Also every sickness, and every plague, which is not written in the book of this law, them will the LORD bring upon thee, until thou be destroyed.

DEUTERONOMY 28:61KJV
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Deuteronomy 28:61 (KJV)

What does Deuteronomy 28:61 mean?

Deuteronomy 28:61 warns that every sickness and every plague, even those not specifically listed in the law, will be brought upon the people by the LORD until they are destroyed. This verse emphasizes that the consequences for disobedience to God's law are not limited to what is written but can include any kind of affliction.

In this verse, Moses is speaking to the Israelites as they prepare to enter the promised land. He is explaining the blessings for obedience and the curses for disobedience found in the covenant. Deuteronomy 28:61 comes in the section listing curses, stressing that God's judgment is thorough and not limited to previously mentioned diseases or disasters.

The Hebrew behind Deuteronomy 28:61

  • sickness (חֳלִי, ḥolí): This word refers to illness or disease in a general sense. Its use here broadens the warning to include any kind of physical suffering, not just specific diseases named earlier.
  • plague (מַכָּה, makkāh): This word means a blow, wound, or plague. It can refer to any kind of calamity or disaster, suggesting that God's judgment could come in many forms.
  • written (כָּתַב, kātav): This word means "to write." The verse points out that not only the curses already recorded in the law apply, but also others that are not written down.
  • book (סֵפֶר, séfer): This refers to the physical scroll or book of the law. Mentioning the "book" highlights the seriousness of what is recorded and also the possibility of consequences beyond what is documented.
  • law (תּוֹרָה, toráh): This means "instruction" or "law," referring to the teachings and commandments given by God to Israel. The verse ties the consequences directly to the covenant law.

Why Deuteronomy 28:61 matters

  • Deuteronomy 28:61 makes it clear that the list of curses is not exhaustive; God's warnings cover all possible afflictions, not just those specifically named.
  • This verse highlights the seriousness of the covenant relationship, showing that disobedience brings real and comprehensive consequences.
  • By mentioning both what is written and unwritten, the verse underlines the authority and completeness of God's law, reminding the Israelites that nothing is outside God's knowledge or power.

Where else these words appear

“sickness” Hebrew H2483 · used in 22 verses

  • Deuteronomy 7:15 And the LORD will take away from thee all sickness, and will put none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which thou knowest, upon thee; but will lay them upon all them that hate thee.
  • 2 Chronicles 16:12 And Asa in the thirty and ninth year of his reign was diseased in his feet, until his disease was exceeding great: yet in his disease he sought not to the LORD, but to the physicians.
  • Isaiah 1:5 Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.

“plague” Hebrew H4347 · used in 46 verses

  • Leviticus 26:21 And if ye walk contrary unto me, and will not hearken unto me; I will bring seven times more plagues upon you according to your sins.
  • 1 Samuel 23:5 So David and his men went to Keilah, and fought with the Philistines, and brought away their cattle, and smote them with a great slaughter. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.
  • Isaiah 27:7 Hath he smitten him, as he smote those that smote him? or is he slain according to the slaughter of them that are slain by him?

“destroyed” Hebrew H8045 · used in 86 verses

  • Genesis 34:30 And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites: and I being few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house.
  • Deuteronomy 31:4 And the LORD shall do unto them as he did to Sihon and to Og, kings of the Amorites, and unto the land of them, whom he destroyed.
  • Esther 7:4 For we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish. But if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I had held my tongue, although the enemy could not countervail the king's damage.