Deuteronomy 28:23
New International Version
The sky over your head will be bronze, the ground beneath you iron.

New Living Translation
The skies above will be as unyielding as bronze, and the earth beneath will be as hard as iron.

English Standard Version
And the heavens over your head shall be bronze, and the earth under you shall be iron.

Berean Standard Bible
The sky over your head will be bronze, and the earth beneath you iron.

King James Bible
And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron.

New King James Version
And your heavens which are over your head shall be bronze, and the earth which is under you shall be iron.

New American Standard Bible
The heaven which is over your head shall be bronze, and the earth which is under you, iron.

NASB 1995
“The heaven which is over your head shall be bronze, and the earth which is under you, iron.

NASB 1977
“And the heaven which is over your head shall be bronze, and the earth which is under you, iron.

Legacy Standard Bible
And the heaven which is over your head shall be bronze, and the earth which is under you, iron.

Amplified Bible
The heaven which is over your head shall be bronze [giving no rain and blocking all prayers], and the earth which is under you, iron [hard to plow and yielding no produce].

Christian Standard Bible
The sky above you will be bronze, and the earth beneath you iron.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The sky above you will be bronze, and the earth beneath you iron.

American Standard Version
And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron.

English Revised Version
And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The sky above will look like bronze, and the ground below will be as hard as iron.

Good News Translation
No rain will fall, and your ground will become as hard as iron.

International Standard Version
The sky above your head will become bronze while the ground beneath you will become iron.

Majority Standard Bible
The sky over your head will be bronze, and the earth beneath you iron.

NET Bible
The sky above your heads will be bronze and the earth beneath you iron.

New Heart English Bible
Your sky that is over your head shall be bronze, and the earth that is under you shall be iron.

Webster's Bible Translation
And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron.

World English Bible
Your sky that is over your head will be bronze, and the earth that is under you will be iron.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And your heavens which [are] over your head have been bronze, and the earth which [is] under you iron;

Young's Literal Translation
And thy heavens which are over thy head have been brass, and the earth which is under thee iron;

Smith's Literal Translation
And the heavens which over thy head were brass, and the earth which is under thee, iron.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Be the heaven, that is over thee, of brass: and the ground thou treadest on, of iron.

Catholic Public Domain Version
May the heavens which are above you be of brass, and may the ground upon which you tread be of iron.

New American Bible
The heavens over your heads will be like bronze and the earth under your feet like iron.

New Revised Standard Version
The sky over your head shall be bronze, and the earth under you iron.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And the heaven that is over your head shall be brass, and the earth that is under you shall be iron.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And the Heavens above your head shall be brass and Earth under you, iron.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And thou shalt have over thine head a sky of brass, and the earth under thee shall be iron.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Curses of Disobedience
22The LORD will strike you with wasting disease, with fever and inflammation, with scorching heat and drought, and with blight and mildew; these will pursue you until you perish. 23The sky over your head will be bronze, and the earth beneath you iron. 24The LORD will turn the rain of your land into dust and powder; it will descend on you from the sky until you are destroyed.…

Cross References
Leviticus 26:19
I will break down your stubborn pride and make your sky like iron and your land like bronze,

1 Kings 8:35
When the skies are shut and there is no rain because Your people have sinned against You, and they pray toward this place and confess Your name, and they turn from their sins because You have afflicted them,

2 Chronicles 6:26
When the skies are shut and there is no rain because Your people have sinned against You, and they pray toward this place and confess Your name, and they turn from their sins because You have afflicted them,

Jeremiah 14:1-6
This is the word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah concerning the drought: / “Judah mourns and her gates languish. Her people wail for the land, and a cry goes up from Jerusalem. / The nobles send their servants for water; they go to the cisterns, but find no water; their jars return empty. They are ashamed and humiliated; they cover their heads. ...

Amos 4:7
“I also withheld the rain from you when the harvest was three months away. I sent rain on one city but withheld it from another. One field received rain; another without rain withered.

Haggai 1:10-11
Therefore, on account of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth has withheld its crops. / I have summoned a drought on the fields and on the mountains, on the grain, new wine, and oil, and on whatever the ground yields, on man and beast, and on all the labor of your hands.”

Isaiah 5:6
I will make it a wasteland, neither pruned nor cultivated, and thorns and briers will grow up. I will command the clouds that rain shall not fall on it.”

Isaiah 29:6
you will be visited by the LORD of Hosts with thunder and earthquake and loud noise, with windstorm and tempest and consuming flame of fire.

Ezekiel 22:24
“Son of man, say to her, ‘In the day of indignation, you are a land that has not been cleansed, upon which no rain has fallen.’

Zechariah 14:17
And should any of the families of the earth not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of Hosts, then the rain will not fall on them.

Matthew 5:45
that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

Luke 4:25
But I tell you truthfully that there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and great famine swept over all the land.

James 5:17-18
Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. / Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth yielded its crops.

Revelation 11:6
These witnesses have power to shut the sky so that no rain will fall during the days of their prophecy, and power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they wish.

Acts 14:17
Yet He has not left Himself without testimony to His goodness: He gives you rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling your hearts with food and gladness.”


Treasury of Scripture

And your heaven that is over your head shall be brass, and the earth that is under you shall be iron.

Leviticus 26:19
And I will break the pride of your power; and I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass:

1 Kings 17:1
And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.

1 Kings 18:2
And Elijah went to shew himself unto Ahab. And there was a sore famine in Samaria.

Jump to Previous
Beneath Brass Bronze Earth Hard Head Heads Heaven Heavens Iron Sky
Jump to Next
Beneath Brass Bronze Earth Hard Head Heads Heaven Heavens Iron Sky
Deuteronomy 28
1. The blessings for obedience
15. The curses for disobedience














The sky over your head
This phrase evokes a sense of the heavens being closed off, a barrier between God and His people. In the Hebrew context, the sky, or "shamayim," often symbolizes God's dwelling place and His blessings. When the sky is described as being over one's head, it suggests an immediate and personal experience of divine presence—or in this case, the lack thereof. The imagery here is stark, indicating a separation from the divine favor that the Israelites would have understood as essential for life and prosperity.

will be bronze
Bronze, or "nechosheth" in Hebrew, is a metal known for its hardness and resistance. In the ancient Near East, bronze was used for tools and weapons, symbolizing strength and durability. However, in this context, the sky being bronze suggests an impenetrable barrier, a refusal of rain and blessing. This imagery would resonate deeply with an agrarian society dependent on rain for crops. The hardness of bronze implies a divine judgment, where the heavens are unyielding and unresponsive to the people's needs.

and the earth beneath you
The earth, or "eretz" in Hebrew, is the source of sustenance and life. It is where crops grow and where the Israelites would expect to see the fruits of their labor. The phrase "beneath you" emphasizes the immediate environment and the direct impact on daily life. The earth is not just a distant concept but something tangible and essential for survival. This phrase sets the stage for the subsequent description of the earth's condition, highlighting the totality of the curse affecting both heaven and earth.

iron
Iron, or "barzel" in Hebrew, is another metal known for its strength and heaviness. Unlike bronze, iron is often associated with oppression and harshness in biblical literature. The earth being iron suggests a land that is unyielding and barren, resistant to cultivation and growth. This would be a devastating image for the Israelites, who relied on the fertility of the land for their livelihood. The use of iron here underscores the severity of the curse, indicating a complete lack of productivity and fruitfulness.

(23) Thy heaven . . . shall be brass, and the earth . . . iron.--Not only in respect of the drought, but of God's refusal to remove it. See Jeremiah 14, 15 for a most pathetic intercession for Israel under this misery, answered by the order, "Pray not for this people for their good" (Jeremiah 14:11). Only grief is permitted (Deuteronomy 28:17). Relief is not given (Deuteronomy 15:1).

Verses 23, 24. - Terrible drought is here threatened; no rain should fall (cf. Leviticus 26:19); but instead thereof dust, both light as powder and heavy as sand, should fall upon them. The allusion is probably to those clouds of dust and sand which often fill the air in Palestine, when the heat is intense and there has been no rain for a season; the wind then becomes a vehement sirocco, and the air is filled with sand and dust, and is like the glowing heat at the mouth of a furnace (Robinson, 'Bib. Res.,' 2:123; Thomson, 'Land and the Book,' 2:311).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
The sky
שָׁמֶ֛יךָ (šā·me·ḵā)
Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 8064: Heaven, sky

over
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

your head
רֹאשְׁךָ֖ (rō·šə·ḵā)
Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 7218: The head

will be
וְהָי֥וּ (wə·hā·yū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

bronze,
נְחֹ֑שֶׁת (nə·ḥō·šeṯ)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 5178: Copper, something made of that metal, coin, a fetter, base

and the earth
וְהָאָ֥רֶץ (wə·hā·’ā·reṣ)
Conjunctive waw, Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 776: Earth, land

beneath you
תַּחְתֶּ֖יךָ (taḥ·te·ḵā)
Preposition | second person masculine singular
Strong's 8478: The bottom, below, in lieu of

iron.
בַּרְזֶֽל׃ (bar·zel)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1270: Iron, an iron implement


Links
Deuteronomy 28:23 NIV
Deuteronomy 28:23 NLT
Deuteronomy 28:23 ESV
Deuteronomy 28:23 NASB
Deuteronomy 28:23 KJV

Deuteronomy 28:23 BibleApps.com
Deuteronomy 28:23 Biblia Paralela
Deuteronomy 28:23 Chinese Bible
Deuteronomy 28:23 French Bible
Deuteronomy 28:23 Catholic Bible

OT Law: Deuteronomy 28:23 Your sky that is over your head (Deut. De Du)
Deuteronomy 28:22
Top of Page
Top of Page