Leviticus 26 30

Leviticus 26:30 kjv

And I will destroy your high places, and cut down your images, and cast your carcasses upon the carcasses of your idols, and my soul shall abhor you.

Leviticus 26:30 nkjv

I will destroy your high places, cut down your incense altars, and cast your carcasses on the lifeless forms of your idols; and My soul shall abhor you.

Leviticus 26:30 niv

I will destroy your high places, cut down your incense altars and pile your dead bodies on the lifeless forms of your idols, and I will abhor you.

Leviticus 26:30 esv

And I will destroy your high places and cut down your incense altars and cast your dead bodies upon the dead bodies of your idols, and my soul will abhor you.

Leviticus 26:30 nlt

I will destroy your pagan shrines and knock down your places of worship. I will leave your lifeless corpses piled on top of your lifeless idols, and I will despise you.

Leviticus 26 verses

Leviticus 26 30 Meaning

Leviticus 26:30 prophesies a severe and deeply humiliating judgment from God upon Israel for persistent idolatry and disobedience to His covenant. It describes a comprehensive dismantling of their false worship structures, the defilement of their bodies through unburial and exposure to the vile objects of their worship, and a complete rejection by God Himself, signified by His soul abhorring them. This judgment highlights the ultimate futility and defilement associated with worshipping anything other than the one true God.

Leviticus 26 30 Context

Leviticus chapter 26 is the climactic section of the covenant code, laying out the consequences of Israel's obedience and disobedience to God's commandments given at Mount Sinai. Verses 3-13 describe bountiful blessings for faithfulness, while verses 14-45 detail escalating curses for rebellion, starting with mild inconveniences and progressing to severe judgments, including famine, plague, defeat by enemies, and ultimately, exile and destruction. Verse 30 falls within this section of curses, specifically depicting a brutal phase of divine retribution where God directly intervenes to desecrate their land and their false worship practices. It signifies a profound breach in the covenant relationship, where God, who had dwelt among them, now actively turns against them, highlighting the specific defilement of their high places and idols, which were prominent forms of pagan worship adopted from surrounding Canaanite cultures. This also served as a polemic against the supposed power and benevolence of foreign deities (Baal, Asherah, sun gods) by demonstrating their inability to protect their worshippers or even themselves from total obliteration and extreme disgrace.

Leviticus 26 30 Word analysis

• And I will destroy (וְהִשְׁמַדְתִּי - vehishmadti): From the Hebrew root shamad (שׁמד) in the Hiphil stem, meaning to utterly annihilate, lay waste, or cause to be exterminated. This signifies a definitive and comprehensive action of God, ensuring no remnant remains. It is a divine, active judgment.
• your high places (בָּמוֹתֵיכֶם - bamoteichem): "High places" (plural of bamah) refers to elevated cultic sites. While some may have initially been used for YHWH worship, they became notorious for illicit worship, particularly syncretistic and pagan practices, including child sacrifice. God had commanded central worship in one designated place (Deut 12:2-5), making all "high places" disobedient and offensive. Their destruction symbolizes the eradication of false religious centers.
• and cut down (וְהִכְרַתִּי - vehikhretti): From the root karat (כרת) in the Hiphil stem, meaning to cut off, destroy, or utterly remove. This reinforces the previous verb, emphasizing the complete cessation and eradication of the offending objects.
• your incense altars (חַמָּנֵיכֶם - chammanei'khem): Often translated as "sun-pillars" or "incense altars" dedicated to idolatrous worship. These were likely specific altars used for burning incense to pagan deities, possibly related to solar cults (the root cham relates to heat/sun). Their destruction points to the targeted dismantling of specific idolatrous instruments and practices.
• and cast your dead bodies (וְנָתַתִּי אֶת־פִּגְרֵיכֶם - venatatti et pigrei'khem):
  • cast (וְנָתַתִּי - venatatti): From natan (נתן), "to give" or "to place." Here, used with a sense of throwing or casting in dishonor.
  • dead bodies (פִּגְרֵיכֶם - pigrei'khem): Peger (פגר) refers to carcasses, especially of unburied or desecrated bodies. It signifies a body devoid of life, without respect, implying exposure, disgrace, and non-burial – a severe curse in the ancient world, as burial was essential for honor and transition.
• upon the dead bodies of your idols (עַל־פִּגְרֵי גִּלּוּלֵיכֶם - al pigrei gillulei'khem):
  • dead bodies (פִּגְרֵי - pigrei): Reiterates the lifeless, despised nature, ironically applying it even to inanimate idols.
  • your idols (גִּלּוּלֵיכֶם - gillulei'khem): Gillulim (גִּלּוּלִים) is a derogatory Hebrew term for idols, likely derived from galal (גלל, "to roll"), possibly implying "dung-pellets," "rolling blocks," or "worthless things." It emphasizes the absolute loathsomeness and impotence of the idols. To cast human bodies upon these objects creates a grotesque tableau of utter desecration and profound humiliation, indicating that worshippers share the disgusting fate of their "gods." It mocks the concept that idols offer life or protection, showing they bring only death and disgrace.
• and My soul will abhor you (וְגָעֲלָה נַפְשִׁי אֶתְכֶם - vega'alah nafshi et'khem):
  • abhor (וְגָעֲלָה - vega'alah): From the root ga'al (געל), "to loathe," "detest," "be disgusted with." This is a strong expression of revulsion and repugnance.
  • My soul (נַפְשִׁי - nafshi): "My very being" or "My innermost self." This emphasizes the profound personal nature of God's rejection. It's not just a detached act of judgment but a deep, emotional turning away due to utter contempt for their spiritual betrayal. It represents a complete breach of relationship and the end of God's patient endurance.

Words-group analysis:

• "I will destroy your high places and cut down your incense altars": This phrase targets the very infrastructure and tools of idolatrous worship. It indicates a systematic dismantling by divine power of everything that drew Israel away from YHWH, reinforcing that such practices are an abomination and must be utterly removed from the land consecrated to God.
• "cast your dead bodies upon the dead bodies of your idols": This constitutes the ultimate act of defilement and public disgrace. In the ancient Near East, not being buried was a major humiliation, but to have one's corpse strewn among the shattered, contemptible "corpses" of one's false gods represents a powerful symbol of their utter worthlessness and inability to protect or bestow life, thereby mocking the idolatrous system itself.
• "and My soul will abhor you": This climactic statement transcends physical destruction to signify God's deepest spiritual rejection. It demonstrates that beyond physical punishment, the severing of relationship with a holy God is the ultimate curse, a revulsion from His very being that renders His presence no longer a blessing but an adversary. This spiritual abhorrence is the foundation for all the physical curses.

Leviticus 26 30 Bonus section

The severity of the curse in Leviticus 26:30 speaks to the depth of God's detestation for idolatry, considering it a violation of the first commandment (Exod 20:3). This defilement, mixing dead human bodies with dead idols, stood in stark contrast to the stringent laws of ritual purity (Lev 11-15, Num 19) that were central to Israel's identity and worship, showing how their sin would utterly dismantle their sacred order. This prophecy found concrete fulfillment centuries later in the actions of righteous kings like Josiah (2 Kgs 23), who indeed destroyed high places and defiled cultic sites, sometimes burning bones upon them to make them perpetually unusable for worship, thus reflecting God's intended judgment against spiritual defilement. The imagery here also parallels prophecies of complete national disgrace and absence of lament or proper burial in Jeremiah's pronouncements (Jer 7:33, Jer 8:1-2), connecting this ancient covenant curse to later historical events of Judah's downfall.

Leviticus 26 30 Commentary

Leviticus 26:30 reveals the righteous and inevitable outcome of spiritual adultery. God's declaration of "destroying" and "cutting down" targets the core of Israel's covenant infidelity – their pursuit of idolatry, symbolized by the "high places" and "incense altars." These acts of desecration underscore that anything drawing away worship from YHWH is not only an affront but is destined for ruin. The grotesque imagery of unburied "dead bodies" cast "upon the dead bodies of your idols" signifies a profound humiliation, indicating that those who ally themselves with powerless, "dung-gods" will share in their degradation and ultimate worthlessness. It contrasts starkly with the blessings of security and burial promised to the faithful. Finally, "My soul will abhor you" reveals the deepest dimension of judgment: not merely punitive action, but a complete and profound rejection of the relationship, stemming from God's intrinsic holiness and justice. This intense emotional response from God signifies the absolute breaking of the covenant because of their egregious spiritual disloyalty, leaving the nation utterly devoid of divine favor. It's a stark warning of the dire consequences of choosing fleeting human creations over the living God.