Deuteronomy 28:24
New International Version
The LORD will turn the rain of your country into dust and powder; it will come down from the skies until you are destroyed.

New Living Translation
The LORD will change the rain that falls on your land into powder, and dust will pour down from the sky until you are destroyed.

English Standard Version
The LORD will make the rain of your land powder. From heaven dust shall come down on you until you are destroyed.

Berean Standard Bible
The LORD will turn the rain of your land into dust and powder; it will descend on you from the sky until you are destroyed.

King James Bible
The LORD shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed.

New King James Version
The LORD will change the rain of your land to powder and dust; from the heaven it shall come down on you until you are destroyed.

New American Standard Bible
The LORD will make the rain of your land powder and dust; from heaven it shall come down on you until you are destroyed.

NASB 1995
“The LORD will make the rain of your land powder and dust; from heaven it shall come down on you until you are destroyed.

NASB 1977
“The LORD will make the rain of your land powder and dust; from heaven it shall come down on you until you are destroyed.

Legacy Standard Bible
Yahweh will make the rain of your land powder and dust; from heaven it shall come down on you until you are destroyed.

Amplified Bible
The LORD will make the rain of your land powder and dust; from heaven it will come down on you until you are destroyed.

Christian Standard Bible
The LORD will turn the rain of your land into falling dust; it will descend on you from the sky until you are destroyed.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The LORD will turn the rain of your land into falling dust; it will descend on you from the sky until you are destroyed.

American Standard Version
Jehovah will make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed.

Contemporary English Version
He will send dust and sandstorms instead of rain, and you will be wiped out.

English Revised Version
The LORD shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The LORD will send dust storms and sandstorms on you from the sky until you're destroyed.

Good News Translation
Instead of rain, the LORD will send down duststorms and sandstorms until you are destroyed.

International Standard Version
The LORD will change the rain on your land to powder and dust. It will come down from the sky until you are exterminated."

Majority Standard Bible
The LORD will turn the rain of your land into dust and powder; it will descend on you from the sky until you are destroyed.

NET Bible
The LORD will make the rain of your land powder and dust; it will come down on you from the sky until you are destroyed.

New Heart English Bible
The LORD will make the rain of your land powder and dust: from the sky shall it come down on you, until you are destroyed.

Webster's Bible Translation
The LORD shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou art destroyed.

World English Bible
Yahweh will make the rain of your land powder and dust. It will come down on you from the sky, until you are destroyed.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
YHWH gives dust and ashes [for] the rain of your land; it comes down on you from the heavens until you are destroyed.

Young's Literal Translation
Jehovah giveth the rain of thy land -- dust and ashes; from the heavens it cometh down on thee till thou art destroyed.

Smith's Literal Translation
Jehovah will give the rain of thy land dust and clay: from the heavens shall it come down upon thee, till he destroyed thee.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
The Lord give thee dust for rain upon thy land, and let ashes come down from heaven upon thee, till thou be consumed.

Catholic Public Domain Version
May the Lord give you dust instead of rain upon your land, and may ashes descend from heaven over you, until you have been wiped away.

New American Bible
For rain the LORD will give your land powdery dust, which will come down upon you from the heavens until you are destroyed.

New Revised Standard Version
The LORD will change the rain of your land into powder, and only dust shall come down upon you from the sky until you are destroyed.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
The LORD shall make the rain of your land powder and dust; from heaven shall they come down upon you, until you are destroyed.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
LORD JEHOVAH shall give the rain of your land, sand, and dust from Heaven shall come down upon you until He will destroy you.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
The LORD will make the rain of thy land powder and dust; from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
The Lord thy God make the rain of thy land dust; and dust shall come down from heaven, until it shall have destroyed thee, and until it shall have quickly consumed thee.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Curses of Disobedience
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. 25The LORD will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. You will march out against them in one direction but flee from them in seven. You will be an object of horror to all the kingdoms of the earth.…

Cross References
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,

Jeremiah 14:4
The ground is cracked because no rain has fallen on the land. The farmers are ashamed; 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.

Leviticus 26:19
I will break down your stubborn pride and make your sky like iron and your land like bronze,

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.”

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.”

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.

1 Kings 17:1
Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was among the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As surely as the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there will be neither dew nor rain in these years except at my word!”

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,

Job 38:23-24
which I hold in reserve for times of trouble, for the day of war and battle? / In which direction is the lightning dispersed, or the east wind scattered over the earth?

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.

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.

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.

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

The LORD shall make the rain of your land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down on you, until you be destroyed.

Deuteronomy 28:12
The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow.

Genesis 19:24
Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;

Job 18:15-21
It shall dwell in his tabernacle, because it is none of his: brimstone shall be scattered upon his habitation…

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














The LORD will turn the rain of your land into dust and powder;
This phrase highlights a divine judgment where the usual blessing of rain is replaced with a curse. In the agrarian society of ancient Israel, rain was essential for survival, symbolizing God's favor and provision (Deuteronomy 11:14). The transformation of rain into dust and powder signifies a severe drought, a common consequence of covenant disobedience (Leviticus 26:19). This imagery is reminiscent of the plagues in Egypt, where natural elements were manipulated as signs of divine displeasure (Exodus 9:8-10). Theologically, it underscores the principle that God controls nature and can use it to discipline His people.

it will descend on you from the sky
The sky, often seen as the domain of divine activity, is here depicted as the source of judgment rather than blessing. In biblical cosmology, the heavens are God's throne (Isaiah 66:1), and thus, the withholding of rain is a direct act of God. This phrase connects to the broader biblical theme of God’s sovereignty over creation (Psalm 135:6-7). The descent of dust instead of rain serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of breaking the covenant, echoing the curses outlined in Deuteronomy 28.

until you are destroyed.
The ultimate consequence of this judgment is destruction, emphasizing the seriousness of covenant unfaithfulness. This destruction is not merely physical but also spiritual, as it represents a severing of the relationship with God. Historically, such curses were realized in events like the Babylonian exile, where the land suffered desolation due to Israel's disobedience (2 Chronicles 36:21). This phrase also foreshadows the eschatological judgment, where ultimate destruction is reserved for those who reject God (Revelation 20:15). In a typological sense, it points to the necessity of redemption through Christ, who bore the curse of the law on behalf of humanity (Galatians 3:13).

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

2. Israelites
The chosen people of God, receiving the blessings and curses based on their obedience or disobedience.

3. Promised Land
The land of Canaan, which the Israelites are about to enter, contingent on their faithfulness to God.

4. Covenant
The agreement between God and Israel, involving blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience.

5. Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim
The locations where blessings and curses were pronounced over Israel (Deuteronomy 27).
Teaching Points
The Seriousness of Disobedience
God's warnings are not to be taken lightly. Disobedience leads to severe consequences, as illustrated by the imagery of rain turning to dust.

The Importance of Covenant Faithfulness
The Israelites' relationship with God was based on a covenant. Our relationship with God through Christ also requires faithfulness and obedience.

God's Sovereignty Over Nature
God controls the elements and uses them to fulfill His purposes. This should lead us to trust in His power and submit to His will.

The Call to Repentance
When facing the consequences of disobedience, the appropriate response is repentance and a return to God.

The Role of Prophetic Warnings
Prophets like Moses and Elijah were sent to warn God's people. We should heed the warnings in Scripture and align our lives accordingly.(24) Powder and dust.--The great desert, which lies on the eastern frontier of Palestine, makes this only too possible.



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
The LORD
יְהוָ֛ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

will turn
יִתֵּ֧ן (yit·tên)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5414: To give, put, set

the rain
מְטַ֥ר (mə·ṭar)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 4306: Rain

of your land
אַרְצְךָ֖ (’ar·ṣə·ḵā)
Noun - feminine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 776: Earth, land

into dust
אָבָ֣ק (’ā·ḇāq)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 80: Light particles

and powder;
וְעָפָ֑ר (wə·‘ā·p̄ār)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6083: Dust, clay, earth, mud

it will descend
יֵרֵ֣ד (yê·rêḏ)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3381: To come or go down, descend

on you
עָלֶ֔יךָ (‘ā·le·ḵā)
Preposition | second person masculine singular
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

from
מִן־ (min-)
Preposition
Strong's 4480: A part of, from, out of

the sky
הַשָּׁמַ֙יִם֙ (haš·šā·ma·yim)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 8064: Heaven, sky

until
עַ֖ד (‘aḏ)
Preposition
Strong's 5704: As far as, even to, up to, until, while

you are destroyed.
הִשָּׁמְדָֽךְ׃ (hiš·šā·mə·ḏāḵ)
Verb - Nifal - Infinitive construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 8045: To be exterminated or destroyed


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OT Law: Deuteronomy 28:24 Yahweh will make the rain of your (Deut. De Du)
Deuteronomy 28:23
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