All these blessings will come upon you, and overtake you, if you listen to Yahweh your God’s voice. You shall be blessed in the city, and you shall be blessed in the field. You shall be blessed in the fruit of your body, the fruit of your ground, the fruit of your animals, the increase of your livestock, and the young of your flock. Your basket and your kneading trough shall be blessed. You shall be blessed when you come in, and you shall be blessed when you go out. Yahweh will cause your enemies who rise up against you to be struck before you. They will come out against you one way, and will flee before you seven ways. Yahweh will command the blessing on you in your barns, and in all that you put your hand to. He will bless you in the land which Yahweh your God gives you. Yahweh will establish you for a holy people to himself, as he has sworn to you, if you shall keep the commandments of Yahweh your God, and walk in his ways. All the peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by Yahweh’s name, and they will be afraid of you. Yahweh will grant you abundant prosperity in the fruit of your body, in the fruit of your livestock, and in the fruit of your ground, in the land which Yahweh swore to your fathers to give you. Yahweh will open to you his good treasure in the sky, to give the rain of your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand. You will lend to many nations, and you will not borrow. Yahweh will make you the head, and not the tail. You will be above only, and you will not be beneath, if you listen to the commandments of Yahweh your God which I command you today, to observe and to do,
Show the surrounding paragraph
Deuteronomy 28:2-13 sits inside this longer paragraph.
It shall happen, if you shall listen diligently to Yahweh your God’s voice, to observe to do all his commandments which I command you today, that Yahweh your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. All these blessings will come upon you, and overtake you, if you listen to Yahweh your God’s voice. You shall be blessed in the city, and you shall be blessed in the field. You shall be blessed in the fruit of your body, the fruit of your ground, the fruit of your animals, the increase of your livestock, and the young of your flock. Your basket and your kneading trough shall be blessed. You shall be blessed when you come in, and you shall be blessed when you go out. Yahweh will cause your enemies who rise up against you to be struck before you. They will come out against you one way, and will flee before you seven ways. Yahweh will command the blessing on you in your barns, and in all that you put your hand to. He will bless you in the land which Yahweh your God gives you. Yahweh will establish you for a holy people to himself, as he has sworn to you, if you shall keep the commandments of Yahweh your God, and walk in his ways. All the peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by Yahweh’s name, and they will be afraid of you. Yahweh will grant you abundant prosperity in the fruit of your body, in the fruit of your livestock, and in the fruit of your ground, in the land which Yahweh swore to your fathers to give you. Yahweh will open to you his good treasure in the sky, to give the rain of your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand. You will lend to many nations, and you will not borrow. Yahweh will make you the head, and not the tail. You will be above only, and you will not be beneath, if you listen to the commandments of Yahweh your God which I command you today, to observe and to do, and shall not turn away from any of the words which I command you today, to the right hand or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.
Parallel Translations
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All these blessings will come upon you, and overtake you, if you listen to Yahweh your God’s voice.
You shall be blessed in the city, and you shall be blessed in the field.
You shall be blessed in the fruit of your body, the fruit of your ground, the fruit of your animals, the increase of your livestock, and the young of your flock.
Your basket and your kneading trough shall be blessed.
You shall be blessed when you come in, and you shall be blessed when you go out.
Yahweh will cause your enemies who rise up against you to be struck before you. They will come out against you one way, and will flee before you seven ways.
Yahweh will command the blessing on you in your barns, and in all that you put your hand to. He will bless you in the land which Yahweh your God gives you.
Yahweh will establish you for a holy people to himself, as he has sworn to you, if you shall keep the commandments of Yahweh your God, and walk in his ways.
All the peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by Yahweh’s name, and they will be afraid of you.
Yahweh will grant you abundant prosperity in the fruit of your body, in the fruit of your livestock, and in the fruit of your ground, in the land which Yahweh swore to your fathers to give you.
Yahweh will open to you his good treasure in the sky, to give the rain of your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand. You will lend to many nations, and you will not borrow.
Yahweh will make you the head, and not the tail. You will be above only, and you will not be beneath, if you listen to the commandments of Yahweh your God which I command you today, to observe and to do,
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And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.
Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field.
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.
Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store.
Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out.
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.
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.
The LORD shall establish thee an 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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
Show all 3 translations
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And all these blessings shall come upon thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.
Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field.
Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the young of thy flock.
Blessed shall be thy basket and thy kneading-trough.
Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out.
The LORD will cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thee; they shall come out against thee one way, and shall flee before thee seven ways.
The LORD will command the blessing with thee in thy barns, and in all that thou puttest thy hand unto; and He will bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
The LORD will establish thee for 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.
And all the peoples of the earth shall see that the name of the LORD is called upon thee; and they shall be afraid of thee.
And the LORD will make thee over-abundant for good, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy land, in the land which the LORD swore unto thy fathers to give thee.
The LORD will open unto thee His good treasure the heaven to give the rain of thy land in its season, and to bless all the work of thy hand; and thou shalt lend unto many nations, but thou shalt not borrow.
And the LORD will make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if thou shalt hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them;
Examined in Scripture Analysis
Commandments (1)
The laws of the Torah, each cited and shown as a primary source.
Cross-references (114)
- 2 Samuel 22:38-41 (v7) I have pursued my enemies and destroyed them. I didn’t turn again until they were consumed. I have consumed them, and struck them through,…
- Leviticus 26:7-8 (v7) You shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword. Five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall…
- Deuteronomy 15:6 (v12) For Yahweh your God will bless you, as he promised you. You will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow. You will rule over many…
- Psalms 89:23 (v7) I will beat down his adversaries before him, and strike those who hate him.
- Deuteronomy 28:1 (v13) It shall happen, if you shall listen diligently to Yahweh your God’s voice, to observe to do all his commandments which I command you…
Show all 100 cross-references
- Joel 2:23-24 (v12) “Be glad then, you children of Zion, and rejoice in Yahweh, your God; for he gives you the early rain in just measure, and he causes the…
- Deuteronomy 15:10 (vv8, 12) You shall surely give, and your heart shall not be grieved when you give to him, because it is for this thing Yahweh your God will bless…
- 2 Chronicles 32:21-22 (v7) Yahweh sent an angel, who cut off all the mighty men of valor, and the leaders and captains, in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he…
- Psalms 121:8 (v6) Yahweh will keep your going out and your coming in, from this time forward, and forever more.
- Deuteronomy 11:14 (v12) that I will give the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the latter rain, that you may gather in your grain, your new…
- Proverbs 10:22 (vv4, 11) Yahweh’s blessing brings wealth, and he adds no trouble to it.
- Leviticus 26:4 (v12) then I will give you your rains in their season, and the land shall yield its increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.
- Deuteronomy 30:9 (v11) Yahweh your God will make you prosperous in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your body, in the fruit of your livestock, and in…
- Joshua 8:22 (v7) The others came out of the city against them, so they were in the middle of Israel, some on this side, and some on that side. They struck…
- 2 Chronicles 19:4 (v7) Jehoshaphat lived at Jerusalem; and he went out again among the people from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim, and brought them back…
- Zechariah 1:6 (v2) But my words and my decrees, which I commanded my servants the prophets, didn’t they overtake your fathers? “Then they repented and said,…
- Leviticus 26:10 (v8) You shall eat old supplies long kept, and you shall move out the old because of the new.
- Proverbs 22:7 (v12) The rich rule over the poor. The borrower is servant to the lender.
- Genesis 49:25 (v4) even by the God of your father, who will help you, by the Almighty, who will bless you, with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the…
- Deuteronomy 14:29 (v12) The Levite, because he has no portion nor inheritance with you, as well as the foreigner living among you, the fatherless, and the widow…
- Genesis 39:5 (v3) From the time that he made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, Yahweh blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake.…
- Deuteronomy 28:15 (v2) But it shall come to pass, if you will not listen to Yahweh your God’s voice, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which…
- Deuteronomy 28:25 (v7) Yahweh will cause you to be struck before your enemies. You will go out one way against them, and will flee seven ways before them. You…
- 2 Chronicles 31:20-21 (v7) Hezekiah did so throughout all Judah; and he did that which was good, right, and faithful before Yahweh his God. In every work that he…
- Psalms 135:7 (v12) He causes the clouds to rise from the ends of the earth. He makes lightnings with the rain. He brings the wind out of his treasuries.
- Psalms 144:12-15 (v3) Then our sons will be like well-nurtured plants, our daughters like pillars carved to adorn a palace. Our barns are full, filled with all…
- Proverbs 3:9-10 (v8) Honor Yahweh with your substance, with the first fruits of all your increase: so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will…
- Exodus 19:5-6 (v9) Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice, and keep my covenant, then you shall be my own possession from among all peoples; for all…
- Deuteronomy 7:6 (v9) For you are a holy people to Yahweh your God. Yahweh your God has chosen you to be a people for his own possession, above all peoples who…
- Deuteronomy 7:13 (v4) He will love you, bless you, and multiply you. He will also bless the fruit of your body and the fruit of your ground, your grain and your…
- 1 Samuel 7:3-4 (v7) Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, “If you are returning to Yahweh with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and…
- 1 Samuel 7:10-11 (v7) As Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines came near to battle against Israel; but Yahweh thundered with a great thunder…
- Haggai 2:19 (vv3, 8) Is the seed yet in the barn? Yes, the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree haven’t produced. From today I will bless…
- 1 Timothy 4:8 (vv2, 4) For bodily exercise has some value, but godliness has value in all things, having the promise of the life which is now, and of that which…
- Deuteronomy 26:18-19 (v9) Yahweh has declared today that you are a people for his own possession, as he has promised you, and that you should keep all his…
- Deuteronomy 32:30 (v7) How could one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them, and Yahweh had delivered them up?
- Joshua 10:10-11 (v7) Yahweh confused them before Israel. He killed them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and chased them by the way of the ascent of Beth…
- Joshua 10:42 (v7) Joshua took all these kings and their land at one time because Yahweh, the God of Israel, fought for Israel.
- 2 Chronicles 14:2-6 (v7) Asa did that which was good and right in Yahweh his God’s eyes; for he took away the foreign altars and the high places, broke down the…
- 2 Chronicles 14:9-15 (v7) Zerah the Ethiopian came out against them with an army of a million troops and three hundred chariots, and he came to Mareshah. Then Asa…
- Psalms 65:9-13 (v12) You visit the earth, and water it. You greatly enrich it. The river of God is full of water. You provide them grain, for so you have…
- Leviticus 26:9 (vv4, 11) “ ‘I will have respect for you, make you fruitful, multiply you, and will establish my covenant with you.
- Genesis 26:12 (v3) Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year one hundred times what he planted. Yahweh blessed him.
- Deuteronomy 28:4 (v11) You shall be blessed in the fruit of your body, the fruit of your ground, the fruit of your animals, the increase of your livestock, and…
- 2 Chronicles 20:22-25 (v7) When they began to sing and to praise, Yahweh set ambushers against the children of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against…
- Psalms 107:36-37 (v3) There he makes the hungry live, that they may prepare a city to live in, sow fields, plant vineyards, and reap the fruits of increase.
- Psalms 128:3 (v4) Your wife will be as a fruitful vine in the innermost parts of your house, your children like olive plants around your table.
- Psalms 133:3 (v8) like the dew of Hermon, that comes down on the hills of Zion; for there Yahweh gives the blessing, even life forever more.
- Malachi 3:10-11 (vv3, 8) Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house, and test me now in this,” says Yahweh of Armies, “if I will…
- Leviticus 26:4-5 (v8) then I will give you your rains in their season, and the land shall yield its increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.…
- Deuteronomy 13:17 (v9) Nothing of the devoted thing shall cling to your hand, that Yahweh may turn from the fierceness of his anger and show you mercy, and have…
- Deuteronomy 28:11 (v4) Yahweh will grant you abundant prosperity in the fruit of your body, in the fruit of your livestock, and in the fruit of your ground, in…
- 2 Chronicles 7:14 (v10) if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then I will hear from…
- Luke 12:18 (v8) He said, ‘This is what I will do. I will pull down my barns, build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.
- Numbers 27:17 (v6) who may go out before them, and who may come in before them, and who may lead them out, and who may bring them in, that the congregation of…
- Deuteronomy 4:6-9 (v13) Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who shall hear all these statutes…
- Deuteronomy 11:25 (v10) No man will be able to stand before you. Yahweh your God will lay the fear of you and the dread of you on all the land that you tread on,…
- 2 Chronicles 1:10 (v6) Now give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people; for who can judge this great people of yours?”
- Psalms 107:38 (v4) He blesses them also, so that they are multiplied greatly. He doesn’t allow their livestock to decrease.
- Isaiah 65:21-23 (v3) They will build houses and inhabit them. They will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. They will not build and another inhabit. They will…
- Matthew 6:26 (v8) See the birds of the sky, that they don’t sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns. Your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you of…
- Titus 2:14 (v9) who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify for himself a people for his own possession, zealous for…
- 1 Peter 2:9-11 (v9) But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellence of…
- Genesis 22:17 (v4) that I will bless you greatly, and I will multiply your offspring greatly like the stars of the heavens, and like the sand which is on the…
- Leviticus 25:21 (v8) then I will command my blessing on you in the sixth year, and it shall bear fruit for the three years.
- Deuteronomy 28:45 (v2) All these curses will come on you, and will pursue you and overtake you, until you are destroyed, because you didn’t listen to Yahweh your…
- 2 Samuel 3:25 (v6) You know Abner the son of Ner. He came to deceive you, and to know your going out and your coming in, and to know all that you do.”
- Psalms 127:3 (v4) Behold, children are a heritage of Yahweh. The fruit of the womb is his reward.
- Psalms 128:1-5 (v3) Blessed is everyone who fears Yahweh, who walks in his ways. For you will eat the labor of your hands. You will be happy, and it will be…
- Psalms 132:11 (v11) Yahweh has sworn to David in truth. He will not turn from it: “I will set the fruit of your body on your throne.
- Proverbs 13:22 (v4) A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the wealth of the sinner is stored for the righteous.
- Proverbs 20:7 (v4) A righteous man walks in integrity. Blessed are his children after him.
- Isaiah 62:12 (v9) They will call them “The Holy People, Yahweh’s Redeemed”. You will be called “Sought Out, A City Not Forsaken”.
- Amos 9:13-14 (v3) “Behold, the days come,” says Yahweh, “that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the one treading grapes him who sows seed; and sweet…
- 1 Peter 5:10 (v9) But may the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a little while, perfect,…
- Deuteronomy 28:44 (v12) He will lend to you, and you won’t lend to him. He will be the head, and you will be the tail.
- Deuteronomy 29:12-13 (v9) that you may enter into the covenant of Yahweh your God, and into his oath, which Yahweh your God makes with you today, that he may…
- Deuteronomy 31:2 (v6) He said to them, “I am one hundred twenty years old today. I can no more go out and come in. Yahweh has said to me, ‘You shall not go over…
- Psalms 42:8 (v8) Yahweh will command his loving kindness in the daytime. In the night his song shall be with me: a prayer to the God of my life.
- Jeremiah 33:9 (v10) This city will be to me for a name of joy, for praise, and for glory, before all the nations of the earth, which will hear all the good…
- Zechariah 8:3-5 (v3) Yahweh says: “I have returned to Zion, and will dwell in the middle of Jerusalem. Jerusalem shall be called ‘The City of Truth;’ and the…
- Luke 12:24-25 (v8) Consider the ravens: they don’t sow, they don’t reap, they have no warehouse or barn, and God feeds them. How much more valuable are you…
- Philippians 1:27 (v13) Only let your way of life be worthy of the Good News of Christ, that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your state,…
- Exodus 12:33 (v10) The Egyptians were urgent with the people, to send them out of the land in haste, for they said, “We are all dead men.”
- Numbers 6:27 (v10) “So they shall put my name on the children of Israel; and I will bless them.”
- Deuteronomy 4:6-8 (v10) Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who shall hear all these statutes…
- 2 Kings 6:27 (v8) He said, “If Yahweh doesn’t help you, where could I get help for you? From of the threshing floor, or from the wine press?”
- Psalms 87:5 (v9) Yes, of Zion it will be said, “This one and that one was born in her;” the Most High himself will establish her.
- Psalms 144:13 (v8) Our barns are full, filled with all kinds of provision. Our sheep produce thousands and ten thousands in our fields.
- Isaiah 1:26 (v9) I will restore your judges as at the first, and your counselors as at the beginning. Afterward you shall be called ‘The city of…
- Daniel 9:18-19 (v10) My God, turn your ear, and hear. Open your eyes, and see our desolations, and the city which is called by your name; for we do not present…
- Malachi 3:12 (v10) “All nations shall call you blessed, for you will be a delightful land,” says Yahweh of Armies.
- Exodus 14:25 (v10) He took off their chariot wheels, and they drove them heavily; so that the Egyptians said, “Let’s flee from the face of Israel, for Yahweh…
- Deuteronomy 7:8 (v9) but because Yahweh loves you, and because he desires to keep the oath which he swore to your fathers, Yahweh has brought you out with a…
- Joshua 5:1 (v10) When all the kings of the Amorites, who were beyond the Jordan westward, and all the kings of the Canaanites, who were by the sea, heard…
- 1 Samuel 18:28-29 (v10) Saul saw and knew that Yahweh was with David; and Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved him. Saul was even more afraid of David; and Saul was…
- 1 Chronicles 14:17 (v10) The fame of David went out into all lands; and Yahweh brought the fear of him on all nations.
- Jeremiah 11:5 (v9) that I may establish the oath which I swore to your fathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey,’ as it is today.” Then I…
- 2 Thessalonians 3:3 (v9) But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one.
- Hebrews 6:13-18 (v9) For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he could swear by no one greater, he swore by himself, saying, “Surely blessing I will bless…
100 distinct cross-references across this passage (114 total citations).
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (16 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
Private notes
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12, 13 When thou thinkest thyself forsaken.
When thou thinkest thyself forsaken.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13 Deu 28:2 And all these blessings shall come on…
Deu 28:2 And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.
Ver. 2. And overtake thee.] Unexpectedly befall thee. "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow thee," {Psa 23:6} as the evening sunbeams follow the passenger, as the rock water followed the Israelites in the wilderness, and overtook them at their stations. {1Co 10:4} "O continue," or draw out to the length, "thy lovingkindness unto them that know thee." {Psa 36:10} There will be a continued series, a connection between them, to all such.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 Those blessings which others greedily follow after, and ofttimes…
Those blessings which others greedily follow after, and ofttimes never overtake, they shall follow after thee, and shall be thrown into thy lap by my special kindness.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv2–13 And all these blessings shall come on thee and…
And all these blessings shall come on thee and overtake thee,.... After mentioned, which should come upon them from God from heaven, by the direction of his providence, and that freely and plentifully, and beyond their expectations and deserts, and continue with them:
if thou shall hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God; obedience to the law being the condition of their coming and continuance; for only temporal blessings in the land of Canaan are here intended, as follow.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv2, 3, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 Overtake thee - Those blessings which others greedily follow…
Overtake thee - Those blessings which others greedily follow after, and never overtake, shall follow after thee, and shall be thrown into thy lap by special kindness.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12 Verse 2. All these blessings shall come on thee]…
Verse 2. All these blessings shall come on thee] God shall pour out his blessing from heaven upon thee. And overtake thee. Upright men are represented as going to the kingdom of God, and God's blessings as following and overtaking them in their heavenly journey. There are several things in this verse worthy of the most careful observation: -
1. If thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God. The voice of God must be heard; without a Divine revelation how can the Divine will be known? And if not known, it cannot be fulfilled.
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2. When God speaks, men must hearken to the words of his mouth. He who does not hearken will not obey.
3. He who hearkens to the words of God must set out for the kingdom of heaven. The curse must fall on him who stands in the way of sinners, and will overtake them who loiter in the way of righteousness.
4. Those who run in the way of God's testimonies shall have an abundance of blessing. Blessings shall come upon them, and blessings shall overtake them - in every part of their march through life they shall continue to receive the fulfilment of the various promises of God which relate to all circumstances, vicissitudes, trials, stages of life, &c., &c., each overtaking them in the time and place where most needed.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv2, 9, 11, 13 Deu 28:2-6. All these blessings shall overtake thee —…
Deu 28:2-6. All these blessings shall overtake thee — The blessings which others greedily follow after, and never overtake, shall follow after thee, and shall be thrown into thy lap by special kindness. In the city, and in the field — Whether they were husbandmen or tradesmen, whether in the town or country, they should be preserved from the dangers of both, and have the comforts of both. How constantly must we depend upon God, both for the continuance and comfort of life. We need him at every turn: 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. Store — Store-house, it shall always be well replenished, and the provision thou hast there shall be preserved for thy use and service. Comest in — That is, in all thy affairs and administrations.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 12, 13 All these blessings, &c. In the Old Testament God…
All these blessings, &c. In the Old Testament God promised temporal blessings to the keepers of his law, heaven being not opened as yet; and that gross and sensual people being more moved with present and sensible things. But in the New Testament, the goods that are promised us are spiritual and eternal: and temporal evils are turned into blessings.
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv2, 7, 10, 11, 12, 13 all these blessings shall come on thee--Their national obedience…
all these blessings shall come on thee--Their national obedience was to be rewarded by extraordinary and universal prosperity.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv3, 7 3-6. Blessed shall thou be — The manifold blessings…
3-6. Blessed shall thou be — The manifold blessings in all the relations of life are expressed by six beatitudes. Israel will be blessed in the city and in the country; will be blessed with children, with productive fields, with countless flocks and herds; will be blessed in baskets in which the fruits are kept and in which provisions were carried; blessed in the kneading-trough in which the daily food was prepared; blessed will the nation be in all its relations.
Thy basket and thy store — The word rendered basket is the common basket or bag that is used in the East for carrying such articles as might be needed for personal use. Comp. Joh_13:29. Store should be translated kneading-trough. The Hebrew word here used is the same as we have in Exo_8:3; Exo_12:34, where it is correctly translated. Comp. Psa_121:8.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv2–13 2. overtake] This vb. is used of the avenger,…
2. overtake] This vb. is used of the avenger, Deu_19:6. A man’s goodness as well as his sin is sure to find him out, even when he does not expect this: see Mat_25:37.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 (2) And overtake thee.—A beautiful expression, i.e., shall come…
(2) And overtake thee.—A beautiful expression, i.e., shall come home to thee, and impress the heart with the thought of God’s love and of His promises, even when it is least expected. Comp. Zec_1:6. “My words and my statutes, did they not take hold of (i.e., overtake) your fathers? and they returned and said, Like as the Lord of hosts thought to do unto us . . . so hath he dealt with us.” The opposite is true also of the curses (Deu_28:15).
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 The blessings about to be specified are represented as…
The blessings about to be specified are represented as personified, as actual agencies coming upon their objects and following them along their path.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On vv3, 5, 12, 13 Blessed shalt thou be in the city.
Deu_28:3
Blessed shalt thou be in the city.
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Blessed in the city
The city is full of care, and he who has to go there from day to day finds it to be a place of great wear and tear. It is full of noise, and stir, and bustle, and sore travail: many are its temptations, losses, and worries. But to go there with the Divine blessing takes off the edge of its difficulty; to remain there with that blessing is to find pleasure in its duties, and strength equal to its demands. A blessing in the city may not make us great, but it will keep us good; it may not make us rich, but it will preserve us honest. Whether we are porters, or clerks, or managers, or merchants, of magistrates, the city will afford us opportunities for usefulness. It is good fishing where there are shoals of fish, and it is hopeful to work for our Lord amid the thronging crowds. We might prefer the quiet of a country life; but if called to town, we may certainly prefer it because there is room for our energies. Today let us expect good things because of this promise, and let our care be to have an open car to the voice of the Lord, and a ready hand to execute His bidding. Obedience brings the blessing. In keeping His commandments there is great reward. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
City life
We have accustomed ourselves so long to think that the glory and beauty displayed on the open fields of the country, where life lies palpitating and warm with the impress of His creative hand, and where all the works of the Lord are ceaselessly singing His praise, must in itself impress more vividly those who linger amid its beauties, and do their work in the glow of its magnificence, than do the streets and lanes and the visible signs of man which stretch out through the city. And yet we do not seek from the hard-working farmer the highest appreciation of nature as such, nor from the toiling agricultural labourer the keenest poetic sentiment. Men are crowded into the city, the villages become more and more depleted. What does it mean? Ask them, and they would tell you that they are going to see life. To the labourer town life means a more stirring existence, he thinks he sees there a wider field, a quicker return, a more brilliant career, and too often he is bitterly disappointed in these hard times. To the pleasure seeker the city is the great lamp towards which he flies with outstretched wings to flicker for a short space around it, to scorch his wings, to burn himself in the nearest approach to nothingness. But life is a very real thing to seek for. In the city there are gathered together various forms of excellence. Here art treasures are collected, and art studies are at their fullest perfection; here music receives its fullest development; here perfection of all kinds tends to aggregate; here the blood courses fuller and stronger; here might be realised that which we speak of so often in the Creed--the communion of saints. (Canon Newbolt.)
Blessed shalt thou be in the field.
Blessed in the field
So was Isaac blessed when lie walked therein at eventide to meditate. How often has the Lord met us when we have been alone! The hedges and the trees can bear witness to our joy. We look for such blessedness again. So was Boaz blessed when he reaped his harvest, and his workmen met him with benedictions. May the Lord prosper all who drive the plough! Every farmer may urge this promise with God, if, indeed, he obeys the voice of the Lord God. We go to the field to labour as father Adam did; and since the curse fell on the soil through the sin of Adam the first, it is a great comfort to find a blessing through Adam the second. We go to the field for exercise, and we are happy in the belief that the Lord will bless that exercise, and give us health, which we will use to His glory. We go to the field to study nature, and there is nothing in a knowledge of the visible creation which may not be sanctified to the highest uses by the Divine benediction. We have at last to go to the field to bury our dead; yea, others will in their turn take us to Gods acre in the field: but we are blessed, whether weeping at the tomb or sleeping in it. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13 General Information:
General Information:
Moses speaks to the Israelites as if they were one man, so the words "you" and "your" here are singular. (See: Forms of You)
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Blessed will you be
This can be stated in active form. AT: "Yahweh will bless you" (See: Active or Passive)
in the city ... in the field
This merism means that Yahweh will bless them everywhere. (See: Merism)
the fruit of your body, and the fruit of your ground, and the fruit of your beasts
These idioms for "your children, and your crops, and all your animals" form a merism for everything the Israelites valued. (See: Idiom and Merism)
the fruit of your beasts, the increase of your cattle, and the young of your flock
This doublet is three ways of saying that Yahweh will make the Israelites' animals many and strong. AT: "all of your animals along with the calves of the cattle and the lambs of the flocks" (See: Doublet)
translationWords
bless
fruit
body
beast
cow
flocks
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv5, 7, 10, 12, 13 28:5 The breadboards were blessed because the harvest was…
28:5 The breadboards were blessed because the harvest was blessed.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.