖起誓應許的地，使你在那地上所得的財物、你身所生的、牲畜所下的、地所產的，豐盛有餘。 ¹² 耶和華必為你開啟天上的寶庫，按時降雨在你的地上；又必賜福與你手所辦的一切事；你必借給許多國民，卻不至向他們借貸。 ¹³ 你若聽從耶和華─你神的誡命，就是我今日所吩咐你、謹守遵行的，耶和華必使你作首不作尾，但居上不居下。 ¹⁴ 你若不偏離我今日所吩咐你的一切話，或偏左或偏右，去隨從事奉別神。
此處把福放在咒之前，為要表明：1. 神不輕易發怒，卻樂施憐憫：他已經說了，又起了誓，他寧可我們順服而活，不願我們犯罪而死。祝福乃他所喜悅的。2. 雖然應許和警戒都是為要引我們並保守我們在本分之中，但以兒子般的盼望神恩而得吸引去行善，總比以奴僕般的怕神怒而被驅使去行，更好。從以神的善為樂的原則所發的順服，最為神所喜悅。如今：
一、此處有所應許之福的條件。1. 條件是他們留心聽從神的話（申 28:1–2），聽見神藉著他的道對他們說話，並竭力使自己認識他的旨意（申 28:13）。2. 條件是他們謹守遵行他一切誡命（要順服就必須先謹守留意），並遵守神的誡命（申 28:9）遵行他的道——不僅行一次，更永遠持守；不僅在他的道上起頭，更在其中行到底。3. 條件是他們不偏左不偏右——既不偏於迷信，也不偏於放蕩；特別是不可隨從別神（申 28:14），這是他們最易犯、也最惹神發怒的罪。他們當謹慎在家庭和國家中保持信仰——無論是信仰的形式或能力——神必不吝賜福與他們。
二、這福的細節。
- 應許神的護理在他們一切外在的事上使他們亨通。這些福被說成追上他們（申 28:2）。有時敬虔的人因自覺不配，便想逃離福分，斷定它不屬於自己；但福分卻要找到他們，仍然跟隨他們。這樣，在大日，福分要追上那說主阿，我們甚麼時候見你餓了給你吃的義人（太 25:37）。當注意：
（1）此處列舉神藉護理所要賜福的幾方面：〔一〕他們必安全而安舒；無論他們在何處——在城裏或在田間（申 28:3），福必臨到他們自己。無論他們住在城鎮或鄉間，是農夫或工匠，無論他們的事務把他們召到城裏或田間，他們必蒙保守脫離危險，並享受其境遇中的安舒。這福也必在他們出入的旅程中伴隨他們（申 28:6）。他們自己必蒙保護，他們所辦的事必順利。當注意，我們在今生的維持和安慰上，對神有何等必要而恒久的倚靠。我們在人生的每一個轉折、每一種境遇中，都需要他；若他收回保護，我們便不得安全；若他暫停恩待，我們便不得安舒；但他若賜福，無論我們往何處去，盡都順利。〔二〕他們的家必因眾多子孫而建立：你身所生的必蒙福（申 28:4），又說耶和華必使你豐盛有餘（申 28:11），這是照著對亞伯拉罕的應許——他的後裔必如天上的星那樣眾多，神又要作他們的神；再沒有比這更大、更全面的福，可以定例歸給他們身所生的了。參賽 61:9。〔三〕他們必富足，並有今世各樣美物豐盛有餘——這些美物應許給他們，不是僅為他們可以享受的樂趣，更是（如畢卓克主教引述一位猶太作者所言）使他們有力量尊榮神，並得著幫助和鼓勵，可以甘心事奉他、在他順服的路上前進並堅持。此處應許賜福：第一，在他們一切所有的外面事物上——田間的穀和牲畜（申 28:4、11），特別是牛和羊——這些必因主人的緣故蒙福，並成為他們的福。為此，應許神必按時賜降雨給他們，這被稱為他的寶庫（申 28:12），因為神這條江河使地豐富（詩 65:9）。我們一切的供應當視為來自神的寶庫，並承認我們對他的義務；他若不降甘霖，地和牲畜的出產便都很快消滅。第二，在他們一切所有的內部事物上——筐子和摶麵盆（申 28:5）、倉房（申 28:8）。當這些被帶回家，神必賜福，不像他有時那樣對它吹氣（該 1:6、9）。我們不但倚靠神和他的賜福得著田間每年的五穀，更倚靠他得著筐子和倉房裏的日用的飲食，所以被教導日日為此祈求。〔四〕他們在一切職業上必亨通，這對他們是恒久的滿足：「耶和華必命定福」（惟獨他能命定）給你——不僅在你一切所有的，更在你一切所作的、你手所辦的一切事上（申 28:8）。這暗示他們即使富足也不可閒懶，必須找些好的職業動手去作，神必悅納他們的勤奮，賜福與他們手所辦的（申 28:12）；因為使人富足、又保守人富足的，乃是耶和華的賜福加之於殷勤人的手（箴 10:4、22）。〔五〕他們必在鄰舍中得尊榮（申 28:1）：耶和華─你的神必使你超乎天下萬民之上。 神使他們如此，是因為把他們接入與自己所立的約中（申 26:19）。他還要藉著他們外在的昌盛，使他們越發如此——只要他們不因罪自貶。兩件事要幫助他們在萬民中為大：第一，他們的財富（申 28:12）：「你必借給許多國民取利」（他們被允許向鄰國收取利息），卻不至向他們借貸。」這要使他們在四圍的人中大有影響力；因為借貸的是貸放者的僕人。這或指貿易和商業——他們的出口必遠超過進口，使貿易差額常在他們這邊。第二，他們的力量（申 28:13）：「耶和華必使你作首」——向四圍的人制定法則、徵收貢物、並仲裁一切爭端。萬捆都要向他們的捆下拜，這要使他們如此顯赫，以致天下萬民都懼怕他們（申 28:10），就是敬重他們真正的偉大，又懼怕與他們為敵。他們中間信仰的興盛，以及神在他們身上的賜福，要使他們在鄰舍眼中可畏，如展開旌旗的軍隊。〔六〕他們必勝過仇敵，在一切爭戰中亨通。若有人膽敢起來欺壓他們或侵犯他們，必自取滅亡，必定在他們面前仆倒（申 28:7）。仇敵的軍隊雖然整齊地從一方面來攻擊他們，必全然潰敗，從七條路在他們面前逃跑，各人盡力逃命。
（2）從這一切我們可以學到（人若肯信就好了）：信仰和敬虔乃是外在亨通最好的朋友。雖然今世的福分在新約的應許中所佔的地位不如舊約那樣多，但我們的主耶穌既已把他的話賜給我們（我們當然可以信他的話）：我們若先求他的國和他的義，這一切東西都要加給我們——照無限智慧看為美妙的程度而加添；誰還能比這更有所求呢（太 6:33）？
- 又應許神的恩典必立你作為聖潔的子民（申 28:9）。他既把他們接入與自己所立的約中，就必保守他們在約中；只要他們使用堅固的方法，他必賜他們堅固的恩典，使他們不至偏離他。注意，凡在聖潔上真誠的，神必在聖潔上堅固他們；他是大有能力如此行的（羅 16:25）。聖潔的仍要聖潔；神在聖潔上所堅固的人，他便借此堅固他們作他自己的子民——因為我們只要緊貼神，他必永不撇棄我們。他們信仰的堅固必成為他們名聲的堅固（申 28:10）：天下萬民必見，又承認，你稱為耶和華名下的人——即「你是最卓越、最榮耀的百姓，在大神的特別眷顧和恩眷之下。他們必被迫知道，稱為耶和華名下的百姓，無疑是日下最幸福的百姓——連他們的仇敵自己也作見證。」天上的寵兒實在偉大，或遲或早，這事必顯明出來——若不在今世，就在那日：凡如今承認基督的，基督必在他們身上、在天使和人面前承認他們，作他所喜悅尊榮的人。
英語原文
Promises (1451 BC)
¹ And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:
² And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.
³ Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field.
⁴ Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.
⁵ Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store.
⁶ Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out.
⁷ The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways.
⁸ The LORD shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
⁹ The LORD shall establish thee a holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, and walk in his ways.
¹⁰ And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee.
¹¹ And the LORD shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers to give thee.
¹² The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow.
¹³ And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them:
¹⁴ And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.
The blessings are here put before the curses, to intimate, 1. That God is slow to anger, but swift to show mercy: he has said it, and sworn, that he would much rather we would obey and live than sin and die. It is his delight to bless. 2. That though both the promises and the threatenings are designed to bring and hold us to our duty, yet it is better that we be allured to that which is good by a filial hope of God's favour than that we be frightened to it by a servile fear of his wrath. That obedience pleases best which comes from a principle of delight in God's goodness. Now,
I. We have here the conditions upon which the blessing is promised. 1. It is upon condition that they diligently hearken to the voice of God (De 28:1,2), that they hear God speaking to them by his word, and use their utmost endeavours to acquaint themselves with his will, De 28:13. 2. Upon condition that they observe and do all his commandments (and in order to obedience there is need of observation) and that they keep the commandments of God (De 28:9) and walk in his ways. Not only do them for once, but keep them for ever; not only set out in his ways, but walk in them to the end. 3. Upon condition that they should not go aside either to the right hand or to the left, either to superstition on the one hand, or profaneness on the other; and particularly that they should not go after other gods (De 28:14), which was the sin that of all others they were most prone to, and God would be most displeased with. Let them take care to keep up religion, both the form and power of it, in their families and nation, and God would not fail to bless them.
II. The particulars of this blessing.
1. It is promised that the providence of God should prosper them in all their outward concerns. These blessings are said to overtake them, De 28:2. Good people sometimes, under the sense of their unworthiness, are ready to fly from the blessing and to conclude that it belongs not to them; but the blessing shall find them out and follow them notwithstanding. Thus in the great day the blessing will overtake the righteous that say, Lord, when saw we thee hungry and fed thee? Mt 25:37. Observe,
(1.) Several things are enumerated in which God by his providence would bless them:—[1.] They should be safe and easy; a blessing should rest upon their persons wherever they were, in the city, or in the field, De 28:3. Whether their habitation was in town or country, whether they were husbandmen or tradesmen, whether their business called them into the city or into the field, they should be preserved from the dangers and have the comforts of their condition. This blessing should attend them in their journeys, going out and coming in, De 28:6. Their persons should be protected, and the affair they went about should succeed well. Observe here, What a necessary and constant dependence we have upon God both for the continuance and comfort of this life. We need him at every turn, in all the various movements of life; we cannot be safe if he withdraw his protection, nor easy if he suspend his favour; but, if he bless us, go where we will it is well with us. [2.] Their families should be built up in a numerous issue: blessed shall be the fruit of thy body (De 28:4), and in that the Lord shall make thee plenteous (De 28:11), in pursuance of the promise made to Abraham, that his seed should be as the stars of heaven for multitude, and that God would be a God to them, than which a greater blessing, and more comprehensive, could not be entailed upon the fruit of their body. See Isa 61:9. [3.] They should be rich, and have an abundance of all the good things of this life, which are promised them, not merely that they might have the pleasure of enjoying them, but (as bishop Patrick observes out of one of the Jewish writers) that they might have wherewithal to honour God, and might be helped and encouraged to serve him cheerfully and to proceed and persevere in their obedience to him. A blessing is promised, First, On all they had without doors, corn and cattle in the field (De 28:4,11), their cows and sheep particularly, which would be blessed for the owners' sakes, and made blessings to them. In order to this, it is promised that God would give them rain in due season, which is called his good treasure (De 28:12), because with this river of God the earth is enriched, Ps 65:9. Our constant supplies we must see coming from God's good treasure, and own our obligations to him for them; if he withhold his rain, the fruits both of the ground and of the cattle soon perish. Secondly, On all they had within doors, the basket and the store (De 28:5), the store-houses or barns, De 28:8. When it is brought home, God will bless it, and not blow upon it as sometimes he does, Hag 1:6,9. We depend upon God and his blessing, not only for our yearly corn out of the field, but for our daily bread out of our basket and store, and therefore are taught to pray for it every day. [4.] They should have success in all their employments, which would be a constant satisfaction to them: "The Lord shall command the blessing (and it is he only that can command it) upon thee, not only in all thou hast, but in all thou doest, all that thou settest thy hand to," De 28:8. This intimated that even when they were rich they must not be idle, but must find some good employment or other to set their hand to, and God would own their industry, and bless the work of their hand (De 28:12); for that which makes rich, and keeps so, is the blessing of the Lord upon the hand of the diligent, Pr 10:4,22. [5.] They should have honour among their neighbours (De 28:1): The Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations. He made them so, by taking them into covenant with himself, De 26:19. And he would make them more and more so by their outward prosperity, if they would not by sin disparage themselves. Two things should help to make them great among the nations:—First, Their wealth (De 28:12): "Thou shalt lend to many nations upon interest" (which they were allowed to take form the neighbouring nations), "but thou shalt not have occasion to borrow." This would give them great influence with all about them; for the borrower is servant to the lender. It may be meant of trade and commerce, that they should export abundantly more than they should import, which would keep the balance on their side. Secondly, Their power (De 28:13): "The Lord shall make thee the head, to give law to all about thee, to exact tribute, and to arbitrate all controversies." Every sheaf should bow to theirs, which would make them so considerable that all the people of the earth would be afraid of them (De 28:10), that is, would reverence their true grandeur, and dread making them their enemies. The flourishing of religion among them, and the blessing of God upon them, would make them formidable to all their neighbours, terrible as an army with banners. [6.] They should be victorious over their enemies, and prosper in all their wars. If any were so daring as to rise up against them to oppress them, or encroach upon them, it should be at their peril, they should certainly fall before them, De 28:7. The forces of the enemy, though entirely drawn up to come against them one way, should be entirely routed, and flee before them seven ways, each making the best of his way.
(2.) From the whole we learn (though it were well if men would believe it) that religion and piety are the best friends to outward prosperity. Though temporal blessings do not take up so much room in the promises of the New Testament as they do in those of the Old, yet it is enough that our Lord Jesus has given us his word (and surely we may take his word) that if we seek first the kingdom of God, and the righteousness thereof, all other things shall be added to us, as far as Infinite Wisdom sees good; and who can desire them further? Mt 6:33.
2. It is likewise promised that the grace of God should establish them a holy people, De 28:9. Having taken them into covenant with himself, he would keep them in covenant; and, provided they used the means of stedfastness, he would give them the grace of stedfastness, that they should not depart from him. Note, Those that are sincere in holiness God will establish in holiness; and he is of power to do it, Ro 16:25. He that is holy shall be holy still; and those whom God establishes in holiness he thereby establishes a people to himself, for a long as we keep close to God he will never forsake us. This establishment of their religion would be the establishment of their reputation (De 28:10): All the people of the earth shall see, and own, that thou art called by the name of the Lord, that is, "that thou art a most excellent and glorious people, under the particular care and countenance of the great God. They shall be made to know that a people called by the name Jehovah are without doubt the happiest people under the sun, even their enemies themselves being judges." The favourites of Heaven are truly great, and, first or last, it will be made to appear that they are so, if not in this world, yet at that day when those who confess Christ now shall be confessed by him before men and angels, as those whom he delights to honour.
15-68
Threatenings (1451 BC)
繁體中文
威脅 (1451 BC)
¹⁵ 你若不聽從耶和華你神的話，不謹守遵行他今日所吩咐你的一切誡命律例，以下這一切咒詛就必臨到你身上，追上你：
¹⁶ 你在城裏必受咒詛，在田間也必受咒詛。
¹⁷ 你的筐子和你的摶麵盆都必受咒詛。
¹⁸ 你身所生的、地所產的，以及牛犢、羊羔，都必受咒詛。
¹⁹ 你出也受咒詛，入也受咒詛。
²⁰ 耶和華必使咒詛、擾亂、責罰臨到你一切所行的，直到你被毁滅、速速滅亡，因為你行惡離棄了我。
²¹ 耶和華必使瘟疫貼在你身上，直到他將你從所進去得為業的地上滅絕。
²² 耶和華必用癆病、熱病、火症、瘧疾、刀劍、旱風、霉爛攻擊你，這都要追趕你直到你滅亡。
²³ 你頭上的天要變為銅，腳下的地要變為鐵。
²⁴ 耶和華要使那地的雨變為塵沙，從天臨到你身上，直到你被毁滅。
²⁵ 耶和華必使你在仇敵面前被擊殺：你從一條路出去攻擊他們，必在他們面前從七條路逃跑；你必在天下萬國中被拋來拋去。
²⁶ 你的屍首必給天空一切的飛鳥和地上的走獸作食物，無人驚嚇牠們。
²⁷ 耶和華必用埃及的瘡、痔瘡、牛皮癬、疥攻擊你，使你不能醫治。
²⁸ 耶和華必用癲狂、眼瞎、心驚攻擊你。
²⁹ 你必在午間摸索，好像瞎子在暗中摸索一樣；你所行的必不亨通，時常遭遇欺壓、搶奪，無人拯救。
³⁰ 你聘定了妻，別人必與她同房；你建造房屋，卻不得住在其內；你栽種葡萄園，也不得享用其中的果子。
³¹ 你的牛在你眼前被宰，你卻不得喫牠的肉；你的驢在你眼前被搶走，也不得歸還；你的羊交給仇敵，無人救援。
³² 你的兒女必歸與別國的民；你日日盼望他們，以致眼睛失明，卻是徒然；你手中無力拯救。
³³ 你地的出產和你勞碌得來的，必被你所不認識的國民喫盡；你時常被欺壓、被壓碎。
³⁴ 甚至你因眼睛所看見的，必致瘋狂。
³⁵ 耶和華必攻擊你的膝和腿，使你生不能醫治的惡瘡，從腳掌到頭頂。
³⁶ 耶和華必將你和你所立治理你的王，領到你所不認識、你列祖也不認識的國去；在那裏你們必事奉木頭石頭的神。
³⁷ 你在耶和華所領你到的各國中，必成為驚駭、笑談、譏誚。
³⁸ 你帶許多種子出到田間，卻收得很少，因為蝗蟲將它喫盡了。
³⁹ 你栽種修理葡萄園，卻不得喝其中的酒，也不得收取其中的葡萄，因為蟲子將它喫了。
⁴⁰ 你全境有橄欖樹，卻不得用油抹身，因為橄欖還未熟就掉了。
⁴¹ 你生兒養女，卻不能享受，因為他們必被擄去。
⁴² 你一切的樹木和你地的出產，蝗蟲必將它喫盡。
⁴³ 在你中間寄居的，必漸漸高升超過你；你卻漸漸降為卑。
⁴⁴ 他必借貸給你，你卻不能借貸給他；他必作首，你必作尾。
我們既已觀看了雲彩向順從者顯出光明的一面，如今呈現在我們面前的是向悖逆者顯出的黑暗一面。我們若不謹守神的誡命，就不僅達不到所應許的福分，更使自己落在咒詛之下——這咒詛涵蓋一切災禍，正如福分涵蓋一切幸福。請注意：
I\. 這咒詛的公正。這不是無故的咒詛，也不是為了輕微的原因；神不尋找我們的把柄，也不輕易與我們相爭。此處被提及招致咒詛的事是：1. 藐視神——拒絕聽從他的話（申 28:15）——這表明了所能想像的最高的輕蔑，似乎他所說的不值得一顧，或我們對他沒有任何義務。2. 不順從他——不作他的誡命，或不謹守遵行。除了那些背叛他命令的人之外，沒有人落在他的咒詛之下。3. 離棄他。「這是因你行惡的緣故——你不僅藉此輕慢了我，更藉此離棄了我」（申 28:20）。神從不丟棄我們，直到我們先丟棄他。這暗示他們的偶像崇拜——藉此他們離棄了真神去追隨假神——將是他們的毁滅之罪，比任何其他罪更甚。
II\. 這咒詛的範圍和效力。
1\. 總的來說，宣告說：「這一切咒詛必臨到你身上——從上方——並追上你；雖然你努力逃避它們，企圖逃離也是無用的，它們必追隨你到你所去的任何地方，抓住你、追上你、勝過你」（申 28:15）。論到罪人，當神的忿怒追趕他時，他恨不得逃出他的手中（伯 27:22），卻不能；他若逃避鐵器的兵器，弓的鋼箭也必將他射透。離開神惟一的道路就是逃向他，逃離他公義的惟一途徑就是逃向他的憐憫。見詩 21:7-8。（1.）罪人無論往何處去，神的咒詛都追隨他；無論他在何處，咒詛都落在他身上。他在城中受咒詛，也在田間受咒詛（申 28:16）。城的力量不能庇護他，鄉間宜人的空氣也不能防禦這些瘟疫般的氣息。他進來時受咒詛（申 28:19），因為咒詛在惡人的房屋上（箴 3:33）；他出去時也受咒詛，因為他不能將那咒詛留在身後，也不能擺脫它——那已如水般進入他的內臟，如油進入他的骨頭。（2.）他一切所有的都在咒詛之下：地因他的緣故受咒詛——以及其上的一切和從其中出產的一切——因此他從地受咒詛，如該隱那樣（創 4:11）。筐子和摶麵盆都受咒詛（申 28:17-18）。他一切所有的既被他虧負而在某種意義上被禁止給他——如同被咒詛之物，他沒有權利擁有。對那些心和良心被污穢了的人，其他一切都是如此（多 1:15）。它們對他都變為苦味；他不能在其中得到真正的安慰，因為神的忿怒與它們攙雜在一起；他遠不能有它們持續的保證，他若睜開眼睛，就能看見它們都被定罪、即將被沒收——與它們一起，他一切的喜樂和一切盼望都永遠消失了。（3.）他所作的一切也在咒詛之下。在他一切所行的之中都是咒詛（申 28:20）——持續的失望，這正是那些將心放在世上、期望在其中得幸福之人所遭受的——這不能不是持續的煩惱。這咒詛正是本章前半部分祝福的相反。如此，天堂中有何等的福樂，地獄中不僅是缺少它，更是與它相反（賽 65:13）：我的僕人必得喫，你們卻飢餓。
2\. 此處列舉了許多具體的審判——這些將是咒詛的果子，神將以之懲罰猶太百姓的叛道和不順從。這些所威脅的審判有各種各樣，因為神的箭袋中有許多箭——四樣大災（結 14:21）——還有更多。它們被描繪為非常可怕的，其描述極其生動而動人，使人知道主的威嚇，可以（若可能的話）被勸服。對同樣審判的威脅被多次重複，以使他們留下更深刻、更持久的印象，並暗示：人若堅持不順從，他們以為已過去的審判——他們說「其中的苦楚已經過去了」——必以加倍的力量返回；因為當神審判時，他必勝過。（1.）此處威脅身體的疾病——那些將在他們的地中成為流行病的。神有時以這些來管教和改善自己的百姓。主啊，你看你所愛的人病了。 但此處它們被威脅要作為他忿怒的記號臨到他的仇敵，為他們的毁滅而設計。因此，我們在疾病中的心靈狀態如何，疾病對我們就是祝福還是咒詛。但無論疾病對個人是什麼，流行的瘟疫在一個民族中肆虐無疑是全國性的審判，當如此看待。他在此處威脅：[1.] 痛苦的疾病（申 28:35）——一種惡瘡，始於腿和膝，卻如約伯的毒瘡般從頭到腳蔓延。[2.] 羞恥的疾病（申 28:27）——埃及的瘡（如神將以色列從埃及人中領出時用以擊打埃及人的瘡和疹），以及痔瘡和牛皮癬——卑賤的疾病，是那些因犯罪使自己卑賤之人當受的刑罰。[3.] 致命的疾病——瘟疫（申 28:21）、癆病（代表一切慢性病）、以及熱病（代表一切急性病）（申 28:22）。見利 26:16。而且都是不能醫治的（申 28:27）。（2.）饑荒和糧食缺乏；而這，[1.] 因缺雨（申 28:23-24）：你頭上的天——那在你地業以上的部分——要變為銅般乾旱，而其他國家頭上的天卻降下甘露；當天如銅時，地自然就如鐵，如此堅硬而不結果實。雨水要變為塵沙，從道路上吹進田間，毁壞地上僅有的果實。[2.] 藉著毁壞性的昆蟲。蝗蟲要毁壞五穀，以至他們甚至連種子也不能收回（申 28:38,42）。而能使人心中喜樂的葡萄的果子，要全被蟲子喫了（申 28:39）。橄欖也要以某種方式掉落其果實（申 28:40）。外邦人用許多迷信的風俗來尊榮他們的偶像以求保全地上的果實；但摩西告訴以色列，他們保全果實的惟一方法是遵守神的誡命；因為他是一位不容人戲弄的神——不像他們的偶像——他要在靈和真理中被事奉。這威脅我們看見在以色列中應驗了（王上 17:1、耶 14:1、珥 1:4）。（3.）他們要在戰爭中被仇敵擊敗——當仇敵任憑他們時，可能更加殘忍地對待他們，因為他們曾嚴酷地對待迦南列國——這是後世鄰國容易記得用來反對他們的（申 28:25）。他們的逃跑會更加羞恥、更加痛苦——因為他們若對自己的神忠心，本可以勝過仇敵。那些在戰爭中被殺或在陌生人中被擄而死的屍首要作飛鳥的食物（申 28:26）；而一個以色列人既喪失了他神的恩寵，要受到如此少的人道對待，以至無人驅趕它們——神的咒詛要使他為全人類所憎惡。（4.）他們在一切的謀略中要變為愚拙，以至不能分辨自己的利益，也不能為公共利益成就任何事：耶和華要用癲狂、眼瞎攻擊你（申 28:28-29）。請注意：神的審判能達到人的心思，使之充滿黑暗和恐怖，正如達到他們的身體和財產；而最嚴厲的審判就是那些使人成為自己的恐怖和自己毁滅者之審判。他們用以為可以保護自己的，反要成為他們的損害。如此我們常看到他們所信賴的盟國欺壓他們且不能堅固他們（代下 28:20）。那些不肯遵行神謀略的人，理當被自己的謀略所毁；那些對本分故意盲目的人，理當對自己的利益也變為盲目——既然他們愛黑暗過於愛光，就讓他們在午間摸索如在暗中。（5.）他們的一切享受要被搶奪——被驕傲專橫的征服者剝奪一切，如便哈達對亞哈所作的（王上 20:5-6）。不僅他們的房屋和葡萄園要被取去，他們的妻子和兒女也要被奪（申 28:30,32）。他們最珍愛的安慰——他們在其中得最多喜樂、對之期望最多的——要成為仇敵的宴樂和誇耀。正如他們曾住在自己沒有建造的房屋中、喫了自己沒有栽種的葡萄園的果子（申 6:10-11），別人也要如此對待他們。他們的牛、驢、羊——如約伯的一樣——要在他們眼前被奪去，他們不能奪回（申 28:31）。他們地的出產和勞碌得來的一切要被仇敵吞喫耗盡；以至他們和他們的家人缺乏必需品，而他們的仇敵卻以他們勞碌得來的放縱歡宴。（6.）他們要被擄到遠方；不，要到天下萬國中去（申 28:25）。他們期望從中得安慰的兒女要被擄去（申 28:41），他們自己至終——以及他們所期望在其中得安全和安定的王——也是如此（申 28:36）。這在十支派首先被擄到亞述時（王下 17:6），以及不久之後兩支派被擄到巴比倫、他們的兩個王也一同被擄時完全應驗了（王下 24:15、25:7,21）。被提及作為加重他們被擄之苦的是：他們要進入一個不認識的國家——其語言和風俗非常生疏，在其中所受的待遇野蠻——在那裏他們要事奉別神，即被他們的仇敵強迫如此行，如同他們在巴比倫所受的（但 3:6）。請注意：神常使人的罪成為他的刑罰，並選擇他們的妄想。你們要事奉別神，即「你們要事奉那些事奉別神的人」；一個國家常在聖經中以其神的名字被稱呼（如耶 48:7）。他們既以拜偶像的人為同伴，如今神就以拜偶像的人為壓迫他們的人。（7.）那些剩下的人要被外邦人侮辱和欺壓（申 28:43-44）。如此十支派被亞述王所差遣去佔據他們地的殖民者所欺壓（王下 17:24）。或者這可能是指他們城門內的外邦人漸漸侵蝕他們，不知不覺地將他們從產業中擠出。我們讀到這事的應驗（何 7:9）：外邦人吞喫了他的力量。 外邦人從以色列血統之人的口中奪取了餅——他們因引進陌生的神而正當地受罰。（8.）他們在鄰國中的聲望要完全喪失——那些曾經名為稱讚的人要成為驚駭、笑談和譏誚（申 28:37）。有人觀察到這威脅在他們目前的狀態中應驗了；因為當我們要表達最背信和最野蠻的對待時，我們會說：只有猶太人才會作這樣的事。 如此罪是任何民族的羞辱。（9.）為了完全他們的悲慘，他們被威脅要因這一切患難而完全失去理智（申 28:34）：你因眼睛所看見的必致瘋狂——即完全失去一切安慰和盼望，被交在絕望之中。那些憑眼見而不憑信心行事的人，當周圍的一切看起來可怕時，有失去理智本身的危險；而他們的狀況實在悲慘——因眼睛所看見的而發瘋的人。
⁴⁵ 這一切咒詛必臨到你、追趕你、追上你，直到你被毁滅；因為你不聽從耶和華你神的話，遵守他吩咐你的誡命律例。
⁴⁶ 這些咒詛必在你和你後裔身上成為奇蹟、成為異象，直到永遠。
⁴⁷ 因為你富有的時候，不以歡喜快樂的心事奉耶和華你的神，
⁴⁸ 所以你必在飢餓、乾渴、赤露、缺乏之中事奉耶和華所差來攻擊你的仇敵；他必把鐵軛加在你頸項上，直到將你滅絕。
⁴⁹ 耶和華必從遠方、從地極帶一國來攻擊你，如鷹飛騰一般；這國的語言你不懂。
⁵⁰ 這國面貌兇惡，不顧恤年老的，也不恩待年少的。
⁵¹ 他們必喫你牲畜所下的和你地裏所產的，直到你被毁滅；你的糧食、新酒和油，以及牛犢、羊羔，他必不給你留下，直到將你滅絕。
⁵² 他們必在你各城邑中圍困你，直到你所倚靠高大堅固的城牆全被拆塌；他們必在耶和華你神所賜給你的全地上、各城邑中圍困你。
⁵³ 你在仇敵圍困窘迫之中，必喫你本身所生的，就是耶和華你神所賜給你的兒女的肉。
⁵⁴ 你們中間柔弱嬌嫩的人，必惡眼看他弟兄和他懷中的妻，並他剩下的兒女；
⁵⁵ 甚至不肯將自己所喫的兒女的肉分一點給他們，因為在仇敵圍困你各城門的窘迫中，他一無所剩。
⁵⁶ 你們中間柔弱嬌嫩的婦人，因嬌嫩柔弱不肯以腳踏地的，必惡眼看她懷中的丈夫和她的兒女；
⁵⁷ 甚至她兩腿中間出來的嬰孩，和她所要生的兒女，她因缺乏一切，要在仇敵圍困你城中窘迫的時候，暗中將他們喫了。
⁵⁸ 這書上律法的一切言語，你若不謹守遵行，不敬畏這榮耀可畏的名——耶和華你的神——
⁵⁹ 耶和華就必使你的災禍奇異，和你後裔的災禍奇異，就是又大又長的災禍，又重又長的疾病。
⁶⁰ 他也必將你所怕的埃及一切疾病帶到你身上，附在你身上。
⁶¹ 又一切沒有寫在這律法書上的疾病、災禍，耶和華也必帶到你身上，直到你被滅絕。
⁶² 你們雖然像天上的星那樣多，卻因不聽從耶和華你神的話，所剩下的人數就稀少。
⁶³ 耶和華從前怎樣喜悅善待你們、使你們增多，將來也要照樣喜悅毁滅你們、使你們滅亡；你們必從所要進去得為業的地上被拔除。
⁶⁴ 耶和華必使你們分散在萬民中，從地這邊到地那邊；你們必在那裏事奉木頭石頭的神，就是你們和你列祖所不認識的。
⁶⁵ 在那些國中你必不得安逸，你的腳也不得落腳之地；耶和華卻在那裏使你們有顫抖的心、眼目失明、精神消耗。
⁶⁶ 你的性命必懸懸無定；你晝夜恐懼，不得保全性命。
⁶⁷ 你因心裏所恐懼的、眼中所看見的，早晨必說：巴不得到了晚上！晚上必說：巴不得到了早晨！
⁶⁸ 耶和華必使你坐船回埃及去，走我曾告訴你不得再見的那條路；在那裏你們必賣給仇敵作奴婢，卻無人買。
人或者以為已經說了足夠的話，使他們對那從天上顯明來抵擋一切不虔不義之人的神的忿怒心存敬畏。但為了表明那忿怒的寶庫有多深，且還有更多更糟的在後面——摩西在人以為他已結束這陰沉的主題時，又重新開始，在這咒詛之卷上加了許多類似的話：正如耶利米對他的卷所作的（耶 36:32）。看來在這咒詛的前半部分，摩西預告了他們在巴比倫的被擄，以及隨之而來的災難——他們即使歸回後也處於申 28:44 所描述的那種卑微貧窮狀態：他們的仇敵要作首，他們要作尾；但此處，在後半部分，他預告了他們最後被羅馬人毁滅以及隨後的分散。而猶太民族——以及一切因接受他們的宗教而與他們合併的人——目前可悲的狀態，如此完全而準確地應驗了這些經文中的預言，以至它成了預言真實性——因此也是聖經神聖權威——的無可辯駁的證據。而這最後的毁滅在此處被描繪為比前者更可怕，這表明他們拒絕基督和他福音的罪比偶像崇拜本身更為邪惡、更惹動神的忿怒，使他們更落在撒但的權下；因為他們在巴比倫的被擄在七十年內有效地治好了他們的偶像崇拜；但在這最後的毁滅下，如今一千六百多年了，他們卻繼續不可救藥地抗拒主耶穌。請注意：
I. 關於神的忿怒因他們的罪要臨到並停留在他們身上，此處一般性地說了什麼。
1. 他們若不受神誡命的統治，就必被他的咒詛所毁（申 28:45-46）。因為你不遵守他的誡命（尤其是聽從並順服那位大先知的誡命），這些咒詛就必臨到你——如同臨到被指定為毁滅的百姓，神忿怒的世代：它們要成為奇蹟和異象。想到一個如此長久為天國所喜悅的百姓竟被如此完全地放棄和丟棄——一個如此緊密聯合的百姓竟被如此普遍地分散——而一個在萬國中如此分散的百姓竟保持自己有別、不與任何人混合，而是如該隱般作逃犯和流浪者，卻帶著記號被辨認出來——這實在令人驚奇。
2. 他們若不以喜樂事奉神，就要被強迫事奉他們的仇敵（申 28:47-48），好叫他們知道分別（代下 12:8），有人認為這就是出 20:24-25 的意思：因為他們藐視我的律例，我就給他們不好的律例。 請注意此處：（1.）神以今世美物豐盛賜予的人，理當事奉他。他養活我們，豈不是為了我們可以作他的工，並在某种程度上事奉他的榮耀嗎？（2.）神賜給我們越多，我們就越當喜樂地事奉他；我們的豐富當作我們順服之輪的油。神是一位要以歡喜事奉的主，喜悅聽見我們在工作中歌唱。（3.）我們若在領受神恩賜時完全不去事奉他、或勉強地事奉他，神以公義使我們嘗到缺乏和奴役之苦是正當的。那些有理由抱怨的人理當被給予抱怨的緣由。既快樂卻又不滿足——你這愚昧和忘恩的人當羞愧！
3. 他們若不以敬畏的順服將榮耀歸給神，他就要以奇異的災瘟在自己身上得榮耀（申 28:58-59）。請注意：（1.）神理當期望我們敬畏他那可畏的名；奇怪的是，此處被提出作為我們敬畏對象的那名，就是「耶和華你的神」——這在我們的聖經中非常恰當地以大寫字母標出；因為沒有什麼比這更真正莊嚴的了。沒有什麼比這更令人安慰的，也沒有什麼比這更令人敬畏的——就是我們所交往的是耶和華——一位無限完全和蒙福的存有，以及一切存有的創造者；他是我們的神——我們正當的主和擁有者——我們當從他領受律法並向他交帳：這是偉大的，大可敬畏的。（2.）我們理當從神期望：我們若不敬畏他那可畏的名，就必感受他那可畏的災瘟；因為神總要被敬畏。神一切的災瘟都是可怕的，但有些是奇異的——在其中帶有神聖權能和公理的非凡印記，以至人一看見就可以說：誠然，在地上有神施行審判。
II\. 所威脅的毁滅是如何描述的。摩西在此所論的陰沉主題，正是我們的救主在離別講論中向門徒所論述的（太 24:4-28），即：耶路撒冷和猶太民族的毁滅。請注意：
1. 此處預告了五件事作為他們敗亡的步驟：——
（1.）他們要被外敵入侵（申 28:49-50）：一個從遠方來的國——即羅馬人——如鷹飛騰般迅速撲向獵物。我們的救主在預告這毁滅時使用了這個比喻：屍首在哪裏，鷹也必聚在那裏（太 24:28）。Patrick 主教觀察到（使這應驗更為顯著），羅馬軍隊的軍旗正是一隻鷹。這國被說成面貌兇惡——表明其兇惡的本性，嚴厲而苛刻，既不憐恤嬰孩的軟弱，也不恩待老人的衰弱。
（2.）那地要被蹂躪，一切果實被這支外國軍隊喫盡——這是入侵的自然後果，尤其當入侵如羅馬人那樣是為懲罰叛徒時：他要喫你牲畜和地的果實（申 28:51），以至居民要餓死，而入侵者卻喫得飽足。
（3.）他們的城邑要被圍困，被圍者的頑固和圍攻者的勇猛如此之大，以至他們要被逼到絕境，至終落在仇敵手中（申 28:52）。沒有任何地方——無論工事多麼堅固——不，連耶路撒冷本身——雖然它堅持了很久——也不能倖免。長期圍困的兩個常見後果在此被預告：——[1.] 悲慘的饑荒，要嚴重到如此程度，以至因缺糧，他們要殺害並喫自己的兒女（申 28:53）。男人雖然堅韌、能忍受飢餓，卻要如此行；雖然受天然法則約束當供養自己的家人，卻要拒絕將那被野蠻屠殺的孩子的肉分給挨餓的妻子和兒女（申 28:54-55）。不但如此，婦女——貴婦——雖然對食物有天然的講究、對兒女有天然的疼愛，卻因缺糧，要完全忘記一切人性，殺害並喫他們（申 28:56-57）。順帶請注意：這命運對柔弱嬌嫩的婦女是何等嚴酷，我們當學習不要放縱自己在嬌柔和嬌嫩中——因為我們不知在死前可能被降到何等地步；我們越講究，忍受缺乏就越困難，我們將理性、宗教和天然感情本身犧牲給未經治死和不受管治的食慾之喧嚷和渴求的危險就越大。這威脅在字面上不止一次應驗了，成了猶太民族永遠的恥辱：無論是希臘人還是野蠻人，都未曾行過這樣的事；但在撒瑪利亞被圍困時，一個婦人煮了自己的兒子（王下 6:28-29）。這也說到在耶路撒冷被巴比倫人圍困時在他們中間是普遍行的事（哀 4:10）。而在最後一次被羅馬人圍困時，約瑟夫告訴我們，有一位貴婦因饑荒之極殺害並喫了自己的孩子——當她暗中喫了一半之後（申 28:57），為要獨享，暴民聞到肉味闖進屋中，她向他們展示了所保留的另一半，邀請他們與她分享。被神離棄的人什麼野蠻的事作不出來呢！[2.] 疾病是嚴密而長期的圍困的另一個常見結果，此處也被威脅：又重又長的疾病（申 28:59）。這些要隨後跟隨猶太人無論往何處去——埃及的疾病、痲瘋、毒瘡和惡性潰瘍（申 28:60）。不但如此，似乎此處所威脅的具體痛苦還不夠，他以一個等等作結（申 28:61）：耶和華要將一切疾病和災禍帶到你身上——即使那沒有寫在這律法書上的。落在神咒詛之下的人將發現，關於那咒詛的重量和恐怖，他們所聽見的還不到一半。
（4.）他們中間要有大批人死亡，以至他們變為人數稀少（申 28:62）。這國是神奇妙地增加的，以至他們多如天上的星；但因他們的罪，他們被減少降為卑（詩 107:38-39）。據計算，在猶太民族被羅馬人毁滅時，如約瑟夫的記載所顯示的，在各處有超過兩百萬人死於刀劍之下，此外還有因饑荒和瘟疫而死的；以至全地被蹂躪而變為荒野。那句話是可怕的（申 28:63）：耶和華從前怎樣喜悅善待你們，他也要照樣喜悅毁滅你們。 看哪此處神的恩慈和嚴厲：憐憫在此明亮地閃耀——在神以善待人所存的喜悅中——他以此為樂；然而公義在此同樣輝煌地顯現——在他以毁滅不悔改之人所存的喜悅中；不是作為使他的受造物悲慘之事，而是作為維護他自己的榮耀並確保他治理之目標之事。看罪是何等惡毒敗壞的東西——它（可以這麼說）使無限善良的神不得不以毁滅自己的受造物——甚至那些曾為寵兒的——為樂。
（5.）餘民要被分散在萬國中。這完全了他們的災禍：耶和華必使你分散在萬民中（申 28:64）。這在他們目前的分散中奇妙地應驗了，因為幾乎在一切為基督徒或回教徒所佔的國家中都能找到猶太人，而且人數如此之多，以至有人說：他們若能在共同利益上聯合，將是一支非常可觀的力量，能與最強大的國家和君王抗衡；但他們仍處於這咒詛的權下，如此分散以至不能合併。此處預告在這分散中：[1.] 他們將沒有宗教——或沒有任何有效的宗教——沒有聖殿、祭壇或祭司，因為他們要事奉別神。有人認為這已在天主教國家中強迫猶太人敬拜羅馬教會中所使用的偶像上應驗了——使他們極其苦惱。[2.] 他們將不得安息——身體不得安息：你的腳不得落腳之地（申 28:65），而是不斷遷移——或因盼望利益，或因懼怕逼迫；全是流浪的猶太人；心靈不得安息（這更糟得多），而是顫抖的心（申 28:65）；不得保全性命（申 28:66）；既厭倦光明又厭倦黑暗——這兩者在安靜的心看來交替都是受歡迎的，但對他們來說，無論白晝黑夜都是恐怖（申 28:67）。約伯曾一度處於如此狀態（伯 7:4），但對他們來說，這要成為持續和永遠的；使徒所說臨到以色列身上的盲目和黑暗，以及那常常使他們的背彎下的罪咎（羅 11:8-10），必造成持續的不安和驚惶。那些日夜恐懼、總是不安的人，對自己和周圍的人都是折磨。敬虔的人當竭力抵擋它，不要放縱那帶有折磨的懼怕；惡人也不當在自己的惡行中安逸，因為當神的威嚇列陣攻擊他們時，他們的心不能忍耐，手也不能有力。那些早晨說「巴不得到了晚上」，晚上說「巴不得到了早晨」的人，顯明了：第一，持續的煩躁和苦惱——責怪時光拖沓、抱怨每一分鐘的漫長。我們在興旺時當視時間為寶貴，那麼在苦難中它就不會如其他情況那樣沉悶。第二，持續的驚嚇和恐懼——早晨怕白日飛的箭，因此盼望白天過去；但這有何用呢？到了晚上，顫抖的心對黑夜的驚駭同樣懼怕（詩 91:5-6）。心志堅定於神、免受惡事之懼的人有福了！ 請注意此處：這恐懼不僅來自眼所見的，也來自心中的懼怕——不僅來自真實的危險，也來自想像的危險；當恐懼的原因被查究時，常常證明不過是想像的產物。
2. 在結尾，神威脅要使他們回到他所找到他們時的狀態——奴役之家（申 28:68）：耶和華必使你坐船回埃及去——即進入他們為埃及人作奴隸時那種悲慘狀態，被嚴酷地統治。神曾將他們從埃及領出，並說：他們不得再見那地（申 17:16）；但如今他們要被降到他們在那裏曾處的同樣的奴役狀態。被賣給陌生人已經夠糟，被賣給他們的仇敵就更糟得多。即使奴隸也可被估價，但一個猶太人要因一切卑鄙之事而背負如此惡名，以至當他被拍賣時無人肯買——這會使他那要賣他的主人更加嚴酷。據說三十個猶太人曾被賣為一枚小錢——如同他們將我們的救主賣了三十塊錢一樣。
3. 總而言之：（1.）這些預言在猶太民族身上的應驗，證明摩西是藉著神的靈說話——他確實預見了罪人的毁滅，並給他們警告，使他們可以藉著真實而及時的悔改來防止它，否則就被留下無可推諉。（2.）讓我們都由此學會敬畏而不犯罪。我聽說過一個惡人，在讀到這章的威脅時如此憤怒，以至他將那頁聖經撕了下來——如約雅敬割破耶利米的書卷；但毁壞副本有何用呢——當原件仍記錄在神的旨意中，由此不可改變地定了罪的工價就是死——無論人聽或不聽？
英語原文
Threatenings (1451 BC)
¹⁵ But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:
¹⁶ Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field.
¹⁷ Cursed shall be thy basket and thy store.
¹⁸ Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.
¹⁹ Cursed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and cursed shalt thou be when thou goest out.
²⁰ The LORD shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the wickedness of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken me.
²¹ The LORD shall make the pestilence cleave unto thee, until he have consumed thee from off the land, whither thou goest to possess it.
²² The LORD shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish.
²³ And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron.
²⁴ The LORD shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed.
²⁵ The LORD shall cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies: thou shalt go out one way against them, and flee seven ways before them: and shalt be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth.
²⁶ And thy carcase shall be meat unto all fowls of the air, and unto the beasts of the earth, and no man shall fray them away.
²⁷ 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.
²⁸ The LORD shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart:
²⁹ And thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness, and thou shalt not prosper in thy ways: and thou shalt be only oppressed and spoiled evermore, and no man shall save thee.
³⁰ Thou shalt betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her: thou shalt build a house, and thou shalt not dwell therein: thou shalt plant a vineyard, and shalt not gather the grapes thereof.
³¹ 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.
³² Thy sons and thy daughters shall be given unto another people, and thine eyes shall look, and fail with longing for them all the day long: and there shall be no might in thine hand.
³³ The fruit of thy land, and all thy labours, shall a nation which thou knowest not eat up; and thou shalt be only oppressed and crushed alway:
³⁴ So that thou shalt be mad for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see.
³⁵ The LORD shall smite thee in the knees, and in the legs, with a sore botch that cannot be healed, from the sole of thy foot unto the top of thy head.
³⁶ The LORD shall bring thee, and thy king which thou shalt set over thee, unto a nation which neither thou nor thy fathers have known; and there shalt thou serve other gods, wood and stone.
³⁷ And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all nations whither the LORD shall lead thee.
³⁸ Thou shalt carry much seed out into the field, and shalt gather but little in; for the locust shall consume it.
³⁹ Thou shalt plant vineyards, and dress them, but shalt neither drink of the wine, nor gather the grapes; for the worms shall eat them.
⁴⁰ Thou shalt have olive trees throughout all thy coasts, but thou shalt not anoint thyself with the oil; for thine olive shall cast his fruit.
⁴¹ Thou shalt beget sons and daughters, but thou shalt not enjoy them; for they shall go into captivity.
⁴² All thy trees and fruit of thy land shall the locust consume.
⁴³ The stranger that is within thee shall get up above thee very high; and thou shalt come down very low.
⁴⁴ He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him: he shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail.
Having viewed the bright side of the cloud, which is towards the obedient, we have now presented to us the dark side, which is towards the disobedient. If we do not keep God's commandments, we not only come short of the blessing promised, but we lay ourselves under the curse, which is as comprehensive of all misery as the blessing is of all happiness. Observe,
I. The equity of this curse. It is not a curse causeless, nor for some light cause; God seeks not occasion against us, nor is he apt to quarrel with us. That which is here mentioned as bringing the curse is, 1. Despising God, refusing to hearken to his voice (De 28:15), which bespeaks the highest contempt imaginable, as if what he said were not worth the heeding, or we were not under any obligation to him. 2. Disobeying him, not doing his commandments, or not observing to do them. None fall under his curse but those that rebel against his command. 3. Deserting him. "It is because of the wickedness of thy doings, not only whereby thou hast slighted me, but whereby thou hast forsaken me," De 28:20. God never casts us off till we first cast him off. It intimates that their idolatry, by which they forsook the true God for false gods, would be their destroying sin more than any other.
II. The extent and efficacy of this curse.
1. In general, it is declared, "All these curses shall come upon thee from above, and shall overtake thee; though thou endeavour to escape them, it is to no purpose to attempt it, they shall follow thee whithersoever thou goest, and seize thee, overtake thee, and overcome thee," De 28:15. It is said of the sinner, when God's wrath is in pursuit of him, that he would fain flee out of his hand (Job 27:22), but he cannot; if he flee from the iron weapon, yet the bow of steel shall reach him and strike him through. There is no running from God but by running to him, no fleeing from his justice but by fleeing to his mercy. See Ps 21:7,8. (1.) Wherever the sinner goes, the curse of God follows him; wherever he is, it rests upon him. He is cursed in the city and in the field, De 28:16. The strength of the city cannot shelter him from it, the pleasant air of the country is no fence against these pestilential steams. He is cursed (De 28:19) when he comes in, for the curse is upon the house of the wicked (Pr 3:33), and he is cursed when he goes out, for he cannot leave that curse behind him, nor get rid of it, which has entered into his bowels like water and like oil into his bones. (2.) Whatever he has is under a curse: Cursed is the ground for his sake, and all that is on it, or comes out of it, and so he is cursed from the ground, as Cain, Ge 4:11. The basket and store are cursed, De 28:17,18. All his enjoyments being forfeited by him are in a manner forbidden to him, as cursed things, which he has no title to. To those whose mind and conscience are defiled every thing else is so, Tit 1:15. They are all embittered to him; he cannot take any true comfort in them, for the wrath of God mixes itself with them, and he is so far from having any security of the continuance of them that, if his eyes be open, he may see them all condemned and ready to be confiscated, and with them all his joys and all his hopes gone for ever. (3.) Whatever he does is under a curse, too. It is a curse in all that he sets his hand to (De 28:20), a constant disappointment, which those are subject to that set their hearts upon the world, and expect their happiness in it, and which cannot but be a constant vexation. This curse is just the reverse of the blessing in the former part of the chapter. Thus whatever bliss there is in heaven there is not only the want of it, but the contrary to it, in hell. Isa 65:13, My servants shall eat, but you shall be hungry.
2. Many particular judgments are here enumerated, which would be the fruits of the curse, and with which God would punish the people of the Jews for their apostasy and disobedience. These judgments threatened are of divers kinds, for God has many arrows in his quiver, four sore judgments (Eze 14:21), and many more. They are represented as very terrible, and the descriptions of them are exceedingly lively and affecting, that men, knowing these terrors of the Lord, might, if possible, be persuaded. The threatenings of the same judgment are several times repeated, that they might make the more deep and lasting impressions, and to intimate that, if men persisted in their disobedience, the judgment which they thought was over, and of which they said, "Surely the bitterness of it is past," would return with double force; for when God judges he will overcome. (1.) Bodily diseases are here threatened, that they should be epidemical in their land. These God sometimes makes use of for the chastisement and improvement of his own people. Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick. But here they are threatened to be brought upon his enemies as tokens of his wrath, and designed for their ruin. So that according to the temper of our spirits, under sickness, accordingly it is to us a blessing or a curse. But, whatever sickness may be to particular persons, it is certain that epidemical diseases raging among a people are national judgments, and are so to be accounted. He here threatens, [1.] Painful diseases (De 28:35), a sore botch, beginning in the legs and knees, but spreading, like Job's boils, from heat to foot. [2.] Shameful diseases (De 28:27), the botch of Egypt (such boils and blains as the Egyptians had been plagued with, when God brought Israel from among them), and the emerods and scab, vile diseases, the just punishment of those who by sin had made themselves vile. [3.] Mortal diseases, the pestilence (De 28:21), the consumption (put for all chronical diseases), and the fever (for all acute diseases), De 28:22. See Le 26:16. And all incurable, De 28:27. (2.) Famine, and scarcity of provisions; and this, [1.] For want of rain (De 28:23,24): Thy heaven over thy head, that part that is over thy land, shall be as dry as brass, while the heavens over other countries shall distil their dews; and, when the heaven is as brass, the earth of course will be as iron, so hard and unfruitful. Instead of rain, the dust shall be blown out of the highways into the field, and spoil the little that there is of the fruits of the earth. [2.] By destroying insects. The locust should destroy the corn, so that they should not have so much as their seed again, De 28:38,42. And the fruit of the vine, which should make glad their hearts, should all be worm-eaten, De 28:39. And the olive, some way or other, should be made to cast its fruit, De 28:40. The heathen use many superstitious customs in honour of their idol-gods for preserving the fruits of the earth; but Moses tells Israel that the only way they had to preserve them was to keep God's commandments; for he is a God that will not be sported with, like their idols, but will be served in spirit and truth. This threatening we find fulfilled in Israel, 1Ki 17:1, Jer 14:1, Joe 1:4. (3.) That they should be smitten before their enemies in war, who, it is likely, would be the more cruel to them, when they had them at their mercy, for the severity they had used against the nations of Canaan, which their neighbours in after-ages would be apt to remember against them, De 28:25. It would make their flight the more shameful, and the more grievous, that they might have triumphed over their enemies if they had but been faithful to their God. The carcases of those that were slain in war, or died in captivity among strangers, should be meat for the fowls (De 28:26); and an Israelite, having forfeited the favour of his God, should have so little humanity shown him as that no man should drive them away, so odious would God's curse make him to all mankind. (4.) That they should be infatuated in all their counsels, so as not to discern their own interest, nor bring any thing to pass for the public good: The Lord shall smite thee with madness and blindness, De 28:28,29. Note, God's judgments can reach the minds of men to fill them with darkness and horror, as well as their bodies and estates; and those are the sorest of all judgments which make men a terror to themselves, and their own destroyers. That which they contrived to secure themselves by should still turn to their prejudice. Thus we often find that the allies they confided in distressed them and strengthened them not, 2Ch 28:20. Those that will not walk in God's counsels are justly left to be ruined by their own; and those that are wilfully blind to their duty deserve to be made blind to their interest, and, seeing they loved darkness rather than light, let them grope at noon-day as in the dark. (5.) That they should be plundered of all their enjoyments, stripped of all by the proud and imperious conqueror, such as Benhadad was to Ahab, 1Ki 20:5,6. Not only their houses and vineyards should be taken from them, but their wives and children, De 28:30,32. Their dearest comforts, which they took most pleasure in, and promised themselves most from, should be the entertainment and triumph of their enemies. As they had dwelt in houses which they built not, and eaten of vineyards which they planted not (De 6:10,11), so others should do by them. Their oxen, asses, and sheep, like Job's, should be taken away before their eyes, and they should not be able to recover them, De 28:31. And all the fruit of their land and labours should be devoured and eaten up by the enemy; so that they and theirs would want necessaries, while their enemies were revelling with that which they had laboured for. (6.) That they should be carried captives into a far country; nay, into all the kingdoms of the earth, De 28:25. Their sons and daughters, whom they promised themselves comfort in, should go into captivity (De 28:41), and they themselves at length, and their king in whom they promised themselves safety and settlement, De 28:36. This was fully accomplished when the ten tribes first were carried captive into Assyria (2Ki 17:6), and not long after the two tribes into Babylon, and two of their kings, 2Ki 24:15,15,25:7,21. That which is mentioned as an aggravation of their captivity is that they should go into an unknown country, the language and customs of which would be very uncouth, and their treatment among them barbarous, and there they should serve other gods, that is, be compelled to do so by their enemies, as they were in Babylon, Da 3:6. Note, God often makes men's sin their punishment, and chooses their delusions. You shall serve other gods, that is, "You shall serve those that do serve them;" a nation is often in scripture called by the name of its gods, as Jer 48:7. They had made idolaters their associates, and now god made idolaters their oppressors. (7.) That those who remained should be insulted and tyrannized over by strangers, De 28:43,44. So the ten tribes were by the colonies which the king of Assyria sent to take possession of their land, 2Ki 17:24. Or this may be meant of the gradual encroachments which the strangers within their gates should make upon them, so as insensibly to worm them out of their estates. We read of the fulfilling of this, Ho 7:9, Strangers have devoured his strength. Foreigners ate the bread out of the mouths of trueborn Israelites, by which they were justly chastised for introducing strange gods. (8.) That their reputation among their neighbours should be quite sunk, and those that had been a name, and a praise, should be an astonishment, a proverb, and a by-word, De 28:37. Some have observed the fulfilling of this threatening in their present state; for, when we would express the most perfidious and barbarous treatment, we say, None but a Jew would have done so. Thus is sin a reproach to any people. (9.) To complete their misery, it is threatened that they should be put quite out of the possession of their minds by all these troubles (De 28:34): Thou shalt be mad for the sight of thy eyes, that is, quite bereaved of all comfort and hope, and abandoned to utter despair. Those that walk by sight, and not by faith, are in danger of losing reason itself, when every thing about them looks frightful; and their condition is woeful indeed that are mad for the sight of their eyes.
⁴⁵ Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearkenedst not unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee:
⁴⁶ And they shall be upon thee for a sign and for a wonder, and upon thy seed for ever.
⁴⁷ Because thou servedst not the LORD thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things;
⁴⁸ Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the LORD shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee.
⁴⁹ The LORD shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand;
⁵⁰ A nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor show favour to the young:
⁵¹ And he shall eat the fruit of thy cattle, and the fruit of thy land, until thou be destroyed: which also shall not leave thee either corn, wine, or oil, or the increase of thy kine, or flocks of thy sheep, until he have destroyed thee.
⁵² And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates, until thy high and fenced walls come down, wherein thou trustedst, throughout all thy land: and he shall besiege thee in all thy gates throughout all thy land, which the LORD thy God hath given thee.
⁵³ And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters, which the LORD thy God hath given thee, in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee:
⁵⁴ So that the man that is tender among you, and very delicate, his eye shall be evil toward his brother, and toward the wife of his bosom, and toward the remnant of his children which he shall leave:
⁵⁵ So that he will not give to any of them of the flesh of his children whom he shall eat: because he hath nothing left him in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee in all thy gates.
⁵⁶ The tender and delicate woman among you, which would not adventure to set the sole of her foot upon the ground for delicateness and tenderness, her eye shall be evil toward the husband of her bosom, and toward her son, and toward her daughter,
⁵⁷ 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.
⁵⁸ If thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful name, THE LORD THY GOD;
⁵⁹ Then the LORD will make thy plagues wonderful, and the plagues of thy seed, even great plagues, and of long continuance, and sore sicknesses, and of long continuance.
⁶⁰ Moreover he will bring upon thee all the diseases of Egypt, which thou wast afraid of; and they shall cleave unto thee.
⁶¹ Also every sickness, and every plague, which is not written in the book of this law, them will the LORD bring upon thee, until thou be destroyed.
⁶² And ye shall be left few in number, whereas ye were as the stars of heaven for multitude; because thou wouldest not obey the voice of the LORD thy God.
⁶³ And it shall come to pass, that as the LORD rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you; so the LORD will rejoice over you to destroy you, and to bring you to nought; and ye shall be plucked from off the land whither thou goest to possess it.
⁶⁴ And the LORD shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone.
⁶⁵ And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the LORD shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind:
⁶⁶ And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life:
⁶⁷ 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.
⁶⁸ And the LORD shall bring thee into Egypt again with ships, by the way whereof I spake unto thee, Thou shalt see it no more again: and there ye shall be sold unto your enemies for bondmen and bondwomen, and no man shall buy you.
One would have thought that enough had been said to possess them with a dread of that wrath of God which is revealed from heaven against the ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. But to show how deep the treasures of that wrath are, and that still there is more and worse behind, Moses, when one would have thought that he had concluded this dismal subject, begins again, and adds to this roll of curses many similar words: as Jeremiah did to his, Jer 36:32. It should seem that in the former part of this commination Moses foretells their captivity in Babylon, and the calamities which introduced and attended that, by which, even after their return, they were brought to that low and poor condition which is described, De 28:44. That their enemies should be the head, and they the tail: but here, in this latter part, he foretells their last destruction by the Romans and their dispersion thereupon. And the present deplorable state of the Jewish nation, and of all that have incorporated themselves with them, by embracing their religion, does so fully and exactly answer to the prediction in these verses that it serves for an incontestable proof of the truth of prophecy, and consequently of the divine authority of the scripture. And, this last destruction being here represented as more dreadful than the former, it shows that their sin, in rejecting Christ and his gospel, was more heinous and more provoking to God than idolatry itself, and left them more under the power of Satan; for their captivity in Babylon cured them effectually of their idolatry in seventy years' time; but under this last destruction now for above 1600 years they continue incurably averse to the Lord Jesus. Observe,
I. What is here said in general of the wrath of God, which should light and lie upon them for their sins.
1. That, if they would not be ruled by the commands of God, they should certainly be ruined by his curse, De 28:45,46. Because thou didst not keep his commandments (especially that of hearing and obeying the great prophet), these curses shall come upon thee, as upon a people appointed to destruction, the generation of God's wrath: and they shall be for a sign and for a wonder. It is amazing to think that a people so long the favourites of Heaven should be so perfectly abandoned and cast off, that a people so closely incorporated should be so universally dispersed, and yet that a people so scattered in all nations should preserve themselves distinct and not mix with any, but like Cain be fugitives and vagabonds, and yet marked to be known.
2. That, if they would not serve God with cheerfulness, they should be compelled to serve their enemies (De 28:47,48), that they might know the difference (2Ch 12:8), which, some think, is the meaning of Ex 20:24,25, Because they despised my statutes, I gave them statutes that were not good. Observe here, (1.) It is justly expected from those to whom God gives an abundance of the good things of this life that they should serve him. What does he maintain us for out that we may do his work, and be some way serviceable to his honour? (2.) The more God gives us the more cheerfully we should serve him; our abundance should be oil to the wheels of our obedience. God is a Master that will be served with gladness, and delights to hear us sing at our work. (3.) If, when we receive the gifts of God's bounty, we either do not serve him at all or serve him with reluctance, it is a righteous thing with him to make us know the hardships of want and servitude. Those deserve to have cause given them to complain who complain without a cause. Tristis es et felix—Happy, and yet not easy! Blush at thy own folly and ingratitude.
3. That, if they would not give glory to God by a reverential obedience, he would get him honour upon them by wonderful plagues, De 28:58,59. Note, (1.) God justly expects from us that we should fear his fearful name; and, which is strange, that name which is here proposed as the object of our fear is, The Lord thy God, which is very fitly here put in our Bibles in capital letters; for nothing can sound more truly august. As nothing is more comfortable, so nothing more awful, than this, that he with whom we have to do is Jehovah, a being infinitely perfect and blessed, and the author of all being; and that he is our God, our rightful Lord and owner, from whom we are to receive laws and to whom we are to give account: this is great, and greatly to be feared. (2.) We may justly expect from God that, if we do not fear his fearful name, we shall feel his fearful plagues; for one way or other God will be feared. All God's plagues are dreadful, but some are wonderful, carrying in them extraordinary signatures of divine power and justice, so that a man, upon the first view of them, may say, Verily, there is a God that judgeth in the earth.
II. How the destruction threatened is described. Moses is here upon the same melancholy subject that our Saviour is discoursing of to his disciples in his farewell sermon (Mt 24:4-28), namely, The destruction of Jerusalem and the Jewish nation. Observe,
1. Five things are here foretold as steps to their ruin:—
(1.) That they should be invaded by a foreign enemy (De 28:49,50): A nation from far, namely, the Romans, as swift as the eagle hastening to the prey. Our Saviour makes use of this similitude, in foretelling this destruction, that where the carcase is there will the eagles be gathered together, Mt 24:28. And bishop Patrick observes (to make the accomplishment the more remarkable) that the ensign of the Roman armies was an eagle. This nation is said to be of a fierce countenance, an indication of a fierce nature, stern and severe, that would not pity the weakness and infirmity either of little children or of old people.
(2.) That the country should be laid waste, and all the fruits of it eaten up by this army of foreigners, which is the natural consequence of an invasion, especially when it is made, as that by the Romans was, for the chastisement of rebels: He shall eat the fruits of thy cattle and land (De 28:51), so that the inhabitants should be starved, while the invaders were fed to the full.
(3.) That their cities should be besieged, and that such would be the obstinacy of the besieged, and such the vigour of the besiegers, that they would be reduced to the last extremity, and at length fall into the hands of the enemy, De 28:52. No place, though ever so well fortified, no, not Jerusalem itself, though it held out long, would escape. Two of the common consequences of a long siege are here foretold:—[1.] A miserable famine, which would prevail to such a degree that, for want of food, they should kill and eat their own children, De 28:53. Men should do so, notwithstanding their hardiness, and ability to bear hunger; and, though obliged by the law of nature to provide for their own families, yet should refuse to give to the wife and children that were starving any of the child that was barbarously butchered, De 28:54,55. Nay, women, ladies of quality, notwithstanding their natural niceness about their food, and their natural affection to their children, yet, for want of food, should so far forget all humanity as to kill and eat them, De 28:56,57. Let us observe, by the way, how hard this fate must needs be to the tender and delicate women, and learn not to indulge ourselves in tenderness and delicacy, because we know not what we may be reduced to before we die; the more nice we are, the harder it will be to us to bear want, and the more danger we shall be in or sacrificing reason, and religion, and natural affection itself, to the clamours and cravings of an unmortified and ungoverned appetite. This threatening was fulfilled in the letter of it, more than once, to the perpetual reproach of the Jewish nation: never was the like done either by Greek or barbarian, but in the siege of Samaria, a woman boiled her own son, 2Ki 6:28,29. And it is spoken of as commonly done among them in the siege of Jerusalem by the Babylonians, La 4:10. And, in the last siege by the Romans, Josephus tells us of a noble woman that killed and ate her own child, through the extremity of the famine, and when she had eaten one half secretly (De 28:57), that she might have it to herself, the mob, smelling meat, got into the house, to whom she showed the other half, which she had kept till another time, inviting them to share with her. What is too barbarous for those to do that are abandoned of God! [2.] Sickness is another common effect of a strait and long siege, and that is here threatened: Sore sickness, and of long continuance, De 28:59. These should attend the Jews wherever they went afterwards, the diseases of Egypt, leprosies, botches, and foul ulcers, De 28:60. Nay, as if the particular miseries here threatened were not enough, he concludes with an et cetera, De 28:61. The Lord will bring upon thee every sickness, and every plague, though it be not written in the book of this law. Those that fall under the curse of God will find that the one half was not told them of the weight and terror of that curse.
(4.) That multitudes of them should perish, so that they should become few in number, De 28:62. It was a nation that God had wonderfully increased, so that they were as the stars of heaven for multitude; but, for their sin, they were diminished and brought low, Ps 107:38,39. It is computed that in the destruction of the Jewish nation by the Romans, as appears by the account Josephus gives of it, above two millions fell by the sword at several places, besides what perished by famine and pestilence; so that the whole country was laid waste and turned into a wilderness. That is a terrible word (De 28:63), As the Lord rejoiced over you to do you good, so he will rejoice over you to destroy you. Behold here the goodness and severity of God: mercy here shines brightly in the pleasure God takes in doing good—he rejoices in it; yet justice here appears no less illustrious in the pleasure he takes in destroying the impenitent; not as it is the making of his creatures miserable, but as it is the asserting of his own honour and the securing of the ends of his government. See what a malignant mischievous thing sin is, which (as I may say) makes it necessary for the God of infinite goodness to rejoice in the destruction of his own creatures, even those that had been favourites.
(5.) That the remnant should be scattered throughout the nations. This completes their woe: The Lord shall scatter thee among all people, De 28:64. This is remarkably fulfilled in their present dispersion, for there are Jews to be found almost in all countries that are possessed either by Christians or Mahometans, and in such numbers that it has been said, If they could unite in one common interest, they would be a very formidable body, and able to deal with the most powerful states and princes; but they abide under the power of this curse, and are so scattered that they are not able to incorporate. It is here foretold that in this dispersion, [1.] They should have no religion, or none to any purpose, should have no temple, nor altar, nor priesthood, for they should serve other gods. Some think this has been fulfilled in the force put upon the Jews in popish countries to worship the images that are used in the Romish church, to their great vexation. [2.] They should have no rest, no rest of body: The sole of thy foot shall not have rest (De 28:65), but be continually upon the remove, either in hope of gain or fear of persecution; all wandering Jews: no rest of the mind (which is much worse), but a trembling heart (De 28:65); no assurance of life (De 28:66); weary both of light and darkness, which are, in their turns, both welcome to a quiet mind, but to them both day and night would be a terror, De 28:67. Such was once the condition of Job (Job 7:4), but to them this should be constant and perpetual; that blindness and darkness which the apostle speaks of as having happened to Israel, and that guilt which bowed down their back always (Ro 11:8-10), must needs occasion a constant restlessness and amazement. Those are a torment to themselves, and to all about them, that fear day and night and are always uneasy. Let good people strive against it, and not give way to that fear which has torment; and let wicked people not be secure in their wickedness, for their hearts cannot endure, nor can their hands be strong, when the terrors of God set themselves in array against them. Those that say in the morning, O that it were evening, and in the evening, O that it were morning, show, First, A constant fret and vexation, chiding the hours for lingering and complaining of the length of every minute. Let time be precious to us when we are in prosperity, and then it will not be so tedious to us when we are in afflictions as otherwise it would. Secondly, A constant fright and terror, afraid in the morning of the arrow that flieth by day, and therefore wishing the day over; but what will this do for them? When evening comes, the trembling heart is no less apprehensive of the terror by night, Ps 91:5,6. Happy they whose minds, being stayed on God, are quiet from the fear of evil! Observe here, The terror arises not only from the sight of the eyes, but from the fear of the heart, not only from real dangers, but from imaginary ones; the causes of fear, when they come to be enquired into, often prove to be only the creatures of the fancy.
2. In the close, God threatens to leave them as he found them, in a house of bondage (De 28:68): The Lord shall bring thee into Egypt again, that is into such a miserable state as they were in when they were slaves to the Egyptians, and ruled by them with rigour. God had brought them out of Egypt, and had said, They shall see it no more again (De 17:16); but now they should be reduced to the same state of slavery that they had been in there. To be sold to strangers would be bad enough, but much worse to be sold to their enemies. Even slaves may be valued as such, but a Jew should have so ill a name for all that is base that when he was exposed to sale no man would buy him, which would make his master that had him to sell the more severe with him. Thirty Jews (they say) have been sold for one small piece of money, as they sold our Saviour for thirty pieces.
3. Upon the whole matter, (1.) The accomplishment of these predictions upon the Jewish nation shows that Moses spoke by the Spirit of God, who certainly foresees the ruin of sinners, and gives them warning of it, that they may prevent it by a true and timely repentance, or else be left inexcusable. (2.) Let us all hence learn to stand in awe and not to sin. I have heard of a wicked man, who, upon reading the threatenings of this chapter, was so enraged that he tore the leaf out of the Bible, as Jehoiakim cut Jeremiah's roll; but to what purpose is it to deface a copy, while the original remains upon record in the divine counsels, by which it is unalterably determined that the wages of sin is death, whether men will hear or whether they will forbear?
本章是對前一章兩個詞——祝福與咒詛——極為詳盡的闡釋。前一章籠統地宣告：順命的必蒙福，悖逆的必受咒詛；但因為籠統的話語感動力不強，摩西在此進入細節，描述祝福和咒詛。他不是從其源頭來描述（源頭看不見，因此最為重要卻最不被人注意——神的恩寵是一切祝福的源頭，神的忿怒是一切咒詛的源頭），而是從其流出來描述，從祝福和咒詛可感知的效果來描述，因為祝福和咒詛是真實的事，並有真實的效果。一、他描述他們若順命，必臨到他們的祝福：個人的、家庭的，特別是國家的祝福，因為此處特別是以他們作為國家的身份與他們立約（申二十八1–14）。二、他更詳盡地描述他們若悖逆，必臨到他們的咒詛，包括：1. 極度的煩擾（申二十八15–44）。2. 最終徹底的敗亡毀滅（申二十八45–68）。本章與利未記二十六章1–46節的要旨大致相同，把生死、禍福擺在他們面前；而那一章末了關於他們悔改後必得復興的應許，在此也再次更詳盡地重複（申三十1–20）。這樣，他們在律法的重申中，是「命上加命，令上加令」；在應許和警誡的重申中，是「這裏一點，那裏一點」。這些在此處和彼處都是同樣傳遞的，不僅作為律法的約束（說明將有條件地發生的事），也作為對結局的預言（說明必將發生的事）：以色列民一時要因順命而得福，但終久要因悖逆而敗亡；因此經上說（申三十1）這一切事——祝福和咒詛——都必臨到他們。