Leviticus 26:32 kjv
And I will bring the land into desolation: and your enemies which dwell therein shall be astonished at it.
Leviticus 26:32 nkjv
I will bring the land to desolation, and your enemies who dwell in it shall be astonished at it.
Leviticus 26:32 niv
I myself will lay waste the land, so that your enemies who live there will be appalled.
Leviticus 26:32 esv
And I myself will devastate the land, so that your enemies who settle in it shall be appalled at it.
Leviticus 26:32 nlt
Yes, I myself will devastate your land, and your enemies who come to occupy it will be appalled at what they see.
Leviticus 26 32 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Lev 26:33 | And I will scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you: and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste. | Further curse: scattering and the sword for a desolate land. |
| Lev 26:34 | Then shall the land enjoy her sabbaths, as long as it lieth desolate, and ye be in your enemies' land; even then shall the land rest, and enjoy her sabbaths. | Land resting during the exile due to unobserved Sabbath years. |
| Lev 26:35 | As long as it lieth desolate it shall rest; because it did not rest in your sabbaths, when ye dwelt upon it. | The land's enforced rest, a consequence of past neglect. |
| Lev 26:43 | The land also shall be left of them, and shall enjoy her sabbaths, while she lieth desolate without them: and they shall accept of the punishment of their iniquity... | Reiterates the land's rest as a part of their accepted punishment. |
| Deut 28:37 | And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all nations whither the LORD shall lead thee. | The people become a shocking spectacle among nations. |
| Deut 29:22-24 | So that the generation to come of your children... and the stranger that shall come from a far land, shall say, when they see the plagues of that land... Wherefore hath the LORD done thus unto this land? | Foreigners amazed by the desolation question its divine cause. |
| 1 Ki 9:8 | And at this house, which is high, every one that passeth by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss; and they shall say, Why hath the LORD done thus unto this land, and to this house? | Solomon's Temple also subject to astonishing desolation. |
| 2 Chr 36:19-21 | And they burnt the house of God, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem... until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years. | Fulfillment in the Babylonian exile: land rested 70 years. |
| Ps 79:1 | O God, the heathen are come into thine inheritance; thy holy temple have they defiled; they have laid Jerusalem on heaps. | Lament over the defilement and ruin of God's land. |
| Isa 6:11-12 | Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate, | Prophecy of severe, widespread desolation of the land. |
| Jer 9:11 | And I will make Jerusalem heaps, and a den of dragons; and I will make the cities of Judah desolate, without an inhabitant. | Specific prophecy of Jerusalem and Judah's complete ruin. |
| Jer 25:9-11 | I will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof... and will make them an astonishment, and an hissing, and perpetual desolations... And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. | Direct link to Babylonian captivity and 70 years of desolation. |
| Jer 50:13 | Because of the wrath of the LORD it shall not be inhabited, but it shall be wholly desolate: every one that goeth by Babylon shall be astonished, and hiss at all her plagues. | Desolation results from God's wrath; passersby astonished. |
| Ezek 6:14 | So will I stretch out my hand upon them, and make the land more desolate and waste than the wilderness toward Diblath, in all their habitations: and they shall know that I am the LORD. | God's direct agency in bringing overwhelming desolation. |
| Ezek 36:35 | And they shall say, This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are become fenced, and are inhabited. | Future restoration: desolate land transformed, astounding all. |
| Dan 9:2 | In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. | Daniel's recognition of the prophetic fulfillment of 70 years of desolation. |
| Matt 23:38 | Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. | Jesus' prophecy of Jerusalem and the Temple's future ruin. |
| Luke 21:24 | And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. | Echoes Gentile occupation and destruction as consequence of disobedience. |
| Rom 11:15 | For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead? | Israel's temporary rejection and suffering lead to broader divine purposes, hinting at future hope. |
| Heb 12:25-29 | See that ye refuse not him that speaketh... For our God is a consuming fire. | Warning against neglecting God's voice, highlighting the severe consequences of disobedience, applied to a new covenant. |
| Gal 6:7-8 | Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. | Universal principle of divine retribution for human actions. |
Leviticus 26 verses
Leviticus 26 32 Meaning
Leviticus 26:32 describes a severe divine judgment upon the land of Israel for its inhabitants' persistent disobedience to God's covenant. It proclaims that God Himself will render the land desolate, stripped of its vibrancy and inhabitants. Furthermore, even the foreign enemies who then occupy this ruined land will be filled with awe and shock by the profound extent of its desolation, a testament to the magnitude of divine wrath.
Leviticus 26 32 Context
Leviticus 26 is a pivotal chapter presenting God's covenant blessings and curses, establishing the consequences for Israel's obedience or disobedience in the Promised Land. The preceding verses (3-13) detail the blessings—peace, abundant harvests, victory over enemies—promised for faithfulness. Verse 32, however, falls within the long section of escalating curses (14-39) threatened for persistent rebellion against God's laws, including idol worship, rejecting His statutes, and breaking His covenant. This specific curse emphasizes the land itself experiencing judgment, moving beyond personal suffering to the very physical realm, profoundly affecting their tenure and relationship with the land granted by God. It sets the stage for future historical events like the Assyrian and Babylonian exiles, where the land indeed became desolate, notably to repay the unobserved Sabbath years (Lev 26:34-35).
Leviticus 26 32 Word Analysis
- And I will bring (וְהַשִּׁמּוֹתִ֞י - v'hoshimoti): This form of the verb indicates active, purposeful intent. The subject, "I," explicitly refers to the LORD, emphasizing divine agency in orchestrating this judgment. It's not a mere passive decline but a direct act of God. The Hebrew root is shamam (שָׁמֵם), meaning "to be desolate, appalled, astonished, laid waste." The hiphil conjugation ("I will cause to be desolate") highlights God as the active force.
- the land (אֶת־הָאָ֖רֶץ - et-ha'aretz): Refers specifically to the land of Canaan, the Promised Land. This land was central to their covenant identity and God's promises, making its desolation a profound theological and physical loss. It was intended as a place of holiness, and its desecration by human sin results in this divine reversal.
- into desolation (וְשָֽׁמְמָה - v'shamemah): From the root shamam (שָׁמֵם), which conveys utter barrenness, emptiness, and ruin. It implies a state beyond mere abandonment; it suggests a shocking, visible ruination. The word is cognate with "astonished," creating a stark wordplay that emphasizes the pervasive impact of this judgment. The once-fertile land would become a spectacle of decay.
- and your enemies (וְשָֽׁמְמָה עָלֶיהָ֘ אֹֽיְבֵיכֶם - v'shamemu 'aleyha 'oyveikhem): The enemies here are the foreign nations who would conquer and occupy the desolate land. Their presence underlines the shame and subjugation of Israel.
- which dwell therein (הַיֹּשְׁבִ֖ים בָּהּ - ha'yoshvim bah): Indicates that the enemies would not merely pass through but settle in the desolated land. This makes their astonishment even more significant – they are the new beneficiaries, yet even they are overwhelmed by the level of ruin.
- shall be astonished at it (וְשָֽׁמְמָה עָלֶיהָ - v'shamemah 'aleyha): This is a deliberate wordplay, using the same root shamam (שָׁמֵם) for both the land's desolation and the enemies' reaction. It conveys a deep sense of dread, shock, horror, or appalled silence. Even the enemies, who might gloat over Israel's downfall, are struck with overwhelming awe at the sheer extent of God's judgment manifested in the land's ruined state. This powerfully demonstrates the unique and incomparable power of God and serves as a profound warning to all observers.
- "bring the land into desolation" and "shall be astonished at it": The emphatic use of the same Hebrew root shamam (desolation / astonished) powerfully links God's active judgment in making the land desolate with the profound shock and dread felt by those who witness it. The land becomes desolate, and those observing are appalled by it, underscoring the extraordinary nature of divine retribution.
Leviticus 26 32 Bonus Section
The concept of the land resting or enjoying its sabbaths when desolate (Lev 26:34-35, 43) connects directly to the judgment of desolation. This indicates that Israel's failure to observe the land sabbaths and Jubilee years accumulated a debt of missed rests. God, in His justice, would ensure the land received its due rest through the period of its desolation and the exile of its inhabitants. This demonstrates a deep ecological and theological principle within God's law: human actions have consequences not only for people but also for the created order, and God maintains His sovereign authority over both. The astonishment of the enemies also serves a polemical purpose against pagan notions, where other nations might attribute such outcomes to their gods overcoming Israel's God. Instead, the very severity and extent of the desolation demonstrate that it is the one true God of Israel, Yahweh, who brings about this judgment, surpassing anything imagined by their idolatrous neighbors. The desolation reveals the transcendent holiness and power of God, vindicating His covenant and His warnings.
Leviticus 26 32 Commentary
Leviticus 26:32 functions as a stern prophetic warning within the covenant curses, illustrating the severity of God's response to chronic disobedience. It delineates a profound consequence where not only the people suffer exile, but the very land, a physical testament to God's promise and presence, becomes a desolate monument to divine judgment. This desolation is divinely imposed, a deliberate act of God stemming from the Israelites' rejection of His laws and their covenant relationship. The striking aspect is the reaction of their enemies: even these adversaries, who might anticipate satisfaction from Israel's downfall, are overwhelmed with awe and horror by the scale of the desolation. This astonishment serves a dual purpose: it highlights the incomparable power of Yahweh, showing that the land's state is not a natural decline but an extraordinary act of divine wrath, and it implicitly warns them, and all future observers, against despising the God of Israel. It foretold periods like the Babylonian exile, where the land literally lay waste for seventy years, providing the 'rest' for its unobserved sabbaths, demonstrating God's meticulous fulfillment of His covenant terms, both blessings and curses.