The LORD will smite thee with the botch of Egypt, and with the emerods, and with the scab, and with the itch, whereof thou canst not be healed.

DEUTERONOMY 28:27KJV
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Deuteronomy 28:27 (KJV)

What does Deuteronomy 28:27 mean?

Deuteronomy 28:27 warns that the LORD will strike the Israelites with painful and incurable diseases, including the "botch of Egypt," tumors, scabs, and itching skin conditions. This verse is part of a list of curses that would come upon Israel if they broke their covenant with God.

In this passage, Moses is speaking to the people of Israel as they prepare to enter the Promised Land. He is describing the consequences of disobedience to God's commandments, listing specific physical afflictions that were feared and recognized in the ancient world. The verse emphasizes the seriousness of turning away from God by highlighting suffering that cannot be healed by human means.

The Hebrew behind Deuteronomy 28:27

  • LORD (יְהוָה, YHWH): This is the personal name of God in the Hebrew Bible, emphasizing that these consequences come directly from Israel's covenant God, not from fate or chance.
  • botch (שְׁחִין, shechin): This word refers to a severe skin disease, often understood as boils or ulcers. The "botch of Egypt" recalls the plagues experienced in Egypt, connecting Israel’s potential punishment to past divine judgments.
  • emerods (עֹפֶל, ophel and טְחֹרִים, techorim): These terms refer to painful swellings or tumors, possibly hemorrhoids or similar afflictions. The use of two words suggests a range of painful, debilitating conditions.
  • canst (תוּכַל, tukhal) / healed (רָפָא, rapha): The verse stresses that these diseases are beyond human cure, highlighting the severity and divine origin of the punishment.

Why Deuteronomy 28:27 matters

  • This verse clarifies that the curses for disobedience are not just general misfortune but involve specific, recognizable diseases that would have been terrifying to the original audience.
  • The mention of incurable conditions underlines the seriousness of breaking the covenant, showing that some consequences would be beyond human help.
  • By referencing the "botch of Egypt," the verse connects Israel’s potential suffering to the plagues that struck Egypt, reminding the people that the same God who delivered them can also discipline them.

Where else these words appear

“scab” Hebrew H1618 · used in 3 verses

  • Leviticus 21:20 Or crookbackt, or a dwarf, or that hath a blemish in his eye, or be scurvy, or scabbed, or hath his stones broken;
  • Leviticus 22:22 Blind, or broken, or maimed, or having a wen, or scurvy, or scabbed, ye shall not offer these unto the LORD, nor make an offering by fire of them upon the altar unto the LORD.

“itch” Hebrew H2775 · used in 4 verses

  • Judges 8:13 And Gideon the son of Joash returned from battle before the sun was up,
  • Judges 14:18 And the men of the city said unto him on the seventh day before the sun went down, What is sweeter than honey? and what is stronger than a lion? And he said unto them, If ye had not plowed with my heifer, ye had not found out my riddle.
  • Job 9:7 Which commandeth the sun, and it riseth not; and sealeth up the stars.

“emerods” Hebrew H2914 · used in 8 verses

  • 1 Samuel 5:6 But the hand of the LORD was heavy upon them of Ashdod, and he destroyed them, and smote them with emerods, even Ashdod and the coasts thereof.
  • 1 Samuel 5:12 And the men that died not were smitten with the emerods: and the cry of the city went up to heaven.
  • 1 Samuel 6:5 Wherefore ye shall make images of your emerods, and images of your mice that mar the land; and ye shall give glory unto the God of Israel: peradventure he will lighten his hand from off you, and from off your gods, and from off your land.

“emerods” Hebrew H6076 · used in 9 verses

  • 1 Samuel 5:6 But the hand of the LORD was heavy upon them of Ashdod, and he destroyed them, and smote them with emerods, even Ashdod and the coasts thereof.
  • 1 Samuel 5:12 And the men that died not were smitten with the emerods: and the cry of the city went up to heaven.
  • 2 Kings 5:24 And when he came to the tower, he took them from their hand, and bestowed them in the house: and he let the men go, and they departed.