Deuteronomy 28:29

Hebrew Bible

28 The Lord will also subject you to madness, blindness, and confusion of mind. 29 You will feel your way along at noon like the blind person does in darkness and you will not succeed in anything you do; you will be constantly oppressed and continually robbed, with no one to save you. 30 You will be engaged to a woman, and another man will rape her. You will build a house but not live in it. You will plant a vineyard but not even begin to use it.

Zephaniah 1:17

Hebrew Bible

16 a day of trumpet blasts and battle cries. Judgment will fall on the fortified cities and the high corner towers. 17 I will bring distress on the people and they will stumble like blind men, for they have sinned against the Lord. Their blood will be poured out like dirt; their flesh will be scattered like manure. 18 Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord’s angry judgment. The whole earth will be consumed by his fiery wrath. Indeed, he will bring terrifying destruction on all who live on the earth.”

 Notes and References

"... In 1:17 Zephaniah talks about walking as blind men which continues the theme of Deuteronomy 28’s curses: ‘At midday you will grope about like a blind man in the dark.’ (Deuteronomy 28:29). Then in 1:18: ‘In the fire of his jealousy the whole world will be consumed’ brings to mind Deuteronomy 32:21-22 ‘They made me jealous ... a fire has been kindled by my wrath ... It will devour the earth and its harvests’, which is from the Song of Moses, also in the context of curses because Israel was chasing other gods. Zephaniah was telling the people things they already knew, to establish common ground, but he also used what they knew to surprise them, as he turned things around on them unexpectedly ..."

Pearson, Susan Zephaniah: Plagiarist or Skilled Orator? (p. 46) SIL International, 2011

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