Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Deuteronomy 28:38
Thou shalt carry much seed out into the field, and shalt gather [but] little in; for the locust shall consume it.
38. Here the Discourse returns to Israel’s misfortunes on their own land, and the connection seems to be with Deu 28:15-24 (or 25), to which Deu 28:38-44 are more or less parallel.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
38 40. Consumption of corn by locusts and of grapes by worms, and casting of olives. For these products see on Deu 7:13. Locust, Heb. ’arbeh, properly locust-swarm. Worm, Heb. tola‘ath; the grub which ruins vines, Gk. or (Strabo, xiii. i. 64), Lat. convolvulus (Pliny, H.N. xvii. 47), is the wine-weevil (Knobel). On cast see on Deu 7:1.
41 breaks the connection between Deu 28:40 ; Deu 28:42, and is out of place; cp. Deu 28:32.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Thou shall carry much seed into the field,…. And sow it plentifully; this and what is said in some following verses plainly refer to them while in their own land, before carried captive, and not to their present case and circumstances:
and shall gather [but] little in at harvest; little springing up, or not coming to perfection, being blighted and blasted, and so yielded but a small crop; see Hag 1:9; and chiefly for the following reason:
for the locust shall consume it; which is a great destroyer of the fruits of the earth; see Joe 1:4.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Verses 38-42:
The third group of curses (continued): disobedience brings plague and pestilence upon the land and its produce, in the form of insects which devour the seed, crops, and harvest, and blights which render the trees sterile.
Compare verse 41 with verse 32.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
38. Thou shalt carry much seed out into the field. He again makes mention of the scarcity of wine, of wheat, and all sorts of corn; but He assigns different causes for it. He proclaims that the harvest shall be scanty, notwithstanding an abundant sowing, because the locust shall consume the seed; that the vintage shall be poor, nay, almost nothing, because the worms shall devour the bunches; that the oil produced should be little, because the olives should wither on the trees and fall of themselves. Thus He admonishes them that He has at hand innumerable ministers ( satellites) wherewith to destroy by famine the transgressors of His Law. Thus, whenever we see beetles, and locusts, and other insects attacking the fruits, we should remember that God, as it were, puts forth His arm to take away the food which He had given: thus Joel reminds us, that when the locust eats that which the palmer-worm hath left, and another insect that which the locust hath left, the curse of God is sufficiently conspicuous. (247) (Joe 1:4.) Philosophers discover the reason why more of these little creatures are generated in one year than another; but we must remember the teaching of Moses, that they never trouble us except by God’s command. For if we were submissive to God, as we ought to be, such a prodigy would never happen as that vile and filthy insects should devour the fruits of the earth which He Himself has provided for the sustenance of His children.
(247) “Que la main de Dieu est toute evidente;” that God’s hand is quite evident. — Fr.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(38-42) These are the contrary to Deu. 28:11; and Deu. 28:44 is the contrary to Deu. 28:12-13. From the order of the passage it might seem that these particular troubles were to come on Israel after their captivity. And perhaps it is not accidental that something very like a fulfilment of Deu. 28:38-40 is found in Hag. 1:6-11. (Comp. also Isa. 5:10, Ten acres of vineyard shall yield one bath, and the seed of an homer shall yield an ephah.)
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
38-40. Gather little in The curse is extended to all labour of the field and the vineyard.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
The Fifth Sixfold Curse ( Deu 28:38-44 ).
This is now followed by a further sixfold pattern. Here the curses more reflect conditions in the land. The whole of their agriculture, on which they all depended, would fail and fall into total chaos. It was not only outside enemies that they had to face.
Deu 28:38
‘ You will carry much seed out into the field, and will gather little in, for the locust shall consume it.’
Though they would sow plentiful seed in great hopes, they would harvest little, for the locust would descend and eat it, and all their hopes would be dashed before their eyes as they watched helplessly while it was consumed. The swarm of locusts, sometimes 8 kilometres (5 miles) wide, would on descending eat every bit of vegetation in the area over a wide distance. The land would be stripped bare. It was regularly a picture of God’s judgment (Exo 10:4-19; 1Ki 8:37; Psa 105:34; Joe 1:4).
Deu 28:39
‘ You will plant vineyards and dress them, but you will neither drink of the wine, nor gather the grapes, for the worm will eat them.’
Their vineyards which they had dressed so carefully would be attacked by worms or vine weevils so that they produced no fruitfulness. One morning they would come down and perceive the destruction of their vines, about which they could do nothing.
Deu 28:40
‘ You will have olive-trees throughout all your borders, but you will not anoint yourself with the oil, for your olive will cast its fruit.’
Even though they might have many olive trees throughout the land, there would be a dearth of oil because they would not produce, but would prematurely cast their fruit because of olive disease. These three examples were a reminder of the fact that all their harvests in the end depend on Yahweh. Contrast Deu 7:13 for what might have been.
Deu 28:41
‘ You will beget sons and daughters, but they will not be yours, for they will go into captivity.’
Even though they begot sons and daughters, the delight of their eyes, they would lose them. They would no longer be available to help the family on the land. They would be carried off as slaves to work for others.
Deu 28:42
‘ All your trees and the fruit of your ground will the locust possess.’
Not only the grain would be eaten by locusts, but locusts would descend on the whole land and eat everything so that nothing would be left. The arrival of a swarm of locusts was one of the things most dreaded by farmers in the Ancient Near East.
Deu 28:43-44
‘ The resident alien who is in the midst of you will mount up above you higher and higher, and you will come down lower and lower. He will lend to you, and you will not lend to him. He will be the head, and you will be the tail.’
On top of all this, the resident aliens whom they had always seen as needy and requiring assistance, and whom they had always called on for extra labour when needed, would become more and more wealthy (they would not be affected by the curse), while they themselves would sink deeper and deeper into poverty. Instead of lending to resident aliens they would be driven to borrow from them. The resident aliens would have become the head, Israel would be the tail (contrast Deu 28:12-13).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Ver. 38-42. Thou shalt carry much seed out into the field, &c. The plagues wherewith the nation is threatened in these verses, fell upon it successively. A great famine laid waste the country in the time of Elisha; the locusts made havoc of it; and the olive-trees yielded no fruit. 2Ki 8:1. Joe 1:10; Joe 1:20. A famine afterwards broke out in the time of Jeremiah, ch. Deu 14:1, &c. which is that whereof Moses seems to speak in this place. The invasions of the enemy were frequent; 2Ki 13:20-24. 2Ch 28:5. Jer 12:12 and, to complete the misery of the Jews, their children were taken from them repeatedly; 2Ki 5:2; 2Ki 14:26. This circumstance, however, never happened to them so often, as since their crucifying the Lord of glory. Dr. Jackson conjectures very probably, that the kings of Spain sent great numbers of them to their American colonies, and that the blood of the Jews is there blended, in several places, with that of the Spaniards. Manasseh Ben-Israel, in his book, intitled Israel’s Hope, says, that in the new world are found some remains of the ten tribes; but he gives no light as to the manner in which they were transplanted thither.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Deu 28:38 Thou shalt carry much seed out into the field, and shalt gather [but] little in; for the locust shall consume it.
Ver. 38. For the locust shall consume it. ] See this fulfilled in Joe 1:4 Amo 4:9 ; Amo 7:1-2 Hag 1:6 ; Hag 1:11 .
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Deu 28:38-44
38You shall bring out much seed to the field but you will gather in little, for the locust will consume it. 39You shall plant and cultivate vineyards, but you will neither drink of the wine nor gather the grapes, for the worm will devour them. 40You shall have olive trees throughout your territory but you will not anoint yourself with the oil, for your olives will drop off. 41You shall have sons and daughters but they will not be yours, for they will go into captivity. 42The cricket shall possess all your trees and the produce of your ground. 43The alien who is among you shall rise above you higher and higher, but you will go down lower and lower. 44He shall lend to you, but you will not lend to him; he shall be the head, and you will be the tail.
Deu 28:38-42 Again notice the list of Israel’s attempts at prosperity, which will be thwarted by YHWH:
Their Actions Results
1. much seed, Deu 28:38locusts destroy
2. plant vineyards, Deu 28:39worms destroy
3. plant olive trees, Deu 28:40olives drop off
4. have children, Deu 28:41children taken captive
5. trees and produce, Deu 28:42crickets destroy
The promised prosperity of YHWH is negated by the covenant disobedience of Israel!
Deu 28:40 anoint yourself The people of the ancient Near East put olive oil on their faces as a symbol of prosperity and joy (e.g., Rth 3:3; 2Sa 12:20; 2Sa 14:2).
Deu 28:43-44 These two verses describe the role reversal of Israelites and resident aliens (sojourners, BDB 158):
1. aliens shall rise above you
a. they higher and higher (BDB 751)
b. you lower and lower (BDB 641)
[the reversal of Deu 28:13]
2. alien shall lend to you
[the reversal of Deu 28:12]
3. alien shall be the head
[the reversal of Deu 28:13]
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
locust. Hebrew. ‘arbeh. Used of the Egyptian plague. Exo 10:4, &c.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
shalt carry: Isa 5:10, Mic 6:15, Hag 1:6
for the locust: Exo 10:14, Exo 10:15, Joe 1:4, Joe 2:3, Joe 2:25, Amo 4:9, Amo 7:1, Amo 7:2
Reciprocal: Lev 26:20 – for your land Deu 28:42 – thy trees Rth 1:1 – a famine 1Ki 8:37 – in the land famine 2Ki 4:38 – a dearth 2Ki 8:1 – the Lord Job 31:8 – let me Isa 17:10 – shalt thou Isa 65:23 – shall Jer 12:13 – sown Amo 4:6 – and want Amo 5:11 – ye have built
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
In the third view Moses saw Israel’s potential fate as rejection by God from covenant fellowship (though not partnership).