Deuteronomy 28:54

52 They will besiege all the cities throughout your land, until the high and fortified walls in which you trust have fallen. They will besiege all your cities throughout the land that the LORD your God has given you.

53 Then you will eat the fruit of your womb, the flesh of the sons and daughters whom the LORD your God has given you, in the siege and distress that your enemy will inflict on you.

The most gentle and refined man among you will begrudge his brother, the wife he embraces, and the rest of his children who have survived,

55 refusing to share with any of them the flesh of his children he will eat because he has nothing left in the siege and distress that your enemy will inflict on you within all your gates.

56 The most gentle and refined woman among you, so gentle and refined she would not venture to set the sole of her foot on the ground, will begrudge the husband she embraces and her son and daughter

This was said to Israel at a particular time, so it is wise to read it together with the surrounding text. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB
The most gentle and refined man among you will begrudge his brother, the wife he embraces, and the rest of his children who have survived,
KJV
So that the man that is tender among you, and very delicate, his eye shall be evil toward his brother, and toward the wife of his bosom, and toward the remnant of his children which he shall leave:
WEB
The man who is tender among you, and very delicate, his eye will be evil toward his brother, toward the wife whom he loves, and toward the remnant of his children whom he has remaining,
ASV
The man that is tender among you, and very delicate, his eye shall be evil toward his brother, and toward the wife of his bosom, and toward the remnant of his children whom he hath remaining;
DARBY
The eye of the man in thy midst that is tender and very luxurious shall be evil towards his brother, and the wife of his bosom, and the residue of his children which he hath left;
BLB
The tender man among you and very refined—his eye shall do evil against his brother, and against the wife of his bosom, and against the remnant of his sons whom he leaves behind,
ÅB
Den kjælneste og mest forfinede av dine menn skal se med onde øyne på sin bror og på hustruen i sin favn og på de barn han enda har tilbake,
OTB
Selv den mest milde og følsomme mann blant dere vil miste medfølelse for sin egen bror, den kone han elsker, og sine overlevende barn,
B1930
Den kjælneste og mest forfinede av dine menn skal se med onde øine på sin bror og på hustruen i sin favn og på de barn han ennu har tilbake,

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

  • Deuteronomy 15:9

    Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought in your heart: “The seventh year, the year of release, is near,” so that you look upon your poor brother begrudgingly and give him nothing. He will cry out to the LORD against you, and you will be guilty of sin.

    Read in context
  • Deuteronomy 13:6

    If your very own brother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you embrace, or your closest friend secretly entices you, saying, “Let us go and worship other gods” (which neither you nor your fathers have known,

    Read in context
  • Matthew 20:15

    Do I not have the right to do as I please with what is mine? Or are you envious because I am generous?’

    Read in context
  • Proverbs 28:22

    A stingy man hastens after wealth and does not know that poverty awaits him.

    Read in context
  • Proverbs 23:6

    Do not eat the bread of a stingy man, and do not crave his delicacies;

    Read in context
  • Micah 7:5

    Do not rely on a friend; do not trust in a companion. Seal the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your arms.

    Read in context
  • Matthew 7:9–11

    Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?

    Read in context
  • 2 Samuel 12:3

    but the poor man had nothing except one small ewe lamb that he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food and drank from his cup; it slept in his arms and was like a daughter to him.

    Read in context