Deuteronomy 28:21-22
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The verse doesn't just mention pestilence, it says God will "make it cleave" to them, like it's glued on. This isn't a passing illness, but a relentless affliction that sticks with them, consuming them right there in the land they longed to possess.
The LORD will make the pestilence stick to you until he has consumed you off the land that you are entering to take possession of it. The LORD will strike you with wasting disease and with fever, inflammation and fiery heat, and with drought and with blight and with mildew. They shall pursue you until you perish.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This passage is part of a lengthy list of curses that Moses pronounces upon the Israelites if they disobey God's covenant. These curses detail the severe consequences they will face, ranging from widespread disease and agricultural failure to military defeat and exile. They serve as a stark warning of what will happen if the people turn away from the commands and statutes God is giving them.
Imagine a sickness that doesn't just pass through, but sticks to you, draining your life away. This isn't just bad luck; it's a deliberate action from God.
The verse uses the word 'cleave' (or 'stick') to describe the pestilence. This isn't a fleeting illness, but one that clings relentlessly.
A Deliberate Action
God declares, 'The LORD shall make the pestilence cleave unto you.' This emphasizes that this plague isn't a random event. It's a direct consequence, a divine action, sent to bring about a specific outcome: consumption. This shows that God is not passive when His commands are ignored.
The Goal: Consumption
The purpose of this persistent plague is to 'consume' the people. It's not about temporary suffering but about utter destruction and removal from the land they were promised. This highlights the seriousness and finality of God's judgment when His people turn away from Him.
They were about to enter a land overflowing with milk and honey, a land God promised them. But if they disobeyed, that very land would become the stage for their destruction.
The curse in Deuteronomy 28 is profoundly tied to the land God was giving Israel.
The Land as a Witness
The pestilence is not just meant to afflict the people but to consume them 'from off the land that you are entering to take possession of it.' This means the very place God promised as an inheritance would become the instrument of their judgment and expulsion.
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A Warning Against Idolatry and Disobedience
This emphasizes that their relationship with God was conditional on their obedience within the promised land. Turning away from God meant forfeiting not just His blessing but also the land itself. The land, a symbol of God's covenant faithfulness, would bear witness to their unfaithfulness and become the site of their undoing.
Understand the original words
Yahweh · Hebrew Proper Noun
The personal, covenantal name of God in the Old Testament, representing His self-existence, faithfulness, and holiness. It is the name by which He revealed Himself to Moses at the burning bush.
deber · Hebrew Noun
A severe, infectious, and often fatal disease or plague, frequently used in the Bible as a divine instrument of judgment against rebellion or covenant breaking.
kalah · Hebrew Verb
To eat up, swallow, or destroy completely. In a theological context, it often refers to divine judgment that brings an end to a person, nation, or object.
shachepeth · Hebrew Noun
A condition characterized by physical decay, weakness, or intense suffering. When sent as a judgment, it signifies a withdrawal of divine health and blessing.
choreb · Hebrew Noun
A condition of extreme lack of water, causing the soil to harden and crops to die. In scripture, rain and fruitfulness are signs of divine blessing, while drought symbolizes divine judgment.
shiddaphon · Hebrew Noun
A plant disease or scorching effect often caused by wind or intense heat, representing the divine removal of provision and the inability of the land to sustain life.
yerachon · Hebrew Noun
A fungal growth on crops, symbolizing the corruption of the fruits of labor and the curse upon the ground due to disobedience.
This verse speaks to the devastating consequences of persistent disobedience, particularly the threat of widespread disease and death that could depopulate the very land God promised as an inheritance. The historical context of the Babylonian exile powerfully illustrates this curse, where pestilence and famine were rampant amidst the destruction of Jerusalem and the loss of the homeland.
c. 1400 BC
Conquest of Canaan
After wandering in the desert, the Israelites, under Joshua's leadership, begin the conquest of the Promised Land. This period establishes the context for the blessings and curses detailed in Deuteronomy.
c. 1000 BC
United Monarchy Established
Saul, David, and Solomon reign over a united Israel. This era represents a high point of national prosperity and divine favor, but also seeds of future division.
931 BC
Division of the Kingdom
Following Solomon's death, the kingdom splits into the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah, often engaging in conflict and idolatry.
722 BC
Fall of Samaria and Northern Exile
The Assyrian Empire conquers the Northern Kingdom of Israel, exiling its people. This event serves as a stark warning of the consequences of disobedience.
586 BC— this verse
Fall of Jerusalem and Babylonian Exile
The Babylonian Empire destroys Jerusalem and its Temple, exiling the remaining Judeans. This is the most profound fulfillment of the curses in Deuteronomy.
539 BC
Cyrus's Decree and Return from Exile
The Persian Empire under Cyrus allows the Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple, marking a partial restoration but with the memory of past judgments.
This passage directly parallels the threat of plague and pestilence as a consequence of disobedience, highlighting God's judgment when His covenant is broken.
Jeremiah 14:12Jeremiah prophesies a similar fate of destruction by sword, famine, and pestilence, showing how this curse in Deuteronomy echoes in later prophetic warnings to a disobedient nation.
Ezekiel 14:21Ezekiel lists the 'four grievous judgments' of God—sword, famine, wild beasts, and pestilence—as coming upon Jerusalem, illustrating the catastrophic fulfillment of these curses.
Revelation 6:8The rider on the pale horse is given authority to kill by 'sword, famine, and pestilence, and by the wild beasts of the earth,' showing the enduring theme of plague as a divine instrument of judgment throughout Scripture.
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 28:21: "The LORD shall make the pestilence cleave unto thee, until he have consumed thee from off the land, whither thou goest to possess it."
The Lord shall make the pestilence cleave unto thee,.... Not only to come upon them; but to continue with them: until he have consumed thee from off the land whither thou goest to possess it; which shows that this respects not some particular seasons, when the pestilence came and continued awhile, and then ceased, as in the times of David; bu…
The verse doesn't just mention pestilence, it says God will "make it cleave" to them, like it's glued on. This isn't a passing illness, but a relentless affliction that sticks with them, consuming them right there in the land they longed to possess.
This passage is part of a lengthy list of curses that Moses pronounces upon the Israelites if they disobey God's covenant. These curses detail the severe consequences they will face, ranging from widespread disease and agricultural failure to military defeat and exile. They serve as a stark warning of what will happen if the people turn away from the commands and statutes God is giving them.
This passage is part of a lengthy list of curses that Moses pronounces upon the Israelites if they disobey God's covenant. These curses detail the severe consequences they will face, ranging from widespread disease and agricultural failure to military defeat and exile. They serve as a stark warning of what will happen if the people turn away from the commands and statutes God is giving them.
"The LORD will make the pestilence stick to you until he has consumed you off the land that you are entering to take possession of it. The LORD will strike you with wasting disease and with fever, inflammation and fiery heat, and with droug…" — The verse doesn't just mention pestilence, it says God will "make it cleave" to them, like it's glued on. This isn't a passing illness, but a relentless affliction that sticks with them, consuming th…
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Last reviewed October 2026
