Deuteronomy 28:16
New International Version
You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the country.

New Living Translation
Your towns and your fields will be cursed.

English Standard Version
Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the field.

Berean Standard Bible
You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the country.

King James Bible
Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field.

New King James Version
“Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the country.

New American Standard Bible
“Cursed will you be in the city, and cursed will you be in the country.

NASB 1995
“Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the country.

NASB 1977
“Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the country.

Legacy Standard Bible
“Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the field.

Amplified Bible
“You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the field.

Christian Standard Bible
You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the country.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the country.

American Standard Version
Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field.

Contemporary English Version
Your businesses and farms will fail.

English Revised Version
Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the country.

Good News Translation
"The LORD will curse your towns and your fields.

International Standard Version
"Cursed will you be in the city and cursed will you be in the country.

Majority Standard Bible
You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the country.

NET Bible
You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the field.

New Heart English Bible
You shall be cursed in the city, and you shall be cursed in the field.

Webster's Bible Translation
Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field.

World English Bible
You will be cursed in the city, and you will be cursed in the field.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Cursed [are] you in the city, and cursed [are] you in the field.

Young's Literal Translation
Cursed art thou in the city, and cursed art thou in the field.

Smith's Literal Translation
Cursed thou in the city, and cursed thou in the field.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Cursed shalt thou be in the city, cursed in the field.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Cursed shall you be in the city, cursed in the field.

New American Bible
May you be cursed in the city, and cursed in the country!

New Revised Standard Version
Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the field.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the field.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
You are cursed in the city, you are cursed in the field.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Curses of Disobedience
15If, however, you do not obey the LORD your God by carefully following all His commandments and statutes I am giving you today, all these curses will come upon you and overtake you: 16You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the country. 17Your basket and kneading bowl will be cursed.…

Cross References
Leviticus 26:14-16
If, however, you fail to obey Me and to carry out all these commandments, / and if you reject My statutes, despise My ordinances, and neglect to carry out all My commandments, and so break My covenant, / then this is what I will do to you: I will bring upon you sudden terror, wasting disease, and fever that will destroy your sight and drain your life. You will sow your seed in vain, because your enemies will eat it.

Malachi 2:2
If you do not listen, and if you do not take it to heart to honor My name,” says the LORD of Hosts, “I will send a curse among you, and I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have already begun to curse them, because you are not taking it to heart.

Jeremiah 17:5
This is what the LORD says: “Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind, who makes mere flesh his strength and turns his heart from the LORD.

Lamentations 3:65-66
Put a veil of anguish over their hearts; may Your curse be upon them! / You will pursue them in anger and exterminate them from under Your heavens, O LORD.

Isaiah 24:6
Therefore a curse has consumed the earth, and its inhabitants must bear the guilt; the earth’s dwellers have been burned, and only a few survive.

Ezekiel 14:13
“Son of man, if a land sins against Me by acting unfaithfully, and I stretch out My hand against it to cut off its supply of food, to send famine upon it, and to cut off from it both man and beast,

Amos 5:11
Therefore, because you trample on the poor and exact from him a tax of grain, you will never live in the stone houses you have built; you will never drink the wine from the lush vineyards you have planted.

Haggai 1:6
You have planted much but harvested little. You eat but never have enough. You drink but never have your fill. You put on clothes but never get warm. You earn wages to put into a bag pierced through.”

Psalm 107:34
and fruitful land into fields of salt, because of the wickedness of its dwellers.

Proverbs 3:33
The curse of the LORD is on the house of the wicked, but He blesses the home of the righteous.

Matthew 23:13
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let in those who wish to enter.

Luke 6:24
But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort.

Galatians 3:10
All who rely on works of the law are under a curse. For it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.”

Romans 8:20
For the creation was subjected to futility, not by its own will, but because of the One who subjected it, in hope

James 5:1-3
Come now, you who are rich, weep and wail over the misery to come upon you. / Your riches have rotted and moths have eaten your clothes. / Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and consume your flesh like fire. You have hoarded treasure in the last days.


Treasury of Scripture

Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the field.

in the city

Deuteronomy 28:3
Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field.

Proverbs 3:33
The curse of the LORD is in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the habitation of the just.

Isaiah 24:6-12
Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left…

in the field

Deuteronomy 28:55
So that he will not give to any of them of the flesh of his children whom he shall eat: because he hath nothing left him in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee in all thy gates.

Genesis 3:17,18
And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; …

Genesis 4:11,12
And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand; …

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Deuteronomy 28
1. The blessings for obedience
15. The curses for disobedience














You will be cursed in the city
This phrase indicates a comprehensive scope of the curse, affecting urban life. In ancient Israel, cities were centers of commerce, governance, and social interaction. A curse in the city implies economic hardship, social strife, and potential political instability. Historically, cities like Jerusalem and Samaria faced sieges and destruction due to disobedience to God's commandments, as seen in 2 Kings 25:1-4. The curse reflects the covenantal relationship between God and Israel, where blessings and curses were contingent upon obedience (Deuteronomy 28:1-2). This also foreshadows the New Testament teaching that spiritual well-being is not tied to physical location but to one's relationship with God (John 4:21-24).

and cursed in the country.
The countryside represents agricultural life, which was the backbone of Israel's economy. A curse in the country suggests failed crops, famine, and loss of livestock, leading to economic ruin and starvation. This aligns with the covenant curses outlined in Leviticus 26:20, where the land would not yield produce due to disobedience. The agricultural curses are a direct reversal of the blessings promised for obedience (Deuteronomy 28:3-5). This phrase underscores the totality of the curse, affecting every aspect of life, both urban and rural. It serves as a warning of the consequences of turning away from God's laws, emphasizing the need for faithfulness and obedience.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Moses
The author of Deuteronomy, delivering God's laws and blessings/curses to the Israelites.

2. Israelites
The chosen people of God, receiving the covenant and its stipulations.

3. Promised Land
The land of Canaan, where the Israelites are heading, and where these blessings and curses will manifest.

4. Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim
The locations where blessings and curses were proclaimed (Deuteronomy 27).

5. Covenant Renewal
The event where Moses reiterates the covenant, emphasizing obedience and consequences.
Teaching Points
The Seriousness of Disobedience
The curses in Deuteronomy 28 highlight the gravity of turning away from God's commands. Disobedience leads to tangible consequences, both in personal life and community.

The Universality of God's Sovereignty
The curse "in the city and in the country" signifies that God's authority and judgment extend to all areas of life. There is no place where one can escape the consequences of disobedience.

The Call to Obedience
This passage serves as a call to live in accordance with God's will. Obedience brings blessings, while disobedience results in curses. It is a reminder to align our lives with God's commands.

The Role of Christ in Redemption
While the Old Testament law brings awareness of sin and its consequences, the New Testament reveals Christ as the one who redeems us from the curse of the law, offering hope and salvation.(16-19) Cursed. . . .--Here we have the counterpart of Deuteronomy 28:3-6, inclusive. The only difference is in the position of "the basket and the store" which come one place earlier in the curses than in the blessings.



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
You
אַתָּ֖ה (’at·tāh)
Pronoun - second person masculine singular
Strong's 859: Thou and thee, ye and you

will be cursed
אָר֥וּר (’ā·rūr)
Verb - Qal - QalPassParticiple - masculine singular
Strong's 779: To execrate

in the city
בָּעִ֑יר (bā·‘îr)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 5892: Excitement

and cursed
וְאָר֥וּר (wə·’ā·rūr)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - QalPassParticiple - masculine singular
Strong's 779: To execrate

in the country.
בַּשָּׂדֶֽה׃ (baś·śā·ḏeh)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7704: Field, land


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OT Law: Deuteronomy 28:16 You shall be cursed in the city (Deut. De Du)
Deuteronomy 28:15
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