Deuteronomy 28:32-53
28:36 a exile you: This prediction had two major fulfillments in Old Testament times—the Assyrian exile of Samaria in 722 BC and the Babylonian conquest and exile of Jerusalem in 586 BC.28:43 b foreigners (literally sojourners): In God’s day of judgment, those regarded as the weakest and most vulnerable elements of Israelite society (see 29:11 c) would dominate.
28:44 d the head ... the tail: Rather than Israel’s leading the nations, the reverse would be true when God punishes his people (see 28:13 e).
28:46 f sign and warning (literally sign and wonder): This expression indicates God’s miraculous acts that arrest the attention of those who witness them and attest to his power and sovereignty (see 6:22 g). They are intended to produce intense fear among his own people.
28:48 h An iron yoke is portrayed in various inscriptions and artistic representations. The use of this hard, unyielding metal emphasizes the cruelty and severity of the bondage Israel would experience if it remained unrepentant.
28:49 i like a vulture (or eagle): This simile indicates how rapidly the enemy would come.
• whose language you do not understand: Both Assyrian and Babylonian were dialects of Akkadian, a language that was related to Hebrew but vastly different in grammar, syntax, and vocabulary (see Isa 36:11-13 j).
28:50 k The Assyrians were fierce and heartless toward their defeated enemies. A favorite instrument of torture was a stake on which they impaled their victims alive (see Isa 33:19 l; Nah 2:1-7 m).
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