Deuteronomy 28:42
New International Version
Swarms of locusts will take over all your trees and the crops of your land.

New Living Translation
Swarms of insects will destroy your trees and crops.

English Standard Version
The cricket shall possess all your trees and the fruit of your ground.

Berean Standard Bible
Swarms of locusts will consume all your trees and the produce of your land.

Berean Literal Bible
The locust shall consume all your trees and the produce of your land.

King James Bible
All thy trees and fruit of thy land shall the locust consume.

New King James Version
Locusts shall consume all your trees and the produce of your land.

New American Standard Bible
The cricket will take possession of all your trees and the produce of your ground.

NASB 1995
“The cricket shall possess all your trees and the produce of your ground.

NASB 1977
“The cricket shall possess all your trees and the produce of your ground.

Legacy Standard Bible
The cricket shall possess all your trees and the produce of your ground.

Amplified Bible
The cricket will take possession of all your trees and the produce of your ground.

Berean Annotated Bible
Swarms of locusts will consume all your trees and the produce of your land.

Christian Standard Bible
Buzzing insects will take possession of all your trees and your land’s produce.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Whirring insects will take possession of all your trees and your land’s produce.

American Standard Version
All thy trees and the fruit of thy ground shall the locust possess.

Contemporary English Version
Locusts will eat your crops and strip your trees of leaves and fruit.

English Revised Version
All thy trees and the fruit of thy ground shall the locust possess.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Crickets will swarm all over your trees and the crops in your fields.

Good News Translation
All your trees and crops will be devoured by insects.

International Standard Version
Whirling locusts will consume every tree and the produce of your land.

NET Bible
Whirring locusts will take over every tree and all the produce of your soil.

New Heart English Bible
All your trees and the fruit of your ground shall the locust possess.

Webster's Bible Translation
All thy trees and fruit of thy land shall the locust consume.
Majority Text Translations
Majority Standard Bible
Swarms of locusts will consume all your trees and the produce of your land.

World English Bible
Locusts will consume all of your trees and the fruit of your ground.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
the locust possesses all your trees and the fruit of your ground;

Berean Literal Bible
The locust shall consume all your trees and the produce of your land.

Young's Literal Translation
all thy trees and the fruit of thy ground doth the locust possess;

Smith's Literal Translation
All thy wood and the fruit of thy land shall the grasshopper seize.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
The blast shall consume all the trees and the fruits of thy ground.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Rot will consume all the trees, as well as the fruits of your land.

New American Bible
Buzzing insects will take possession of all your trees and the crops of your soil.

New Revised Standard Version
All your trees and the fruit of your ground the cicada shall take over.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
All your trees and fruits of your land shall the locust consume.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
The locust shall eat all of your trees and the fruit of your land.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
All thy trees and the fruit of thy land shall the locust possess.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
All thy trees and the fruits of thy land shall the blight consume.

Additional Translations ...



Context
The Curses of Disobedience
41You will father sons and daughters, but they will not remain yours, because they will go into captivity. 42Swarms of locusts will consume all your trees and the produce of your land. 43The foreigner living among you will rise higher and higher above you, while you sink down lower and lower.…

Cross References
Swarms of locusts

Joel 1:4
What the devouring locust has left, the swarming locust has eaten; what the swarming locust has left, the young locust has eaten; and what the young locust has left, the destroying locust has eaten.

Exodus 10:14-15
The locusts swarmed across the land and settled over the entire territory of Egypt. Never before had there been so many locusts, and never again will there be. / They covered the face of all the land until it was black, and they consumed all the plants on the ground and all the fruit on the trees that the hail had left behind. Nothing green was left on any tree or plant in all the land of Egypt.

Psalm 78:46
He gave their crops to the grasshopper, the fruit of their labor to the locust.
will consume

2 Chronicles 7:13
If I close the sky so there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send a plague among My people,

Exodus 10:5-6
They will cover the face of the land so that no one can see it. They will devour whatever is left after the hail and eat every tree that grows in your fields. / They will fill your houses and the houses of all your officials and every Egyptian—something neither your fathers nor your grandfathers have seen since the day they came into this land.’” Then Moses turned and left Pharaoh’s presence.

Psalm 105:35
They devoured every plant in their land and consumed the produce of their soil.
all your trees

Amos 4:9
“I struck you with blight and mildew in your growing gardens and vineyards; the locust devoured your fig and olive trees, yet you did not return to Me,” declares the LORD.

Joel 1:7
It has laid waste My grapevine and splintered My fig tree. It has stripped off the bark and thrown it away; the branches have turned white.

Hosea 2:12
I will destroy her vines and fig trees, which she thinks are the wages paid by her lovers. So I will make them into a thicket, and the beasts of the field will devour them.
and the produce of your land.

Joel 1:10-12
The field is ruined; the land mourns. For the grain is destroyed, the new wine is dried up, and the oil fails. / Be dismayed, O farmers, wail, O vinedressers, over the wheat and barley, because the harvest of the field has perished. / The grapevine is dried up, and the fig tree is withered; the pomegranate, palm, and apple—all the trees of the orchard—are withered. Surely the joy of mankind has dried up.

Jeremiah 5:17
They will devour your harvest and food; they will consume your sons and daughters; they will eat up your flocks and herds; they will feed on your vines and fig trees. With the sword they will destroy the fortified cities in which you trust.”

Joel 2:3
Before them a fire devours, and behind them a flame scorches. The land before them is like the Garden of Eden, but behind them, it is like a desert wasteland—surely nothing will escape them.
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.”

Jeremiah 8:13
I will take away their harvest, declares the LORD. There will be no grapes on the vine, nor figs on the tree, and even the leaf will wither. Whatever I have given them will be lost to them.”

Haggai 1:11
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.”

Malachi 3:11
I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your land, and the vine in your field will not fail to produce fruit,” says the LORD of Hosts.


Treasury of Scripture

All your trees and fruit of your land shall the locust consume.

thy trees

Deuteronomy 28:38,39
Thou shalt carry much seed out into the field, and shalt gather but little in; for the locust shall consume it…

Amos 7:1,2
Thus hath the Lord GOD shewed unto me; and, behold, he formed grasshoppers in the beginning of the shooting up of the latter growth; and, lo, it was the latter growth after the king's mowings…

consume.

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Deuteronomy 28
1. The blessings for obedience
15. The curses for disobedience












Swarms of locusts

Locust invasions could strip fields, vineyards, orchards, and foliage within a short time, leaving communities without food or income. Their arrival represented a visible and devastating judgment on a land dependent on seasonal harvests.

Jol 1:4 What the devouring locust has left, the swarming locust…
Exo 10:14-15 The locusts swarmed across the land and settled…
Psa 78:46 He gave their crops to the grasshopper…

will consume

The loss would be complete rather than temporary. Labor, seed, and expectation of harvest would yield nothing, bringing hunger and economic ruin upon a disobedient nation.

2Ch 7:13 If I close the sky so there is no rain, or if I command…
Exo 10:5-6 They will cover the face of the land so that no one…
Psa 105:35 They devoured every plant in their land…

all your trees

Fruit trees required years of cultivation and were an essential source of food and trade. Their destruction meant not only the loss of a single harvest but also the loss of future provision.

Amo 4:9 I struck you with blight and mildew in your growing gardens…
Jol 1:7 It has laid waste My grapevine and splintered My fig tree.…
Hos 2:12 I will destroy her vines and fig trees…

and the produce of your land.

Israel’s agricultural abundance was a covenant blessing in the land God had given them. Locust devastation would reverse that abundance, turning fertile fields into scarcity and demonstrating the seriousness of covenant rebellion.

Jol 1:10-12 The field is ruined; the land mourns…
Jer 5:17 They will devour your harvest and food; they will eat up……
Jol 2:3 Before them a fire devours, and behind them……

Persons / Places / Events
1. Moses
The author of Deuteronomy, Moses is delivering a series of speeches to the Israelites before they enter the Promised Land. He is reiterating God's laws and the blessings and curses associated with obedience and disobedience.

2. Israelites
The chosen people of God, who are about to enter the Promised Land. They are the recipients of the blessings and curses outlined in Deuteronomy 28.

3. Promised Land
The land of Canaan, which God promised to Abraham and his descendants. It is the land the Israelites are about to enter after their exodus from Egypt and 40 years in the wilderness.

4. Locusts
In Deuteronomy 28:42, locusts are mentioned as a curse that will consume the trees and produce of the land if the Israelites disobey God. Locusts are often used in the Bible as a symbol of destruction and divine judgment.
Teaching Points
Obedience and Consequences
The passage highlights the importance of obedience to God's commandments. Disobedience leads to tangible consequences, such as the destruction of crops by locusts.

Symbolism of Locusts
Locusts symbolize the destructive power of sin and disobedience. Just as locusts can devastate a land, sin can devastate a life.

God’s Sovereignty
The curses, including the locusts, remind us of God's sovereignty and His control over nature. They serve as a warning to remain faithful and trust in His provision.

Call to Repentance
The imagery of locusts consuming the land serves as a call to repentance. It is a reminder that turning back to God can restore what has been lost.

Faithfulness in Prosperity and Adversity
The Israelites are reminded to remain faithful to God not only in times of prosperity but also in adversity, trusting that He is just and merciful.
Bible Study Questions and Answers
1. What is the meaning of Deuteronomy 28:42?

2. How does Deuteronomy 28:42 illustrate consequences of disobedience to God's commands?

3. What can we learn about stewardship from "swarms of locusts" in this verse?

4. How does Deuteronomy 28:42 connect with God's warnings in Leviticus 26?

5. What modern behaviors might invite similar consequences as described in Deuteronomy 28:42?

6. How can we apply the lessons of Deuteronomy 28:42 to our daily lives?

7. What is the significance of locusts in Deuteronomy 28:42?

8. How does Deuteronomy 28:42 relate to God's covenant with Israel?

9. Why does Deuteronomy 28:42 emphasize agricultural destruction?

10. What are the top 10 Lessons from Deuteronomy 28?


Verse 42. - Consume; literally, take possession of. The name given here to the ravaging insect is not the same as in ver. 38; but there can be no doubt it is the locust that is intended.

Deuteronomy 28:42 paints a vivid portrait of covenant consequences: an unstoppable swarm (“Swarms of locusts”) executes divine judgment (“will consume”), stripping both the enduring sources of blessing (“all your trees”) and the day-to-day necessities (“and the produce of your land”). Cross-references throughout Scripture affirm that the same God who used locusts against Egypt and warned through prophets will faithfully fulfill His word, whether in blessing or in discipline. The verse calls God’s people to unwavering obedience, reminding us that true security rests not in the land’s resources but in the Lord who controls them.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Swarms of locusts
הַצְּלָצַֽל׃ (haṣ·ṣə·lā·ṣal)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6767: A clatter, whirring, a cricket, a harpoon, a cymbal

will consume
יְיָרֵ֖שׁ (yə·yā·rêš)
Verb - Piel - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3423: To occupy, to seize, to rob, to inherit, to expel, to impoverish, to ruin

all
כָּל־ (kāl-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

your trees
עֵצְךָ֖ (‘ê·ṣə·ḵā)
Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 6086: Tree, trees, wood

and the produce
וּפְרִ֣י (ū·p̄ə·rî)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 6529: Fruit

of your land.
אַדְמָתֶ֑ךָ (’aḏ·mā·ṯe·ḵā)
Noun - feminine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 127: Ground, land


Additonal Resources
Deuteronomy 28:42 Blue Letter Bible
Deuteronomy 28:42 Bible Gateway
Deuteronomy 28:42 Bible.com

Deuteronomy 28:42 NIV
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Deuteronomy 28:42 ESV
Deuteronomy 28:42 NASB
Deuteronomy 28:42 KJV

Deuteronomy 28:42 Study Bible
Deuteronomy 28:42 Biblia Paralela
Deuteronomy 28:42 Chinese Bible
Deuteronomy 28:42 French Bible
Deuteronomy 28:42 Catholic Bible

OT Law: Deuteronomy 28:42 All your trees and the fruit (Deut. De Du)

Deuteronomy 28:41
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