Deuteronomy 28:43
New International Version
The foreigners who reside among you will rise above you higher and higher, but you will sink lower and lower.

New Living Translation
“The foreigners living among you will become stronger and stronger, while you become weaker and weaker.

English Standard Version
The sojourner who is among you shall rise higher and higher above you, and you shall come down lower and lower.

Berean Standard Bible
The foreigner living among you will rise higher and higher above you, while you sink down lower and lower.

King James Bible
The stranger that is within thee shall get up above thee very high; and thou shalt come down very low.

New King James Version
“The alien who is among you shall rise higher and higher above you, and you shall come down lower and lower.

New American Standard Bible
The stranger who is among you will rise above you higher and higher, and you will go down lower and lower.

NASB 1995
“The alien who is among you shall rise above you higher and higher, but you will go down lower and lower.

NASB 1977
“The alien who is among you shall rise above you higher and higher, but you shall go down lower and lower.

Legacy Standard Bible
The sojourner who is among you shall rise above you higher and higher, but you will go down lower and lower.

Amplified Bible
The stranger who lives among you will rise above you higher and higher, and you will go down lower and lower.

Christian Standard Bible
The resident alien among you will rise higher and higher above you, while you sink lower and lower.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The foreign resident among you will rise higher and higher above you, while you sink lower and lower.

American Standard Version
The sojourner that is in the midst of thee shall mount up above thee higher and higher; and thou shalt come down lower and lower.

Contemporary English Version
Foreigners in your towns will become wealthy and powerful, while you become poor and powerless.

English Revised Version
The stranger that is in the midst of thee shall mount up above thee higher and higher; and thou shalt come down lower and lower.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The [standard of living for the] foreigners who live among you will rise higher and higher, while your [standard of living] will sink lower and lower.

Good News Translation
"Foreigners who live in your land will gain more and more power, while you gradually lose yours.

International Standard Version
The foreigner in your midst will be elevated higher and higher over you, while you are brought low little by little.

Majority Standard Bible
The foreigner living among you will rise higher and higher above you, while you sink down lower and lower.

NET Bible
The foreigners who reside among you will become higher and higher over you and you will become lower and lower.

New Heart English Bible
The foreigner who is in the midst of you shall mount up above you higher and higher; and you shall come down lower and lower.

Webster's Bible Translation
The stranger that is within thee shall rise above thee very high; and thou shalt come down very low.

World English Bible
The foreigner who is among you will mount up above you higher and higher, and you will come down lower and lower.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
the sojourner who [is] in your midst goes up very high above you, and you go down very low;

Young's Literal Translation
the sojourner who is in thy midst goeth up above thee very high, and thou goest down very low;

Smith's Literal Translation
The stranger which is in the midst of thee shall go up above thee, going up, going up; and thou shalt go down beneath, beneath.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
The stranger that liveth with thee in the land, shall rise up over thee, and shall be higher: and thou shalt go down, and be lower.

Catholic Public Domain Version
The new arrival who lives with you in the land will ascend over you, and be higher. But you will descend, and be lower.

New American Bible
The resident aliens among you will rise above you higher and higher, while you sink lower and lower.

New Revised Standard Version
Aliens residing among you shall ascend above you higher and higher, while you shall descend lower and lower.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
The stranger who is in your midst shall rise up above you very high; and you shall come down very low.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And the settler who is in you shall be exalted high over you and you shall go down under.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
The stranger that is in the midst of thee shall mount up above thee higher and higher; and thou shalt come down lower and lower.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
The stranger that is within thee shall get up very high, and thou shalt come down very low.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Curses of Disobedience
42Swarms of locusts will consume all your trees and the produce of your land. 43The foreigner living among you will rise higher and higher above you, while you sink down lower and lower. 44He will lend to you, but you will not lend to him. He will be the head, and you will be the tail.…

Cross References
Leviticus 26:17
And I will set My face against you, so that you will be defeated by your enemies. Those who hate you will rule over you, and you will flee when no one pursues you.

Leviticus 26:36-37
As for those of you who survive, I will send a faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies, so that even the sound of a windblown leaf will put them to flight. And they will flee as one flees the sword, and fall when no one pursues them. / They will stumble over one another as before the sword, though no one is behind them. So you will not be able to stand against your enemies.

Judges 2:14
Then the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He delivered them into the hands of those who plundered them. He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist.

Judges 2:20-21
So the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He said, “Because this nation has transgressed the covenant I laid down for their fathers and has not heeded My voice, / I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations Joshua left when he died.

1 Kings 9:6-9
But if indeed you or your sons turn away from following Me and do not keep the commandments and statutes I have set before you, and if you go off to serve and worship other gods, / then I will cut off Israel from the land that I have given them, and I will banish from My presence this temple I have sanctified for My Name. Then Israel will become an object of scorn and ridicule among all peoples. / And when this temple has become a heap of rubble, all who pass by it will be appalled and will hiss and say, ‘Why has the LORD done such a thing to this land and to this temple?’ ...

2 Kings 17:20
So the LORD rejected all the descendants of Israel. He afflicted them and delivered them into the hands of plunderers, until He had banished them from His presence.

2 Kings 17:25
Now when the settlers first lived there, they did not worship the LORD, so He sent lions among them, which killed some of them.

Nehemiah 9:27
So You delivered them into the hands of enemies who oppressed them, and in their time of distress they cried out to You. From heaven You heard them, and in Your great compassion You gave them deliverers who saved them from the hands of their enemies.

Isaiah 3:1-5
For behold, the Lord GOD of Hosts is about to remove from Jerusalem and Judah both supply and support: the whole supply of food and water, / the mighty man and the warrior, the judge and the prophet, the soothsayer and the elder, / the commander of fifty and the dignitary, the counselor, the cunning magician, and the clever enchanter. ...

Isaiah 9:14-16
So the LORD will cut off Israel’s head and tail, both palm branch and reed in a single day. / The head is the elder and honorable man, and the tail is the prophet who teaches lies. / For those who guide this people mislead them, and those they mislead are swallowed up.

Jeremiah 5:15-17
Behold, I am bringing a distant nation against you, O house of Israel,” declares the LORD. “It is an established nation, an ancient nation, a nation whose language you do not know and whose speech you do not understand. / Their quivers are like open graves; they are all mighty men. / They will devour your harvest and food; they will consume your sons and daughters; they will eat up your flocks and herds; they will feed on your vines and fig trees. With the sword they will destroy the fortified cities in which you trust.”

Jeremiah 30:11
For I am with you to save you, declares the LORD. Though I will completely destroy all the nations to which I have scattered you, I will not completely destroy you. Yet I will discipline you justly, and will by no means leave you unpunished.”

Lamentations 1:5
Her foes have become her masters; her enemies are at ease. For the LORD has brought her grief because of her many transgressions. Her children have gone away as captives before the enemy.

Ezekiel 7:24
So I will bring the most wicked of nations to take possession of their houses. I will end the pride of the mighty, and their holy places will be profaned.

Ezekiel 11:9
I will bring you out of the city and deliver you into the hands of foreigners, and I will execute judgments against you.


Treasury of Scripture

The stranger that is within you shall get up above you very high; and you shall come down very low.

Judges 2:3,11-15
Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you…

Judges 4:2,3
And the LORD sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, that reigned in Hazor; the captain of whose host was Sisera, which dwelt in Harosheth of the Gentiles…

Judges 10:7-10
And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the children of Ammon…

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Deuteronomy 28
1. The blessings for obedience
15. The curses for disobedience














The foreigner living among you
This phrase refers to non-Israelites residing within the boundaries of Israel. In the Hebrew text, the word for "foreigner" is "ger," which denotes a sojourner or temporary resident. Historically, Israel was instructed to treat foreigners with justice and compassion (Exodus 22:21). However, in this context, the presence of foreigners rising in status is a reversal of the expected order, indicating a loss of national sovereignty and divine favor. This serves as a warning to Israel about the consequences of disobedience to God's covenant.

will rise higher and higher above you
The Hebrew verb "alah" means "to ascend" or "to rise." This phrase suggests a progressive increase in power, influence, and status of the foreigners over the Israelites. In the ancient Near Eastern context, such a shift would be seen as a sign of divine judgment. The imagery of rising above implies dominance and control, which would be a source of shame and humiliation for the Israelites, who were chosen to be a nation set apart.

while you sink down lower and lower
The verb "yarad" in Hebrew means "to go down" or "to descend." This phrase indicates a continuous decline in the status, prosperity, and influence of the Israelites. The repetition of "lower and lower" emphasizes the severity and inevitability of this downfall. In the biblical narrative, such a descent is often associated with turning away from God's commandments and experiencing the resulting curses outlined in the covenant. This serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of disobedience and the importance of faithfulness to God.

Verses 43, 44. - (Cf. vers. 12, 13.)

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
The foreigner living
הַגֵּר֙ (hag·gêr)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1616: A guest, a foreigner

among you
בְּקִרְבְּךָ֔ (bə·qir·bə·ḵā)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 7130: The nearest part, the center

will rise
יַעֲלֶ֥ה (ya·‘ă·leh)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5927: To ascend, in, actively

higher
מַ֣עְלָה (ma‘·lāh)
Adverb | third person feminine singular
Strong's 4605: The upper part, with prefix upward, above, overhead, from the top

and higher
מָּ֑עְלָה (mā·‘ə·lāh)
Adverb | third person feminine singular
Strong's 4605: The upper part, with prefix upward, above, overhead, from the top

above you,
עָלֶ֖יךָ (‘ā·le·ḵā)
Preposition | second person masculine singular
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

while you
וְאַתָּ֥ה (wə·’at·tāh)
Conjunctive waw | Pronoun - second person masculine singular
Strong's 859: Thou and thee, ye and you

sink down
תֵרֵ֖ד (ṯê·rêḏ)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 3381: To come or go down, descend

lower
מַ֥טָּה (maṭ·ṭāh)
Adverb
Strong's 4295: Downward, below, beneath

and lower.
מָּֽטָּה׃ (māṭ·ṭāh)
Adverb
Strong's 4295: Downward, below, beneath


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OT Law: Deuteronomy 28:43 The foreigner who is in the midst (Deut. De Du)
Deuteronomy 28:42
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