Deuteronomy 7:14
You shall be blessed above all peoples. There shall not be male or female barren among you or among your livestock.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The verse promises a unique blessing: not just an absence of childlessness, but a profound fertility that extends to every aspect of life, including livestock. This emphasizes that God's favor is meant to bring forth life and abundance in tangible, pervasive ways, showing His care for His people's entire existence.
This verse continues God's promises to Israel if they obey Him, following the command to drive out the Canaanites and not intermarry with them. It highlights the abundant blessings awaiting them, directly contrasting the potential fruitfulness promised here with the curses of disobedience detailed later in Deuteronomy. This assurance of God's favor, expressed through prolific life, sets the stage for further instructions about how Israel should live in the promised land.
Why does God promise to bless some people more than others? What does 'above all peoples' really mean?
Deuteronomy 7:14 opens with a powerful declaration: 'You shall be blessed above all peoples.' This wasn't just about having more stuff; it was about a distinct relationship with God.
A Covenantal Distinction
God chose Israel to be His special people. This blessing wasn't earned through their merit, but flowed from God's faithfulness to His covenant promises, made to their ancestors like Abraham. He set them apart to reflect His glory to the nations. Being blessed 'above all peoples' meant they were to be a living testimony to His power and goodness, experiencing a richness of life – spiritual and physical – that set them apart.
More Than Just Abundance
While physical prosperity was part of it, the ultimate blessing was being in covenant with the Creator. This included the spiritual blessings of knowing Him, having His law, and the promises of salvation that pointed towards Jesus. The physical blessings were meant to be a visible sign of these deeper, spiritual realities.
Barrenness was a deep sorrow in biblical times. What does God's promise to eliminate it signify?
The second part of the verse tackles barrenness directly: 'There shall not be male or female barren among you or among your livestock.' This promise speaks volumes about God's intention for His people.
Life and Continuity
In an agrarian society, fruitfulness was essential for survival and prosperity. Barrenness, whether for people or animals, represented a lack of God's favor and threatened the continuation of the family line and the community's livelihood. God's promise here was a powerful assurance that He would actively ensure their continuation and abundance.
A Sign of God's Favor
This wasn't just about population growth; it was a sign of God's active blessing and protection. It meant His people and their resources would thrive, free from the sorrow and stigma of infertility. It demonstrated that their prosperity was a direct result of His covenant faithfulness, not just chance. The blessing extended to every aspect of their lives, ensuring their future and their ability to fulfill the purpose God had for them.
Understand the original words
aqar · Hebrew Adjective
The state of being infertile or unable to bear offspring. In the biblical context, it was often viewed as a form of judgment or a lack of blessing, contrasting with the promise of divine life and growth.
This passage echoes the promise of blessing and multiplication given to Abraham, establishing the theme of God's favor being poured out on His chosen people, making them a source of blessing to others.
Exodus 23:25-26Here, God directly links blessing and the removal of barrenness, including among livestock, to the people's obedience, reinforcing the conditional nature of these promises in Deuteronomy 7.
Psalm 128:3This Psalm beautifully illustrates the domestic blessings promised, speaking of a wife like a fruitful vine and children like olive shoots, directly connecting fertility and family prosperity with faithfulness to God.
Malachi 3:10-11In this passage, God challenges the people to test Him by bringing their tithes, promising an overflowing blessing and protection from destruction, mirroring the comprehensive blessing and security promised in Deuteronomy 7.
gillDeuteronomy 7:14: "Thou shalt be blessed above all people: there shall not be male or female barren among you, or among your cattle."
Thou shalt be blessed above all people,.... Even with temporal blessings, besides those of a religious kind; they having the oracles of God, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises, Romans 3:1 , there shall not be male or female barren among you; which to be was reckoned a reproach, and the contrary a blessing, Luke 1:25 Psalm 1…
calvinDeuteronomy 7:9-15: "Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;"
And he will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee: he will also bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land, thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep, in the land which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee.
Diliget quoq…
The verse promises a unique blessing: not just an absence of childlessness, but a profound fertility that extends to every aspect of life, including livestock. This emphasizes that God's favor is meant to bring forth life and abundance in tangible, pervasive ways, showing His care for His people's entire existence.
This verse continues God's promises to Israel if they obey Him, following the command to drive out the Canaanites and not intermarry with them. It highlights the abundant blessings awaiting them, directly contrasting the potential fruitfulness promised here with the curses of disobedience detailed later in Deuteronomy. This assurance of God's favor, expressed through prolific life, sets the stage for further instructions about how Israel should live in the promised land.
This verse continues God's promises to Israel if they obey Him, following the command to drive out the Canaanites and not intermarry with them. It highlights the abundant blessings awaiting them, directly contrasting the potential fruitfulness promised here with the curses of disobedience detailed later in Deuteronomy. This assurance of God's favor, expressed through prolific life, sets the stage for further instructions about how Israel should live in the promised land.
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"You shall be blessed above all peoples. There shall not be male or female barren among you or among your livestock." — The verse promises a unique blessing: not just an absence of childlessness, but a profound fertility that extends to every aspect of life, including livestock. This emphasizes that God's favor is mea…
