New International Version Even the most gentle and sensitive man among you will have no compassion on his own brother or the wife he loves or his surviving children, New Living Translation The most tenderhearted man among you will have no compassion for his own brother, his beloved wife, and his surviving children. English Standard Version The man who is the most tender and refined among you will begrudge food to his brother, to the wife he embraces, and to the last of the children whom he has left, Berean Standard Bible The most gentle and refined man among you will begrudge his brother, the wife he embraces, and the rest of his children who have survived, Berean Literal Bible The tender man among you and very refined—his eye shall do evil against his brother, and against the wife of his bosom, and against the remnant of his sons whom he leaves behind, King James Bible So that the man that is tender among you, and very delicate, his eye shall be evil toward his brother, and toward the wife of his bosom, and toward the remnant of his children which he shall leave: New King James Version The sensitive and very refined man among you will be hostile toward his brother, toward the wife of his bosom, and toward the rest of his children whom he leaves behind, New American Standard Bible The man who is refined and very delicate among you will be hostile toward his brother, toward the wife he cherishes, and toward the rest of his children who are left, NASB 1995 “The man who is refined and very delicate among you shall be hostile toward his brother and toward the wife he cherishes and toward the rest of his children who remain, NASB 1977 “The man who is refined and very delicate among you shall be hostile toward his brother and toward the wife he cherishes and toward the rest of his children who remain, Legacy Standard Bible The man who is refined and very delicate among you shall be hostile toward his brother and toward the wife he cherishes and toward the rest of his children who remain, Amplified Bible The man who is most refined and well-bred among you will be cruel and hostile toward his brother and toward the wife he cherishes and toward the rest of his children who remain, Berean Annotated Bible The most gentle and refined man among you will begrudge his brother, the wife he embraces \the wife of his bosom/, and the rest of his children who have survived, Christian Standard Bible The most sensitive and refined man among you will look grudgingly at his brother, the wife he embraces, and the rest of his children, Holman Christian Standard Bible The most sensitive and refined man among you will look grudgingly at his brother, the wife he embraces, and the rest of his children, American Standard Version The man that is tender among you, and very delicate, his eye shall be evil toward his brother, and toward the wife of his bosom, and toward the remnant of his children whom he hath remaining; English Revised Version The man that is tender among you, and very delicate, his eye shall be evil toward his brother, and toward the wife of his bosom, and toward the remnant of his children which he hath remaining: GOD'S WORD® Translation Even the most tender and sensitive man among you will become stingy toward his brother, the wife he loves, and the children he still has left. International Standard Version Even the compassionate man among you—the very sensitive one—will look with evil in his eyes toward his brother, his beloved wife, and his surviving sons, whom he spared. NET Bible The man among you who is by nature tender and sensitive will turn against his brother, his beloved wife, and his remaining children. New Heart English Bible The man who is tender among you, and very delicate, his eye shall be evil toward his brother, and toward the wife of his bosom, and toward the remnant of his children whom he has remaining; Webster's Bible Translation So that the man that is tender among you, and very delicate, his eye shall be evil towards his brother, and towards the wife of his bosom, and towards the remnant of his children whom he shall leave: Majority Text Translations Majority Standard BibleThe most gentle and refined man among you will begrudge his brother, the wife he embraces, and the rest of his children who have survived, World English Bible The man who is tender among you, and very delicate, his eye will be evil toward his brother, toward the wife whom he loves, and toward the remnant of his children whom he has remaining, Literal Translations Literal Standard VersionThe man who is tender in you, and who [is] very delicate—his eye is evil against his brother, and against the wife of his bosom, and against the remnant of his sons whom he leaves, Berean Literal Bible The tender man among you and very refined—his eye shall do evil against his brother, and against the wife of his bosom, and against the remnant of his sons whom he leaves behind, Young's Literal Translation The man who is tender in thee, and who is very delicate -- his eye is evil against his brother, and against the wife of his bosom, and against the remnant of his sons whom he leaveth, Smith's Literal Translation The man tender in thee, and very delicate, his eye shall be evil upon his brother, and upon the wife of his bosom, and upon the remainder of his sons which he shall leave: Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleThe man that is nice among you, and very delicate, shall envy his own brother, and his wife, that lieth in his bosom, Catholic Public Domain Version The man who is pampered and very self-indulgent among you will vie with his own brother, and with the wife who lies at his bosom, New American Bible The most refined and fastidious man among you will begrudge his brother and his beloved wife and his surviving children, New Revised Standard Version Even the most refined and gentle of men among you will begrudge food to his own brother, to the wife whom he embraces, and to the last of his remaining children, Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleSo that the man who abounds in delights among you and lives a luxurious life, his eye shall be evil toward his brother and toward his lawful wife and toward the remnant of his children that are left; Peshitta Holy Bible Translated A man who feasts among you and lives in luxury among you, his eye shall stare at his brother and at the wife of his covenant and the remnant of his children who are left: OT Translations JPS Tanakh 1917The man that is tender among you, and very delicate, his eye shall be evil against his brother, and against the wife of his bosom, and against the remnant of his children whom he hath remaining; Brenton Septuagint Translation He that is tender and very delicate within thee shall look with an evil eye upon his brother, and the wife in his bosom, and the children that are left, which may have been left to him; Additional Translations ... Audio Bible (Voice ▾ Musical ▾) Context The Curses of Disobedience…53Then you will eat the fruit of your womb, the flesh of the sons and daughters whom the LORD your God has given you, in the siege and distress that your enemy will inflict on you. 54The most gentle and refined man among you will begrudge his brother, the wife he embraces, and the rest of his children who have survived, 55refusing to share with any of them the flesh of his children he will eat because he has nothing left in the siege and distress that your enemy will inflict on you within all your gates.… Cross References The most gentle and refined man among you Isaiah 47:1 “Go down and sit in the dust, O Virgin Daughter of Babylon. Sit on the ground without a throne, O Daughter of the Chaldeans! For you will no longer be called tender or delicate. Lamentations 4:5 Those who once ate delicacies are destitute in the streets; those brought up in crimson huddle in ash heaps. Amos 6:1 Woe to those at ease in Zion and those secure on Mount Samaria, the distinguished ones of the foremost nation, to whom the house of Israel comes. will begrudge his brother, Deuteronomy 15:7-9 If there is a poor man among your brothers within any of the gates in the land that the LORD your God is giving you, then you are not to harden your heart or shut your hand from your poor brother. / Instead, you are to open your hand to him and freely loan him whatever he needs. / Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought in your heart: “The seventh year, the year of release, is near,” so that you look upon your poor brother begrudgingly and give him nothing. He will cry out to the LORD against you, and you will be guilty of sin. Leviticus 25:35-36 Now if your countryman becomes destitute and cannot support himself among you, then you are to help him as you would a foreigner or stranger, so that he can continue to live among you. / Do not take any interest or profit from him, but fear your God, that your countryman may live among you. 1 John 3:17 If anyone with earthly possessions sees his brother in need, but withholds his compassion from him, how can the love of God abide in him? the wife he embraces, Deuteronomy 13:6 If your very own brother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you embrace, or your closest friend secretly entices you, saying, “Let us go and worship other gods” (which neither you nor your fathers have known, Proverbs 5:18-19 May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth: / A loving doe, a graceful fawn—may her breasts satisfy you always; may you be captivated by her love forever. Ecclesiastes 9:9 Enjoy life with your beloved wife all the days of the fleeting life that God has given you under the sun—all your fleeting days. For this is your portion in life and in your labor under the sun. and the rest of his children who have survived, Leviticus 26:29 You will eat the flesh of your own sons and daughters. 2 Kings 6:28-29 Then the king asked her, “What is the matter?” And she answered, “This woman said to me, ‘Give up your son, that we may eat him, and tomorrow we will eat my son.’ / So we boiled my son and ate him, and the next day I said to her, ‘Give up your son, that we may eat him.’ But she had hidden her son.” Lamentations 4:10 The hands of compassionate women have cooked their own children, who became their food in the destruction of the daughter of my people. Jeremiah 19:9 I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and daughters, and they will eat one another’s flesh in the siege and distress inflicted on them by their enemies who seek their lives.’ Ezekiel 5:10 As a result, fathers among you will eat their sons, and sons will eat their fathers. I will execute judgments against you and scatter all your remnant to every wind.’ Isaiah 49:26 I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh; they will be drunk on their own blood, as with wine. Then all mankind will know that I, the LORD, am your Savior and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.” 2 Kings 6:25 So there was a great famine in Samaria. Indeed, they besieged the city so long that a donkey’s head sold for eighty shekels of silver, and a quarter cab of dove’s dung sold for five shekels of silver. Treasury of Scripture So that the man that is tender among you, and very delicate, his eye shall be evil toward his brother, and toward the wife of his bosom, and toward the remnant of his children which he shall leave: his eye Deuteronomy 15:9 Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand; and thine eye be evil against thy poor brother, and thou givest him nought; and he cry unto the LORD against thee, and it be sin unto thee. Proverbs 23:6 Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats: Proverbs 28:22 He that hasteth to be rich hath an evil eye, and considereth not that poverty shall come upon him. Deuteronomy 13:6 If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, which is as thine own soul, entice thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which thou hast not known, thou, nor thy fathers; 2 Samuel 12:3 But the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter. Micah 7:5 Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide: keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom. his children Psalm 103:13 Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him. Isaiah 49:15 Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Matthew 7:9-11 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? … Jump to Previous Bosom Bred Cherishes Children Comfort Compassion Cruel Dear Delicate Delicately Evil Eye Hard Hostile Leave Luxurious Midst Refined Remaining Remnant Residue Rest Soft Surviving Tender Towards Used WifeJump to Next Bosom Bred Cherishes Children Comfort Compassion Cruel Dear Delicate Delicately Evil Eye Hard Hostile Leave Luxurious Midst Refined Remaining Remnant Residue Rest Soft Surviving Tender Towards Used WifeDeuteronomy 28 1. The blessings for obedience15. The curses for disobedience The most gentle and refined man among you Severe famine and siege would so corrupt even the normally compassionate and cultivated man that desperation would overcome natural affection and duty. Israel’s disobedience would bring conditions in which ordinary social restraints collapsed. Isa 47:1 Go down and sit in the dust, O Virgin Daughter of Babylon.… will begrudge his brother, Scarcity would turn family members against one another as each person sought to preserve what little remained. Deu 15:7-9 If there is a poor man among your brothers… the wife he embraces, Even the closest covenant bond would be damaged by hunger and fear. The home, meant to provide care and protection, would become marked by suspicion and selfishness. Deu 13:6 If your very own brother, or your son or daughter,… and the rest of his children who have survived, The surviving members of a family would remain amid loss caused by war, disease, and famine. The warning describes judgment so severe that parents would withhold food even from those dearest to them. Lev 26:29 You will eat the flesh of your own sons and daughters. Persons / Places / Events 1. MosesThe author of Deuteronomy, delivering God's laws and warnings to the Israelites before they enter the Promised Land. 2. Israelites The chosen people of God, receiving the blessings and curses based on their obedience or disobedience to God's commandments. 3. Promised Land The land of Canaan, which God promised to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 4. Curses for Disobedience A series of warnings given to the Israelites about the consequences of turning away from God's commandments. 5. Siege and Distress The specific context of Deuteronomy 28:54, where extreme conditions lead to dire actions among the people. Teaching Points The Seriousness of DisobedienceGod's warnings are not to be taken lightly. The severity of the curses in Deuteronomy 28 highlights the importance of obedience to God's commandments. The Consequences of Sin Sin has real and devastating consequences. The extreme actions described in this verse serve as a sobering reminder of the depths to which humanity can fall when separated from God. The Importance of Community The breakdown of familial and community bonds under distress emphasizes the need for strong, God-centered relationships to withstand trials. God's Sovereignty and Justice Even in the harshness of the curses, God's sovereignty and justice are evident. He is faithful to His word, both in blessings and in curses. Hope in Repentance While the curses are severe, the broader biblical account offers hope through repentance and turning back to God, who is merciful and forgiving. Bible Study Questions and Answers 1. What is the meaning of Deuteronomy 28:54?2. How does Deuteronomy 28:54 illustrate consequences of disobedience to God's commandments? 3. What does "the most gentle and refined man" reveal about human nature? 4. How can we guard against selfishness as warned in Deuteronomy 28:54? 5. Connect Deuteronomy 28:54 with other scriptures on the effects of sin. 6. How can understanding Deuteronomy 28:54 influence our daily obedience to God? 7. How does Deuteronomy 28:54 reflect the consequences of disobedience to God? 8. What historical events might Deuteronomy 28:54 be referencing? 9. How does Deuteronomy 28:54 fit into the broader context of the chapter's blessings and curses? 10. What are the top 10 Lessons from Deuteronomy 28? Deuteronomy 28:54 shows that covenant disobedience invites such severe judgment that famine will strip away every veneer of civility. The polished man, once gentle to brother, wife, and children, becomes fiercely selfish. History records God’s words coming true during later sieges of Samaria, Jerusalem, and finally in A.D. 70. The verse stands as a sobering reminder that God’s warnings are literal, His standards are unchanging, and true security is found only in wholehearted obedience to Him. Parallel Commentaries ... Hebrew The mostמְאֹ֑ד (mə·’ōḏ) Adverb Strong's 3966: Vehemence, vehemently, wholly, speedily gentle הָרַ֣ךְ (hā·raḵ) Article | Adjective - masculine singular Strong's 7390: Tender, delicate, soft and refined וְהֶעָנֹ֖ג (wə·he·‘ā·nōḡ) Conjunctive waw, Article | Adjective - masculine singular Strong's 6028: Luxurious man הָאִישׁ֙ (hā·’îš) Article | Noun - masculine singular Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person among you בְּךָ֔ (bə·ḵā) Preposition | second person masculine singular Strong's Hebrew will begrudge תֵּרַ֨ע (tê·ra‘) Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular Strong's 7489: To spoil, to make, good for, nothing, bad his brother, בְאָחִיו֙ (ḇə·’ā·ḥîw) Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular Strong's 251: A brother, ) the wife וּבְאֵ֣שֶׁת (ū·ḇə·’ê·šeṯ) Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular construct Strong's 802: Woman, wife, female he embraces, חֵיק֔וֹ (ḥê·qōw) Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular Strong's 2436: The bosom and the rest וּבְיֶ֥תֶר (ū·ḇə·ye·ṯer) Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct Strong's 3499: An overhanging, an excess, superiority, remainder, a small rope of his children בָּנָ֖יו (bā·nāw) Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine singular Strong's 1121: A son who have survived, יוֹתִֽיר׃ (yō·w·ṯîr) Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person masculine singular Strong's 3498: To jut over, exceed, to excel, to remain, be left, to leave, cause to abound, preserve Additonal Resources Deuteronomy 28:54 Blue Letter BibleDeuteronomy 28:54 Bible Gateway Deuteronomy 28:54 Bible.com Deuteronomy 28:54 NIV |
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