Leviticus 26:17

17 And I will set my face against you, and you shall be defeated {before} your enemies; and your haters shall rule over you, and you shall flee away, but there shall not be {anybody who is pursuing} you.

Leviticus 26:17 Meaning and Commentary

Leviticus 26:17

And I will set my face against you
Exert his power, and stir up his wrath and indignation against them, as enemies of his, to cut them off; see ( Psalms 34:16 ) ; which is the reverse of having respect to them, ( Leviticus 26:9 ) ; and ye shall be slain before your enemies;
as they were sometimes by the Philistines and others: and they that hate you shall reign over you;
as did the Chaldeans and Babylonians; see ( Psalms 106:41 ) ; and ye shall flee when none pursueth you;
of such pusillanimous spirits should they be, and filled with such dread and terror of their enemies, so contrary from what is promised them on their obedience, ( Leviticus 26:8 ) .

Leviticus 26:17 In-Context

15 and if you reject my statutes and if your inner self abhors my regulations, to not carry out all my commands [by] your breaking my covenant,

16 I {in turn} will do this to you: then I will summon onto you horror, the wasting disease, and the fever that wastes eyes and that drains away life; and you shall sow your seed {in vain}, and your enemies shall eat it.

17 And I will set my face against you, and you shall be defeated {before} your enemies; and your haters shall rule over you, and you shall flee away, but there shall not be {anybody who is pursuing} you.

18 " 'And if in spite of these [things] you do not listen to me, then I will continue to discipline you seven times for your sins.

19 And I will break the pride of your strength; and I will make your heaven like iron and your land like copper.

Footnotes

• [a] Literally "to the faces of"
• [b] Or "and"
• [c] Literally "who pursues" or "pursuing"