Favor · the best way to learn the Bible
Deuteronomy 28 Bible study: Blessings that overtake you
Six times "blessed" (28:3-6) are answered by six times "cursed" (28:16-19); the blessings "overtake" those who listen (28:2); one reason given for the curses is not serving the LORD "with joyfulness" in "the abundance of all things" (28:47); and the last curse is "into Egypt again" (28:68).
Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the words behind the words, what most readers miss, and how it all leads to Jesus.
First week free, then $10 a month per person
“All these blessings will come upon you, and overtake you, if you listen to the LORD your God’s voice.”
Try it · Did you catch it?
“Deuteronomy 28 says the blessings will "overtake" those who listen to the LORD's voice.”
Is that in Deuteronomy 28, or not? Make your call.
What's really going on
Blessings that catch up with you
The chapter opens with an "if": "It shall happen, if you shall listen diligently to the LORD your God’s voice, to observe to do all his commandments which I command you today, that the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth" (28:1). Then: "All these blessings will come upon you, and overtake you, if you listen to the LORD your God’s voice" (28:2). Overtake is nasag, the verb Deuteronomy uses for the avenger of blood who might "pursue the man slayer… and overtake him" (19:6). Here it is the blessings that do the catching up. The same words turn around in 28:15, "all these curses will come on you and overtake you", and again in 28:45: "All these curses will come on you, and will pursue you and overtake you". Both halves of the chapter hang on one verb, shama, "listen" (28:1, 28:2, 28:15, 28:45).
Where it leads to Jesus
Blessed are those who hear
Deuteronomy 28:2leads toLuke 11:28
"All these blessings will come upon you, and overtake you, if you listen to the LORD your God’s voice" (28:2); and again, "if you listen to the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you today, to observe and to do" (28:13). When a woman out of the multitude called to Jesus, "Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts which nursed you!" (Luke 11:27), he answered, "On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God, and keep it" (Luke 11:28). Jesus doesn't cite Deuteronomy 28, so this is a reading. Some hear in his answer this chapter's own terms: blessing for those who listen and do. Others read it as his reply to the woman alone, and don't tie it to this chapter.
Honest questions
Questions people ask about Deuteronomy 28
That was a taste
The rest of Deuteronomy 28 is waiting in Favor
- Six times blessed, six times cursed
- The head, and not the tail
- Not with joyfulness
- Beside Leviticus 26
- Into Egypt again
- Later Scripture looks back
- 23 questions as you read
- 12 more Hebrew words
- A short check at the end
- Your notes, saved as you go
Favor reads the Bible in order, so you'll reach Deuteronomy 28 with everything before it in view. First week free, then $10 a month per person.
The Hebrew word behind it
נָשַׂגnasagsay na-SAG
Brown-Driver-Briggs: "reach, overtake". Strong's: "to reach (literally or figuratively)". Deuteronomy uses it four times. Once it is the avenger of blood, who might "pursue the man slayer… and overtake him" (19:6). The other three are in this chapter: the blessings "will come upon you, and overtake you" (28:2), and the curses "will come on you and overtake you" (28:15), "and will pursue you and overtake you" (28:45). In Hebrew 28:45 has the same pair of verbs as 19:6, pursue and overtake.
For your group
Deuteronomy 28 Bible study questions
- 1"All these blessings will come upon you, and overtake you" (28:2). When has God's goodness caught up with you when you weren't looking for it?
- 2"Because you didn’t serve the LORD your God with joyfulness and with gladness of heart, by reason of the abundance of all things" (28:47). Why can it be harder to serve God gladly when life is full? What helps?
- 3The chapter's blessings rest on "if you listen" (28:2), and Jesus said, "blessed are those who hear the word of God, and keep it" (Luke 11:28). What helps you not only hear God's word, but do it?
Leading a group? In Favor, everyone reads Deuteronomy 28 during the week and answers these questions privately. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together, and you can print the week's sheet.
Start a Bible studyThe best way to learn the Bible
Favor opens up every chapter as you read.
Favor is a Bible study app for your phone or computer. It takes you through the Bible one chapter at a time, a few minutes a day, and shows you what's really there: the words behind the words, the moments most people miss, and how the whole story fits together. For you. For everyone.
Every chapter explains itself
As you read, short notes open up what's really going on, the details most readers walk past, and the honest questions people ask.
The Hebrew and Greek behind it
Tap a highlighted word to see the original, how to say it, and what it means, checked against the original-language texts.
Every page leads to Jesus
Watch promises made in Genesis kept in Jesus. Each line lights up on your map as you read.
Better together
Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together.
- 1
Start your free week
Sign up in a minute with your email.
- 2
Read a few minutes a day
Each chapter opens itself up as you go. Tap what you're curious about.
- 3
Bring your people, if you like
Send one link. Everyone reads the same chapter, then meets to talk.
First week free, then $10 a month per person
Questions
What is Favor?
Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the Hebrew and Greek behind the words, the details most readers miss, and how each part of the Bible leads to Jesus. Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church.
How much does it cost?
Your first week is free. After that it's $10 a month per person, the same for everyone, including groups and churches. There are no tiers and nothing extra to unlock.
Can I read Deuteronomy 28 straight away?
Favor takes the Bible as one story, in order, so you'll reach Deuteronomy 28 with everything that leads up to it in view. Start from Genesis, or meet Jesus first in the Gospels. You can read the text of any chapter in Favor's Look up whenever you like.
Do I need a group?
No. Many people read on their own. If you'd like to read with others, start a Bible study and share one link. Everyone's answers stay private until you meet.
I've never really read the Bible. Is this for me?
Yes. Favor starts where you are and explains as it goes. The questions along the way aren't marked right or wrong: you answer, then see what the text shows.
Which Bible does Favor use?
The World English Bible, a modern, readable translation in the public domain. God's name appears as "the LORD", as in most English Bibles.
Is Favor tied to a church?
No. Favor is non-denominational. Where Christians read a passage differently, it shows the main views side by side and doesn't pick one.
Start with Deuteronomy 28
The best way to learn the Bible. For you. For everyone.
There's a seat for you at the table.
Start your free weekFirst week free, then $10 a month per person · Log in
Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Hebrew and Greek words are checked against the original-language texts and public-domain lexicons. What we believe · Favor home