Leviticus 26:3-6 uniquely interweaves divine provision ("your threshing shall last to the time of vintage") with comprehensive peace ("I will give peace in the land"), a rare biblical combination appearing in only three passages.
Leviticus 26
Blessings for Obedience
1“‘You shall make for yourselves no idols, and you shall not raise up a carved image or a pillar, and you shall not place any figured stone in your land, to bow down to it; for I am the LORD your God.
2“‘You shall keep my Sabbaths, and have reverence for my sanctuary. I am the LORD.
3“‘If you walk in my statutes and keep my commandments, and do them,
4then I will give you your rains in their season, and the land shall yield its increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.
5Your threshing shall continue until the vintage, and the vintage shall continue until the sowing time. You shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely.
6“‘I will give peace in the land, and you shall lie down, and no one will make you afraid. I will remove evil animals out of the land, neither shall the sword go through your land.
7You shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword.
8Five 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“‘I will have respect for you, make you fruitful, multiply you, and will establish my covenant with you.
10You shall eat old supplies long kept, and you shall move out the old because of the new.
Curses for Disobedience
11I will set my tent among you, and my soul won’t abhor you.
12I will walk among you, and will be your God, and you will be my people.
13I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that you should not be their slaves. I have broken the bars of your yoke, and made you walk upright.
14“‘But if you will not listen to me, and will not do all these commandments,
15and if you shall reject my statutes, and if your soul abhors my ordinances, so that you will not do all my commandments, but break my covenant,
16I also will do this to you: I will appoint terror over you, even consumption and fever, that shall consume the eyes, and make the soul to pine away. You will sow your seed in vain, for your enemies will eat it.
17I will set my face against you, and you will be struck before your enemies. Those who hate you will rule over you; and you will flee when no one pursues you.
18“‘If you in spite of these things will not listen to me, then I will chastise you seven times more for your sins.
19I will break the pride of your power, and I will make your sky like iron, and your soil like bronze.
20Your strength will be spent in vain; for your land won’t yield its increase, neither will the trees of the land yield their fruit.
21“‘If you walk contrary to me, and won’t listen to me, then I will bring seven times more plagues on you according to your sins.
22I will send the wild animals among you, which will rob you of your children, destroy your livestock, and make you few in number. Your roads will become desolate.
23“‘If by these things you won’t be turned back to me, but will walk contrary to me,
24then I will also walk contrary to you; and I will strike you, even I, seven times for your sins.
25I will bring a sword upon you that will execute the vengeance of the covenant. You will be gathered together within your cities, and I will send the pestilence among you. You will be delivered into the hand of the enemy.
26When I break your staff of bread, ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, and they shall deliver your bread again by weight. You shall eat, and not be satisfied.
27“‘If you in spite of this won’t listen to me, but walk contrary to me,
28then I will walk contrary to you in wrath. I will also chastise you seven times for your sins.
29You will eat the flesh of your sons, and you will eat the flesh of your daughters.
30I will destroy your high places, and cut down your incense altars, and cast your dead bodies upon the bodies of your idols; and my soul will abhor you.
31I will lay your cities waste, and will bring your sanctuaries to desolation. I will not take delight in the sweet fragrance of your offerings.
32I will bring the land into desolation, and your enemies who dwell in it will be astonished at it.
33I will scatter you among the nations, and I will draw out the sword after you. Your land will be a desolation, and your cities shall be a waste.
34Then the land will enjoy its Sabbaths as long as it lies desolate and you are in your enemies’ land. Even then the land will rest and enjoy its Sabbaths.
35As long as it lies desolate it shall have rest, even the rest which it didn’t have in your Sabbaths when you lived on it.
36“‘As for those of you who are left, I will send a faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies. The sound of a driven leaf will put them to flight; and they shall flee, as one flees from the sword. They will fall when no one pursues.
37They will stumble over one another, as it were before the sword, when no one pursues. You will have no power to stand before your enemies.
38You will perish among the nations. The land of your enemies will eat you up.
39Those of you who are left will pine away in their iniquity in your enemies’ lands; and also in the iniquities of their fathers they shall pine away with them.
Promise of Restoration
40“‘If they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers, in their trespass which they trespassed against me; and also that because they walked contrary to me,
41I also walked contrary to them, and brought them into the land of their enemies; if then their uncircumcised heart is humbled, and they then accept the punishment of their iniquity,
42then I will remember my covenant with Jacob, my covenant with Isaac, and also my covenant with Abraham; and I will remember the land.
43The land also will be left by them, and will enjoy its Sabbaths while it lies desolate without them; and they will accept the punishment of their iniquity because they rejected my ordinances, and their soul abhorred my statutes.
44Yet for all that, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly and to break my covenant with them; for I am the LORD their God.
45But I will for their sake remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, that I might be their God. I am the LORD.’”
46These are the statutes, ordinances, and laws, which the LORD made between him and the children of Israel in Mount Sinai by Moses.
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Theme
Leviticus 26 presents God's covenant terms through a dramatic contrast of blessings and curses. If Israel obeys God's laws, they will experience agricultural abundance, military victory, population growth, and God's presence among them. However, disobedience will bring escalating judgments including disease, military defeat, famine, and exile, though God promises restoration for those who confess and repent.
Context
This chapter concludes the Holiness Code (chapters 17-26) by establishing the covenant framework that will govern Israel's relationship with God in the Promised Land.
Key Themes
Outline
- 1-2 Covenant Prerequisites Prohibition of idolatry and requirement to observe Sabbaths and reverence the sanctuary.
- 3-13 Blessings for Obedience Promises of agricultural prosperity, peace, military success, population growth, and God's presence.
- 14-20 Initial Curses for Disobedience First level of judgment including disease, military defeat, and agricultural failure.
- 21-26 Escalating Judgments Intensified punishments including wild animals, famine, and siege conditions.
- 27-39 Ultimate Consequences Final judgments of exile, desolation, and scattering among the nations.
- 40-46 Promise of Restoration Hope for renewal through confession, repentance, and God's faithfulness to His covenant.
Blessings for Obedience
26:1–26:10 law instruction hopeful
God promises abundant blessings including agricultural prosperity, peace, and victory over enemies for those who obey His commandments and avoid idolatry.
theme_rarity
Leviticus 26:3-6 uniquely interweaves divine provision ("your threshing shall last to the time of vintage") with comprehensive peace ("I will give peace in the land"), a rare biblical combination appearing in only three passages.
Curses for Disobedience
26:11–26:39 law instruction warning
God promises blessings for obedience but warns of severe curses including disease, defeat, exile, and desolation for covenant disobedience. The passage details escalating punishments that will befall Israel if they reject God's commandments and break the covenant.
theme_rarity
The escalating sevenfold punishment structure ("seven times more" appears four times) creates a mathematical progression of divine vengeance unique among biblical covenant curses.
Promise of Restoration
26:40–26:46 law instruction hopeful
God promises restoration if Israel confesses their sins and repents with humble hearts. Despite their disobedience and exile, God will remember His covenant with the patriarchs and not utterly destroy His people.
person_contrast
Jacob appears in this restoration promise alongside Isaac and Abraham, marking one of only four times in Leviticus where all three patriarchs are invoked together to emphasize covenant permanence.
Insights
The escalating sevenfold punishment structure ("seven times more" appears four times) creates a mathematical progression of divine vengeance unique among biblical covenant curses.
Jacob appears in this restoration promise alongside Isaac and Abraham, marking one of only four times in Leviticus where all three patriarchs are invoked together to emphasize covenant permanence.
Cross-References
Connected passages across Scripture
Leviticus 26:1 1 reference
Leviticus 26:2 1 reference
Leviticus 26:4 3 references
Lexicals 3
Ezekiel 34:27 Lexical
The tree of the field will yield its fruit, and the earth will yield its increase, and they will be secure in their land…
Zechariah 10:1 Lexical
Ask of the LORD rain in the spring time, the LORD who makes storm clouds, and he gives rain showers to everyone for the…
Psalms 1:3 Lexical
He will be like a tree planted by the streams of water, that produces its fruit in its season, whose leaf also does not…
Leviticus 26:9 1 reference
Leviticus 26:13 1 reference
Leviticus 26:15 5 references
Lexicals 5
Deuteronomy 8:11 Lexical
Beware lest you forget the LORD your God, in not keeping his commandments, his ordinances, and his statutes, which I com…
Isaiah 33:8 Lexical
The highways are desolate. The traveling man ceases. The covenant is broken. He has despised the cities. He doesn’t resp…
Jeremiah 33:20 Lexical
“The LORD says: ‘If you can break my covenant of the day and my covenant of the night, so that there will not be day and…
2 Kings 17:15 Lexical
They rejected his statutes and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified to t…
Ezekiel 20:13 Lexical
“‘“But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness. They didn’t walk in my statutes and they rejected my o…
Leviticus 26:16 2 references
Lexicals 2
Leviticus 26:17 4 references
Lexicals 4
Deuteronomy 28:7 Lexical
The LORD will cause your enemies who rise up against you to be struck before you. They will come out against you one way…
Deuteronomy 28:25 Lexical
The LORD will cause you to be struck before your enemies. You will go out one way against them, and will flee seven ways…
Deuteronomy 30:7 Lexical
The LORD your God will put all these curses on your enemies and on those who hate you, who persecuted you.
Numbers 10:35 Lexical
When the ark went forward, Moses said, “Rise up, LORD, and let your enemies be scattered! Let those who hate you flee be…
Leviticus 26:19 2 references
Leviticus 26:20 2 references
Leviticus 26:25 4 references
Lexicals 4
Jeremiah 21:7 Lexical
Afterward,” says the LORD, “I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah, his servants, and the people, even those who are left…
1 Chronicles 21:12 Lexical
either three years of famine; or three months to be consumed before your foes, while the sword of your enemies overtakes…
Ezekiel 5:12 Lexical
A third part of you will die with the pestilence, and they will be consumed with famine within you. A third part will fa…
Ezekiel 28:23 Lexical
For I will send pestilence into her, and blood into her streets. The wounded will fall within her, with the sword on her…
Leviticus 26:26 4 references
Lexicals 4
Ezekiel 4:16 Lexical
Moreover he said to me, “Son of man, behold, I will break the staff of bread in Jerusalem. They will eat bread by weight…
Ezekiel 14:13 Lexical
“Son of man, when a land sins against me by committing a trespass, and I stretch out my hand on it, and break the staff…
Psalms 105:16 Lexical
He called for a famine on the land. He destroyed the food supplies.
Ezekiel 5:16 Lexical
when I send on them the evil arrows of famine that are for destruction, which I will send to destroy you. I will increas…
Leviticus 26:30 1 reference
Leviticus 26:31 1 reference
Leviticus 26:33 3 references
Lexicals 3
Ezekiel 5:2 Lexical
A third part you shall burn in the fire in the middle of the city, when the days of the siege are fulfilled. You shall t…
Ezekiel 5:12 Lexical
A third part of you will die with the pestilence, and they will be consumed with famine within you. A third part will fa…
Ezekiel 12:14 Lexical
I will scatter toward every wind all who are around him to help him, and all his bands. I will draw out the sword after…
Leviticus 26:34 1 reference
Leviticus 26:35 1 reference
Leviticus 26:36 4 references
Lexicals 4
Job 13:25 Lexical
Will you harass a driven leaf? Will you pursue the dry stubble?
Judges 4:16 Lexical
But Barak pursued the chariots and the army to Harosheth of the Gentiles; and all the army of Sisera fell by the edge of…
Genesis 14:10 Lexical
Now the valley of Siddim was full of tar pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and some fell there. Those who…
Judges 9:40 Lexical
Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him, and many fell wounded, even to the entrance of the gate.
Leviticus 26:40 1 reference
Leviticus 26:42 5 references
Lexicals 5
Exodus 2:24 Lexical
God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.
Deuteronomy 9:27 Lexical
Remember your servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Don’t look at the stubbornness of this people, nor at their wickednes…
2 Kings 13:23 Lexical
But the LORD was gracious to them, and had compassion on them, and favored them because of his covenant with Abraham, Is…
Exodus 32:13 Lexical
Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multip…
Genesis 50:24 Lexical
Joseph said to his brothers, “I am dying, but God will surely visit you, and bring you up out of this land to the land w…
Leviticus 26:43 5 references
Lexicals 5
Ezekiel 20:24 Lexical
because they had not executed my ordinances, but had rejected my statutes, and had profaned my Sabbaths, and their eyes…
Ezekiel 20:16 Lexical
because they rejected my ordinances, and didn’t walk in my statutes, and profaned my Sabbaths; for their heart went afte…
Ezekiel 20:13 Lexical
“‘“But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness. They didn’t walk in my statutes and they rejected my o…
1 Kings 11:33 Lexical
because they have forsaken me, and have worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of Moab, and M…
2 Chronicles 36:21 Lexical
to fulfill the LORD’s word by Jeremiah’s mouth, until the land had enjoyed its Sabbaths. As long as it lay desolate, it…
Leviticus 26:44 1 reference
Leviticus 26:46 3 references
Lexicals 3
Nehemiah 9:13 Lexical
“You also came down on Mount Sinai, and spoke with them from heaven, and gave them right ordinances and true laws, good…
2 Chronicles 19:10 Lexical
Whenever any controversy comes to you from your brothers who dwell in their cities, between blood and blood, between law…
Exodus 18:16 Lexical
When they have a matter, they come to me, and I judge between a man and his neighbor, and I make them know the statutes…
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Lemma
Morphology
Semantic Range
Theological Significance
Translation Notes
Key Passages
Historical Context
Places and events in this chapter
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Timeline
Exodus
c. 1446 BCIsrael's miraculous deliverance from Egyptian slavery under Moses' leadership, including the ten plagues and Red Sea crossing. This foundational event established Israel as God's chosen nation.
Covenant curses warn the redeemed nation against abandoning their deliverer God.
Curses for DisobedienceExodus
c. 1446 BCIsrael's miraculous deliverance from Egyptian slavery under Moses' leadership, including the ten plagues and Red Sea crossing. This foundational event established Israel as God's chosen nation.
God's restoration promise recalls His faithfulness shown in the Egyptian deliverance.
Promise of Restoration