So that thou shalt be mad for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see.

DEUTERONOMY 28:34KJV
Know the Bible

Deuteronomy 28:34 (KJV)

What does Deuteronomy 28:34 mean?

Deuteronomy 28:34 says that the people will be driven mad by the terrible things they will witness with their own eyes. The verse describes a mental anguish so deep that seeing the disasters around them will overwhelm their minds.

In this part of Deuteronomy, Moses is warning the Israelites about the curses that will come if they break their covenant with God. The verse comes in a long list of consequences for disobedience, describing how the suffering and devastation will be so severe that it will affect the people's sanity. The focus is on the emotional and psychological toll of witnessing such hardship.

The Hebrew behind Deuteronomy 28:34

  • The word "mad" (שָׁגַע, shagáʿ) means to be driven insane or to lose one's mind. Here, it emphasizes the extreme mental distress caused by what the people will experience.
  • The word "sight" (מַרְאֶה, mar'eh) refers to what is seen or the appearance of something. It highlights that the madness comes specifically from what the people see happening around them.
  • The word "eyes" (עַיִן, ʿayin) is the common Hebrew word for the physical eyes, underlining that this is not just imagined suffering but something witnessed firsthand.
  • The word "see" (רָאָה, ra'ah) means to look at or observe. It stresses that the cause of their distress is not rumors or stories, but direct observation of the calamities.

Why Deuteronomy 28:34 matters

  • This verse clarifies that the suffering described is not only physical but also deeply psychological, showing the full impact of the curses.
  • The emphasis on what is seen with the eyes connects the curse to real, visible events, not just abstract threats, making the warning more vivid and personal.
  • In the context of Deuteronomy 28, this verse helps underline the seriousness of the covenant and the real consequences of breaking it, both outwardly and inwardly.

Where else these words appear

“mad” Hebrew H7696 · used in 6 verses

  • 1 Samuel 21:14 Then said Achish unto his servants, Lo, ye see the man is mad: wherefore then have ye brought him to me?
  • 1 Samuel 21:15 Have I need of mad men, that ye have brought this fellow to play the mad man in my presence? shall this fellow come into my house?
  • Jeremiah 29:26 The LORD hath made thee priest in the stead of Jehoiada the priest, that ye should be officers in the house of the LORD, for every man that is mad, and maketh himself a prophet, that thou shouldest put him in prison, and in the stocks.

“sight” Hebrew H4758 · used in 82 verses

  • Genesis 2:9 And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
  • Deuteronomy 28:67 In the morning thou shalt say, Would God it were even! and at even thou shalt say, Would God it were morning! for the fear of thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see.
  • Ezekiel 1:28 As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.