Deuteronomy 28:63-64
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The verse highlights a chilling symmetry: just as God took "delight" in blessing and multiplying Israel, He will take "delight" in their destruction. This isn't a passive observation of ruin, but an active, almost joyful, divine action mirroring His former pleasure in their prosperity, a powerful testament to His complete commitment to upholding His covenant, for good or ill.
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. “And the LORD will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other, and there you shall serve other gods of wood and stone, which neither you nor your fathers have known.
English Standard Version (ESV)
These verses deliver the stark consequences of disobedience, detailing the devastating curses that will fall upon Israel if they break their covenant with God. This climactic warning contrasts the blessings of obedience with the complete ruin that awaits them, emphasizing that God's faithfulness is a two-edged sword: He delights in their well-being when they follow Him, and He will equally "delight" in their destruction when they turn away.
The verse uses a word for 'rejoice' to describe both God's blessing and His judgment. How can the same emotion describe such opposite actions?
This verse paints a stark picture of divine action. When Israel obeyed, God's delight was in their flourishing and growth. He found pleasure in blessing them, multiplying them, and seeing them thrive in the promised land. This wasn't a reluctant duty for God; it was a source of delight.
However, when Israel turned away from Him, the same divine delight would be directed towards their destruction. This doesn't mean God relishes suffering. Instead, it highlights the justice of His wrath. As His perfect law is broken, His righteous nature demands a response. His 'rejoicing' in destruction signifies the completeness and decisiveness of His judgment, bringing to nothing those who persistently reject Him. It's the delight of a king in executing righteous judgment against rebels.
What makes losing the promised land such a devastating outcome, and why is it described so graphically?
The promised land was far more than just real estate for Israel. It was the physical embodiment of God's covenant, His presence, and His blessing. It was a land flowing with milk and honey, a gift of abundance and security, a tangible sign of God's faithfulness.
To be 'plucked' from this land signifies a complete severance from God's intended provision and presence. It's a violent, involuntary removal, like a weed being ripped from fertile soil. This loss wasn't just about geographical displacement; it represented a loss of identity, a loss of God's direct favor, and a loss of the covenant promises. It was the ultimate consequence of breaking faith, a stark reminder that disobedience forfeits the greatest blessings.
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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.
putz · Hebrew Verb
To disperse or drive away; often used in the context of judgment where a population is scattered as punishment for covenant breaking.
ets va-aven · Hebrew Noun phrase
Used in Scripture to describe inanimate idols fashioned by human hands, highlighting their impotence and lack of divinity compared to the Creator God.
This passage reflects the dire consequences of covenant unfaithfulness, looking back at the history of God's people. The threats of scattering and exile, so vividly described, were tragically fulfilled through the Assyrian conquest of the Northern Kingdom and the Babylonian conquest of Judah and Jerusalem. The later Roman expulsion after the Bar Kokhba revolt further cemented this outcome.
c. 1400 BC
Conquest of Canaan
Following their exodus from Egypt, the Israelites, under Joshua's leadership, conquered the Promised Land, a land promised to them by God.
c. 931 BC
Division of the Kingdom
After King Solomon's reign, the unified kingdom of Israel split into two: the Northern Kingdom of Israel (ten tribes) and the Southern Kingdom of Judah (two tribes).
722 BC
Fall of the Northern Kingdom
The Assyrian Empire conquered the Northern Kingdom of Israel, exiling its people and scattering them among the nations, effectively ending their existence as a distinct people.
586 BC— this verse
Fall of Jerusalem and the Southern Kingdom
The Neo-Babylonian Empire conquered Judah, destroyed Jerusalem and its Temple, and exiled a significant portion of the population to Babylon.
c. 539 BC
Return from Exile
The Persian Empire conquered Babylon, allowing some Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem and begin rebuilding the Temple and their community.
AD 135
Bar Kokhba Revolt and Diaspora
Following a major revolt against Roman rule, Emperor Hadrian expelled most Jews from Jerusalem and Judea, scattering them widely throughout the Roman Empire and beyond.
This passage echoes the language of delight and rejoicing found in Deuteronomy, but applies it to God's pleasure in doing good to His people, serving as a powerful contrast to the 'rejoicing' in destruction described in Deuteronomy 28:63.
Ezekiel 5:8This verse describes God bringing judgment upon Israel through a foreign nation, highlighting the 'plucking' and scattering of people from their land, which directly parallels the fate described in Deuteronomy 28:63.
Romans 11:21Paul uses the imagery of branches being 'broken off' from an olive tree to describe Israel's falling away from God's favor due to disobedience, reflecting the concept of being 'plucked' from the land in Deuteronomy 28:63.
Lamentations 1:5This passage speaks of enemies becoming heads and their ways prospering against Jerusalem, directly illustrating the reversal of fortune and the distress that comes from God's displeasure, mirroring the destructive consequences in Deuteronomy 28:63.
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…
The verse highlights a chilling symmetry: just as God took "delight" in blessing and multiplying Israel, He will take "delight" in their destruction. This isn't a passive observation of ruin, but an active, almost joyful, divine action mirroring His former pleasure in their prosperity, a powerful testament to His complete commitment to upholding His covenant, for good or ill.
These verses deliver the stark consequences of disobedience, detailing the devastating curses that will fall upon Israel if they break their covenant with God. This climactic warning contrasts the blessings of obedience with the complete ruin that awaits them, emphasizing that God's faithfulness is a two-edged sword: He delights in their well-being when they follow Him, and He will equally "delight" in their destruction when they turn away.
These verses deliver the stark consequences of disobedience, detailing the devastating curses that will fall upon Israel if they break their covenant with God. This climactic warning contrasts the blessings of obedience with the complete ruin that awaits them, emphasizing that God's faithfulness is a two-edged sword: He delights in their well-being when they follow Him, and He will equally "delight" in their destruction when they turn away.
"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. “And the…" — The verse highlights a chilling symmetry: just as God took "delight" in blessing and multiplying Israel, He will take "delight" in their destruction. This isn't a passive observation of ruin, but an…
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Last reviewed October 2026
