Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Deuteronomy 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.
22. Seven Plagues, four on men, and three on their crops. On the former see Lev 26:16, and consult A. Macalister, art. ‘Medicine’ in Hastings’ D.B. consumption
fever ] Heb. addaath, lit. kindling, LXX ; cp. Luk 4:38, Joh 4:52. ‘May be malarial fever’ (Macalister).
inflammation ] Heb. dalleth, lit. burning, LXX . ‘Possibly some form of ague,’ but ‘perhaps indeed typhoid’ (Macalister).
fiery heat ] Heb. arur, lit. burning or parchedness, LXX , ‘irritation’; ‘such as erysipelas, only this is not very common in Palestine. It might be one of the exanthemata’ (Macalister).
the sword ] Heb. ereb, LXX A F, etc., , LXX B, etc., omit. But with Sam., Vulg. and R.V. marg. we may read oreb, dryness; either (as in the similarly emended text of Zec 11:17, cp. Job 30:30) a withering of the body, or, in harmony with the following, drought of the earth.
blasting ] Heb. shiddaphn, mostly the effect of the Sirocco (see Jerusalem, i. pp. 12, 20 f.). Hence the LXX .
mildew ] Heb. yeran, wanness, lividness; LXX .
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 22. Consumption] shachepheth, atrophy through lack of food; from shacaph, to be in want.
Fever] kaddachath, from kadach, to be kindled, burn, sparkle; a burning inflammatory fever.
Inflammation] dalleketh, from dalak, to pursue eagerly, to burn after; probably a rapidly consuming cancer.
Extreme burning] charchur, burning upon burning, scald upon scald; from char, to be heated, enraged, &c. This probably refers, not only to excruciating inflammations on the body, but also to the irritation and agony of a mind utterly abandoned by God, and lost to hope. What an accumulation of misery! how formidable! and especially in a land where great heat was prevalent and dreadful.
Sword] War in general, enemies without, and civil broils within. This was remarkably the case in the last siege of Jerusalem.
Blasting] shiddaphon, probably either the blighting east wind that ruined vegetation, or those awful pestilential winds which suffocate both man and beast wherever they come. These often prevail in different parts of the East, and several examples have already been given. See Clarke on Ge 41:6.
Mildew] yerakon, an exudation of the vegetative juice from different parts of the stalk, by which the maturity and perfection of the plant are utterly prevented. It comes from yarak, to throw out moisture.
Of these seven plagues, the five former were to fall on their bodies, the two latter upon their substance. What a fearful thing it is to fall into the hands of the living God!
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
With blasting, and with mildew; two plagues or evil affections of corn. See 1Ki 8:37; 2Ch 6:28; Amo 4:9; Hag 2:17.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
22. a consumptiona wastingdisorder; but the modern tuberculosis is almost unknown in Asia.
fever . . . inflammation . .. extreme burningFever is rendered “burning ague”(Le 26:16), and the othersmentioned along with it evidently point to those febrile affectionswhich are of malignant character and great frequency in the East.
the swordrather,”dryness”the effect on the human body of such violentdisorders.
blasting, and with mildewtwoatmospheric influences fatal to grain.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
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 radical moisture, consumes it, and so threatens with death; of which there are various sorts, and some very pestilential and mortal Jarchi and Aben Ezra interpret it of a fire in the face, by which they seem to mean what is called St. Anthony’s fire:
and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning; either in the inward parts, as an inflammation of the lungs; or in the outward parts, as carbuncles, burning ulcers, and the like:
and with the sword; in the margin it is, “with drought”; so Aben Ezra interprets the word, which seems better to suit with what it is in company with; and designs either drought in human bodies, occasioned by fevers, inflammations, and extreme burnings; or in the earth, through the force of the sun, and want of rain, which render the earth barren and unfruitful, and so cause a famine:
and with blasting and with mildew; whereby the corn that is sown, and springs up, comes to nothing, being blasted by east winds, or turns pale and yellow by the mildew, and so withers away; the consequence of which is want of food, and so destruction and ruin; see Am 4:9;
and they shall pursue thee until thou perish; follow hard after them, and come so close one after another upon them, until they are utterly destroyed.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(22) Consumption.Only here and in Lev. 26:16. With which the flesh is consumed and puffed out (Rashi).
Fever.Only here and in Lev. 26:16, where it is rendered burning ague. ( Comp. Deu. 32:22 : A fire is kindled in mine anger.)
Inflammation.Here only. The word is derived from a verb signifying to burn, or pursue hotly, like a fire that hastens on its way. A heat greater than the fever (Rashi).
Extreme burning.Here only. A disease which heats the body inwardly (Rashi).
Blasting and mildew.I have smitten you with blasting and with mildew (Amo. 4:9, same words). (See also 1Ki. 8:37, where pestilence, blasting, and mildew are contemplated as possibilities, very probably in view of this curse. Also Hag. 2:17.)
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
22. Smite thee with the sword The Hebrew word here translated sword, with different pointing, would be rendered heat, or drought; and so some of the versions have it.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Ver. 22. With the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew Le Clerc thinks, that the first five expressions in this verse denote certain inflammatory diseases, which some have thought to be attendant on the pestilence. See Scheuchzer, as above. The two latter expressions, blasting and mildew, relate to the destruction of their corn, and the fruits of the earth, consequent upon the corruption of the air. The first word is translated here by the LXX, blasting winds; and elsewhere, blighting by fire, or lightning. What we render mildew, Dr. Waterland, following Le Clerc, translates the jaundice, because it is derived from a word signifying saffron-coloured. But that etymology agrees likewise with mildew, which changes the natural verdure of things into a yellowish hue.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Deu 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.
Ver. 22. The Lord shall smite thee, &c. ] See Trapp on “ Lev 26:16 “
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
consumption. Probably phthisis.
fever. Probably a continued fever of some kind.
inflammation. Probably the rigor and heat of malarial intermittent fever.
extreme burning. Probably prickly-heat.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
a consumption: Lev 26:16, 2Ch 6:28, Jer 14:12
sword: or, drought
blasting: 1Ki 8:37, Amo 4:9, Hag 2:17
Reciprocal: 2Sa 24:13 – three days’ 2Ki 4:38 – a dearth 2Ki 8:1 – the Lord 1Ch 21:12 – even the pestilence 2Ch 26:20 – the Lord Isa 3:24 – burning Jer 42:16 – that the sword Eze 14:19 – if I Amo 4:10 – pestilence Mic 6:13 – I make Hag 1:11 – I called