Deuteronomy 28:49
New International Version
The LORD will bring a nation against you from far away, from the ends of the earth, like an eagle swooping down, a nation whose language you will not understand,

New Living Translation
“The LORD will bring a distant nation against you from the end of the earth, and it will swoop down on you like a vulture. It is a nation whose language you do not understand,

English Standard Version
The LORD will bring a nation against you from far away, from the end of the earth, swooping down like the eagle, a nation whose language you do not understand,

Berean Standard Bible
The LORD will bring a nation from afar, from the ends of the earth, to swoop down upon you like an eagle—a nation whose language you will not understand,

King James Bible
The LORD shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand;

New King James Version
The LORD will bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flies, a nation whose language you will not understand,

New American Standard Bible
“The LORD will bring a nation against you from far away, from the end of the earth, as the eagle swoops down; a nation whose language you will not understand,

NASB 1995
“The LORD will bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth, as the eagle swoops down, a nation whose language you shall not understand,

NASB 1977
“The LORD will bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth, as the eagle swoops down, a nation whose language you shall not understand,

Legacy Standard Bible
“Yahweh will bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth, as the eagle swoops down, a nation whose tongue you shall not understand,

Amplified Bible
“The LORD will bring a nation against you from far away, from the end of the earth, [as swift] as the eagle swoops down [to attack], a nation whose language you will not understand,

Christian Standard Bible
The LORD will bring a nation from far away, from the ends of the earth, to swoop down on you like an eagle, a nation whose language you won’t understand,

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The LORD will bring a nation from far away, from the ends of the earth, to swoop down on you like an eagle, a nation whose language you don’t understand,

American Standard Version
Jehovah will bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand;

Contemporary English Version
Foreigners who speak a strange language will be sent to attack you without warning, just like an eagle swooping down.

English Revised Version
The LORD shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand;

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The LORD will bring against you a nation from far away, from the ends of the earth. The nation will swoop down on you like an eagle. It will be a nation whose language you won't understand.

Good News Translation
The LORD will bring against you a nation from the ends of the earth, a nation whose language you do not know. They will swoop down on you like an eagle.

International Standard Version
"The LORD will raise a distant nation against you from the other side of the earth. Swooping down like a vulture,

Majority Standard Bible
The LORD will bring a nation from afar, from the ends of the earth, to swoop down upon you like an eagle—a nation whose language you will not understand,

NET Bible
The LORD will raise up a distant nation against you, one from the other side of the earth as the eagle flies, a nation whose language you will not understand,

New Heart English Bible
The LORD will bring a nation against you from far away, from a distant land, as the eagle flies; a nation whose language you shall not understand;

Webster's Bible Translation
The LORD shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth, a nation whose language thou shalt not understand:

World English Bible
Yahweh will bring a nation against you from far away, from the end of the earth, as the eagle flies: a nation whose language you will not understand,
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
YHWH lifts up a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth—it flies as the eagle—a nation whose tongue you have not heard,

Young's Literal Translation
'Jehovah doth lift up against thee a nation, from afar, from the end of the earth, as the eagle it flieth; a nation whose tongue thou hast not heard,

Smith's Literal Translation
Jehovah shall raise up against thee a nation from far off, from the extremity of the earth, as the eagle shall fly, whose tongue thou shalt not hear;
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
The Lord will bring upon thee a nation from afar, and from the uttermost ends of the earth, like an eagle that flyeth swiftly, whose tongue thou canst not understand,

Catholic Public Domain Version
The Lord will lead over you a nation from far away, even from the furthest parts of the earth, like an eagle flying with great force, whose language you are not able to understand:

New American Bible
The LORD will raise up against you a nation from afar, from the end of the earth, that swoops down like an eagle, a nation whose language you do not understand,

New Revised Standard Version
The LORD will bring a nation from far away, from the end of the earth, to swoop down on you like an eagle, a nation whose language you do not understand,
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
The LORD shall bring a nation against you from afar, from the ends of the earth, as swift as the eagle that flies; a nation whose language you do not understand;

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
LORD JEHOVAH shall bring upon you a people from a distance, from the ends of the Earth, as a flying eagle, a people whose language you have not heard;
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
The LORD will bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as the vulture swoopeth down; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand;

Brenton Septuagint Translation
The Lord shall bring upon thee a nation from the extremity of the earth, like the swift flying of an eagle, a nation whose voice thou shalt not understand;

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Curses of Disobedience
48you will serve your enemies the LORD will send against you in famine, thirst, nakedness, and destitution. He will place an iron yoke on your neck until He has destroyed you. 49The LORD will bring a nation from afar, from the ends of the earth, to swoop down upon you like an eagle— a nation whose language you will not understand, 50a ruthless nation with no respect for the old and no pity for the young.…

Cross References
Jeremiah 5:15
Behold, I am bringing a distant nation against you, O house of Israel,” declares the LORD. “It is an established nation, an ancient nation, a nation whose language you do not know and whose speech you do not understand.

Isaiah 5:26-30
He lifts a banner for the distant nations and whistles for those at the ends of the earth. Behold—how speedily and swiftly they come! / None of them grows weary or stumbles; no one slumbers or sleeps. No belt is loose and no sandal strap is broken. / Their arrows are sharpened, and all their bows are strung. The hooves of their horses are like flint; their chariot wheels are like a whirlwind. ...

Habakkuk 1:6-8
For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans—that ruthless and impetuous nation which marches through the breadth of the earth to seize dwellings not their own. / They are dreaded and feared; from themselves they derive justice and sovereignty. / Their horses are swifter than leopards, fiercer than wolves of the night. Their horsemen charge ahead, and their cavalry comes from afar. They fly like a vulture, swooping down to devour.

Lamentations 4:19
Those who chased us were swifter than the eagles in the sky; they pursued us over the mountains and ambushed us in the wilderness.

Jeremiah 4:13
Behold, he advances like the clouds, his chariots like the whirlwind. His horses are swifter than eagles. Woe to us, for we are ruined!

Ezekiel 17:3
and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘A great eagle with great wings and long pinions, full of feathers of many colors, came to Lebanon and took away the top of the cedar.

Hosea 8:1
Put the ram’s horn to your lips! An eagle looms over the house of the LORD, because the people have transgressed My covenant and rebelled against My law.

Isaiah 28:11
Indeed, with mocking lips and foreign tongues, He will speak to this people

Isaiah 33:19
You will no longer see the insolent, a people whose speech is unintelligible, who stammer in a language you cannot understand.

Jeremiah 6:22-23
This is what the LORD says: “Behold, an army is coming from the land of the north; a great nation is stirred up from the ends of the earth. / They grasp the bow and spear; they are cruel and merciless. Their voice roars like the sea, and they ride upon horses, lined up like men in formation against you, O Daughter of Zion.”

2 Kings 24:2
And the LORD sent Chaldean, Aramean, Moabite, and Ammonite raiders against Jehoiakim in order to destroy Judah, according to the word that the LORD had spoken through His servants the prophets.

2 Chronicles 36:17
So He brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans, who put their young men to the sword in the sanctuary, sparing neither young men nor young women, neither elderly nor infirm. God gave them all into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar,

Daniel 7:7
After this, as I watched in my vision in the night, suddenly a fourth beast appeared, and it was terrifying—dreadful and extremely strong—with large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed; then it trampled underfoot whatever was left. It was different from all the beasts before it, and it had ten horns.

Matthew 24:28
Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.

Luke 17:37
“Where, Lord?” they asked. Jesus answered, “Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.”


Treasury of Scripture

The LORD shall bring a nation against you from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flies; a nation whose tongue you shall not understand;

Numbers 24:24
And ships shall come from the coast of Chittim, and shall afflict Asshur, and shall afflict Eber, and he also shall perish for ever.

Isaiah 5:26-30
And he will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and will hiss unto them from the end of the earth: and, behold, they shall come with speed swiftly: …

Jeremiah 5:15-17
Lo, I will bring a nation upon you from far, O house of Israel, saith the LORD: it is a mighty nation, it is an ancient nation, a nation whose language thou knowest not, neither understandest what they say…

as the eagle

Jeremiah 4:13
Behold, he shall come up as clouds, and his chariots shall be as a whirlwind: his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe unto us! for we are spoiled.

Jeremiah 48:40
For thus saith the LORD; Behold, he shall fly as an eagle, and shall spread his wings over Moab.

Jeremiah 49:22
Behold, he shall come up and fly as the eagle, and spread his wings over Bozrah: and at that day shall the heart of the mighty men of Edom be as the heart of a woman in her pangs.

a nation whose

Jeremiah 5:15
Lo, I will bring a nation upon you from far, O house of Israel, saith the LORD: it is a mighty nation, it is an ancient nation, a nation whose language thou knowest not, neither understandest what they say.

Ezekiel 3:6
Not to many people of a strange speech and of an hard language, whose words thou canst not understand. Surely, had I sent thee to them, they would have hearkened unto thee.

1 Corinthians 14:21
In the law it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord.

understand [heb] hear

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














The LORD will bring
This phrase emphasizes the sovereignty and active role of God in the unfolding of historical events. The Hebrew word for "bring" is "yāḇî'", which implies a deliberate action by God. It serves as a reminder of God's control over nations and history, reinforcing the idea that nothing happens outside His will. This is a call to recognize God's authority and the consequences of disobedience to His covenant.

a nation against you
The term "nation" here is "gôy" in Hebrew, often used to describe a foreign people. Historically, this refers to the Assyrians or Babylonians, who were instruments of God's judgment. This phrase serves as a warning of the tangible consequences of Israel's disobedience, highlighting the reality of divine retribution through geopolitical events.

from afar
This phrase indicates the distant origin of the invading nation, emphasizing the unexpected and overwhelming nature of the threat. The Hebrew word "mē·rā·ḥōq" suggests a vast distance, underscoring the idea that no place is beyond God's reach or the reach of His instruments of judgment.

from the ends of the earth
This expression further amplifies the idea of distance and the formidable nature of the impending threat. It suggests a comprehensive reach, indicating that God's sovereignty extends to the furthest corners of the earth. This serves as a reminder of the omnipresence and omnipotence of God.

like an eagle swooping down
The imagery of an eagle, "nesher" in Hebrew, conveys speed, power, and inevitability. Eagles were known for their keen sight and swift, decisive action. This metaphor illustrates the sudden and overwhelming nature of the impending invasion, serving as a vivid warning of the consequences of turning away from God.

a nation whose language you will not understand
The inability to understand the language of the invaders, "lō'-ṯāḇîn", highlights the alienation and fear that accompany foreign domination. It underscores the cultural and communicative barriers that would exacerbate the Israelites' sense of helplessness. This serves as a metaphor for the spiritual disconnection that results from disobedience to God, emphasizing the importance of remaining faithful to His covenant.

Deuteronomy 28:49-57. CONQUEST OF ISRAEL BY A STRANGE NATION. MISERIES OF THE SIEGE.

(49) The Lord shall bring a nation against thee.--Comp. "Lo, I will bring a nation upon you from far, O house of Israel, saith the Lord: it is a mighty nation, an ancient nation, a nation whose language thou knowest not, neither understandest what they say" (Jeremiah 5:15). In this instance the Chaldseans were intended, "that bitter and hasty nation" (Habakkuk 1:6).

As swift as the eagle flieth.--The eagles of Rome may be alluded to here. And of the Chaldaeans it is said, "They shall fly as the eagle that hasteth to eat" (Habakkuk 1:8).

Whose tongue thou shalt not understand.--I am told by a learned Jewish friend that (excellent linguists as the Jews often are) hundreds of the people never attain the least acquaintance with the tongue of the countries where they are dispersed, and seem to lose the power of doing so. I have myself been surprised by more than one example, even in London, of their being wholly unable to take up the commonest matter of business when presented to them in an English way. It is not from lack of ability, but from a kind of paralysis of the understanding, except within a certain range of thought.

Verses 49, 50. - The description here given of the enemy to whom Israel was to be subjected, applies more or less closely to all the nations whom God raised up from time to time, to invade Israel and chastise the people for their rebellion - the Chaldeans (cf. Jeremiah 48:40; Jeremiah 49:22; Ezekiel 17:5-7; Habakkuk 1:6, etc.), the Assyrians (cf. Isaiah 5:26; Isaiah 38:11; 23:19), the Medes (Isaiah 13:17, 18); but there are features in the description which apply especially to the Romans; and the horrors delineated in the latter part of the section (vers. 52-57) carry one's thoughts immediately to the terrible scenes which transpired during the wars of Vespasian and Titus with the Jews as narrated by Josephus ('De Bell. Jud.,' 6; see Milman, ' Hist. of the Jews,' bk. 16.). Verse 49. - As the eagle flieth. The eagle was the common ensign of the legion in the Roman army; and by the Latin writers aquila (eagle) is sometimes used for a legion (Caes., 'Hisp.,' 30; cf. Matthew 24:28).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
The LORD
יְהוָה֩ (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

will bring
יִשָּׂ֣א (yiś·śā)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5375: To lift, carry, take

a nation
גּ֤וֹי (gō·w)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1471: A foreign nation, a Gentile, a troop of animals, a flight of locusts

from afar,
מֵרָחוֹק֙ (mê·rā·ḥō·wq)
Preposition-m | Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 7350: Remote, of place, time, precious

from the ends of
מִקְצֵ֣ה (miq·ṣêh)
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 7097: End, extremity

the earth,
הָאָ֔רֶץ (hā·’ā·reṣ)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 776: Earth, land

to swoop down
יִדְאֶ֖ה (yiḏ·’eh)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1675: To fly swiftly, dart through the air

upon you
עָלֶ֨יךָ (‘ā·le·ḵā)
Preposition | second person masculine singular
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

like
כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר (ka·’ă·šer)
Preposition-k | Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

an eagle,
הַנָּ֑שֶׁר (han·nā·šer)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5404: The eagle

a nation
גּ֕וֹי (gō·w)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1471: A foreign nation, a Gentile, a troop of animals, a flight of locusts

whose
אֲשֶׁ֥ר (’ă·šer)
Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

language
לְשֹׁנֽוֹ׃ (lə·šō·nōw)
Noun - common singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 3956: The tongue

you will not
לֹא־ (lō-)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

understand,
תִשְׁמַ֖ע (ṯiš·ma‘)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 8085: To hear intelligently


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OT Law: Deuteronomy 28:49 Yahweh will bring a nation against you (Deut. De Du)
Deuteronomy 28:48
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