Deuteronomy 28:22
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)
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What's easy to miss here is the specific, almost intimate way God details the suffering. It’s not just "disease," but "consumption" and "fever," followed by "blasting" and "mildew" on crops, showing how everything—body and sustenance—would be attacked. This isn't random misfortune; it's a direct, comprehensive consequence designed to feel personal and inescapable, pursued relentlessly until destruction.
This passage is part of a long list of curses that God warns the Israelites will come upon them if they disobey His commands. These curses are presented as a direct consequence of their disobedience, following the blessings promised for faithfulness detailed earlier in the chapter. This verse specifically describes severe diseases and agricultural devastation that will afflict them until they are utterly destroyed.
God's covenant with Israel wasn't just about rules; it was a profound relationship. What happens when that relationship breaks down?
Deuteronomy 28 lays out a stark reality: obedience to God's commands leads to blessing, while disobedience brings curses. This verse, Deuteronomy 28:22, is a vivid example of these curses. The 'wasting disease,' 'fever,' 'inflammation,' and 'burning' describe physical afflictions that would ravage the people. But it doesn't stop there. 'Drought,' 'blight,' and 'mildew' speak to the destruction of their crops and livelihood. This isn't random misfortune; it's the direct consequence of turning away from God. As John Calvin noted, these curses 'shall come upon thee, and overtake thee' because of a failure to 'hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.' This highlights that God’s commands are not arbitrary burdens, but the very framework for life and flourishing.
These aren't vague threats. God details the suffering Israel would face, leaving no room for misinterpretation.
The language used in Deuteronomy 28:22 is remarkably specific. Scholars note that 'consumption' likely refers to a wasting disease, 'fever' to a burning sickness, 'inflammation' and 'extreme burning' to severe bodily afflictions. The agricultural curses—'drought,' 'blasting,' and 'mildew'—paint a picture of utter devastation. This isn't just symbolic; it speaks to tangible suffering. Adam Clarke points out that the first five plagues fall on their bodies and the last two on their substance. The phrase 'they shall pursue thee until thou perish' emphasizes the relentless and all-encompassing nature of this judgment. It's a picture of God’s justice actively and deliberately bringing destruction upon those who abandon His covenant.
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Understand the original words
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 is a stark warning within the covenantal framework God established with Israel. The detailed plagues listed here vividly depict the consequences of breaking that covenant. The historical context shows that these were not mere abstract threats but devastating realities Israel faced, particularly during the Babylonian conquest and exile, when their land was ravaged, their people suffered disease and famine, and their nation was scattered.
c. 1400 BC
Moses Delivers the Law
Moses delivers the final instructions and covenant stipulations to the Israelites on the plains of Moab, just before they enter the Promised Land.
c. 1400 BC - 586 BC
Period of the Judges and United/Divided Monarchy
The Israelites enter Canaan and experience periods of faithfulness and unfaithfulness, leading to cycles of divine discipline and deliverance under Judges and Kings.
722 BC
Fall of the Northern Kingdom
The Assyrian Empire conquers the northern kingdom of Israel, deporting many of its citizens and scattering them among conquered territories.
586 BC— this verse
Fall of Jerusalem and Babylonian Exile
The Babylonian Empire conquers the southern kingdom of Judah, destroys Jerusalem and the Temple, and exiles a significant portion of the population.
539 BC
Cyrus the Great's Conquest of Babylon
The Persian Empire, led by Cyrus the Great, overthrows the Babylonian Empire, allowing the exiled Judeans to begin returning to their homeland.
This passage also describes sicknesses and diseases as a consequence of disobedience, mirroring the 'consumption, fever, and burning' detailed in Deuteronomy.
Jeremiah 5:15This verse speaks of a foreign nation coming to judge Israel, emphasizing their unfamiliar language and ferocity, which aligns with the idea of overwhelming, inescapable judgment present in Deuteronomy's curses.
Amos 4:9This verse uses the same imagery of 'blasting and mildew' destroying crops, highlighting how natural calamities are instruments of God's judgment for turning away from Him.
Luke 21:24Jesus speaks of Jerusalem falling and being trampled by the Gentiles, a fulfillment of curses like those in Deuteronomy, showing the ultimate consequence of rejecting God's covenant.
Romans 8:22Paul describes creation itself groaning and suffering, reflecting a universal fallenness that echoes the brokenness and suffering described in Deuteronomy as a result of sin.
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 28:22: "The LORD shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish."
The Lord shall smite thee with a consumption,.... An emaciation of their bodies, either through famine or wasting diseases, whereby the fluids are washed off, and men are reduced to skin and bones: and with a fever; a hot burning disease, which dries up the…
What's easy to miss here is the specific, almost intimate way God details the suffering. It’s not just "disease," but "consumption" and "fever," followed by "blasting" and "mildew" on crops, showing how everything—body and sustenance—would be attacked. This isn't random misfortune; it's a direct, comprehensive consequence designed to feel personal and inescapable, pursued relentlessly until destruction.
This passage is part of a long list of curses that God warns the Israelites will come upon them if they disobey His commands. These curses are presented as a direct consequence of their disobedience, following the blessings promised for faithfulness detailed earlier in the chapter. This verse specifically describes severe diseases and agricultural devastation that will afflict them until they are utterly destroyed.
This passage is part of a long list of curses that God warns the Israelites will come upon them if they disobey His commands. These curses are presented as a direct consequence of their disobedience, following the blessings promised for faithfulness detailed earlier in the chapter. This verse specifically describes severe diseases and agricultural devastation that will afflict them until they are utterly destroyed.
"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." — What's easy to miss here is the specific, almost intimate way God details the suffering. It’s not just "disease," but "consumption" and "fever," followed by "blasting" and "mildew" on crops, showing…
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