Deuteronomy 28:17-19
Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. Cursed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The verse isn't just about general bad luck; it pinpoints specific, everyday objects—your basket for food, your bowl for mixing dough—to show that the curse would infiltrate the most intimate aspects of life. This highlights how disobedience would taint even the basic necessities, making sustenance itself a source of dread rather than provision.
This passage is part of a lengthy section where Moses outlines the blessings for obedience and the severe curses for disobedience to God's covenant. These curses are presented as direct consequences, meant to show the people the devastating results of turning away from God and His commands. The verse describes the specific ways their provision and sustenance will be affected, highlighting how even the most basic elements of daily life will be marred by God's displeasure.
What does it mean for your food to be 'cursed'? This verse points to a profound disruption of the ordinary, everyday blessings we often take for granted.
Deuteronomy 28:17 speaks of the "basket and thy kneading bowl" being cursed. These weren't just random items; they represented the very sustenance of life.
The Essentials of Life
When these were cursed, it meant that the fundamental elements of daily living—what you eat and how you prepare it—would be tainted. This wasn't about a specific object being flawed, but about the provision itself being under God's displeasure, making sustenance itself a source of anxiety rather than comfort. It illustrates how obedience or disobedience can affect even the most basic aspects of our lives.
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God's curses aren't arbitrary punishments; they often reflect a reversal of the blessings He originally intended.
The curses in Deuteronomy 28 are presented as the direct consequence of disobedience. If Israel turned away from God, the very things that were meant to be signs of His favor would become instruments of His judgment.
The Reversal of Provision
Understand the original words
tene · Hebrew Noun
The physical container used for gathering produce; symbolic of one's economic livelihood, daily sustenance, and the results of one's labor.
mish'eret · Hebrew Noun
A vessel used for preparing food, representing domestic security and the basic necessities of life. Its inclusion highlights that judgment touches the most private and foundational aspects of daily existence.
p'ri beten · Hebrew Noun phrase
Refers to offspring or children. In biblical thought, children are considered a primary blessing from the Lord; therefore, the cursing of the womb signifies the loss of future lineage and hope.
p'ri adamah · Hebrew Noun phrase
Represents the totality of a person's agricultural production and prosperity. When cursed, the land fails to provide the life-sustaining nourishment intended by God.
shegar alaphim / ashtarot tson · Hebrew Noun phrase
Represents wealth, provision, and capital in an agrarian society. Livestock were vital for survival, and their failure signifies economic ruin and divine judgment upon one's stewardship.
bo / yatsa · Hebrew Verb phrase
Refers to the entirety of one's life activities, daily movements, and engagements. It signifies that there is no aspect of life—public, private, internal, or external—that remains untouched by the consequences of one's covenantal standing.
These curses, deeply rooted in the covenantal relationship God established with Israel, were experienced most acutely during and after the Babylonian exile. The destruction of homes, the loss of agricultural produce, and the inability to sustain daily life through normal means vividly illustrate the consequences of disobedience.
c. 1446 BC
Giving of the Law at Sinai
God gives the Israelites the Law, including the blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience as recorded in Deuteronomy.
c. 1406 BC
Entering the Promised Land
After 40 years of wandering, the Israelites enter and begin to conquer Canaan, the land promised to Abraham and his descendants.
c. 1000 BC
United Monarchy
Israel reaches its zenith under Kings Saul, David, and Solomon, enjoying periods of peace and prosperity.
931 BC
Division of the Kingdom
Following Solomon's reign, the united kingdom splits into two: the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah.
722 BC
Fall of Samaria
The Assyrian Empire conquers the Northern Kingdom of Israel, scattering its people and ending its existence as a distinct entity.
586 BC— this verse
Fall of Jerusalem
The Babylonian Empire under Nebuchadnezzar II conquers the Southern Kingdom of Judah, destroys Jerusalem and the Temple, and exiles many of its people.
539 BC
Persian Conquest
Cyrus the Great of Persia conquers Babylon, allowing exiled peoples, including many Jews, to return to their homelands.
The parable of the Good Samaritan highlights the importance of practical, everyday provisions like a basket and a place to store goods, showing how essential they are for life's journey.
Genesis 30:20Rachel's naming of her son 'Zebulun' (meaning 'dwelling' or 'provision') reflects the deep desire for abundance and settled provision, which the curse in Deuteronomy directly undermines.
1 Samuel 30:11This passage describes David's men finding food and provisions that had been plundered, illustrating the very things—food in baskets and stores—that would be cursed and unavailable to those who disobeyed.
Jeremiah 40:10Jeremiah is told to collect wine and summer fruits, showing the normal, blessed outcome of agricultural labor which is directly contrasted with the cursed produce mentioned in Deuteronomy.
calvinDeuteronomy 28:15-68: "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:"
- 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 th…
gillDeuteronomy 28:17: "Cursed shall be thy basket and thy store."
Cursed shall be thy basket and thy store. See Gill on Deuteronomy 28:5 , Deuteronomy 28:16 .
The verse isn't just about general bad luck; it pinpoints specific, everyday objects—your basket for food, your bowl for mixing dough—to show that the curse would infiltrate the most intimate aspects of life. This highlights how disobedience would taint even the basic necessities, making sustenance itself a source of dread rather than provision.
This passage is part of a lengthy section where Moses outlines the blessings for obedience and the severe curses for disobedience to God's covenant. These curses are presented as direct consequences, meant to show the people the devastating results of turning away from God and His commands. The verse describes the specific ways their provision and sustenance will be affected, highlighting how even the most basic elements of daily life will be marred by God's displeasure.
This passage is part of a lengthy section where Moses outlines the blessings for obedience and the severe curses for disobedience to God's covenant. These curses are presented as direct consequences, meant to show the people the devastating results of turning away from God and His commands. The verse describes the specific ways their provision and sustenance will be affected, highlighting how even the most basic elements of daily life will be marred by God's displeasure.
"Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. Cursed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be…" — The verse isn't just about general bad luck; it pinpoints specific, everyday objects—your basket for food, your bowl for mixing dough—to show that the curse would infiltrate the most intimate aspects…
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