Leviticus 26
26
Exhortation to Obedience
1 “‘You must not make for yourselves idols,#sn For the literature regarding the difficult etymology and meaning of the term for “idols” (אֱלִילִם, ’elilim), see the literature cited in the note on Lev 19:4. It appears to be a diminutive play on words with אֵל (’el, “god, God”) and, perhaps at the same time, recalls a common Semitic word for “worthless, weak, powerless, nothingness.” Snaith suggests a rendering of “worthless godlings.” so you must not set up for yourselves a carved image or a pillar, and you must not place a sculpted stone in your land to bow down before#tn Heb “on.” The “sculpted stone” appears to be some sort of stone with images carved into (see B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 181, and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 449). it, for I am the Lord your God. 2 You must keep my Sabbaths and reverence#tn Heb “and my sanctuary you shall fear.” Cf. NCV “respect”; CEV “honor.” my sanctuary. I am the Lord.
The Benefits of Obedience
3 “‘If you walk in my statutes and are sure to obey my commandments,#tn Heb “and my commandments you shall keep and do them.” This appears to be a kind of verbal hendiadys, where the first verb is a modifier of the action of the second verb (see GKC 386 §120.d, although שָׁמַר [shamar, “to keep”] is not cited there; cf. Lev 20:8; 25:18, etc.). 4 I will give you your rains in their time so that#tn Heb “and.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) can be considered to have resultative force here. the land will give its yield and the trees of the field will produce their fruit.#tn Heb “the tree of the field will give its fruit.” As a collective singular this has been translated as plural. 5 Threshing season will extend for you until the season for harvesting grapes,#tn Heb “will reach for you the vintage season.” and the season for harvesting grapes will extend until sowing season, so#tn Heb “and.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) can be considered to have resultative force here. you will eat your bread until you are satisfied,#tn Heb “to satisfaction”; KJV, ASV, NASB “to the full.” and you will live securely in your land. 6 I will grant peace in the land so that#tn Heb “and.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) can be considered to have resultative force here. you will lie down to sleep without anyone terrifying you.#tn Heb “and there will be no one who terrifies.” The words “to sleep” have been supplied in the translation for clarity. I will remove harmful animals#tn Heb “harmful animal,” singular, but taken here as a collective plural (so almost all English versions). from the land, and no sword of war#tn Heb “no sword”; the words “of war” are supplied in the translation to indicate what the metaphor of the sword represents. will pass through your land. 7 You will pursue your enemies and they will fall before you by the sword.#tn Heb “to the sword.” 8 Five of you will pursue a hundred, and a hundred of you will pursue ten thousand, and your enemies will fall before you by the sword. 9 I will turn to you, make you fruitful, multiply you, and maintain#tn Heb “cause to arise,” but probably used here for the Lord’s intention of confirming or maintaining the covenant commitment made at Sinai. Cf. KJV “establish”; NASB “will confirm”; NAB “carry out”; NIV “will keep.” my covenant with you. 10 You will still be eating stored produce from the previous year#tn Heb “old [produce] growing old.” and will have to clean out what is stored from the previous year to make room for new.#tn Heb “and old from the presence of new you will bring out.”
11 “‘I will put my tabernacle#tn LXX codexes Vaticanus and Alexandrinus have “my covenant” rather than “my tabernacle.” Cf. NAB, NASB, NRSV “my dwelling.” in your midst and I will not abhor you.#tn Heb “and my soul [נֶפֶשׁ, nefesh] will not abhor you.” 12 I will walk among you, and I will be your God and you will be my people. 13 I am the Lord your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, from being their slaves,#tn Heb “from being to them slaves.” and I broke the bars of your yoke and caused you to walk upright.#tn In other words, to walk as free people and not as slaves. Cf. NIV “with (+ your CEV, NLT) heads held high”; NCV “proudly.”
The Consequences of Disobedience
14 “‘If, however,#tn Heb “And if.” you do not obey me and keep#tn Heb “and do not do.” all these commandments – 15 if you reject my statutes and abhor my regulations so that you do not keep#tn Heb “to not do.” all my commandments and you break my covenant – 16 I for my part#tn Or “I also” (see HALOT 76 s.v. אַף 6.b). will do this to you: I will inflict horror on you, consumption and fever, which diminish eyesight and drain away the vitality of life.#tn Heb “soul.” These expressions may refer either to the physical effects of consumption and fever as the rendering in the text suggests (e.g., J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 452, 454, “diminishing eyesight and loss of appetite”), or perhaps the more psychological effects, “which exhausts the eyes” because of anxious hope “and causes depression” (Heb “causes soul [נֶפֶשׁ, nefesh] to pine away”), e.g., B. A. Levine, Leviticus (JPSTC), 185. You will sow your seed in vain because#tn Heb “and.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) can be considered to have causal force here. your enemies will eat it.#tn That is, “your enemies will eat” the produce that grows from the sown seed. 17 I will set my face against you. You will be struck down before your enemies, those who hate you will rule over you, and you will flee when there is no one pursuing you.
18 “‘If, in spite of all these things,#tn Heb “And if until these.” you do not obey me, I will discipline you seven times more on account of your sins.#tn Heb “I will add to discipline you seven [times] on your sins.” 19 I will break your strong pride and make your sky like iron and your land like bronze. 20 Your strength will be used up in vain, your land will not give its yield, and the trees of the land#tn Heb “the tree of the land will not give its fruit.” The collective singular has been translated as a plural. Tg. Onq., some medieval Hebrew mss, Smr, LXX, and Tg. Ps.-J. have “the field” as in v. 4, rather than “the land.” will not produce their fruit.
21 “‘If you walk in hostility against me#tn Heb “hostile with me,” but see the added preposition בְּ (bet) on the phrase “in hostility” in v. 24 and 27. and are not willing to obey me, I will increase your affliction#tn Heb “your blow, stroke”; cf. TEV “punishment”; NLT “I will inflict you with seven more disasters.” seven times according to your sins. 22 I will send the wild animals#tn Heb “the animal of the field.” This collective singular has been translated as a plural. The expression “animal of the field” refers to a wild (i.e., nondomesticated) animal. against you and they will bereave you of your children,#tn The words “of your children” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied. annihilate your cattle, and diminish your population#tn Heb “and diminish you.” so that your roads will become deserted.
23 “‘If in spite of these things#tn Heb “And if in these.” you do not allow yourselves to be disciplined and you walk in hostility against me,#tn Heb “with me,” but see the added preposition בְּ (bet) on the phrase “in hostility” in vv. 24 and 27. 24 I myself will also walk in hostility against you and strike you#tn Heb “and I myself will also strike you.” seven times on account of your sins. 25 I will bring on you an avenging sword, a covenant vengeance.#tn Heb “vengeance of covenant”; cf. NAB “the avenger of my covenant.” Although#tn Heb “and.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) has a concessive force in this context. you will gather together into your cities, I will send pestilence among you and you will be given into enemy hands.#tn Heb “in hand of enemy,” but Tg. Ps.-J. and Tg. Neof. have “in the hands of your enemies” (J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 454). 26 When I break off your supply of bread,#tn Heb “When I break to you staff of bread” (KJV, ASV, and NASB all similar). ten women will bake your bread in one oven; they will ration your bread by weight,#tn Heb “they will return your bread in weight.” and you will eat and not be satisfied.
27 “‘If in spite of this#tn Heb “And if in this.” you do not obey me but walk in hostility against me,#tn Heb “with me.” 28 I will walk in hostile rage against you#tn Heb “in rage of hostility with you”; NASB “with wrathful hostility”; NRSV “I will continue hostile to you in fury”; CEV “I’ll get really furious.” and I myself will also discipline you seven times on account of your sins. 29 You will eat the flesh of your sons and the flesh of your daughters.#tn Heb “and the flesh of your daughters you will eat.” The phrase “you will eat” has not been repeated in the translation for stylistic reasons. 30 I will destroy your high places and cut down your incense altars,#sn Regarding these cultic installations, see the remarks in B. A. Levine, Leviticus (JPSTC), 188, and R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 2:903. The term rendered “incense altars” might better be rendered “sanctuaries [of foreign deities]” or “stelae.” and I will stack your dead bodies on top of the lifeless bodies of your idols.#tn The translation reflects the Hebrew wordplay “your corpses…the corpses of your idols.” Since idols, being lifeless, do not really have “corpses,” the translation uses “dead bodies” for people and “lifeless bodies” for the idols. I will abhor you.#tn Heb “and my soul will abhor you.” 31 I will lay your cities waste#tn Heb “And I will give your cities a waste”; NLT “make your cities desolate.” and make your sanctuaries desolate, and I will refuse to smell your soothing aromas. 32 I myself will make the land desolate and your enemies who live in it will be appalled. 33 I will scatter you among the nations and unsheathe the sword#tn Heb “and I will empty sword” (see HALOT 1228 s.v. ריק 3). after you, so your land will become desolate and your cities will become a waste.
34 “‘Then the land will make up for#tn There are two Hebrew roots רָצָה (ratsah), one meaning “to be pleased with; to take pleasure” (HALOT 1280-81 s.v. רצה; cf. “enjoy” in NASB, NIV, NRSV, and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 452), and the other meaning “to restore” (HALOT 1281-82 s.v. II רצה; cf. NAB “retrieve” and B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 189). its Sabbaths all the days it lies desolate while you are in the land of your enemies; then the land will rest and make up its Sabbaths. 35 All the days of the desolation it will have the rest it did not have#tn Heb “it shall rest which it did not rest.” on your Sabbaths when you lived on it.
36 “‘As for#tn Heb “And.” the ones who remain among you, I will bring despair into their hearts in the lands of their enemies. The sound of a blowing leaf will pursue them, and they will flee as one who flees the sword and fall down even though there is no pursuer. 37 They will stumble over each other as those who flee before a sword, though#tn Heb “and.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) is used in a concessive sense here. there is no pursuer, and there will be no one to take a stand#tn The term rendered “to stand up” is a noun, not an infinitive. It occurs only here and appears to designate someone who would take a powerful stand for them against their enemies. for you before your enemies. 38 You will perish among the nations; the land of your enemies will consume you.
Restoration through Confession and Repentance
39 “‘As for the ones who remain among you, they will rot away because of#tn Heb “in” (so KJV, ASV; also later in this verse). their iniquity in the lands of your enemies, and they will also rot away because of their ancestors’#tn Heb “fathers’” (also in the following verse). iniquities which are with them. 40 However, when#tn Heb “And.” Many English versions take this to be a conditional clause (“if…”) though there is no conditional particle (see, e.g., NASB, NIV, NRSV; but see the very different rendering in B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 190). The temporal translation offered here (“when”) takes into account the particle אָז (’az, “then”), which occurs twice in v. 41. The obvious contextual contrast between vv. 39 and 40 is expressed by “however” in the translation. they confess their iniquity and their ancestors’ iniquity which they committed by trespassing against me,#tn Heb “in their trespassing which they trespassed in me.” See the note on Lev 5:15, although the term is used in a more technical sense there in relation to the “guilt offering.” by which they also walked#tn Heb “and also which they walked.” in hostility against me#tn Heb “with me.” 41 (and I myself will walk in hostility against them and bring them into the land of their enemies), and#tn Heb “or then,” although the LXX has “then” and the Syriac “and then.” then their uncircumcised hearts become humbled and they make up for#tn Heb “and then they make up for.” On the verb “make up for” see the note on v. 34 above. their iniquity, 42 I will remember my covenant with Jacob and also my covenant with Isaac and also my covenant with Abraham,#tn Heb “my covenant with Abraham I will remember.” The phrase “I will remember” has not been repeated in the translation for stylistic reasons. and I will remember the land. 43 The land will be abandoned by them#tn Heb “from them.” The preposition “from” refers here to the agent of the action (J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 455). in order that it may make up for#tn The jussive form of the verb with the simple vav (ו) here calls for a translation that expresses purpose. its Sabbaths while it is made desolate#tn The verb is the Hophal infinitive construct with the third feminine singular suffix (GKC 182 §67.y; cf. v. 34). without them,#tn Heb “from them.” and they will make up for their iniquity because#tn Heb “because and in because,” a double expression, which is used only here and in Ezek 13:10 (without the vav) for emphasis (GKC 492 §158.b). they have rejected my regulations and have abhorred#tn Heb “and their soul has abhorred.” my statutes. 44 In spite of this, however, when they are in the land of their enemies I will not reject them and abhor them to make a complete end of them, to break my covenant with them, for I am the Lord their God. 45 I will remember for them the covenant with their ancestors#tn Heb “covenant of former ones.” sn For similar expressions referring back to the ancestors who refused to follow the stipulations of the Mosaic covenant see, for example, Deut 19:14, Jer 11:10, and Ps 79:8 (see B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 192, and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 471). whom I brought out from the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations to be their God. I am the Lord.’”
Summary Colophon
46 These are the statutes, regulations, and instructions which the Lord established#tn Heb “gave” (so NLT); KJV, ASV, NCV “made.” between himself and the Israelites at Mount Sinai through#tn Heb “by the hand of” (so KJV). Moses.
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Leviticus 26
26
Rewards for Obeying God
1“Don’t make idols for yourselves. Don’t set up statues or memorial stones in your land to bow down to, because I am the Lord your God!
2“Remember my special days of rest#26:2 special days of rest Or “Sabbaths.” This might mean Saturday, or it might mean all the special days when the people were not supposed to work. and honor my holy place. I am the Lord.
3“Remember my laws and commands, and obey them. 4If you do these things, I will give you rains at the time they should come. The land will grow crops and the trees of the field will grow their fruit. 5Your threshing will continue until it is time to gather grapes. And your grape gathering will continue until it is time to plant. Then you will have plenty to eat. And you will live safely in your land. 6I will give peace to your country. You will lie down in peace. No one will come to make you afraid. I will keep harmful animals out of your country. And armies will not come through your country.
7“You will chase your enemies and defeat them. You will kill them with your swords. 8Five of you will chase 100 men, and 100 of you will chase 10,000 men. You will defeat your enemies and kill them with your sword.
9“Then I will turn to you. I will let you have many children. I will keep my agreement with you. 10You will have enough crops to last for more than a year. You will harvest the new crops. But then you will have to throw out the old crops to make room for the new crops. 11Also, I will place my Holy Tent among you. I will not turn away from you. 12I will walk with you and be your God. And you will be my people. 13I am the Lord your God. You were slaves in Egypt, but I brought you out of Egypt. You were bent low from the heavy weights you carried as slaves, but I broke the poles that were on your shoulders. I let you walk proudly again.
Punishment for Not Obeying God
14“But if you don’t obey me and all my commands, bad things will happen to you. 15If you refuse to obey my laws and commands, you have broken my agreement. 16If you do that, I will cause terrible things to happen to you. I will cause you to have disease and fever. They will destroy your eyes and take away your life. You will not have success when you plant your seed. And your enemies will eat your crops. 17I will be against you, so your enemies will defeat you. These enemies will hate you and rule over you. You will run away even when no one is chasing you.
18“After these things, if you still don’t obey me, I will punish you seven times more for your sins. 19And I will also destroy the great cities that make you proud. The skies will not give rain, and the earth will not produce crops.#26:19 The skies … crops Literally, “Your skies will be like iron, your land like bronze.” 20You will work hard, but it will not help. Your land will not give any crops, and your trees will not grow their fruit.
21“If you still turn against me and refuse to obey me, I will beat you seven times harder! The more you sin, the more you will be punished. 22I will send wild animals against you. They will take your children away from you. They will destroy your animals. They will kill many of your people. The roads will all be empty.
23“If you don’t learn your lesson after all this, and if you still turn against me, 24then I will also turn against you. I—yes, I myself—will punish you seven times for your sins. 25You will have broken my agreement, so I will punish you. I will bring armies against you. You will go into your cities for safety, but I will cause diseases to spread among you. And your enemies will defeat you. 26I will give you a share of the grain left in that city. But there will be very little food to eat. Ten women will be able to cook all their bread in one oven. They will measure each piece of bread. You will eat, but you will still be hungry.
27“If you still refuse to listen to me, and if you still turn against me, 28then I will really show my anger! I—yes, I myself—will punish you seven times for your sins. 29You will become so hungry that you will eat the bodies of your sons and daughters. 30I will destroy your high places. I will cut down your incense altars. I will put your dead bodies on the dead bodies of your idols. You will be disgusting to me. 31I will destroy your cities. I will make your holy places empty. I will stop smelling your offerings. 32I will make your land empty. And your enemies who come to live there will be shocked at it. 33I will scatter you among the nations. I will pull out my sword and destroy you. Your land will become empty, and your cities will be destroyed.
34“You will be taken to your enemy’s country. Your country will be empty. So your land will finally get its rest. The land will enjoy its time of rest. 35During the time that the land is empty, it will get the time of rest that you did not give it while you lived there. 36The survivors will lose their courage in the land of their enemies. They will be afraid of everything. They will run around like a leaf blown by the wind. They will run as if someone is chasing them with a sword. They will fall even when no one is chasing them. 37They will run as if someone is chasing them with a sword. They will fall over each other—even when no one is chasing them.
“You will not be strong enough to stand up against your enemies. 38You will be lost in other nations. You will disappear in the land of your enemies. 39So the survivors will rot away in their sin in their enemies’ countries. They will rot away in their sins just as their ancestors did.
There Is Always Hope
40“But maybe the people will confess their sins. And maybe they will confess the sins of their ancestors. Maybe they will admit that they turned against me. Maybe they will admit that they sinned against me. 41Maybe they will admit that I turned against them and brought them into the land of their enemies. These people will be like strangers to me. But maybe they will become humble#26:41 These people … humble Literally, “If they humble their uncircumcised heart.” and accept the punishment for their sin. 42If they do, I will remember my agreement with Jacob. I will remember my agreement with Isaac. I will remember my agreement with Abraham, and I will remember the land.
43“The land will be empty. The land will enjoy its time of rest. Then the survivors will accept the punishment for their sins. They will learn that they were punished because they hated my laws and refused to obey my rules. 44They have sinned. But if they come to me for help, I will not turn away from them. I will listen to them, even if they are in the land of their enemies. I will not completely destroy them. I will not break my agreement with them, because I am the Lord their God. 45For them, I will remember the agreement with their ancestors. I brought their ancestors out of the land of Egypt so that I could become their God. The other nations saw these things. I am the Lord.”
46These are the laws, rules, and teachings that the Lord gave to the Israelites. These laws are the agreement between the Lord and the Israelites. The Lord gave these laws to Moses at Mount Sinai.
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