He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him: he shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail.
What does Deuteronomy 28:44 mean?
If we do not keep God's commandments, we not only come short of the blessing promised, but we lay ourselves under the curse, which includes all misery, as the blessing all happiness. Notice the justice of this curse.
Key themes
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Keep this verse inside Deuteronomy 28:42-44 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on Deuteronomy 28:44
He shall lend to thee, and thou shall not lend to him,.... The stranger, or one of another nation, shall be in a capacity of lending to the Jew, when the Jew would not be able to lend to the Gentile, his circumstances being so low and mean; to show which is the design of the expression, and not the kindness or unkindness of either; see Deuteronomy 28:12 , he shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail; he shall be ruler and governor, and thou shalt be subject to him; see Deuteronomy 28:13 .
Key words
- thee
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He shall lend to thee, and thou shall not lend to him,.
Context in Deuteronomy 28
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Deuteronomy 28 belongs to the middle movement of the book, especially the section often described as the song of Moses, blessing of the tribes, and Moses’ death. Deuteronomy restates and interprets the law through a series of charged covenant sermons that call Israel to remember, love, obey, and choose life. Read this chapter with the wider themes of memory, covenant, and love of God in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.
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