scatter you: One of the curses of the covenant warned that God would scatter Israel among the nations if they broke the covenant (28:64). This meant the people would be forced to leave their land and live far away, even to distant parts of the earth.
This judgment happened more than once in Israel’s history:
The Assyrians conquered the northern kingdom in 722 BC.
The Babylonians conquered Judah from 605 to 586 BC.
Later, the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in AD 70.