Deuteronomy 28:25

Curses by Defeat and Deportation

28:25 “The Lord will allow you to be struck down before your enemies; you will attack them from one direction but flee from them in seven directions and will become an object of terror ¹  to all the kingdoms of the earth.

Deuteronomy 28:48

28:48 instead in hunger, thirst, nakedness, and poverty ²  you will serve your enemies whom the Lord will send against you. They ³  will place an iron yoke on your neck until they have destroyed you.

[28:25]  ¹ tc The meaningless MT reading זַעֲוָה (za’avah) is clearly a transposition of the more commonly attested Hebrew noun זְוָעָה (zÿva’ah, “terror”).

[28:48]  ² tn Heb “lack of everything.”

[28:48]  ³ tn Heb “he” (also later in this verse). The pronoun is a collective singular referring to the enemies (cf. CEV, NLT). Many translations understand the singular pronoun to refer to the Lord (cf. NAB, NASB, NIV, NCV, NRSV, TEV).