You will become an object of horror, scorn, and ridicule among all the nations to which the LORD will drive you.
Parallel translations
- WEB You will become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword among all the peoples where Yahweh will lead you away.
- KJV And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all nations whither the LORD shall lead thee.
- NKJV And you shall become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword among all nations where the Lord will drive you.
- NASB And you will become an object of horror, a song of mockery, and an object of taunting among all the peoples where the Lord drives you.
- NLT You will become an object of horror, ridicule, and mockery among all the nations to which the Lord sends you.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Israel will become an object of horror, a proverb and a byword among the nations.
Overview
Once meant to draw nations to reverence God, Israel becomes a cautionary tale. Their downfall makes them a symbol of ruin among the peoples. This tragic reversal of their high calling shows the public shame of covenant unfaithfulness.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Jer 24:9I will make them a horror and an offense to all the kingdoms of the earth, a disgrace and an object of scorn, ridicule, and cursing wherever I have banished them.
- Jer 25:9behold, I will summon all the families of the north, declares the LORD, and I will send for My servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, whom I will bring against this land, against its residents, and against all the surrounding nations. So I will devote them to destruction and make them an object of horror and contempt, an everlasting desolation.
- 1 Kgs 9:7–8then I will cut off Israel from the land that I have given them, and I will banish from My presence this temple I have sanctified for My Name. Then Israel will become an object of scorn and ridicule among all peoples.
- 2 Chr 7:20then I will uproot Israel from the soil I have given them, and I will banish from My presence this temple I have sanctified for My Name. I will make it an object of scorn and ridicule among all the peoples.
- Ps 44:13–14You have made us a reproach to our neighbors, a mockery and derision to those around us.
- Zech 8:13As you have been a curse among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so I will save you, and you will be a blessing. Do not be afraid; let your hands be strong.”
- Deut 29:22–28Then the generation to come—your sons who follow you and the foreigner who comes from a distant land—will see the plagues of the land and the sicknesses the LORD has inflicted on it.
- Deut 28:28The LORD will afflict you with madness, blindness, and confusion of mind,
- Joel 2:17Let the priests who minister before the LORD weep between the portico and the altar, saying, “Spare Your people, O LORD, and do not make Your heritage a reproach, an object of scorn among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’”
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Christ at the center
Moses promised a Prophet like himself to whom Israel must listen (18:15); Jesus is that Prophet, the one who keeps the covenant we broke and becomes the curse for us by hanging on a tree (Gal 3:13).
How Deuteronomy 28:37 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.