Deuteronomy 28:61
A focused desk for reading, commentary, cross-references, original language notes, and your own observations.
Deuteronomy 28:61
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.
Chapter Context
Deuteronomy 28 is a covenant blessing and curse chapter in the Old Testament that explores themes of obedience, mercy, redemption. Written during the end of the wilderness wandering (c. 1406 BCE), this chapter should be understood within its historical context: Moses delivered these speeches as Israel prepared to enter a land filled with different Canaanite city-states.
The chapter can be divided into several sections:
- Verses 1-5: Introduction and setting the context
- Verses 6-12: Development of key themes
- Verses 13-20: Central message and teachings
- Verses 21-68: Conclusion and application
This chapter is significant because it demonstrates God's faithfulness despite human unfaithfulness. When studying this passage, it's important to consider both its immediate context within Deuteronomy and its broader place in the scriptural canon.
Verse Study
Deuteronomy 28:61
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.
Analysis
Also every sickness, and every plague, which is not written in the book of this law—the comprehensiveness is staggering: not just the listed curses but every unlisted one too. The phrase kol-ḥolî wǝḵol-makkāh (כָּל־חֳלִי וְכָל־מַכָּה) means literally 'all sickness and all plague.' Them will the LORD bring upon thee, until thou be destroyed (עַד הִשָּׁמְדָךְ, ʿaḏ hiššāmǝḏāḵ)—the goal is complete destruction.
This verse removes any loophole: the curses aren't limited to Deuteronomy 28 but extend to every conceivable calamity. The phrase 'not written in this book' paradoxically expands the written curse to include the unwritten. This ensured that no matter what historical calamity befell Israel, it could be understood as covenant judgment. The repetition of 'until thou be destroyed' (also in vv. 48, 51, 61) emphasizes thoroughness.
Historical Context
Throughout Jewish history, every affliction—from Assyrian conquest to Roman destruction to medieval plague to the Holocaust—was interpreted through the lens of Deuteronomy 28. This chapter became the hermeneutical key for understanding Jewish suffering, for better or worse.
Reflection
- How does the comprehensive nature of this curse reveal the seriousness of covenant breaking?
- What does it mean that judgment can take forms we can't anticipate or catalog?
- How does Christ's exhaustive suffering ('My God, why have You forsaken Me?') cover all possible curses?
Word Studies
- Law: תּוֹרָה (Torah) H8451 - Law, instruction