Leviticus 26:8-18

8 Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand, and your enemies will fall by the sword before you.
9 “ ‘I will look on you with favor and make you fruitful and increase your numbers, and I will keep my covenant with you.
10 You will still be eating last year’s harvest when you will have to move it out to make room for the new.
11 I will put my dwelling place[a] among you, and I will not abhor you.
12 I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people.
13 I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt so that you would no longer be slaves to the Egyptians; I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to walk with heads held high.

Punishment for Disobedience

14 “ ‘But if you will not listen to me and carry out all these commands,
15 and if you reject my decrees and abhor my laws and fail to carry out all my commands and so violate my covenant,
16 then I will do this to you: I will bring on you sudden terror, wasting diseases and fever that will destroy your sight and sap your strength. You will plant seed in vain, because your enemies will eat it.
17 I will set my face against you so that you will be defeated by your enemies; those who hate you will rule over you, and you will flee even when no one is pursuing you.
18 “ ‘If after all this you will not listen to me, I will punish you for your sins seven times over.

Leviticus 26:8-18 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 27

  • 1. Isaiah 30:17
  • 2. Deuteronomy 28:7; Deuteronomy 32:30; Joshua 23:10; Judges 15:15; 1 Chronicles 12:14
  • 3. S Genesis 1:22; S Genesis 17:6; Nehemiah 9:23
  • 4. S Genesis 17:7
  • 5. Leviticus 25:22
  • 6. Exodus 25:8; Psalms 74:7; Psalms 76:2; Ezekiel 37:27
  • 7. ver 15,43,44; Deuteronomy 31:6; 1 Samuel 12:22; 1 Kings 6:13; 2 Kings 17:15
  • 8. S Genesis 3:8
  • 9. S Genesis 17:7
  • 10. Exodus 6:7; Jeremiah 7:23; Jeremiah 11:4; Jeremiah 24:7; Jeremiah 30:22; Jeremiah 31:1; Zechariah 13:9; 2 Corinthians 6:16*
  • 11. Leviticus 11:44
  • 12. S Exodus 6:6; S Exodus 13:3
  • 13. Isaiah 10:27; Jeremiah 2:20; Jeremiah 27:2; Jeremiah 28:10; Jeremiah 30:8; Ezekiel 30:18; Ezekiel 34:27; Hosea 11:4
  • 14. Deuteronomy 28:15-68; Malachi 2:2
  • 15. S ver 11
  • 16. S Genesis 17:7
  • 17. Deuteronomy 28:22,35; Psalms 78:33
  • 18. ver 39; 1 Samuel 2:33; Psalms 107:17; Ezekiel 4:17; Ezekiel 24:23; Ezekiel 33:10
  • 19. Judges 6:3-6; Job 31:8
  • 20. Leviticus 17:10; Ezekiel 15:7
  • 21. Deuteronomy 28:48; Joshua 7:12; Judges 2:15; 1 Kings 8:33; 2 Chronicles 6:24
  • 22. Joshua 7:4; Jeremiah 19:7; Jeremiah 21:7
  • 23. Psalms 106:41
  • 24. ver 36,37; Deuteronomy 28:7,25; Psalms 53:5; Proverbs 28:1; Isaiah 30:17
  • 25. ver 14
  • 26. Psalms 99:8; Jeremiah 21:14; Amos 3:14
  • 27. ver 21

Footnotes 1

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