Deuteronomy 28:48
Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the Lord shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee.
Study Note
Study Note
'Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the Lord shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee' — the covenant curse of iron-yoke servitude to enemies stands in deliberate contrast to Egypt's oppressive yoke from which God had freed Israel (Leviticus 26:13). The comprehensive destitution — hunger, thirst, nakedness, want — reverses the Deuteronomic blessing-list of 28:1–14, where land-abundance flowed from covenant obedience. Jeremiah applied this very verse to the Babylonian crisis (Jeremiah 27–28), arguing that the 'iron yoke' of Nebuchadnezzar was itself a form of covenant judgment that must be accepted rather than militarily resisted.
Other Translations
therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies that Jehovah shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee.
thou hast served thine enemies, whom Jehovah sendeth against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in lack of all things; and he hath put a yoke of iron on thy neck, till He hath destroyed thee.
For this cause you will become servants to those whom the Lord your God will send against you, without food and drink and clothing, and in need of all things: and he will put a yoke of iron on your neck till he has put an end to you.
Cross References
Nevertheless they shall be his servants; that they may know my service, and the service of the kingdoms of the …
I was wroth with my people, I have polluted mine inheritance, and given them into thine hand: thou didst shew …
Behold, I will watch over them for evil, and not for good: and all the men of Judah that are …
So that the Lord could no longer bear, because of the evil of your doings, and because of the abominations …
But since we left off to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto …
But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth, to burn incense unto the queen …
For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; I have put a yoke of iron upon the …
Go and tell Hananiah, saying, Thus saith the Lord; Thou hast broken the yokes of wood; but thou shalt make …
Why will ye die, thou and thy people, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, as the …
I spake also to Zedekiah king of Judah according to all these words, saying, Bring your necks under the yoke …