Deuteronomy 28:60 Meaning and Explanation
“Moreover he will bring upon thee all the diseases of Egypt, which thou wast afraid of; and they shall cleave unto thee.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Memory works both ways in Scripture. Israel remembered Egypt as the place of their bondage and also as the place where God's judgments fell on someone else. This verse takes that memory and turns it around. The point it presses is that deliverance carries no permanent immunity, and that the God who spared His people once expects them to walk with Him afterward.
The plagues that terrified Israel in Egypt will return upon Israel itself, and this time the diseases they once watched fall on their oppressors will fasten onto them and hold on.
The Context of Deuteronomy 28:60
Verses 58 and 59 restate the condition behind the whole chapter: refusing to observe the words of this law and to fear the glorious name of the LORD. Extraordinary plagues of long continuance are promised there. Verse 60 names their source in Israel's own history, the diseases of Egypt, which the people had seen with their own eyes or heard about from their parents. Deuteronomy 7:15 had promised the reverse, that the LORD would take away sickness and put none of Egypt's evil diseases on them. Verse 61 then extends the list beyond anything written.
What Does Deuteronomy 28:60 Mean?
Two phrases carry this sentence. 'Which thou wast afraid of' assumes a living memory. The plagues were concrete to this audience, the terror of a childhood or a story told by parents who had watched Egypt suffer. Moses appeals to that fear directly. Then 'they shall cleave unto thee' supplies the second shock. The word for cleaving is the language of attachment and loyalty, used for a man joined to his wife and for a people holding fast to the LORD. Here it describes disease that refuses to let go. Vocabulary meant for covenant devotion has been turned around.
The chapter has already listed the botch of Egypt, the emerods, the scab, and the itch back in verse 27. Verse 60 gathers all of that under one heading and pushes further, promising every disease Israel associated with that land. The theological point is exact. Israel's exodus was a rescue out of Egypt, and the covenant was the shape of the life that followed. Refusing that life amounts to walking back toward the place they were carried out of. Deuteronomy repeatedly ties memory to obedience, telling the people to remember that they were bondmen and to act accordingly.
At Marah, shortly after the Red Sea, the LORD told Israel that if they hearkened to His voice and kept His statutes He would put none of the diseases of Egypt upon them, and He named Himself the LORD that heals. That promise stands behind this warning and gives it its sting, since the healing God is the same God in both sentences. Centuries later the Gospels present Jesus healing every sickness and disease among the people, taking our infirmities and bearing our sicknesses. The direction of God's heart toward His people is healing, and this verse describes what happens when they walk away from the healer.
Deuteronomy 28:60 in the Original Language
dabaq (דָּבַק), 'cleave' -- to cling and hold fast. The same verb describes a man joined to his wife in Genesis 2:24 and Israel holding fast to the LORD in Deuteronomy 10:20. Its use here for disease is deliberately jarring.
Bible Verses Related to Deuteronomy 28:60
“And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee.”
- Exodus 15:26
“And the LORD will take away from thee all sickness, and will put none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which thou knowest, upon thee; but will lay them upon all them that hate thee.”
- Deuteronomy 7:15
“The LORD will smite thee with the botch of Egypt, and with the emerods, and with the scab, and with the itch, whereof thou canst not be healed.”
- Deuteronomy 28:27
“I have sent among you the pestilence after the manner of Egypt: your young men have I slain with the sword, and have taken away your horses; and I have made the stink of your camps to come up unto your nostrils: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD.”
- Amos 4:10
Where Deuteronomy 28:60 Echoes in Scripture
Exodus 15:26 holds the promise this verse reverses. At Marah the LORD pledged that if Israel listened to His voice and kept His commandments, none of the diseases He had brought on Egypt would come upon them, and He revealed Himself as their healer. Deuteronomy 28:60 is that sentence read backward. One covenant carries the promise and the warning together, and both come from a God who wants His people well.
How to Apply Deuteronomy 28:60 Today
Past rescue is worth remembering carefully. Recalling how God met us in an earlier crisis can steady us, and it can also tempt us to assume we are permanently past danger. Keeping some record of what God has done, and returning to it, tends to produce gratitude in place of presumption. This verse also invites practical mercy toward the sick. Sitting with someone through a long illness, praying for healing without treating it as a transaction, and supporting good medical care all honor the God who calls Himself our healer.
Reflection & Prayer
What rescue in my past have I started to take for granted? Lord, You brought me out of things I could never have escaped on my own. Keep that memory fresh and let it make me faithful instead of casual. Be near to those I know who are sick today, and teach me how to sit with them well.