Link Ezekiel 33:28 to Deut. 28 warnings.
How does Ezekiel 33:28 connect with God's warnings in Deuteronomy 28?

Setting the Scene

Deuteronomy 28 records God’s covenant blessings for obedience (vv. 1-14) and curses for rebellion (vv. 15-68).

Ezekiel 33 is spoken centuries later to a nation that has broken covenant and is now in exile.

Ezekiel 33:28: “I will make the land a desolation and a horror, and her arrogant strength will cease; and the mountains of Israel will be desolate so that no one will pass through.”

• The prophet is not announcing a new penalty; he is invoking the very consequences Moses detailed in Deuteronomy 28.


Key Parallels between Ezekiel 33:28 and Deuteronomy 28

• Desolation of the land

Deuteronomy 28:21-24: “The LORD will make the plague cling to you… He will strike you with wasting disease… The sky over your head will be bronze, and the earth beneath you iron.”

Ezekiel 33:28 echoes this with “I will make the land a desolation and a horror.”

• Collapse of military/political strength

Deuteronomy 28:25: “The LORD will cause you to be defeated before your enemies.”

Ezekiel 33:28: “Her arrogant strength will cease.”

• Empty, uninhabited mountains and cities

Deuteronomy 28:62-63: “You will be left few in number… You will be uprooted from the land.”

Ezekiel 33:28: “The mountains of Israel will be desolate so that no one will pass through.”

• Experience of horror

Deuteronomy 28:37: “You will become an object of horror, scorn, and ridicule among all the nations.”

Ezekiel 33:28 calls the land itself “a horror.”


The Covenant Pattern Reinforced

1. God announces conditions (Deuteronomy 28).

2. Israel vows obedience (Exodus 24:7).

3. Repeated rebellion brings the covenant lawsuit through prophets (2 Kings 17:13; Jeremiah 11:6-8).

4. Ezekiel declares covenant execution—exactly as written.


Why the Land Itself Suffers

Leviticus 26:33-35 foretold that exile would allow the land to “enjoy its Sabbaths.”

Ezekiel 33:28 fulfills that promise: the mountains become silent witnesses to divine justice.


Grace Still Glimmers

• Even while announcing desolation, Ezekiel’s broader message includes restoration (Ezekiel 36:8-11).

• This mirrors Deuteronomy 30:1-5, where God promises return and renewal after repentance.


Takeaway Truths

• God’s Word stands unchanged; warnings uttered in Deuteronomy remain operative in Ezekiel.

• National blessing or judgment is tethered to covenant faithfulness (Psalm 33:12; Proverbs 14:34).

• The fulfillment of Deuteronomy 28 in Ezekiel 33 assures that every promise—of judgment or mercy—will be kept (Numbers 23:19; Matthew 24:35).

What lessons can we learn from the desolation described in Ezekiel 33:28?
Top of Page
Top of Page