Deuteronomy 28:15Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

These promises of both blessings and curses foretold what was to come: “cursed art thou,” it was declared, “in the city, and cursed art thou in the field” (Deuteronomy 28:16), alongside many other similar proclamations directed at the tribes.

This came to pass during the times of the Assyrians and Babylonians.

He then pronounces curses that stand in stark contrast to the aforementioned blessings: calamity, misfortune, poverty, illness, anguish, famine, disease, conflict, failure in battle, unending death, and barrenness of the earth. Why are curses more numerous than blessings? The servants of evil gain less from assurances of freedom than from warnings of retribution.

Have you, O Jew, listened to the words of the esteemed Moses, which he communicated to your ancestors, stating that if you adhere to the commandments of the Lord your God, you will be blessed in all your endeavors; yet if you disregard them, curses shall come upon you? It seems that the prophecy of Moses has come to fruition for you Jews during the New Testament era. When you were faithful to God, you entered the lands of the nations without the need for arms; however, when you turned away from the Lord, calamity befell you, and you endured every affliction, as all that Moses foretold has been realized, encompassing the very words that the Lord entrusted to Moses in the land of Moab.

It was essential to demonstrate that temporal blessings arise from divine, spiritual gifts, and consequently, it was crucial to acknowledge the opposing aspect—the curses. Pronouncing curses is challenging! What are the implications of allowing them to persist?