ScriptureDepth's study of Leviticus 26
“‘But if you will not listen to me, and will not do all these commandments;”
Leviticus 26:14
Yahweh speaks to the Israelites about their obedience, stating that failure to listen to His commandments will lead to dire consequences in their lives.
What Leviticus 26 is about
Yahweh commands the Israelites not to make idols or carved images, and to keep the Sabbath and reverence His sanctuary (vv. 1-2). If they obey His statutes and commandments, He promises to provide rain, fruitful harvests, peace, and protection from enemies (vv. 3-13). However, if they disobey, reject His laws, and break His covenant, they will face terror, disease, and unfruitful land (vv. 14-20). The punishments will escalate with each act of disobedience, including wild animals and famine (vv. 21-26). If they still do not listen, they will suffer greater consequences, like being scattered and losing their land (vv. 27-39). Yet, if they confess their sins and humble their hearts, Yahweh will remember His covenant and offer restoration (vv. 40-45). Yahweh establishes these laws between Himself and the Israelites (v. 46).
Yahweh will not reject His people, for He is their God and remembers His covenant.
Leviticus 26 at a glance
- Leviticus 26:1–2Call to Obedience and Worship
- Leviticus 26:3–13Promises of Blessings for Obedience
- Leviticus 26:14–20Consequences of Disobedience
- Leviticus 26:21–26Escalating Punishments
- Leviticus 26:27–39Final Warnings and Outcomes
- Leviticus 26:40–45Opportunity for Repentance and Restoration
- Leviticus 26:46Summary of Divine Laws
Key verse: Leviticus 26:14
Summary and study helps: AI-drafted (September 2026), checked by automated Scripture gates. Spotted an error? Report it. Fixes are listed on the corrections page.
Chapter text
Read Leviticus 26 (WEB)
Call to Obedience and Worship Leviticus 26:1–2
1Verse 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 Yahweh your God. 2Verse 2. “‘You shall keep my Sabbaths, and have reverence for my sanctuary. I am Yahweh.
Promises of Blessings for Obedience Leviticus 26:3–13
3Verse 3. “‘If you walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them; 4Verse 4. then 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. 5Verse 5. Your threshing shall reach to the vintage, and the vintage shall reach to the sowing time. You shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely. 6Verse 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.
7Verse 7. You shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword. 8Verse 8. Five 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. 9Verse 9. “‘I will have respect for you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, and will establish my covenant with you. 10Verse 10. You shall eat old store long kept, and you shall move out the old because of the new. 11Verse 11. I will set my tent among you, and my soul won’t abhor you. 12Verse 12. I will walk among you, and will be your God, and you will be my people.
13Verse 13. I am Yahweh 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 go upright.
Consequences of Disobedience Leviticus 26:14–20
14Verse 14. “‘But if you will not listen to me, and will not do all these commandments; 15Verse 15. and 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; 16Verse 16. I 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. 17Verse 17. I 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.
18Verse 18. “‘If you in spite of these things will not listen to me, then I will chastise you seven times more for your sins. 19Verse 19. I will break the pride of your power, and I will make your sky like iron, and your soil like brass. 20Verse 20. Your strength will be spent in vain; for your land won’t yield its increase, neither will the trees of the land yield their fruit.
Escalating Punishments Leviticus 26:21–26
21Verse 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. 22Verse 22. I 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. 23Verse 23. “‘If by these things you won’t be reformed to me, but will walk contrary to me; 24Verse 24. then I will also walk contrary to you; and I will strike you, even I, seven times for your sins. 25Verse 25. I 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.
26Verse 26. When 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.
Final Warnings and Outcomes Leviticus 26:27–39
27Verse 27. “‘If you in spite of this won’t listen to me, but walk contrary to me; 28Verse 28. then I will walk contrary to you in wrath. I will also chastise you seven times for your sins. 29Verse 29. You will eat the flesh of your sons, and you will eat the flesh of your daughters. 30Verse 30. I 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. 31Verse 31. I will lay your cities waste, and will bring your sanctuaries to desolation. I will not take delight in the sweet fragrance of your offerings.
32Verse 32. I will bring the land into desolation; and your enemies that dwell therein will be astonished at it. 33Verse 33. I 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. 34Verse 34. Then 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. 35Verse 35. As 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.
36Verse 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. 37Verse 37. They 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. 38Verse 38. You will perish among the nations. The land of your enemies will eat you up. 39Verse 39. Those 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.
Opportunity for Repentance and Restoration Leviticus 26:40–45
40Verse 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, 41Verse 41. I 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; 42Verse 42. then I will remember my covenant with Jacob; and also my covenant with Isaac, and also my covenant with Abraham; and I will remember the land. 43Verse 43. The 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, even because they rejected my ordinances, and their soul abhorred my statutes.
44Verse 44. Yet 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 Yahweh their God; 45Verse 45. but 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 Yahweh.’”
Summary of Divine Laws Leviticus 26:46
46Verse 46. These are the statutes, ordinances and laws, which Yahweh made between him and the children of Israel in Mount Sinai by Moses.
World English Bible (public domain)
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Main themes in Leviticus 26
covenant faithfulness
Covenant faithfulness is a central theme in this chapter, particularly in the promises made by God to Israel. In verses 9-13, God states that He will establish His covenant with them, walking among them, and being their God. The text recalls His deliverance from Egypt in verse 13, highlighting God's ongoing commitment to His people. This faithfulness stands in contrast to Israel's potential disobedience, which affects their relationship with the covenant.
obedience and consequences
Obedience and consequences are outlined throughout this chapter, particularly in the stark contrast between the blessings of obedience and the repercussions of disobedience. In vv. 14-20, God warns that if Israel does not listen and breaks His commandments, they will suffer severe consequences, including famine and defeat. This theme continues to develop in vv. 21-26, where the escalating punishments for disobedience are described, emphasizing the seriousness of turning away from God's statutes.
divine blessing
Divine blessing is articulated in the first section of the chapter, where God promises rewards for obedience. In vv. 3-5, the text states that if the Israelites follow God's commandments, they will receive abundant rain and a full harvest. The promises extend to peace in the land and protection from enemies in vv. 6-8, illustrating how faithful adherence to God's laws leads to tangible blessings in their lives and community.
repentance and restoration
Repentance and restoration are addressed in the latter part of the chapter, especially in vv. 40-45. Here, God allows for the possibility of restoration if Israel confesses their sins and humbles their hearts. The text conveys that even in their exile, if they accept their punishment, God will remember His covenant with their ancestors and will not reject them, showing His willingness to forgive and restore them to their land.
Chapter outline
How Leviticus 26 unfolds
Leviticus 26:1–2 Call to Obedience and Worship
Yahweh commands the Israelites to avoid idols, stating, 'You shall make for yourselves no idols' and to keep His Sabbaths, saying, 'You shall keep my Sabbaths' (vv. 1-2).
Leviticus 26:3–13 Promises of Blessings for Obedience
God promises abundant blessings like fruitful harvests and peace in the land if the Israelites obey His commandments and statutes (v. 4).
Leviticus 26:14–20 Consequences of Disobedience
Yahweh warns the Israelites that if they do not listen and break His covenant, He will appoint terror and make their efforts futile, declaring, 'You will sow your seed in vain' (vv. 14-16).
Leviticus 26:21–26 Escalating Punishments
Yahweh describes that if the Israelites continue in disobedience, He will bring seven times more plagues and send wild animals, saying, 'I will send the wild animals among you' (vv. 21-26).
Leviticus 26:27–39 Final Warnings and Outcomes
Yahweh states that persistent disobedience will lead to severe consequences, including societal destruction and exile, saying, 'I will lay your cities waste' and 'I will scatter you among the nations' (vv. 27-39).
Leviticus 26:40–45 Opportunity for Repentance and Restoration
Yahweh provides a pathway for repentance, stating that if the Israelites confess their sins, He will remember His covenant and restore them (vv. 40-45).
Leviticus 26:46 Summary of Divine Laws
This final verse summarizes the statutes and laws given to the Israelites through Moses at Mount Sinai, reinforcing the context of their covenant relationship with God.
Key verses
Leviticus 26:14Yahweh speaks to the Israelites about their obedience, stating that failure to listen to His commandments will lead to dire consequences in their lives.
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Study questions
Questions for studying Leviticus 26
- observeIn v12, what does God mean when He says, 'I will walk among you'?
- observeWhat does God say will happen in v7 when the Israelites chase their enemies?
- interpretThe phrase 'seven times more' in v18: what does this suggest about God's response to disobedience?
- interpretIn v29, what does God mean when He says, 'You will eat the flesh of your sons'?
- applyWhen have you felt 'faintness' in your heart like in v36, and how did you respond?
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Cross-references
Passages that echo Leviticus 26
- Joshua 23Leviticus 26:8 and Joshua 23:10Both chase enemies: Leviticus 26:8 says a hundred chase ten thousand, while Joshua 23:10 mentions one man can chase a thousand.
- Deuteronomy 28Leviticus 26:3 and Deuteronomy 28:1Both stress obedience: Leviticus 26:3 calls for walking in statutes, while Deuteronomy 28:1 promises elevation for listening.
- 2 Corinthians 6Leviticus 26:12 and 2 Corinthians 6:16Both claim God's presence: Leviticus 26:12 states God walks among His people, while 2 Corinthians 6:16 affirms God dwells in them.
- Exodus 20Leviticus 26:1 and Exodus 20:4Both prohibit idols: Leviticus 26:1 warns against making idols, while Exodus 20:4 commands not to make images.
- 2 Chronicles 7Leviticus 26:40 and 2 Chronicles 7:14Both call for repentance: Leviticus 26:40 urges confession of iniquity, while 2 Chronicles 7:14 calls to humble and turn.
- Deuteronomy 11Leviticus 26:3 and Deuteronomy 11:27Both emphasize blessings for obedience: Leviticus 26:3 states to keep commandments, while Deuteronomy 11:27 promises blessing for listening.
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