And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them:
The head, and not the tail - an Oriental form of expression, indicating the possession of independent power, and great dignity, and acknowledged excellence (Isaiah 9:14; Isaiah 19:15). This high condition was realized in the reigns of David and Solomon; and it would have been longer maintained had the Israelites adhered to the conditions of their covenant with God.
The detail of blessings comprehends the possession of everything necessary for a people's happiness-health and wealth, security from external disturbance, and prosperity in all their internal concerns. They are exclusively temporal blessings, such as were calculated to engage the interest of a people like the Israelites, and were suited to the character of their dispensation. But at all times they are included among the benefits held out by the Gospel itself (1 Timothy 4:8). They form powerful incentives to obedience.