“Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them. And all the people shall say, Amen.”
My Notes
What Does Deuteronomy 27:26 Mean?
"Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them. And all the people shall say, Amen." The final curse in the Shechem ceremony encompasses everything: cursed is anyone who does not uphold ALL the words of the law. Not most. Not the important parts. All. This comprehensive curse makes universal failure inevitable — no one can perfectly uphold every word. Paul quotes this verse in Galatians 3:10 to demonstrate that the law places everyone under a curse, which only Christ can lift.
The people's collective "Amen" means they voluntarily accept the terms. They're not victims of fine print — they knowingly agree to a standard they will inevitably fail to meet. This sets up the entire theological trajectory that leads to grace: the law reveals the curse, and Christ redeems from it.
Reflection Questions
- 1.How does the impossibility of fulfilling ALL the law drive you toward grace?
- 2.What does Israel's willing 'Amen' to an impossible standard teach about human self-assessment?
- 3.Where are you still trying to earn acceptance by keeping 'all the words' rather than receiving grace?
- 4.How does Paul's use of this verse in Galatians 3 change your relationship with the law?
Devotional
Cursed is everyone who doesn't do ALL of it. Every word. Every command. Every law. Miss one, and you're under the curse. And the people said: Amen. We agree. We accept these terms.
This is the most honest and devastating moment in the covenant ceremony. Israel stands between two mountains — blessings from Gerizim, curses from Ebal — and says Amen to a standard no human being can fulfill. They're agreeing to a contract they're guaranteed to break. And they don't know it yet.
Paul understood this verse better than anyone. In Galatians 3:10, he quotes it and draws the conclusion: everyone who relies on the works of the law is under a curse. Not because the law is bad — it's holy, just, and good. But because "all" means all, and nobody does all. The law that reveals God's character also reveals human failure. It's a mirror, not a ladder. It shows you what you look like; it doesn't lift you to where you need to be.
This is why Christ matters. "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us." The curse that landed on everyone who said Amen at Shechem — the curse you inherited by being human in a broken world — was absorbed by Jesus on the cross. The ALL that nobody could do, he did. The curse that everyone earned, he bore.
You said Amen to a standard you couldn't meet. And Christ said: I'll meet it for you.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them,.... That is, who does not perfectly perform all…
Compare Jos 8:32-35. The solemnity was apparently designed only for the single occasion on which it actually took place.…
When the law was written, to be seen and read by all men, the sanctions of it were to be published, which, to complete…
confirmeth Lit. establisheth, 2Ki 23:3; 2Ki 23:24 of Josiah and the Book of the Law, Heb. Tôrah, as in Deu 1:5; Deu…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture