Leviticus 26:24 kjv
Then will I also walk contrary unto you, and will punish you yet seven times for your sins.
Leviticus 26:24 nkjv
then I also will walk contrary to you, and I will punish you yet seven times for your sins.
Leviticus 26:24 niv
I myself will be hostile toward you and will afflict you for your sins seven times over.
Leviticus 26:24 esv
then I also will walk contrary to you, and I myself will strike you sevenfold for your sins.
Leviticus 26:24 nlt
then I myself will be hostile toward you. I will personally strike you with calamity seven times over for your sins.
Leviticus 26 24 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Deut 28:15 | "But if you will not obey the voice of the LORD your God, ...then all these curses shall come upon you" | Consequences of disobedience amplified |
| Deut 28:22 | "The LORD will strike you with consumption, and with fever, and with inflammation..." | Similar escalation of afflictions |
| Ps 18:25-26 | "With the pure You show Yourself pure; And with the devious You show Yourself shrewd." | God responds in kind to human action, principle of reciprocity |
| Prov 3:34 | "He mocks proud mockers But gives grace to the humble." | God's opposition to prideful resistance |
| Isa 63:10 | "But they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit; therefore He turned to be their enemy and Himself fought against them." | Rebellion turns God into an adversary for judgment |
| Jer 2:19 | "Your own evil will correct you, And your apostasies will reprimand you..." | Sin brings its own punitive consequences |
| Jer 44:27-28 | "Behold, I am watching over them for evil and not for good... consumed by the sword and by famine..." | God actively executes judgment upon persistent rebellion |
| Lam 3:22 | "The LORD's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail." | God's compassion remains even amidst judgment, hinting at His ultimate purpose for repentance |
| Ezek 14:13 | "Son of man, if a country sins against Me by committing unfaithfulness, and I stretch out My hand against it and break its supply of bread..." | God's specific actions of judgment against sin |
| Amos 4:6-12 | "Yet you have not returned to Me," declares the LORD... I struck you with blight and mildew... I sent pestilence among you... yet you have not returned to Me." | Pattern of escalating judgments intended to lead to repentance |
| Zech 1:3 | "Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, “Return to Me,” declares the LORD of hosts, “that I may return to you.”’” | The possibility of returning to God to avert judgment |
| Matt 3:10 | "Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire." | Consequences for unfruitfulness and lack of repentance |
| Rom 2:4-5 | "Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness leads you to repentance? But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath for yourself..." | Hardness of heart accumulates divine wrath |
| Heb 12:6 | "For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, And He scourges every son whom He receives.” | God's disciplinary action for those He loves, often severe |
| Rev 15:1 | "Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels who had seven plagues, which are the last, because in them the wrath of God is finished." | "Seven" indicating the completeness/finality of divine wrath |
| Rev 16:1-21 | The seven bowls of God’s wrath. | Ultimate, comprehensive outpouring of divine judgment |
| Gal 6:7 | "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap." | Principle of sowing and reaping applies to disobedience |
| Isa 3:11 | "Woe to the wicked! It will go badly with him, For what he deserves will be done to him." | Sinners will receive what they are due |
| Prov 1:31 | "So they shall eat of the fruit of their own way And be satiated with their own schemes." | Consequences arising directly from one's own choices |
| Ezek 39:29 | "I will not hide My face from them any longer, for I will have poured out My Spirit on the house of Israel,” declares the Lord GOD." | God's ultimate desire is restoration and mercy after judgment. |
| Mal 3:7 | "“From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from My statutes and have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you.”" | Call to repentance to turn away from God's wrath |
| Heb 10:31 | "It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God." | Emphasizes the severe reality of God's judgment |
Leviticus 26 verses
Leviticus 26 24 Meaning
Leviticus 26:24 signifies God's determined response of heightened disciplinary action against His people if they persist in defiance and obstinacy, refusing to respond to His initial warnings and judgments. It describes a severe, reciprocal divine opposition, where God's just recompense will increase in intensity, multiplying their afflictions for their continued rejection of His covenant. This "seven times" represents a full and comprehensive measure of punitive judgment, not necessarily a literal number, indicating the severity and completeness of His holy displeasure with unrepentant sin.
Leviticus 26 24 Context
Leviticus 26 lays out a comprehensive system of covenant blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience, designed to motivate Israel's faithfulness to Yahweh. The chapter serves as a theological summation of the Sinai Covenant, establishing the framework for their national life in the Promised Land. This particular verse (Lev 26:24) falls within a detailed sequence of progressively intensifying divine judgments for continued unrepentance (verses 14-39). The judgments are described in four distinct stages, each marked by a declaration that God will punish them "seven times more" if they do not respond to the preceding discipline. Verse 24 is part of the third stage of judgment, specifically threatening further devastation by war if earlier afflictions—such as sickness, famine, and terror (vv. 16-20)—failed to bring them to repentance. The historical context reflects a nomadic people on the brink of entering a land surrounded by nations practicing polytheism and immorality. The detailed curses serve as a severe warning to uphold monotheism and holy living, differentiating Israel from these neighbors, emphasizing that their national well-being is directly tied to their covenant loyalty.
Leviticus 26 24 Word analysis
then: Introduces the consequence or result of the previous condition (their continued hostile defiance, mentioned in the preceding verses).
I will walk: Hebrew: halakh (הָלַךְ), meaning "to go, walk, come, travel." Here, it signifies God's active engagement and direct involvement in the punitive process.
contrary: Hebrew: qeri (קְרִי). This crucial word describes walking "at random, with hostility, opposition, indifference, obstinacy, resistance." When applied to humans, it denotes stubbornness, defiance, or contempt towards God (Lev 26:21). When God acts qeri, it is His divine, judicial response, a "contrary" or "adversarial" action that directly counters their obduracy. It's a "measure-for-measure" divine retribution.
to you also: Emphasizes the reciprocal nature of the judgment. Because they "walk contrary" to God and His laws, God will walk qeri to them in response. It highlights God's justice in reciprocating their rebellion.
and I myself: The Hebrew emphasizes God's direct, personal agency in the punishment. This is not arbitrary or secondary; God Himself is the active executor of the covenant curses, showing His unwavering commitment to His holy standards.
will strike you: Hebrew: nakah (נָכָה), meaning "to strike, smite, beat, hit, afflict, punish." This verb denotes a forceful and harmful blow, indicating direct divine infliction of suffering.
seven times: Hebrew: sheva pa'amim (שֶׁבַע פְּעָמִים), "seven times." In this context, "seven" signifies completeness, fullness, or intensified measure. It does not imply a literal seven occurrences but indicates a thorough and overwhelming escalation of judgment, a perfectly adequate punitive measure for their accumulating sins. It means "even more" or "in full measure."
for your sins: The explicit reason for God's action. The judgments are not arbitrary but directly linked to Israel's unrepentant transgression of God's laws and persistent rebellion against Him. It highlights God's just character and the consequence of sin.
"I will walk contrary to you also": This phrase emphasizes the theological concept of lex talionis (law of retaliation) but applied divinely, or a measure-for-measure justice. Because Israel has demonstrated persistent hostility and defiance towards God by ignoring His warnings and laws, God's response is a divinely proportionate "opposition" to their stubbornness. It is not whimsical, but a judicial response to human action, reinforcing divine justice and sovereignty.
"I myself will strike you seven times for your sins": This group of words stresses the active, personal, and decisive nature of God's judgment. The "seven times" conveys not just increased frequency but an exponential escalation of severity and comprehensiveness, representing a complete, thorough, and perfectly just judgment. The ultimate purpose is still redemptive discipline, but its execution is total against their hardened hearts.
Leviticus 26 24 Bonus section
The concept of God's escalating judgments and His "walking contrary" to a stubborn people finds echoes in various biblical narratives. For instance, the judgments against Pharaoh in Egypt followed a pattern of increasing intensity until his ultimate downfall (Exod 7-11). Similarly, the persistent idolatry of the Northern Kingdom of Israel ultimately led to their defeat and exile by Assyria, and later Judah's by Babylon, described as God's disciplinary hand (e.g., 2 Ki 17; Jer 25). The pattern observed by prophets like Amos, who enumerates different calamities that failed to bring Israel back to God (Amos 4:6-11), perfectly illustrates the divine "seven times" escalation of Leviticus 26. This principle applies not only to a nation but also individually, as prolonged rebellion against God’s truth leads to greater spiritual blindness and harder consequences (Rom 1:24, 26, 28). This divine methodology underlines God’s patience in judgment, providing multiple opportunities for repentance, but also His final resolve when those warnings are continually spurned.
Leviticus 26 24 Commentary
Leviticus 26:24 reveals a critical aspect of God's relationship with His covenant people: His unwavering commitment to both justice and holiness. The escalating punishments described in this chapter are not mere threats but serve as redemptive warnings designed to draw a rebellious people back to Him. When Israel responds to initial warnings and light chastisement with continued obstinacy and defiance ("walk contrary" to Him), God responds in kind with a magnified opposition. The "seven times" emphasizes the absolute completeness and intensity of this divine judgment. It’s a "full dose" of God's wrath poured out on unrepentant sin, showcasing that while He is patient, His justice is perfect and inexorable. This disciplinary action, severe as it is, still flows from His character as a just and holy God who will not tolerate perpetual rebellion among those He calls His own. The underlying purpose, though not stated directly in this verse, is always to bring about repentance and restoration, to prompt Israel to abandon their destructive path and return to Him for life.