Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version The sky over your head will be bronze, the ground beneath you iron. New Living Translation The skies above will be as unyielding as bronze, and the earth beneath will be as hard as iron. English Standard Version And the heavens over your head shall be bronze, and the earth under you shall be iron. Berean Standard Bible The sky over your head will be bronze, and the earth beneath you iron. King James Bible And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron. New King James Version And your heavens which are over your head shall be bronze, and the earth which is under you shall be iron. New American Standard Bible The heaven which is over your head shall be bronze, and the earth which is under you, iron. NASB 1995 “The heaven which is over your head shall be bronze, and the earth which is under you, iron. NASB 1977 “And the heaven which is over your head shall be bronze, and the earth which is under you, iron. Legacy Standard Bible And the heaven which is over your head shall be bronze, and the earth which is under you, iron. Amplified Bible The heaven which is over your head shall be bronze [giving no rain and blocking all prayers], and the earth which is under you, iron [hard to plow and yielding no produce]. Christian Standard Bible The sky above you will be bronze, and the earth beneath you iron. Holman Christian Standard Bible The sky above you will be bronze, and the earth beneath you iron. American Standard Version And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron. English Revised Version And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron. GOD'S WORD® Translation The sky above will look like bronze, and the ground below will be as hard as iron. Good News Translation No rain will fall, and your ground will become as hard as iron. International Standard Version The sky above your head will become bronze while the ground beneath you will become iron. Majority Standard Bible The sky over your head will be bronze, and the earth beneath you iron. NET Bible The sky above your heads will be bronze and the earth beneath you iron. New Heart English Bible Your sky that is over your head shall be bronze, and the earth that is under you shall be iron. Webster's Bible Translation And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron. World English Bible Your sky that is over your head will be bronze, and the earth that is under you will be iron. Literal Translations Literal Standard VersionAnd your heavens which [are] over your head have been bronze, and the earth which [is] under you iron; Young's Literal Translation And thy heavens which are over thy head have been brass, and the earth which is under thee iron; Smith's Literal Translation And the heavens which over thy head were brass, and the earth which is under thee, iron. Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleBe the heaven, that is over thee, of brass: and the ground thou treadest on, of iron. Catholic Public Domain Version May the heavens which are above you be of brass, and may the ground upon which you tread be of iron. New American Bible The heavens over your heads will be like bronze and the earth under your feet like iron. New Revised Standard Version The sky over your head shall be bronze, and the earth under you iron. Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleAnd the heaven that is over your head shall be brass, and the earth that is under you shall be iron. Peshitta Holy Bible Translated And the Heavens above your head shall be brass and Earth under you, iron. OT Translations JPS Tanakh 1917And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron. Brenton Septuagint Translation And thou shalt have over thine head a sky of brass, and the earth under thee shall be iron. Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context The Curses of Disobedience…22The LORD will strike you with wasting disease, with fever and inflammation, with scorching heat and drought, and with blight and mildew; these will pursue you until you perish. 23The sky over your head will be bronze, and the earth beneath you iron. 24The LORD will turn the rain of your land into dust and powder; it will descend on you from the sky until you are destroyed.… Cross References Leviticus 26:19 I will break down your stubborn pride and make your sky like iron and your land like bronze, 1 Kings 8:35 When the skies are shut and there is no rain because Your people have sinned against You, and they pray toward this place and confess Your name, and they turn from their sins because You have afflicted them, 2 Chronicles 6:26 When the skies are shut and there is no rain because Your people have sinned against You, and they pray toward this place and confess Your name, and they turn from their sins because You have afflicted them, Jeremiah 14:1-6 This is the word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah concerning the drought: / “Judah mourns and her gates languish. Her people wail for the land, and a cry goes up from Jerusalem. / The nobles send their servants for water; they go to the cisterns, but find no water; their jars return empty. They are ashamed and humiliated; they cover their heads. ... Amos 4:7 “I also withheld the rain from you when the harvest was three months away. I sent rain on one city but withheld it from another. One field received rain; another without rain withered. Haggai 1:10-11 Therefore, on account of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth has withheld its crops. / I have summoned a drought on the fields and on the mountains, on the grain, new wine, and oil, and on whatever the ground yields, on man and beast, and on all the labor of your hands.” Isaiah 5:6 I will make it a wasteland, neither pruned nor cultivated, and thorns and briers will grow up. I will command the clouds that rain shall not fall on it.” Isaiah 29:6 you will be visited by the LORD of Hosts with thunder and earthquake and loud noise, with windstorm and tempest and consuming flame of fire. Ezekiel 22:24 “Son of man, say to her, ‘In the day of indignation, you are a land that has not been cleansed, upon which no rain has fallen.’ Zechariah 14:17 And should any of the families of the earth not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of Hosts, then the rain will not fall on them. Matthew 5:45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. Luke 4:25 But I tell you truthfully that there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and great famine swept over all the land. James 5:17-18 Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. / Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth yielded its crops. Revelation 11:6 These witnesses have power to shut the sky so that no rain will fall during the days of their prophecy, and power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they wish. Acts 14:17 Yet He has not left Himself without testimony to His goodness: He gives you rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling your hearts with food and gladness.” Treasury of Scripture And your heaven that is over your head shall be brass, and the earth that is under you shall be iron. Leviticus 26:19 And I will break the pride of your power; and I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass: 1 Kings 17:1 And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word. 1 Kings 18:2 And Elijah went to shew himself unto Ahab. And there was a sore famine in Samaria. Jump to Previous Beneath Brass Bronze Earth Hard Head Heads Heaven Heavens Iron SkyJump to Next Beneath Brass Bronze Earth Hard Head Heads Heaven Heavens Iron SkyDeuteronomy 28 1. The blessings for obedience15. The curses for disobedience The sky over your head will be bronze This phrase is part of the curses for disobedience outlined in Deuteronomy 28. The imagery of the sky being "bronze" suggests a sky that is unyielding and unresponsive, symbolizing a lack of rain and divine blessing. In the ancient Near East, rain was crucial for agriculture and survival, and a sky that withheld rain would lead to drought and famine. This reflects the covenantal relationship between God and Israel, where obedience brought blessings and disobedience brought curses. The metaphor of a bronze sky also connects to the idea of prayers not reaching God, as bronze is a hard, impenetrable metal. This can be seen as a spiritual consequence of turning away from God, where communication with Him is hindered. and the earth beneath you iron Persons / Places / Events 1. MosesThe 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, which the Israelites are about to enter, contingent on their obedience to God. 4. Covenant The agreement between God and Israel, involving blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience. 5. Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim Locations where blessings and curses were pronounced over Israel. Teaching Points Understanding the CovenantRecognize the seriousness of the covenant relationship between God and His people. The blessings and curses are not arbitrary but are tied to the faithfulness of Israel. Consequences of Disobedience The imagery of a bronze sky and iron earth symbolizes severe drought and hardship. This serves as a vivid reminder of the consequences of turning away from God. Spiritual Drought Just as physical drought affects the land, spiritual drought affects our lives. When we distance ourselves from God, we experience a lack of spiritual nourishment. Repentance and Restoration The curses are not the end of the account. God always offers a path to repentance and restoration. Reflect on the importance of returning to God in times of spiritual drought. Faithfulness in Obedience Emphasize the importance of obedience to God's commands as a demonstration of our love and commitment to Him.(23) Thy heaven . . . shall be brass, and the earth . . . iron.--Not only in respect of the drought, but of God's refusal to remove it. See Jeremiah 14, 15 for a most pathetic intercession for Israel under this misery, answered by the order, "Pray not for this people for their good" (Jeremiah 14:11). Only grief is permitted (Deuteronomy 28:17). Relief is not given (Deuteronomy 15:1).Verses 23, 24. - Terrible drought is here threatened; no rain should fall (cf. Leviticus 26:19); but instead thereof dust, both light as powder and heavy as sand, should fall upon them. The allusion is probably to those clouds of dust and sand which often fill the air in Palestine, when the heat is intense and there has been no rain for a season; the wind then becomes a vehement sirocco, and the air is filled with sand and dust, and is like the glowing heat at the mouth of a furnace (Robinson, 'Bib. Res.,' 2:123; Thomson, 'Land and the Book,' 2:311). Parallel Commentaries ... Hebrew The skyשָׁמֶ֛יךָ (šā·me·ḵā) Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine singular Strong's 8064: Heaven, sky over עַל־ (‘al-) Preposition Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against your head רֹאשְׁךָ֖ (rō·šə·ḵā) Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular Strong's 7218: The head will be וְהָי֥וּ (wə·hā·yū) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person common plural Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be bronze, נְחֹ֑שֶׁת (nə·ḥō·šeṯ) Noun - feminine singular Strong's 5178: Copper, something made of that metal, coin, a fetter, base and the earth וְהָאָ֥רֶץ (wə·hā·’ā·reṣ) Conjunctive waw, Article | Noun - feminine singular Strong's 776: Earth, land beneath you תַּחְתֶּ֖יךָ (taḥ·te·ḵā) Preposition | second person masculine singular Strong's 8478: The bottom, below, in lieu of iron. בַּרְזֶֽל׃ (bar·zel) Noun - masculine singular Strong's 1270: Iron, an iron implement Links Deuteronomy 28:23 NIVDeuteronomy 28:23 NLT Deuteronomy 28:23 ESV Deuteronomy 28:23 NASB Deuteronomy 28:23 KJV Deuteronomy 28:23 BibleApps.com Deuteronomy 28:23 Biblia Paralela Deuteronomy 28:23 Chinese Bible Deuteronomy 28:23 French Bible Deuteronomy 28:23 Catholic Bible OT Law: Deuteronomy 28:23 Your sky that is over your head (Deut. 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