Deuteronomy 28:48

48 therefore shall you serve your enemies whom the LORD shall send against you, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron on your neck, until he have destroyed you.

Deuteronomy 28:48 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 28:48

Therefore shall thou serve thine enemies, which the Lord
shall send against thee
Since they would not serve the Lord their God, who was so good a master to them, and supplied them with all good things, and with plenty of them, they should serve other lords, their enemies, whom God would raise up and send against them; not only, the Assyrians, Chaldeans, and Babylonians, but the Romans, after described, whom they should find hard masters, and from whom they; should have very severe usage, and should be

in hunger and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all [good
things];
being destitute of food, and drink and raiment, and the common necessaries of life, and so in famishing and starving circumstances:

and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck;
bring them into a state of subjection to their enemies, which would be intolerable to them, and from which they would not be able to free themselves, any more than to break an iron yoke; which, as it agrees with the Babylonish captivity, and their subjection in that state, see ( Jeremiah 28:13 Jeremiah 28:14 ) ; so more especially with their bondage under the Romans, who are the legs of iron in Nebuchadnezzar's image, and the fourth beast with great iron teeth in Daniel's vision, ( Daniel 2:33 Daniel 2:40 ) ( 7:7 ) , and this yoke was to continue

until he have destroyed thee;
the Jews were under the Roman yoke, Roman governors being set over them, and Judea made a Roman province many years before the destruction of their nation, city, and temple, by them.

Deuteronomy 28:48 In-Context

46 and they shall be on you for a sign and for a wonder, and on your seed forever.

47 Because you didn't serve the LORD your God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, by reason of the abundance of all things;

48 therefore shall you serve your enemies whom the LORD shall send against you, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron on your neck, until he have destroyed you.

49 The LORD will bring a nation against you from far, from the end of the eretz, as the eagle flies; a nation whose language you shall not understand;

50 a nation of fierce facial expressions, that shall not regard the person of the old, nor show favor to the young,