Leviticus 26:6-16

6 1I will give peace in the land, and 2you shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid. And 3I will remove harmful beasts from the land, 4and the sword shall not go through your land.
7 You shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword.
8 5Five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall chase ten thousand, and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword.
9 6I will turn to you and 7make you fruitful and multiply you and will confirm my covenant with you.
10 You shall eat 8old store long kept, and you shall clear out the old to make way for the new.
11 9I will make my dwelling[a] among you, and my soul shall not abhor you.
12 10And I 11will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people.
13 12I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that you should not be their slaves. 13And I have broken the bars of your yoke and made you walk erect.

Punishment for Disobedience

14 14"But if you will not listen to me and will not do all these commandments,
15 if you spurn my statutes, and if your soul abhors my rules, so that you will not do all my commandments, but 15break my covenant,
16 then I will do this to you: I will visit you with panic, with 16wasting disease and fever that consume the eyes and make the heart ache. And 17you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.

Leviticus 26:6-16 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO LEVITICUS 26

In this chapter, after a repetition of some laws against idolatry, and concerning keeping sabbaths, and reverencing the sanctuary of God, Le 26:1,2; in order to encourage the Israelites to keep the various statutes and commandments in this book, and in the preceding, many promises are made of plenty, and peace, and safety from enemies, and of the presence of God with them, Le 26:3-13; and on the contrary, to such as should despise and break his commandments, the most grievous things are threatened, as diseases of body, destruction by their enemies, barrenness and unfruitfulness of land, the sore judgments of wild beasts, famine, sword, and pestilence, Le 26:14-39; and yet after all, when they should confess their sins, and were humbled for them, the Lord promises to remember the covenant he made with their ancestors, and would deal kindly with them, and not cast them away, and utterly destroy them, Le 26:40-46.

Cross References 17

  • 1. [1 Kings 4:25; 1 Chronicles 22:9]
  • 2. Job 11:19; Jeremiah 30:10; Zephaniah 3:13
  • 3. Ezekiel 34:25; [2 Kings 17:25; Isaiah 35:9; Ezekiel 5:17; Ezekiel 14:15]
  • 4. [Ezekiel 14:17]
  • 5. [Deuteronomy 32:30; Joshua 23:10; Isaiah 30:17]
  • 6. 2 Kings 13:23
  • 7. Nehemiah 9:23
  • 8. Leviticus 25:22
  • 9. Ezekiel 37:26-28; [Revelation 21:3]
  • 10. Exodus 29:45; Cited 2 Corinthians 6:16
  • 11. Jeremiah 7:23; Jeremiah 11:4; Jeremiah 24:7; Jeremiah 30:22; Ezekiel 11:20; Ezekiel 14:11; Ezekiel 36:28; Ezekiel 37:27; See Exodus 6:7
  • 12. See Leviticus 25:38
  • 13. Ezekiel 34:27; [Jeremiah 27:2; Jeremiah 28:10, 13]
  • 14. [Lamentations 2:17; Malachi 2:2]; See Deuteronomy 28:15-68
  • 15. ver. 44; Deuteronomy 31:20
  • 16. Deuteronomy 28:21
  • 17. Deuteronomy 28:33, 51; Job 31:8; Jeremiah 5:17; Micah 6:15

Footnotes 1

The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.