Bible Strands
Deuteronomy 28:41
You will father sons and daughters, but they will not remain yours, because they will go into captivity.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Moses addresses the Israelites on the plains of Moab, outlining covenant blessings and curses before they cross the Jordan. The verse sits within a sequence of escalating judgments triggered by covenant unfaithfulness.
The words — תּוֹלִ֑יד (to.Lid) means "you will father," and יִהְי֣וּ (yih.Yu) means "they will belong" or remain. The construction contrasts biological generation with permanent legal possession.
The thread — The loss of children and exile appears in Deuteronomy 28:32, Lamentations 1:5, and 2 Kings 24:14. Each reference documents the concrete fulfillment of covenant curses through foreign captivity.
Why it lands — The text demands acknowledgment that covenant obedience secures generational continuity, while disobedience severs it. Readers must confront the plain consequence of broken covenant: the loss of family and homeland to captivity.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Thou shalt beget sons and daughters, but thou shalt not enjoy them; for they shall go into captivity.
Cross-references
- Deuteronomy 28:32 Your sons and daughters will be given to another nation, while your eyes grow weary looking for them day after day, with no power in your hand.
- 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.
- 2 Kings 24:14 He carried into exile all Jerusalem—all the commanders and mighty men of valor, all the craftsmen and metalsmiths—ten thousand captives in all. Only the poorest people of the land remained.