Deuteronomy 28:21 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

Ver. 21. The Lord shall make the pestilence cleave unto thee— That is, infect thee in an incurable manner. It is not without design that Moses makes use of the word cleave: experience has fully proved, that the corpuscles of the pestilence cleave very closely to wool, linen, skins, hair, feathers; and that by the import of these merchandises, this dreadful malady is easily transmitted from one place to another. See Scheuchzer's Physique Sacree on the place. The author of the book, intitled, Schebeth Jehuda, says, that, after having been almost wholly exterminated by war, those of the Jews who fled for refuge into Spain, in the time of Alphonso, were, in great part, consumed by the pestilence; which some regarded as a completion of this prophesy. We may refer, however, to various other times when the Jews were thus afflicted by God; especially the last siege of Jerusalem. See 2 Samuel 24:15.Jeremiah 14:12.Ezekiel 5:12.Amos 4:10; Amos 4:13.