What blessing and curse does Moses place before Israel as it prepares to enter the land?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

He sets a blessing before them if they obey the Lord’s commands, and a curse if they disobey, revolt from the way shown to them, and follow unknown strange gods. His speech promises rain, food, and possession of stronger nations under stated conditions, and warns that serving strange gods may bring no rain, no harvest, and quick destruction from the land.

Chapter breakdown

Israel must love the Lord and observe his precepts, ceremonies, judgments, and commands at all times. Moses tells them to know that day what their children do not know, having not seen the Lord’s chastisements, great deeds, strong hand, and outstretched arm. He recalls the signs and works done in Egypt to king Pharao and all his land. The Red Sea covered the Egyptian army, horses, and chariots when they pursued Israel; the Lord destroyed them to that present day. Moses also recalls what the Lord did to Israel in the wilderness until it reached this place. Dathan and Abiron were sons of Eliab, the son of Ruben. The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them, their households, tents, and all their possessions in the midst of Israel. Moses tells his hearers that their own eyes have seen all the Lord’s great works.

They must keep all the commands given that day so they may enter and possess the land and live in it a long time. The Lord promised it by oath to their fathers and descendants, a land flowing with milk and honey. It differs from Egypt, where waters are brought in after sowing to water the land like gardens. The land they are entering has hills and plains and expects rain from heaven. The Lord always visits it, and his eyes are on it from the year’s beginning to its end.

If they obey the commands given that day, love the Lord, and serve him with all their heart and soul, he will give the early and latter rain. They may then gather corn, wine, oil, and hay from the fields to feed their cattle, and eat their fill. They must beware lest their hearts be deceived and they leave the Lord to serve and adore strange gods. The warning says the Lord in anger may shut heaven so rain does not come and the earth yields no fruit. They would quickly perish from the excellent land he will give them.

They must store these words in their hearts and minds, hang them as a sign on their hands, and place them between their eyes. They must teach their children to meditate on them when sitting in the house, walking on the way, lying down, and rising up. They must write them on the posts and doors of the house. This is so their days and their children’s days may be multiplied in the land sworn to their fathers, as long as heaven hangs over the earth.

If they keep and do the commands, love the Lord, walk in all his ways, and hold fast to him, he will destroy all these nations before them. They will possess nations greater and stronger than themselves. Every place their foot treads will be theirs. Their borders will run from the desert and Libanus, from the great river Euphrates to the western sea. None will stand against them. The Lord will lay dread and fear of them on all the land they tread, as he has spoken.

Moses sets before Israel that day a blessing and a curse. The blessing is conditional on obeying the Lord’s commands given that day. The curse is conditional on disobeying, revolting from the way Moses now shows them, and following strange gods they do not know. When the Lord brings them into the land where they are going to dwell, they must put the blessing on Mount Garizim and the curse on Mount Hebal. Challoner’s separate note directs the reader to Deuteronomy 27:12 and following and Josue 8:33 and following. The mountains are beyond the Jordan, behind the way toward the setting sun, in the Chanaanite’s plain country opposite Galgala, near the valley that reaches far into the country. Israel will cross the Jordan to have and possess the land the Lord will give it. It must therefore fulfill the ceremonies and judgments Moses sets before it that day.

The story inside

Moses builds his speech around remembered deeds, future promises, and stated conditions. His hearers have seen what their children have not, including the Egyptian pursuit ending in the Red Sea and the earth swallowing Dathan and Abiron. He then contrasts watered gardens in Egypt with the land of hills and plains expecting rain. The promised early and latter rain accompanies obedience, love, and service with all the heart and soul. The warning about serving strange gods names the opposite result: heaven shut, no rain or fruit, and quick perishing from the land. Keeping the words in mind, teaching children, and placing signs and writings in daily life are commands within this speech. Moses ends with blessing and curse and a future instruction concerning Garizim and Hebal. The chapter does not narrate that ceremony being carried out.

Lessons worth keeping

1
Moses asks his hearers to remember deeds they have seen. He distinguishes their knowledge from that of their children, then tells them to teach the children to meditate on the words during the named daily activities.
2
The rain promise and warning have stated conditions. Obedience, love, and whole-hearted service accompany the early and latter rain; departure to strange gods accompanies the warning of no rain, no fruit, and quick perishing.
3
The blessing and curse are tied to conduct. Moses states obedience as the condition for blessing and disobedience, revolt, and following unknown gods as the conditions for curse. The directions for the two mountains concern a future time in the land.

Test your recall

What actions does Moses warn may lead the Lord to shut heaven so that rain does not fall and the land yields no fruit?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 19763–19791
Deuteronomy Chapter 11 The love and service of God are still inculcated, with a blessing to them that serve him, and threats of punishment if they forsake his law. 11:1. Therefore love the Lord thy God and observe his precepts and ceremonies, his judgments and commandments at all times. 11:2. Know this day the things that your children know not, who saw not the chastisements of the Lord your God, his great doings and strong hand, and stretched out arm, 11:3. The signs and works which he did in the midst of Egypt to king Pharao, and to all his land, 11:4. And to all the host of the Egyptians, and to their horses and chariots: how the waters of the Red Sea covered them, when they pursued you, and how the Lord destroyed them until this present day: 11:5. And what he hath done to you in the wilderness, til you came to this place: 11:6. And to Dathan and Abiron the sons of Eliab, who was the son of Ruben: whom the earth, opening her mouth swallowed up with their households and tents, and all their substance, which they had in the midst of Israel. 11:7. Your eyes have seen all the great works of the Lord, that he hath done,
Lines 19793–19808
11:8. That you may keep all his commandments, which I command you this day, and may go in, and possess the land, to which you are entering, 11:9. And may live in it a long time: which the Lord promised by oath to your fathers, and to their seed, a land which floweth with milk and honey. 11:10. For the land, which thou goest to possess, is not like the land of Egypt, from whence thou camest out, where, when the seed is sown, waters are brought in to water it after the manner of gardens. 11:11. But it is a land of hills and plains, expecting rain from heaven. 11:12. And the Lord thy God doth always visit it, and his eyes are on it from the beginning of the year unto the end thereof.
Lines 19810–19825
11:13. If then you obey my commandments, which I command you this day, that you love the Lord your God, and serve him with all your heart, and with all your soul: 11:14. He will give to your land the early rain and the latter rain, that you may gather in your corn, and your wine, and your oil, 11:15. And your hay out of the fields to feed your cattle, and that you may eat and be filled. 11:16. Beware lest perhaps your heart be deceived, and you depart from the Lord, and serve strange gods, and adore them: 11:17. And the Lord being angry shut up heaven, that the rain come not down, nor the earth yield her fruit, and you perish quickly from the excellent land, which the Lord will give you.
Lines 19827–19838
11:18. Lay up these words in your hearts and minds, and hang them for a sign on your hands, and place them between your eyes. 11:19. Teach your children that they meditate on them, when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou walkest on the way, and when thou liest down and risest up. 11:20. Thou shalt write them upon the posts and the doors of thy house: 11:21. That thy days may be multiplied, and the days of thy children in the land which the Lord swore to thy fathers, that he would give them as long as the heaven hangeth over the earth.
Lines 19840–19853
11:22. For if you keep the commandments which I command you, and do them, to love the Lord your God, and walk in all his ways, cleaving unto him, 11:23. The Lord will destroy all these nations before your face, and you shall possess them, which are greater and stronger than you. 11:24. Every place, that your foot shall tread upon, shall be yours. From the desert, and from Libanus, from the great river Euphrates unto the western sea shall be your borders. 11:25. None shall stand against you: the Lord your God shall lay the dread and fear of you upon all the land that you shall tread upon, as he hath spoken to you.
Lines 19855–19882
11:26. Behold I set forth in your sight this day a blessing and a curse: 11:27. A blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you this day: 11:28. A curse, if you obey not the commandments of the Lord your God, but revolt from the way which now I shew you, and walk after strange gods which you know not. 11:29. And when the Lord thy God shall have brought thee into the land, whither thou goest to dwell, thou shalt put the blessing upon mount Garizim, the curse upon mount Hebal: Put the blessing, et.... See Deut. 27.12, etc. and Josue 8.33, etc. 11:30. Which are beyond the Jordan, behind the way that goeth to the setting of the sun, in the land of the Chanaanite who dwelleth in the plain country over against Galgala, which is near the valley that reacheth and entereth far. 11:31. For you shall pass over the Jordan, to possess the land, which the Lord your God will give you, that you may have it and possess it. 11:32. See therefore that you fulfil the ceremonies and judgments, which I shall set this day before you.