And toward her young one that cometh out from between her feet, and toward her children which she shall bear: for she shall eat them for want of all things secretly in the siege and straitness, wherewith thine enemy shall distress thee in thy gates.

DEUTERONOMY 28:57KJV
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Deuteronomy 28:57 (KJV)

What does Deuteronomy 28:57 mean?

Deuteronomy 28:57 describes a mother in such desperate hunger during a siege that she secretly eats her own newborn and children, showing the extreme suffering that will come upon the people if they break God’s covenant. The verse uses shocking imagery to warn of the horrifying consequences of disobedience.

Moses is speaking to the Israelites, warning them about what will happen if they do not follow God’s commands. The verse is part of a longer section listing curses that will come upon the nation if they turn away from God, specifically describing the horrors of a city under siege, where even the most natural bonds and instincts are broken by starvation and distress.

The Hebrew behind Deuteronomy 28:57

  • siege (מָצוֹר, matsor): This word refers to a military blockade or encirclement. Its use here highlights the total isolation and pressure the people would face, making normal life—and even basic survival—impossible.
  • straitness (מְצוּקָה, metsukah): This term means extreme distress or hardship. The verse pairs it with "siege" to emphasize that the suffering is not just physical but also emotional and psychological.
  • secretly (בַּסֵּתֶר, baseter): This word means "in secret" or "hidden." It shows the shame and horror of the act, as the mother hides what she is forced to do even from those closest to her.
  • eat (אָכַל, akhal): This is the ordinary word for eating, but here it is used in a shocking context, underlining the unnatural and desperate actions caused by extreme famine.

Why Deuteronomy 28:57 matters

  • Deuteronomy 28:57 clears up any idea that the curses for disobedience are mild or symbolic; the language is meant to be graphic and literal, showing the real historical horrors that can result from siege warfare.
  • The verse emphasizes how dire the consequences of breaking the covenant can be, even to the point of destroying the most basic human relationships and instincts.
  • This verse connects to the larger passage by showing the seriousness of the covenant between God and Israel, making clear that blessings and curses are not just spiritual ideas but have real-life, physical consequences.

Where else these words appear

“want” Hebrew H2640 · used in 3 verses

  • Deuteronomy 28:48 Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the LORD shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee.
  • Amos 4:6 And I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and want of bread in all your places: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD.

“straitness” Hebrew H4689 · used in 6 verses

  • Deuteronomy 28:53 And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters, which the LORD thy God hath given thee, in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee:
  • Deuteronomy 28:55 So that he will not give to any of them of the flesh of his children whom he shall eat: because he hath nothing left him in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee in all thy gates.
  • Psalms 119:143 Trouble and anguish have taken hold on me: yet thy commandments are my delights.

“distress” Hebrew H6693 · used in 10 verses

  • Deuteronomy 28:53 And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters, which the LORD thy God hath given thee, in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee:
  • Judges 16:16 And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death;
  • Isaiah 29:7 And the multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel, even all that fight against her and her munition, and that distress her, shall be as a dream of a night vision.

“siege” Hebrew H4692 · used in 25 verses

  • Deuteronomy 20:19 When thou shalt besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it, thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof by forcing an axe against them: for thou mayest eat of them, and thou shalt not cut them down(for the tree of the field is man's life) to employ them in the siege:
  • 2 Chronicles 32:10 Thus saith Sennacherib king of Assyria, Whereon do ye trust, that ye abide in the siege in Jerusalem?
  • Ezekiel 4:7 Therefore thou shalt set thy face toward the siege of Jerusalem, and thine arm shall be uncovered, and thou shalt prophesy against it.