Leviticus 26:23

English Standard Version

"And if by this discipline you are not turned to me but walk contrary to me,

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
If by these things you won't be reformed to me, but will walk contrary to me;

King James Version
And if ye will not be reformed by me by these things, but will walk contrary unto me;

Lexham English Bible
"‘And if you do not accept correction from me through these things, but you go against me in hostility,

New Century Version
"‘If you don't learn your lesson after all these things, and if you still turn against me,

New English Translation
"‘If in spite of these things you do not allow yourselves to be disciplined and you walk in hostility against me,

Amplified Bible
'And if by these things you are not turned to Me, but act with hostility against Me,

New American Standard Bible
'And if by these things you do not learn your lesson regarding Me, but you show hostility toward Me,

Geneva Bible (1587)
Yet if by these ye will not be reformed by me, but walke stubburnly against me,

Legacy Standard Bible
‘And if by these things you do not accept My discipline, but walk in hostility against Me,

Contemporary English Version
If you remain my enemies after this,

Complete Jewish Bible
"‘If, in spite of all this, you refuse my correction and still go against me;

Darby Translation
And if ye will not be disciplined by me through these, but walk contrary unto me,

Easy-to-Read Version
"If you don't learn your lesson after all this, and if you still turn against me,

George Lamsa Translation
And if by these things you shall not be disciplined, but continue to walk contrary to me;

Good News Translation
"If after all of this punishment you still do not listen to me, but continue to defy me,

Christian Standard Bible®
“If in spite of these things you do not accept my discipline, but act with hostility toward me,

Literal Translation
And if you are not chastised by Me by these things, and shall walk contrary to Me,

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But yf ye wyl not yet be refourmed here withall, and wyll walke contrary vnto me,

American Standard Version
And if by these things ye will not be reformed unto me, but will walk contrary unto me;

Bible in Basic English
And if by these things you will not be turned to me, but still go against me;

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And if ye may not be refourmed by these thynges, but shall walke contrary vnto me:

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And if in spite of these things ye will not be corrected unto Me, but will walk contrary unto Me;

King James Version (1611)
And if ye will not be reformed by these things, but will walke contrary vnto me:

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And if hereupon ye are not corrected, but walk perversely towards me,

English Revised Version
And if by these things ye will not be reformed unto me, but will walk contrary unto me;

Berean Standard Bible
And if in spite of these things you do not accept My discipline, but continue to walk in hostility toward Me,

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
That if nether so ye wolen resseyue doctryn, but goon contrarie to me,

Young's Literal Translation
`And if by these ye are not instructed by Me, and have walked with Me [in] opposition,

Update Bible Version
And if by these things you will not be reformed to me, but will walk contrary to me;

Webster's Bible Translation
And if ye will not be reformed by me by these things, but will walk contrary to me;

World English Bible
If by these things you won't be reformed to me, but will walk contrary to me;

New King James Version
"And if by these things you are not reformed by Me, but walk contrary to Me,

New Living Translation
"And if you fail to learn the lesson and continue your hostility toward me,

New Life Bible
‘If after these things you do not turn to Me, but still go against Me,

New Revised Standard
If in spite of these punishments you have not turned back to me, but continue hostile to me,

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, if, by these things, ye will not be corrected by me, - But will go in opposition to me,

Douay-Rheims Bible
And if even so you will not amend, but will walk contrary to me:

Revised Standard Version
"And if by this discipline you are not turned to me, but walk contrary to me,

THE MESSAGE
"And if even this doesn't work and you refuse my discipline and continue your defiance, then it will be my turn to defy you. I, yes I, will punish you for your sins seven times over: I'll let war loose on you, avenging your breaking of the covenant; when you huddle in your cities for protection, I'll send a deadly epidemic on you and you'll be helpless before your enemies; when I cut off your bread supply, ten women will bake bread in one oven and ration it out. You'll eat, but barely—no one will get enough.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
'And if by these things you are not turned to Me, but act with hostility against Me,

Contextual Overview

¹⁴ "But if you will not listen to me and will not do all these commandments, ¹⁵ if you spurn my statutes, and if your soul abhors my rules, so that you will not do all my commandments, but break my covenant, ¹⁶ then I will do this to you: I will visit you with panic, with wasting disease and fever that consume the eyes and make the heart ache. And you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. ¹⁷ I will set my face against you, and you shall be struck down before your enemies. Those who hate you shall rule over you, and you shall flee when none pursues you. ¹⁸ And if in spite of this you will not listen to me, then I will discipline you again sevenfold for your sins, ¹⁹ and I will break the pride of your power, and I will make your heavens like iron and your earth like bronze. ²⁰ And your strength shall be spent in vain, for your land shall not yield its increase, and the trees of the land shall not yield their fruit. ²¹ "Then if you walk contrary to me and will not listen to me, I will continue striking you, sevenfold for your sins. ²² And I will let loose the wild beasts against you, which shall bereave you of your children and destroy your livestock and make you few in number, so that your roads shall be deserted. ²³ "And if by this discipline you are not turned to me but walk contrary to me,

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Isaiah 1:16-20, Jeremiah 2:30, Jeremiah 5:3, Ezekiel 24:13, Ezekiel 24:14, Amos 4:6-12

Reciprocal: Exodus 9:2 - General Leviticus 5:15 - thy estimation Judges 3:14 - served Judges 4:1 - did evil 2 Samuel 7:6 - walked 2 Samuel 22:27 - froward Job 15:25 - he stretcheth Psalms 18:26 - froward Amos 4:7 - I have Mark 12:9 - he will John 5:14 - lest

Cross-References

Genesis 21:31
Therefore that place was called Beersheba, because there both of them swore an oath.

Genesis 46:1
So Israel took his journey with all that he had and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.

Judges 20:1
Then all the people of Israel came out, from Dan to Beersheba, including the land of Gilead, and the congregation assembled as one man to the Lord at Mizpah.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And if ye will not be reformed by these things,.... Corrected and amended by these punishments, be prevailed upon to return from their evil ways to the Lord, and walk in his commandments, and keep his judgments, and do them:

but will walk contrary unto me; :-.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

As “the book of the covenant” Exodus 20:22-33 concludes with promises and warnings Exodus 23:20-33, so does this collection of laws contained in the Book of Leviticus. But the former passage relates to the conquest of the land of promise, this one to the subsequent history of the nation. The longer similar passage in Deuteronomy Deut. 27–30 is marked by broader and deeper promises and denunciations having immediate reference not only to outward consequences, but to the spiritual death incurred by transgressing the divine will.

Leviticus 26:4

Rain in due season - The periodical rains, on which the fertility of the holy land so much depends, are here spoken of. There are two wet seasons, called in Scripture the former and the latter rain Deuteronomy 11:14; Jeremiah 5:24; Joel 2:23; Hosea 6:3; James 5:7. The former or Autumn rain falls in heavy showers in November and December. In March the latter or Spring rain comes on, which is precarious in quantity and duration, and rarely lasts more than two days.

Leviticus 26:5

Compare the margin reference; Joel 2:19; Job 11:18.

Leviticus 26:8

Five of you shall chase - A proverbial mode of expression for superiority in warlike prowess Deuteronomy 32:30; Isaiah 30:17.

Leviticus 26:9

Establish my covenant - All material blessings were to be regarded in the light of seals of the “everlasting covenant.” Compare Genesis 17:4-8; Nehemiah 9:23.

Leviticus 26:10

Bring forth the old because of the new - Rather, clear away the old before the new; that is, in order to make room for the latter. Compare the margin reference.

Leviticus 26:16

The first warning for disobedience is disease. “Terror” (literally trembling) is rendered trouble in Psalms 78:33; Isaiah 65:23. It seems here to denote that terrible affliction, an anxious temperament, the mental state ever at war with Faith and Hope. This might well be placed at the head of the visitations on a backslider who had broken the covenant with his God. Compare Deuteronomy 32:25; Jeremiah 15:8; Proverbs 28:1; Job 24:17; Psalms 23:4.

Consumption, and the burning ague - Compare the margin reference. The first of the words in the original comes from a root signifying to waste away; the latter (better, fever), from one signifying to kindle a fire. Consumption is common in Egypt and some parts of Asia Minor, but it is more rare in Syria. Fevers of different kinds are the commonest of all diseases in Syria and all the neighboring countries. The opposite promise to the threat is given in Exodus 15:26; Exodus 23:25.

Leviticus 26:18

For all this - i. e. for all the afflictions in Leviticus 26:16-17.

Seven times - The sabbatical number is here proverbially used to remind the people of the covenant. Compare Genesis 4:15, Genesis 4:24; Psalms 119:164; Proverbs 24:16; Luke 17:4.

Leviticus 26:19, Leviticus 26:20

The second warning is utter sterility of the soil. Compare Deuteronomy 11:17; Deuteronomy 28:18; Ezekiel 33:28; Ezekiel 36:34-35.

Leviticus 26:21, Leviticus 26:22

The third warning is the multiplication of destructive animals, etc. Compare Deuteronomy 32:24; Ezekiel 5:17; Ezekiel 14:15; Judges 5:6-7; Isaiah 33:8.

Leviticus 26:23-26

The fourth warning. Yahweh now places Himself as it were in a hostile position toward His people who “will not be reformed” (rather, brought unto God: Jeremiah 2:30). He will avenge the outraged cause of His covenant, by the sword, pestilence, famine, and captivity.

Leviticus 26:26

Omit “and.” “To break the staff of bread,” was a proverbial expression for cutting off the supply of bread, the staff of life (Psalms 105:16; Ezekiel 4:16; Ezekiel 5:16; Ezekiel 14:13; compare Isaiah 3:1). The supply was to be so reduced that one oven would suffice for baking the bread maple by ten women for ten families, and when made it was to be dealt out in sparing rations by weight. See 2 Kings 6:25; Jeremiah 14:18; Lamentations 4:9; Ezekiel 5:12; Hosea 4:10; Micah 6:14; Haggai 1:6.

Leviticus 26:27-33

The fifth warning. For Leviticus 26:29 see 2 Kings 6:28-29; Jeremiah 19:8-9; Lamentations 2:20; Lamentations 4:10; Ezekiel 5:10, for Leviticus 26:30 see 2 Chronicles 34:3; Ezekiel 6:4; Jeremiah 14:19, for Leviticus 26:31 see 2 Kings 25:9; Psalms 74:6-7 : for Leviticus 26:32-33 see Deuteronomy 28:37; Psalms 44:11; Jeremiah 9:16; Jeremiah 18:16; Ezekiel 5:1-17; Jeremiah 4:7; Ezekiel 9:6; Ezekiel 12:15; Zechariah 7:14.

Leviticus 26:30

High places - There is no doubt that the word here denotes elevated spots dedicated to false worship (see Deuteronomy 12:2), and especially, it would seem, to that of Baal Numbers 22:41; Joshua 13:17. Such spots were, however, employed and approved for the worship of Yahweh, not only before the building of the temple, but afterward (Judges 6:25-26; Judges 13:16-23; 1 Samuel 7:10; 1 Samuel 16:5; 1 Kings 3:2; 1 Kings 18:30; 2 Kings 12:3; 1 Chronicles 21:26, etc.). The three altars built by Abraham at Shechem, between Bethel and Ai, and at Mamre, appear to have been on heights, and so was the temple.

The high places in the holy land may thus have been divided into those dedicated to the worship of Yahweh, and those which had been dedicated to idols. And it would seem as if there was a constant struggle going on. The high places polluted by idol worship were of course to be wholly condemned. They were probably resorted to only to gratify a degraded superstition. See Leviticus 19:31; Leviticus 20:2-5. The others might have been innocently used for prayer and religious teaching. But the temptation appears to have been too great for the temper of the people. They offered sacrifice and burnt incense on them; and hence, thorough reformers of the national religion, such as Hezekiah and Josiah, removed the high places altogether 2 Kings 18:4; 2 Kings 23:5.

Your images - The original word is rendered in the margin of our Bible sun images (2 Chronicles 14:5; Isaiah 17:8; Ezekiel 6:4, etc.). Phoenician inscriptions prove that the word was commonly applied to images of Baal and Astarte, the god of the sun and the goddess of the moon. This exactly explains 2 Chronicles 34:4 following.

Idols - The Hebrew word here literally means things which could be rolled about, such as a block of wood or a lump of dirt. It was no doubt a name given in derision. Compare Isaiah 40:20; Isa 44:19; 2 Kings 1:2.

Leviticus 26:31

Sanctuaries - The holy places in the tabernacle and the temple (Psalms 68:35. Compare Psalms 74:7).

I will not smell the savor ... - See Leviticus 1:9.

Leviticus 26:35

More literally: All the days of its desolation shall it rest that time which it rested not in your Sabbaths while ye dwelt upon it. That is, the periods of rest of which the land had been deprived would be made up to it. Compare 2 Chronicles 36:20-21.

Leviticus 26:38

The land of your enemies shall eat you up - Compare Numbers 13:32; Ezekiel 36:13.

Leviticus 26:39

Iniquity - The meaning here is, in the punishment of their iniquity, and, in the next clause, in the punishment of the iniquity (as in Leviticus 26:41, Leviticus 26:43) of their fathers. In the next verse the same Hebrew word is properly represented by “iniquity.” Our translators have in several places put one of the English words in the text and the other in the margin (Genesis 4:13; Genesis 19:15; 2 Kings 7:9; Psalms 69:27, etc.). The language of Scripture does not make that trenchant division between sin and punishment which we are accustomed to do. Sin is its own punishment, having in itself, from its very commencement, the germ of death. “Sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death” James 1:15; Romans 2:5; Romans 5:12.

Leviticus 26:40

trespass - The Hebrew word signifies an injury inflicted on the rights of a person, as distinguished from a sin or iniquity regarded as an outrage of the divine law. Every wrong act is of course both a sin and a trespass against God. In this place Yahweh takes the breach of the covenant as a personal trespass.

Leviticus 26:41

Uncircumcised hearts - The outward sign of the covenant might be preserved, but the answering grace in the heart would be wanting (Acts 7:51; Romans 2:28-29; Jeremiah 6:10; Jeremiah 9:26; compare Colossians 2:11).

Accept of the punishment of their iniquity - literally, enjoy their iniquity. The word here and in Leviticus 26:43 rendered “accept” in this phrase, is the same as is rendered “enjoy” in the expression “the land shall enjoy her sabbaths” Leviticus 26:34. The antithesis in Leviticus 26:43 is this: The land shall enjoy her sabbaths - and they shall enjoy the punishment of their iniquity. The meaning is, that the land being desolate shall have the blessing of rest, and they having repented shall have the blessing of chastisement. The feelings of a devout captive Israelite are beautifully expressed in Tobit 13:1-18.