Deuteronomy 28:13
"And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them."
Deuteronomy 28:13 (NKJV)
"The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the Lord your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom."
Deuteronomy 28:13 (NIV)
"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."
Deuteronomy 28:13 (KJV)
"If you listen to these commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today, and if you carefully obey them, the Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you will always be on top and never at the bottom."
Deuteronomy 28:13 (NLT)
"And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you shall only go up and not down, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, being careful to do them."
Deuteronomy 28:13 (ESV)
"The Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you only will be above, and you will not be underneath, if you listen to the commandments of the Lord your God, which I charge you today, to observe them carefully."
Deuteronomy 28:13 (NASB)Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.lockman.org
"The Lord will make you the head (leader) and not the tail (follower); and you will be above only, and you will not be beneath, if you listen and pay attention to the commandments of the Lord your God, which I am commanding you today, to observe them carefully."
Deuteronomy 28:13 (AMP)Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified® Bible (AMP), Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.lockman.org
"And the Lord shall make you the head, and not the tail; and you shall be above only, and you shall not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you this day, and are watchful to do them."
Deuteronomy 28:13 (AMPC)Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified® Bible (AMPC), Copyright © 1954, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.lockman.org
"GOD will make you the head, not the tail; you'll always be the top dog, never the bottom dog, as you obediently listen to and diligently keep the commands of GOD, your God, that I am commanding you today."
Deuteronomy 28:13 (MSG)Scripture quotations from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers.
New Covenant Meaning
Head and Tail: Identity and Position, Not Just Outcome
The language of Deuteronomy 28:13 is identity and position language before it is outcome language. The head leads; the tail follows. The head determines direction; the tail responds to it. God is declaring what kind of person His covenant people are: the kind who lead rather than follow, who set direction rather than merely react to it. Above and not beneath describes position, orientation, standing. In the New Covenant, this identity is not something believers work toward. Ephesians 2:6 says God raised us up and seated us with Christ in the heavenly places, far above every principality and power (Ephesians 1:21). The position is already established. The head-and-not-tail reality of Deuteronomy 28:13 is the Old Covenant shadow of the seated-in-heavenly-places reality of the New.
The Condition Is Fulfilled in Christ
The condition of Deuteronomy 28:13 is covenant obedience: "if you heed the commandments of the Lord your God." No generation of Israel consistently met that condition. But Romans 5:19 says through the obedience of one man, many will be made righteous. Christ fulfilled every commandment the covenant required. His obedience is credited to those who are in Him by faith. Revelation 1:6 says He has made us kings and priests to His God and Father. Romans 5:17 says those who receive the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness will reign in life through Jesus Christ. The head-and-not-tail position is not the reward of superior performance. It is the inheritance of those who are in the one whose obedience was superior and complete.
The head-tail imagery in the ancient Near East was unambiguous. The head of a nation, a tribe, or a household was the one who held authority, made decisions, and took responsibility for direction. The tail was subordinate, reactive, without independent influence. God's declaration over His covenant people was that they would be the head: the ones setting direction in the earth, not following the direction of others. In the New Covenant, this is expressed as reigning in life (Romans 5:17), as being more than conquerors (Romans 8:37), and as being seated above the powers that once dominated human existence. The head position is a description of your standing in Christ, not an achievement level to unlock.
Application for Your Life
Lead from the Position You Already Have
Deuteronomy 28:13 is not a goal to work toward. It is a position to lead from. In Christ, you are already seated above (Ephesians 2:6), already made a king and priest (Revelation 1:6), already more than a conqueror (Romans 8:37). The head-and-not-tail reality is your present identity, not a future possibility. That means you face circumstances, decisions, and opposition from above, not from below. You do not fight for authority you hope to earn. You exercise authority you have already been given. Live today from the position the cross established, not toward a position you are still trying to achieve.
Above Only: Agreement with Your Covenant Position
The phrase "above only, and not beneath" in Deuteronomy 28:13 is total. Not mostly above. Not sometimes above. Only above. This is the comprehensive nature of covenant positioning. In the New Covenant, this means that circumstances, fear, lack, and defeat are not your natural habitat. They are not where you belong. Agreeing with the Word about who you are in Christ is not wishful thinking. It is alignment with what the cross accomplished. When you catch yourself operating from a beneath-and-not-above posture, the response is not self-condemnation. It is a quiet return to agreement with what God has declared: I am above and not beneath, because Christ has made it so.
Prayer Based on This Verse
Father, I receive the position Deuteronomy 28:13 declares and that the cross secured. In Christ I am the head and not the tail. I am above and not beneath. Not because of my own performance but because of His obedience credited to my account. I am seated with Him in heavenly places, above every principality and power. I lead from that position today. I face every situation from above, not from below. I receive the identity of one who reigns in life through Jesus Christ. In Jesus' name. Amen.