Deuteronomy 28:59 · Bible study
Deuteronomy 28:59 Commentary: Why God Makes Plagues Wonderful
Hebrew · 5 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Why does God make plagues 'wonderful' and 'of long continuance'? This study explores the Hebrew words and the terrifying scope of covenant curses.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God threatens to make covenant curses extraordinary and enduring, visible to all and lasting across generations.
- Key words: פָּלָא (hifla, 'make extraordinary') and נֶאֱמָנוֹת (ne'emanot, 'faithful, lasting').
- Main debate: Whether these curses are purely historical (fulfilled in Israel's exile and dispersion) or also typify God's final judgment against all unbelief.
- Theological theme: The certainty and severity of divine judgment in the covenant context; God's holiness demands a response.
- Best use: Teaching on the seriousness of sin, the corporate consequences of disobedience, and the wonder of the gospel that absorbs the curse.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
He will bring upon you and your descendants extraordinary disasters, severe and lasting plagues, and terrible and chronic sicknesses.
WEB World English Bible 2000
then Yahweh will make your plagues and the plagues of your offspring fearful, even great plagues, and of long duration, and severe sicknesses, and of long duration.
KJV King James Version 1769
Then the Lord will make thy plagues wonderful, and the plagues of thy seed, even great plagues, and of long continuance, and sore sicknesses, and of long continuance.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
then Jehovah will make thy plagues wonderful, and the plagues of thy seed, even great plagues, and of long continuance, and sore sicknesses, and of long continuance.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
then hath Jehovah made wonderful thy strokes, and the strokes of thy seed--great strokes, and stedfast, and evil sicknesses, and stedfast.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
then Jehovah will make thy plagues wonderful, and the plagues of thy seed, great and persistent plagues and evil and persistent sicknesses;
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
The Lord shall increase thy plagues, and the plagues of thy seed, plagues great and lasting, infirmities grievous and perpetual.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Jehová aumentará maravillosamente tus plagas y las plagas de tu simiente, plagas grandes y estables, y enfermedades malignas y duraderas;
O SENHOR aumentará maravilhosamente tuas pragas e as pragas de tua descendência, pragas grandes e duradouras, e enfermidades malignas e duradouras;
l’ Éternel te frappera miraculeusement, toi et ta postérité, par des plaies grandes et de longue durée, par des maladies graves et opiniâtres.
so wird der HERR erschrecklich mit dir umgehen, mit Plagen auf dich und deinen Samen, mit großen und langwierigen Plagen, mit bösen und langwierigen Krankheiten,
Zo zal de HEERE uw plagen wonderlijk maken, mitsgaders de plagen van uw zaad; het zullen grote en gewisse plagen, en boze en gewisse krankten zijn.
l’Eterno renderà straordinarie le piaghe con le quali colpirà te e la tua progenie: piaghe grandi e persistenti e malattie maligne e persistenti,
Rozmnoży na podziw Pan plagi twoje, i plagi nasienia twego, plagi wielkie i trwałe, także choroby złe i długie;
то Господь поразит тебя и потомство твое необычайными язвами, язвами великими и постоянными, и болезнями злыми и постоянными;
a
Then the Lord your God will make your punishment, and the punishment of your seed, a thing to be wondered at; great punishments and cruel diseases stretching on through long years.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Deuteronomy 28:59
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that this verse escalates the covenant curses to an unprecedented intensity. Gill notes that 'make thy plagues wonderful' means they become 'visible, remarkable, distinguishable, and astonishing to all who see them.' The Hebrew verb פָּלָא (hifla) carries the sense of doing something extraordinary, something that goes beyond ordinary experience. Cambridge Bible sees verse 59 as part of a further development of the curses, after verse 58 restates the condition of disobedience. The repeated phrase 'of long duration' (נֶאֱמָנוֹת, ne'emanot) is the same word used for 'faithful' or 'sure' in Isaiah 55:3. Gill explains that these plagues are not only great in quality and quantity but also 'firm, sure, lasting, and durable', they will remain upon Israel for centuries, as history confirms.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Literal historical view: Sees the plagues as literal diseases and disasters that befell Israel in the Assyrian and Babylonian exiles, then in the Roman destruction of Jerusalem and the ongoing diaspora.
- Typological / eschatological view: Reads the verse as a type of final judgment for all nations who reject God, with the 'wonderful' plagues prefiguring the tribulation and the lake of fire.
- Covenantal pedagogical view: Emphasizes that the curses are designed to teach Israel (and the Church) the seriousness of covenant breaking, pointing ultimately to the curse-bearing work of Christ.
What is clear: All traditions agree that God promises severe and enduring consequences for covenant disobedience, and that this judgment underscores His holiness and the gravity of sin.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning of 'wonderful' (הִפְלָא) | Christians agree the word describes plagues that are extraordinary, remarkable, and beyond normal human experience. | Some traditions emphasize this as a literal historical increase in severity; others see it as a theological marker pointing to the awe‑inspiring nature of God's judgment, which may include supernatural elements. |
| Duration of the curses | All traditions recognize that 'long continuance' means generations of suffering, not a short punishment. | Dispensationalists see an interruption with the church age and a future fulfillment for national Israel; covenant theologians view the curses as fulfilled in Israel's history with ongoing application as a warning. |
| Generational punishment | The verse clearly extends consequences to offspring, affirming corporate solidarity in the covenant. | Some Christians read this as descriptive of Israel's national experience under the Old Covenant, while others see a principle that sin's effects ripple through families even under the New Covenant (cf. Exodus 20:5). |
| Relationship to the gospel | All traditions see these curses as showing the need for a savior who bears the curse for us. | Roman Catholic and Orthodox traditions connect this to the sacramental life (penance, the Eucharist) that applies Christ's redemption; Protestant traditions emphasize the forensic declaration of righteousness that removes the curse completely. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Deuteronomy 28 follows the pattern of ancient Near Eastern treaty documents, where a suzerain (the great king) lays out blessings for loyalty and curses for rebellion. Chapters 27, 30 form the covenant ceremony at Shechem. The curses begin at verse 15 and intensify through verse 68. By verse 59, the language moves from conventional disaster (military defeat, drought, disease) to something extraordinary, plagues that are 'wonderful' in the sense of being unprecedented and awe‑inspiring in their terror.
The word 'plagues' (מַכּוֹת) is the same term used for the ten plagues of Egypt (Exodus 7, 12). Verse 60 explicitly says Yahweh will bring back 'all the diseases of Egypt.' This creates a grim reversal: the very judgments that freed Israel from slavery will now fall on Israel itself. The phrase 'of long duration' (from אָמַן, to be faithful or lasting) carries covenant overtones. Where God's loyalty (hesed) is supposed to be 'faithful,' now the curses prove equally 'faithful', they will not pass quickly.
The surrounding context (verses 58, 63) emphasizes that these judgments come because Israel fails to fear 'this glorious and fearful name, YAHWEH your God.' The curses aim to vindicate God's holiness among the nations. Israel's devastation becomes a 'sign and a wonder' (Deuteronomy 28:46) that testifies to the seriousness of covenant breaking. Ellicott's Commentary (from the background data) notes that eighteen hundred years of Jewish dispersion bear witness to the 'long continuance' of these threatened judgments.
Textual Notes
The supplied sources note no significant textual variants for this verse. The Hebrew text is stable, and the key terms פָּלָא and נֶאֱמָנוֹת are consistent across manuscripts. The rendering 'make wonderful' (KJV, ASV, YLT) and 'make extraordinary' (WEB, BSB) reflect different English choices for the same Hebrew verb.
Reception History
Jewish interpreters, including Rashi (as noted by Ellicott), read this verse as a prophecy of the permanent dispersion and sufferings of Israel, the plagues 'chastise them permanently.' The phrase 'long continuance' was seen as fulfilled in the centuries of exile. Early Christian writers (e.g., Origen, Augustine) used this passage to argue that the severity of the Old Covenant law drove people to seek mercy in Christ. Reformation commentators like Matthew Henry and John Gill emphasized the historical fulfillment in Israel's national disasters while also drawing moral lessons for believers. In the modern era, the verse is often referenced in discussions of covenant theology and the problem of suffering, serving as a sobering reminder of God's holiness and the cost of disobedience.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The Extraordinary Nature of Judgment: God 'makes wonderful' the plagues. The Hebrew verb פָּלָא means to do something surpassing, beyond normal expectation. Judgment is not merely painful, it is designed to shock and awe, so that no observer can mistake God's hand.
- The Generational Reach of Sin: The curses extend to 'your offspring.' Sin's consequences ripple beyond one lifetime. Parents' choices shape children's futures, and covenant unfaithfulness carries corporate liability.
- The Certain Duration of Consequences: Repeated twice, 'of long duration' (נֶאֱמָנוֹת) comes from the root for 'faithful.' The same word describes God's own faithfulness (Deuteronomy 7:9). Here the curses prove equally 'faithful', they will not fail to accomplish their purpose, and they will not quickly pass away.
Five-point outline
- The Source: Yahweh himself brings these plagues. He is the active agent, not a passive observer.
- The Quality: They are 'fearful' and 'great', overwhelming in their severity and awe‑inspiring terror.
- The Scope: They affect both the current generation and 'your offspring,' showing that covenant consequences travel through time.
- The Duration: 'Long continuance' implies that repentance, not time alone, is the only remedy.
- The Variety: 'Severe sicknesses' (חֳלָיִם רָעִים) include all forms of debilitating disease, leaving no area of life untouched.
Illustration hooks
- A doctor who treats a new, drug-resistant disease that keeps mutating and spreading, its persistence mirrors the 'long continuance' of these plagues.
- A farmer whose land suffers drought year after year until the soil becomes dust. What was once fruitful becomes a picture of desolation.
- A family debt passed from parent to child, growing with interest and impossible to escape, sin's legacy can feel just as inescapable.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Are God's covenant curses still active today, or were they limited to Old Testament Israel?
- How does the gospel of Christ answer the threat of 'long duration' plagues? Does the cross cancel every curse?
- If God's judgment is this severe, how can we teach the fear of the Lord without making people afraid of God rather than drawn to Him?
Leading a Discussion
This verse confronts us with the terrifying side of God's covenant. The same God who promises blessing for obedience also promises unmatched judgment for rebellion. As you study, resist the temptation to soften the text. Let its weight press on you, and then let the gospel of Christ, who bore the curse for us (Galatians 3:13), bring you to gratitude.
Discussion questions
- What does the Hebrew word פָּלָא (hifla) add to your understanding of these plagues? Why does God make them 'wonderful'?
- Read Deuteronomy 28:46. How does the phrase 'sign and wonder' connect to what this verse says about the plagues?
- The word for 'long duration' (נֶאֱמָנוֹת) is often translated 'faithful.' In what way are the curses 'faithful'? Compare with Deuteronomy 7:9.
- Why do you think God includes 'your offspring' in the punishment? How does this challenge modern ideas of individualistic responsibility?
- How does the history of Israel, the exile, the dispersion, the Holocaust, relate to this verse? Was this prophecy fulfilled literally?
- Read Deuteronomy 31:17, 18. What is the ultimate tragedy behind the plagues? What does God's hidden face mean for relationships?
- In what way does Jesus' death on the cross address the threat of 'long continuance' curses? How does this verse deepen your appreciation for what Christ did?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Deuteronomy 28:46 | They will be for a sign and for a wonder to you and to your offspring forever. |
| Deuteronomy 29:20 | Yahweh will not pardon him, but then Yahweh’s anger and his jealousy will smoke against that man, and all the curse that is written in this book will fall on him, and Yahweh will blot out his name from under the sky. |
| Deuteronomy 29:28 | Yahweh rooted them out of their land in anger, in wrath, and in great indignation, and thrust them into another land, as it is today.” |
| Deuteronomy 31:17 | Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall come on them; so that they will say in that day, ‘Haven’t these evils come on us because our God is not among us?’ |
| Deuteronomy 31:18 | I will surely hide my face in that day for all the evil which they have done, in that they have turned to other gods. |
| Deuteronomy 32:22 | For a fire is kindled in my anger, that burns to the lowest Sheol, devours the earth with its increase, and sets the foundations of the mountains on fire. |
| Deuteronomy 32:26 | I said that I would scatter them afar. I would make their memory to cease from among men; |
| I Kings 9:7 | then I will cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them; and I will cast this house, which I have made holy for my name, out of my sight; and Israel will be a proverb and a byword among all peoples. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
5 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The Cambridge Bible School notes that while the substance of these curses fits a pre-exilic date, some phrasing may come from after the exile. The description of utter despair in banishment matches Psalm 137's anguish more than Jeremiah's advice to settle quietly in Babylon. Overall the section likely originated before the Babylonian exile.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note emphasizes that God's judgments will be extraordinary in scale, affecting not only the offender but also their descendants. The plagues are described as severe, remarkable, and prolonged, with diseases that endure over time.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill emphasizes that the plagues described here were not temporary but would continue upon the people and their descendants for many generations. He notes the word rendered "long continuance" is the same word used for "sure" in Isaiah, showing these judgments were certain and lasting, as history has confirmed for over seventeen hundred years.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange sees the exhaustive listing of every blessing and curse as deliberate—it proves that nothing in life is accident or human achievement, but God directly rules every particular. For him religion here is not knowledge or worship but daily experience, one day teaching another. This moral framing strips earthly prosperity of its attraction and gives suffering its purpose toward repentance.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry points out that Israel's punishment was a precise reversal of their sin. Because they refused to serve God with joyful hearts while enjoying every good thing, they would be forced to serve merciless enemies in desperate lack. The curses were not random but reflected the exact failure of their gratitude.