Deuteronomy 28:23

And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
heaven	שָׁמֶ֛יךָ sha.Mei.kha	H8064	the sky (as aloft · noun, common masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person masculine singular
head	רֹאשְׁךָ֖ ro.she.Kha	H7218	the head (as most easily shaken) · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person masculine singular
brass	נְחֹ֑שֶׁת ne.Cho.shet	H5178	copper · noun, common feminine singular absolute
earth	וְהָאָ֥רֶץ ve.ha.'A.retz	H776	the earth (at large · conjunction + definite article + noun, common feminine singular absolute
iron	בַּרְזֶֽל bar.Zel	H1270	iron (as cutting) · noun, common masculine singular absolute

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Leviticus 26:19 And I will break the pride of your power; and I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass:
Jeremiah 14:1-6 The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah concerning the dearth.
1 Kings 17:1 And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there…
1 Kings 18:2 And Elijah went to shew himself unto Ahab. And there was a sore famine in Samaria.
Amos 4:7 And also I have withholden the rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest: and I caused it to rain upon one city, and ca…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Deuteronomy 28:15-44

Having viewed the bright side of the cloud, which is towards the obedient, we have now presented to us the dark side, which is towards the disobedient. If we do not keep God's commandments, we not only come short of the blessing promised, but we lay ourselves under the curse, which is as comprehensive of all misery as the blessing is of all happiness. Observe, I. The equity of this curse. It is not a curse causeless, nor for some light cause; God seeks not occasion against us, nor is he apt to quarrel with us. That which is here mentioned as bringing the curse is, 1. Despising God, refusing to hearken to his voice (Deu 28:15), which bespeaks the highest contempt imaginable, as if what he sai…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Deuteronomy 28:23

heaven . . . brass . . . earth . . . iron--strong Oriental figures used to describe the effects of long-continued drought. This want of regular and seasonable rain is allowed by the most intelligent observers to be one great cause of the present sterility of Palestine.

John Gill on Deuteronomy 28:23

And the heaven that is over thy head shall be brass,.... Or like brass, not for its clearness, brightness, and splendour, or for its being spread out like a molten looking glass which was of brass, Job 37:18; but for its dryness and hardness, no moisture being in it, or passing through it; no showers of rain nor dew being let down from it: and the earth that is under thee shall be iron; or like iron, hard and impenetrable, into which the plough and spade will not enter; nor anything spring out of it, for want of rain and dew to moisten and soften it. The same is said in Leviticus 26:19; only there is an inversion of the figures; there the heaven is said to be as iron, and the earth like bra…

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John Calvin on Deuteronomy 28:15–end

Deuteronomy 28:15-68 15. But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes, which I command thee this day, that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee. 15. Et erit, si non obedieris voci Jehovae Dei tui, ut custodias faciendo omnia praecepta ejus, et statuta ejus quae ego praecipio tibi hodie, venient super te onmes maledictiones istae, et apprehendent te. 16. Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field. 16. Maledictus eris in urbe, et maledictus in agro. 17. Cursed shall be thy basket and thy store. 17. Maledictum canistrum tuum, et conspersio tua…

The Church Fathers

What is meant by "a heaven of brass"? Absolute dryness and lack of aerial waters through which the earth produces its fruits.
— Basil of Caesarea, EXEGETIC HOMILIES 3.8

By the heaven then being brass is signified its being shut up, and refusing its use to the earth. The earth also is iron, for it witholds its produce, and with hostile rigour excludes from its fructifying soil the seeds thrown upon it, which its wont is to cherish as in the bosom of a tender mother. For when does iron bring forth fruit, when does brass melt into showers?
— Ambrose of Milan, Letters 61-70

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Drought — From the middle of May to about the middle of August the land of Palestine is dry. It is then the “drought of summer” (Gen. 31:40; Ps. 32:4), and the land suffers (Deut. 28:23: Ps. 102:4), vegetation…
Famine — The first mentioned in Scripture was so grievous as to compel Abraham to go down to the land of Egypt (Gen. 26:1). Another is mentioned as having occurred in the days of Isaac, causing him to go to…
Heathen — (Heb. plural goyum). At first the word goyim denoted generally all the nations of the world (Gen. 18:18; comp. Gal. 3:8). The Jews afterwards became a people distinguished in a marked manner from the…
Jerusalem — Called also Salem, Ariel, Jebus, the “city of God,” the “holy city;” by the modern Arabs el-Khuds, meaning “the holy;” once “the city of Judah” (2 Chr. 25:28). This name is in the original in the…
Backsliders · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Brass, Or Copper · Illustrative of: Extreme drought — Illustrative of: Extreme drought
Drought · Sent by God as a — Sent by God as a
Famine · Sent as a — Sent as a
Iron · Illustrative: Of a hard barren soil — Illustrative: Of a hard barren soil
Judgments · General references — General references
Obedience · ENJOINED — ENJOINED
Obedience To God · Punishment of refusing — Punishment of refusing

Deuteronomy 28:23

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Deuteronomy 28:15-44

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Deuteronomy 28:23

John Gill on Deuteronomy 28:23

John Calvin on Deuteronomy 28:15–end

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Deuteronomy 28:23

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Deuteronomy 28:15-44

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Deuteronomy 28:23

John Gill on Deuteronomy 28:23

John Calvin on Deuteronomy 28:15–end

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Keil & Delitzsch on Deuteronomy 28:15–end

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Deuteronomy 28:23

Rashi on Deuteronomy 28:23