Deuteronomy 28:13–15

Context

Deuteronomy is presented as a sermon in which Moses, on the plains of Moab before Israel entered Canaan, expounded the law to the people once again. Chapter 28 forms the conclusion of this sermon, setting side by side the blessings that would follow from keeping the covenant between God and Israel (vv. 1–14) and the curses that would follow from breaking it (vv. 15–68).

Verses 13–14 conclude the section on blessings. The promise that the LORD will make Israel "the head, and not the tail" is joined to a condition: that Israel not "go after other gods to serve them." Verse 15, by contrast, opens the section on curses, declaring that if Israel disobeys, "all these curses" shall come upon it. In verses 43–44 of the curse section, this promise is reversed: the stranger living among Israel "shall be the head," and Israel "shall be the tail." Scholars sometimes explain this pairing of blessings and curses by comparison with ancient Near Eastern treaty texts.

Interpretation

• Covenant and Reformed readings: The covenant theology and Reformed traditions regard this promise as given to the nation of Israel under the Sinai covenant. They hold that Christians must read it in light of Galatians 3:13, which teaches that Christ bore "the curse of the law" on their behalf.
• Readings that distinguish law and gospel: The Lutheran tradition and others that distinguish law and gospel explain the passage's demand for complete obedience as a function of the law: it reveals that human beings cannot attain such obedience on their own and directs them toward grace.
• Dispensationalist readings: Dispensationalist interpretation tends to treat these blessings and curses as promises specifically concerning the history and future restoration of national Israel.
• Readings in blessing-oriented preaching: Preachers in many churches, including Pentecostal and charismatic churches, apply the passage to believers today as a promise of prosperity and leadership conditional on obedience.
• Historical-critical readings: Historical-critical scholars view the chapter as an expression of the retributive thought of Deuteronomic theology and sometimes relate it to Israel's experience of the exile.

Controversies and Issues

Critics in a number of denominations object to quoting the first part of verse 13 in isolation, as though it were a promise guaranteeing personal success, arguing that it must be read together with the condition that immediately follows (vv. 13b–14) and the curses beginning in verse 15. This criticism is also connected to discussions of prosperity theology. The list of curses from verse 15 onward has also been used as a basis for the doctrine of generational curses. Those who reject that view appeal to passages such as Galatians 3 and Ezekiel 18.

In the Korean Church

The expression "the head, and not the tail" is reportedly used often in sermons, prayers of blessing, and New Year's Scripture cards. The New Korean Revised Version retains the same expression.

Related Passages

• Deuteronomy 28:43–44
• Deuteronomy 30:15–20
• Deuteronomy 11:13–21
• Galatians 3:10–14
• Joshua 1:7