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Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Deuteronomy 28:15-44

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... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Deuteronomy 28:25

The Lord shall cause thee to be smitten fore thine enemies ,.... And by them, as they sometimes were by the Philistines and others, before their utter destruction, when they sinned against the Lord; and by the Assyrians, Babylonians, and Romans: thou shall go out one way against them, and flee seven ways before them ; march out against them in a body, promising themselves victory, but be utterly routed; so that they shall flee every way they can for their safety; see Deuteronomy 28:7 ,... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Deuteronomy 28:25

Verse 25 25.The Lord shall cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies. What He had briefly threatened in His mention of “the sword,” He now more fully pursues, that they should be given up to the will of their enemies, so as to be indiscriminately slaughtered. We have previously seen that those who execute punishment on the transgressors of the Law, are stirred up and armed by the just judgment of God; Moses does not now touch on that point, but merely declares that the enemies of the people... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Deuteronomy 28:15-44

The Nemesis of disloyalty. It is instructive that Moses dilates with far greater fullness on the curses attached to disloyalty than on the rewards of disobedience. In the childhood of the world people were more under the influence of fear than of hope, more deterred by threatening than drawn by promise. The message of Moses was admirably adapted to the people's need. I. THE EQUITY OF THESE CURSES . 1. Disobedience under such circumstances of privilege was eminently base... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Deuteronomy 28:15-48

The curse. Like the blessing, the curse is a reality. It cleaves to the sinner, pursues him, hunts him down, ruins and slays him ( Deuteronomy 28:45 ). Does some one say, "An exploded superstition"? If so, it is a superstition in the belief of which mankind has shown itself singularly unanimous. View its reality as attested: 1. By conscience . The criminal cannot divest himself of the belief that avenging powers are following on his track. 2. By experience . "Rarely,"... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Deuteronomy 28:15-68

The curse . In case of disobedience and apostasy, not only would the blessing be withheld, but a curse would descend, blighting, destructive, and ruinous. As the blessing was set forth in six announcements ( Deuteronomy 28:3-6 ), the curse is proclaimed in form and number corresponding ( Deuteronomy 28:16-19 ). The curse thus appears as the exact counterpart of the blessing. The different forms in which the threatened curse should break forth are then detailed in five groups. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Deuteronomy 28:15-68

Love veiled in frown. Probably many may think that this is one of the most awful chapters in the Word of God. Certainly we are not aware of any other in which there is such a long succession of warnings, increasing in terror as they advance. In fact, Matthew Henry tells us of a wicked man who was so enraged at reading this chapter that he tore the leaf out of his Bible! Impotent rage! Impotent as if, when a man dreaded an eclipse of the sun, he were to tear up the announcements thereof. ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Deuteronomy 28:15-68

A nation becoming a beacon. If Mount Gerizim had the weight cf. the people on the side of the blessing, Mount Ebal had certainly the weight of the deliverance. No wonder the Law was to be written on its rocky tablets, since the major part of the Law consists in such denunciation of possible disobedience as might serve to render it improbable. As Dr. Arnold has said, "As if, too, warning were far more required than encouragement, we find that the blessings promised for obedience bear a... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Deuteronomy 28:20-26

First group . The curse should come upon them in various forms of evil, filling them with terror and dismay, and threatening them with utter ruin (cf. Malachi 2:2 ). read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Deuteronomy 28:25-26

Utter defeat in battle (the opposite of the blessing promised, Deuteronomy 28:7 ) and dispersion among the nations are threatened, with the utmost indignity to those who were slain, in their bodies being left unburied to be devoured by birds of prey and wild beasts (cf. 1 Kings 14:11 ; Psalms 79:2 ; Jeremiah 7:33 ; Jeremiah 16:4 , etc.). S halt be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth ; literally, shalt be a tossing to and fro to all the kingdoms , etc.; "a ball for all... read more

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