Leviticus 26 28

Leviticus 26:28 kjv

Then I will walk contrary unto you also in fury; and I, even I, will chastise you seven times for your sins.

Leviticus 26:28 nkjv

then I also will walk contrary to you in fury; and I, even I, will chastise you seven times for your sins.

Leviticus 26:28 niv

then in my anger I will be hostile toward you, and I myself will punish you for your sins seven times over.

Leviticus 26:28 esv

then I will walk contrary to you in fury, and I myself will discipline you sevenfold for your sins.

Leviticus 26:28 nlt

then I will give full vent to my hostility. I myself will punish you seven times over for your sins.

Leviticus 26 verses

Leviticus 26 28 Meaning

Leviticus 26:28 conveys God's unwavering commitment to His covenant, stating that if the Israelites persist in their rebellious opposition (contrariety) to His commands, despite earlier warnings and judgments, He will intensify His disciplinary action against them with righteous fury. The phrase "seven times" indicates a full, complete, and perfectly executed judgment commensurate with the stubbornness of their disobedience, not merely a literal count. It signifies an overwhelming, thorough, and ultimate punitive measure.

Leviticus 26 28 Context

Leviticus chapter 26 is a pivotal section within the book, functioning as the climactic conclusion to the legal and covenantal material of Leviticus. It presents a stark choice to the Israelite people: a series of covenant blessings for obedience (Lev 26:3-13) and progressively severe curses for disobedience and persistent rebellion (Lev 26:14-45). This structure emphasizes the conditional nature of the covenant and God's holiness. Verses 14-39 detail five distinct waves of escalating judgment, each beginning with "If you still walk contrary to Me..." (or similar).Verse 28 belongs to the fifth and final wave of curses (Lev 26:27-39), indicating the utmost severity of God's judgment against a people who, despite numerous prior chastisements and warnings (Lev 26:18, 21, 24), stubbornly continue in their rebellion. This is not arbitrary punishment but a divine response to their "perverse opposition," revealing God's absolute commitment to His own holiness and the covenant He established. The historical context is of the freshly redeemed nation of Israel, having received the Law at Sinai, being warned about the consequences of breaking the very covenant that bound them to God and sustained their national existence. The polemic is against any contemporary belief that their unique status as God's chosen people somehow granted them immunity from the consequences of profound spiritual rebellion and idolatry; rather, their privilege demanded a higher standard of faithfulness.

Leviticus 26 28 Word analysis

• Then: Connects this ultimate judgment to the preceding failures. It signals a consequential stage after previous warnings and lighter judgments have been ignored.
• I will walk contrary: Hebrew: וְהָלַכְתִּי עִם־חֶמַת קֶרִי עִמָּכֶם (v’halakhti im-chemat qeri immachem). The key word קֶרִי (qeri) is profoundly significant, meaning "contrariety," "stubbornness," "perversity," "opposition," or "hostility." This phrase indicates God's reciprocal action. If Israel demonstrates obstinate opposition and stubborn perversity against God's ways and commands, then God, in turn, will manifest opposition to them. This is not arbitrary anger but a just response in kind to their hard-hearted rebellion, where God treats their rebellious self-chosen path as real and responds accordingly.
• to you in fury: Hebrew: עִם־חֶמַת קֶרִי (im-chemat qeri). חֵמָה (chemah) refers to hot displeasure, burning anger, or wrath. Combined with קֶרִי (qeri), it describes God's furious, opposing response to Israel's perversity. This "fury" is not an out-of-control emotion, but a righteous indignation from a holy God against sustained sin.
• and I, even I, will chastise: Hebrew: וְיִסַּרְתִּי אֶתְכֶם (v'yissarti etchem). The repetition of "I, even I" emphasizes God's direct, personal, and decisive involvement in the execution of judgment. The verb יָסַר (yasar) means "to discipline," "to instruct," "to correct," but also "to punish." While discipline can be corrective, in this extreme context of repeated warnings ignored, it takes on a strongly punitive character, though with the underlying covenantal goal of leading to repentance and restoration (as hinted at later in the chapter).
• you seven times: Hebrew: שֶׁבַע פְּעָמִים (sheva pe'amim). This phrase signifies not a literal seven separate occasions of punishment, but rather the completeness, intensity, fullness, and utter thoroughness of the judgment. "Seven" in biblical numerology often denotes perfection, completion, or totality. Here, it conveys that God's punishment will be absolute, perfectly fitted to the magnitude of their sin and persistence in rebellion. It represents an overwhelming degree of judgment that reaches its final, conclusive measure.
• for your sins: The direct cause and justification for the severity of the judgment. It underscores divine justice—God's actions are always righteous and a direct consequence of human transgression.

Leviticus 26 28 Bonus section

The escalating nature of judgments in Leviticus 26, culminating in this "seven times" wrath, serves as a literary device to underscore the seriousness of rebellion against God's covenant. This pattern (seven times increase) also appears in Leviticus 26:18, 21, and 24, building tension and foreshadowing an increasingly severe response. Scholars often note that קֶרִי (qeri) is unique to Leviticus 26 and one occurrence in Amos 4:6, implying a very specific kind of spiritual defiance characterized by a hard-hearted refusal to be humbled by divine discipline, escalating into a complete opposition to God's will. This state of spiritual obstinacy is what invokes God's furious, "contrary" response, ensuring that the judgment is perfectly proportionate to their unyielding defiance. The promise of restoration (Lev 26:40-45) following these dire warnings offers a glimpse of hope that even the most severe judgments have a redemptive aim, calling a remnant to repentance and memory of the covenant.

Leviticus 26 28 Commentary

Leviticus 26:28 represents the terrifying zenith of God's disciplinary actions against a perpetually disobedient Israel. After numerous warnings and escalating forms of chastisement outlined in earlier verses, this verse declares God's final, most severe, and complete judgment against their continued stubbornness. The critical phrase "walk contrary" (קֶרִי) reveals God's righteous reciprocity: as Israel sets themselves in persistent opposition to God's will, so God will oppose them in judgment, and that with intense, holy "fury." The judgment is not merely punitive but an act of "chastisement" intended, even at this extreme level, to eventually bring about repentance and acknowledge God's sovereign authority, thereby reaffirming the covenant (though not explicitly stated in this verse, it is the broader theological framework of Lev 26 and the biblical narrative). The "seven times" implies an all-encompassing, decisive punishment that will utterly fulfill its purpose. This divine severity serves as a sober reminder of the gravity of covenant faithfulness and the holy character of God, who will not allow His covenant or His name to be perpetually disrespected without ultimate consequence.