English Standard Version
Deuteronomy 28:13
13And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you shall only go up and not down, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, being careful to do them,
Deuteronomy 28:13 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And the Lord shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the Lord thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them:
- New International Version (NIV)The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the Lord your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom.
- New King James Version (NKJV)And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them.
- New Living Translation (NLT)If you listen to these commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today, and if you carefully obey them, the Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you will always be on top and never at the bottom.
Context of Deuteronomy 28:13
11And the Lord will make you abound in prosperity, in the fruit of your womb and in the fruit of your livestock and in the fruit of your ground, within the land that the Lord swore to your fathers to give you. 12The Lord will open to you his good treasury, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hands. And you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you shall only go up and not down, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, being careful to do them, 14and if you do not turn aside from any of the words that I command you today, to the right hand or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them. 15"But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord your God or be careful to do all his commandments and his statutes that I command you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you.
Read all of Deuteronomy 28Deuteronomy 28:13 word by word
וּנְתָֽנְךָ֨ יְהוָ֤ה לְרֹאשׁ֙ וְלֹ֣א לְזָנָ֔ב וְהָיִ֙יתָ֙ רַ֣ק לְמַ֔עְלָה וְלֹ֥א תִהְיֶ֖ה לְמָ֑טָּה כִּֽי־תִשְׁמַ֞ע אֶל־מִצְוֹ֣ת׀ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֗יךָ אֲשֶׁ֨ר אָנֹכִ֧י מְצַוְּךָ֛ הַיּ֖וֹם לִשְׁמֹ֥ר וְלַעֲשֽׂוֹת׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- shall makeנָתַןnâthan · to give: makeH5414
- thee the headרֹאשׁrô'sh · headH7218
- and not the tailזָנָבzânâb · tailH2180
- and thou shalt be above onlyמַ֫עַלma‛al · aboveH4605
- and thou shalt not be beneathמַ֫טָּהmaţţâh · beneathH4295
- if that thou hearkenשָׁמַעshâma‛ · to hear: obeyH8085
- unto the commandmentsמִצְוָהmitsvâh · commandmentH4687
- thy Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- which I commandצָוָהtsâvâh · to commandH6680
- thee this dayיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
- to observeשָׁמַרshâmar · to keep: carefulH8104
- and to doעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
Cross-references for Deuteronomy 28:13
- Numbers 24:18Edom shall be dispossessed; Seir also, his enemies, shall be dispossessed. Israel is doing valiantly.
- Isaiah 9:14So the Lord cut off from Israel head and tail, palm branch and reed in one day—
- Deuteronomy 28:1"And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth.
- Deuteronomy 4:6Keep them and do them, for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, 'Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.'
- Philippians 1:27Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel,
Commentaries on Deuteronomy 28:13
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1-14Verses 1-14 A comparison of this chapter with Exodus 23:20-23 and Deuteronomy 28:5 The “basket” or bag was a customary means in the East for carrying about whatever might be needed for personal uses (compare Deuteronomy 26:2; John 13:29). The “store” is rather the kneading-trough Exodus 8:3; Exodus 12:34. The blessings here promised relate, it will be observed, to private and personal life: in Deuteronomy 28:7 those which are of a more public and national…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 13the head and not the tail: If Israel obeyed the terms of the covenant, it would lead the nations and not be subject to them.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 13-1413-14. the head, and not the tail--an Oriental form of expression, indicating the possession of independent power and great dignity and acknowledged excellence (Is 9:14; 19:15).Read the comment
Topics related to Deuteronomy 28:13
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Deuteronomy 28
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
English Standard Version — © 2001 Crossway Bibles
Commentaries