Deuteronomy 28:63
And as the LORD took delight in doing you good and multiplying you, so the LORD will take delight in bringing ruin upon you and destroying you. And you shall be plucked off the land that you are entering to take possession of it.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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What's easily missed here is the mirroring of God's "delight." Just as He took delight in blessing and multiplying them, He will also take delight in their destruction. This isn't a detached, administrative act, but a reflection of His profound investment in their obedience and flourishing.
This verse concludes a lengthy section detailing the dire curses that will befall Israel if they disobey God. It contrasts God's former delight in blessing and multiplying them with His future "delight" in their destruction as a consequence of their persistent sin and rejection of His law. This ultimate judgment emphasizes their forced removal from the very land He had promised them.
The same God who delighted in blessing Israel now delights in their destruction. How can we understand this stark contrast?
This verse presents a profound, even unsettling, symmetry. God's
The ultimate consequence of disobedience isn't just suffering, but the loss of God's specific dwelling place. What does this land represent?
The physical land of Canaan was more than just real estate; it was the tangible manifestation of God's covenant presence and promises. It was where God chose to dwell among His people. To be "plucked from off the land" signifies a complete severance from this divine favor and presence. It's a loss of inheritance, security, and the very place where God's name resided.
This wasn't just a geographical displacement; it was a spiritual excommunication. It meant being cast out from the place where God's people were meant to flourish under His direct rule and protection. The promise was to possess the land, but disobedience led to being violently removed, leaving them vulnerable and without their divinely appointed home.
Understand the original words
sus · Hebrew Verb
To take pleasure or joy in a person or a course of action; it characterizes God's disposition toward His people, both in blessing and in righteous judgment.
nasach · Hebrew Verb
To be rooted out or violently removed from a place; often used metaphorically for the removal of a people from the land promised to them.
This verse encapsulates the ultimate consequence of repeated covenant violation: complete dispossession from the land God graciously gave them. The historical context shows a pattern of God's faithfulness in judgment, culminating in the destruction of Jerusalem and subsequent scattering of His people, a stark contrast to His initial joy in multiplying them.
c. 1400 BC
Israel Enters Canaan
After 40 years in the wilderness, the Israelites, under Joshua's leadership, enter and begin to conquer the Promised Land. This marks the beginning of their national life in the territory promised to Abraham.
c. 931 BC
Divided Kingdom
Following King Solomon's death, the united kingdom splits into two: the Northern Kingdom of Israel (10 tribes) and the Southern Kingdom of Judah (2 tribes). This division leads to increased idolatry and political instability.
722 BC
Fall of Samaria
The Neo-Assyrian Empire conquers the Northern Kingdom of Israel, deporting its inhabitants and scattering them. This event fulfills many of the curses in Deuteronomy, signifying a major loss of land and identity.
586 BC— this verse
Fall of Jerusalem
The Neo-Babylonian Empire destroys Jerusalem and its Temple, exiling the people of Judah. This is a catastrophic fulfillment of the covenant curses, signifying complete dispossession from the Promised Land.
This passage echoes the sentiment of God taking delight in His people, but shifts it to His delight in doing them good and showing them steadfast love, offering a contrast to the 'delight in destruction' found in Deuteronomy.
Hosea 11:8Hosea expresses God's inner turmoil and compassion when contemplating judgment, showing a profound contrast to the 'rejoicing' in destruction, highlighting God's complex emotions towards His people even in judgment.
Leviticus 26:17This passage describes God sending terror, disease, and defeat before enemies as a consequence of disobedience, directly paralleling the severe judgments threatened in Deuteronomy 28.
Psalm 78:59-61This Psalm recounts Israel's repeated unfaithfulness and God's subsequent anger and abandonment of the Tabernacle, illustrating the principle of divine judgment following persistent sin.
Romans 11:22Paul speaks of God's severity and kindness toward believers, showing that even in judgment, there is a framework of God's overarching plan, offering a New Testament perspective on divine discipline.
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 28:63: "And it shall come to pass, that as the LORD rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you; so the LORD will rejoice over you to destroy you, and to bring you to nought; and ye shall be plucked from off the land whither thou goest to possess it."
And it shall come to pass, that as the Lord rejoiced over you to do you good,.... The Word of the Lord, as the Targum of Jonathan; who with great delight and pleasure in them brought them out of Egypt, conducted them through…
What's easily missed here is the mirroring of God's "delight." Just as He took delight in blessing and multiplying them, He will also take delight in their destruction. This isn't a detached, administrative act, but a reflection of His profound investment in their obedience and flourishing.
This verse concludes a lengthy section detailing the dire curses that will befall Israel if they disobey God. It contrasts God's former delight in blessing and multiplying them with His future "delight" in their destruction as a consequence of their persistent sin and rejection of His law. This ultimate judgment emphasizes their forced removal from the very land He had promised them.
This verse concludes a lengthy section detailing the dire curses that will befall Israel if they disobey God. It contrasts God's former delight in blessing and multiplying them with His future "delight" in their destruction as a consequence of their persistent sin and rejection of His law. This ultimate judgment emphasizes their forced removal from the very land He had promised them.
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539 BC
Cyrus's Decree
The Persian Empire, under Cyrus the Great, conquers Babylon. Cyrus issues a decree allowing the Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their Temple.
AD 135
Bar Kokhba Revolt Suppressed
Following a major Jewish revolt against Roman rule, Emperor Hadrian expels Jews from Jerusalem and renames the province 'Syria Palaestina.' This event leads to a near-complete diaspora from the land.
"And as the LORD took delight in doing you good and multiplying you, so the LORD will take delight in bringing ruin upon you and destroying you. And you shall be plucked off the land that you are entering to take possession of it." — What's easily missed here is the mirroring of God's "delight." Just as He took delight in blessing and multiplying them, He will also take delight in their destruction. This isn't a detached, adminis…
