seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Deuteronomy 28:49 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, 50 a fierce-looking nation without respect for the old or pity for the young. 51 They will devour the young of your livestock and the crops of your land until you are destroyed. They will leave you no grain, new wine or olive oil, nor any calves of your herds or lambs of your flocks until you are ruined. 52 They will lay siege to all the cities throughout your land until the high fortified walls in which you trust fall down. They will besiege all the cities throughout the land the Lord your God is giving you.
The commentaries I generally turn to lump these verses in with the other curses. The commentaries breaking the chapter into verses, like biblehub.com, discuss the siege of the Chaldeans.
The description applies undoubtedly to the Chaldeans, and in a degree to other nations also whom God raised up as ministers of vengeance upon apostate Israel. But it only needs to read this part of the denunciation, and to compare it with the narrative of Josephus, to see that its full and exact accomplishment took place in the wars of Vespasian and Titus against the Jews, as indeed the Jews themselves generally admit.
I googled Vespasian and Titus. It's an interesting read. Those Romans really knew how to pick their generals.
I found this at a site named easyenglish.bible.
They would soon enter the country called Canaan. There they would know the good things that the LORD had promised to them. However, if they did not obey the LORD, he would send enemies against them. The Israelites would serve those enemies. Then they would not have enough to eat or to drink. They would not have sufficient clothes to wear. They would not have enough of anything.
It would be as if the LORD had tied a heavy object round their necks. It would feel like the weight of God’s curses on them. They would not be able to free themselves. And in the end, the LORD would destroy them.
Verses 49-50: The LORD would bring a foreign nation as his agent. He would use that nation to punish Israel. An eagle is a large bird that is fast and powerful. And the foreign armies would be very powerful and fierce like that. They would quickly overcome Israel. They would be cruel. They would not have any pity on the old people or on the young people.
Verse 51: The foreigners would eat from the cattle and the crops. And they would take away all the animals and the crops. There would be nothing left for the Israelites to eat. Many of them would die because they have no food.
Verse 52: The enemy would defeat all the towns in Israel. The Israelites would not trust in the LORD. Therefore, their high walls would not save them. The enemy would break down the walls. All the towns that the LORD would give to Israel they would lose to the enemy. Without the LORD their God, defeat would be certain.
It would be as if the LORD had tied a heavy object round their necks. It would feel like the weight of God’s curses on them. They would not be able to free themselves. And in the end, the LORD would destroy them.
Verses 49-50: The LORD would bring a foreign nation as his agent. He would use that nation to punish Israel. An eagle is a large bird that is fast and powerful. And the foreign armies would be very powerful and fierce like that. They would quickly overcome Israel. They would be cruel. They would not have any pity on the old people or on the young people.
Verse 51: The foreigners would eat from the cattle and the crops. And they would take away all the animals and the crops. There would be nothing left for the Israelites to eat. Many of them would die because they have no food.
Verse 52: The enemy would defeat all the towns in Israel. The Israelites would not trust in the LORD. Therefore, their high walls would not save them. The enemy would break down the walls. All the towns that the LORD would give to Israel they would lose to the enemy. Without the LORD their God, defeat would be certain.
Back in those days there were no sites like facebook or twitter. According to thetorah.com they used their coins instead.
These follow the type of imperial coins that used to mark the successful defeat of a powerful country and its annexation to Rome. The coins were struck in Rome, Lyon, Spain, Antioch and of course, in Judaea itself. The typical composition on the coins was an image of a grieving woman, who symbolized defeated Judaea, kneeling beside a palm tree. Near the woman, stood proudly a tall Roman figure (perhaps, Vespasian or Titus), who demonstrates the acquiescence of the captive.
One thought keeps plaguing me this morning. Moses is talking to the Israelites.... God's chosen people. Somehow the words "teacher's pet" come to mind. God has been trying to give these people the answers to the test for centuries by the time this chapter was put to scroll. Way back in the days of Abraham... God was saying, "just worship me and I'll give you everything".
God has also been saying "BUT... if you don't worship me.... things are going to go really bad really fast."
