Deuteronomy 28:49
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;
Study Note
Study Note
The curse of a nation 'swift as the eagle from the end of the earth, whose tongue thou shalt not understand' belongs to Deuteronomy 28's extended malediction section (vv. 47–57) describing foreign invasion as the ultimate covenant sanction. The eagle-symbol for Babylon is deployed in Habakkuk 1:8 and Jeremiah 48:40 as well, establishing it as a recognized prophetic code for Mesopotamian military power. The linguistic alienation — an incomprehensible tongue — intensifies the totality of defeat: not only political but communicative sovereignty is lost. The curse's historical realization in the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem (586 BCE) gave deuteronomistic historians their interpretive framework for the exile, and the passage remains important for understanding prophecy's relationship to historical catastrophe.
Other Translations
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;
`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,
The Lord will send a nation against you from the farthest ends of the earth, coming with the flight of an eagle; a nation whose language is strange to you;
Cross References
And ships shall come from the coast of Chittim, and shall afflict Asshur, and shall afflict Eber, and he also …
And in that day they shall roar against them like the roaring of the sea: and if one look unto …
And he will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and will hiss unto them from the end …
Behold, he shall come up and fly as the eagle, and spread his wings over Bozrah: and at that day …
For thus saith the Lord; Behold, he shall fly as an eagle, and shall spread his wings over Moab.
They shall lay hold on bow and spear; they are cruel, and have no mercy; their voice roareth like the …
Thus saith the Lord, Behold, a people cometh from the north country, and a great nation shall be raised from …
And they shall eat up thine harvest, and thy bread, which thy sons and thy daughters should eat: they shall …
Lo, I will bring a nation upon you from far, O house of Israel, saith the Lord: it is a …
Behold, he shall come up as clouds, and his chariots shall be as a whirlwind: his horses are swifter than …