Leviticus 26:34 kjv
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.
Leviticus 26:34 nkjv
Then the land shall enjoy its sabbaths as long as it lies desolate and you are in your enemies' land; then the land shall rest and enjoy its sabbaths.
Leviticus 26:34 niv
Then the land will enjoy its sabbath years all the time that it lies desolate and you are in the country of your enemies; then the land will rest and enjoy its sabbaths.
Leviticus 26:34 esv
"Then the land shall enjoy its Sabbaths as long as it lies desolate, while you are in your enemies' land; then the land shall rest, and enjoy its Sabbaths.
Leviticus 26:34 nlt
Then at last the land will enjoy its neglected Sabbath years as it lies desolate while you are in exile in the land of your enemies. Then the land will finally rest and enjoy the Sabbaths it missed.
Leviticus 26 34 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Sabbath Years (Shemitta) & Jubilee | ||
| Ex 23:10-11 | "Six years you shall sow your land... but the seventh year you shall let it rest..." | Command for land to lie fallow every 7th year. |
| Lev 25:2-5 | "When you come into the land... then the land shall keep a Sabbath to the LORD." | Detailed law of the Sabbath year. |
| Deut 15:1-2 | "At the end of every seven years you shall grant a release." | Command for debt release in Sabbath year. |
| Covenant Curses & Exile | ||
| Lev 26:14-16 | "But if you will not listen to me... I will appoint over you terror..." | Introduction to curses for disobedience. |
| Lev 26:31-33 | "I will lay your cities waste... I will scatter you among the nations..." | Consequences including desolation and scattering. |
| Lev 26:39 | "And those of you who are left shall rot away in your iniquity in your enemies' land." | Continued suffering in exile. |
| Deut 28:49-50 | "The LORD will bring a nation against you from afar... a nation of fierce countenance." | Prophecy of foreign invasion/exile. |
| Deut 29:22-25 | "All its land burned with brimstone... because they have forsaken the covenant." | Land desolation linked to breaking covenant. |
| Fulfillment in Exile | ||
| 2 Kgs 25:21 | "So Judah was carried away captive out of his own land." | Historical account of Babylonian exile. |
| 2 Chr 36:20-21 | "And those who escaped... served him and his sons until the kingdom of Persia reigned, to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its Sabbaths. All the days that it lay desolate it kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years." | Direct fulfillment, explicitly linking exile duration to unobserved Sabbaths. |
| Jer 25:11 | "This whole land shall be a desolation and an astonishment, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years." | Jeremiah's prophecy of 70-year exile. |
| Jer 29:10 | "When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you..." | God's plan for the end of the exile. |
| Ezr 1:1 | "That the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled..." | Acknowledges fulfillment of Jeremiah's prophecy. |
| Dan 9:2 | "I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years which the word of the LORD had come to Jeremiah the prophet, for the finishing of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years." | Daniel understands the prophecy's timeframe. |
| Lam 1:3 | "Judah has gone into exile because of affliction and hard servitude..." | Lament over the exile. |
| Divine Justice & Sovereignty | ||
| Psa 9:16 | "The LORD is known by the judgment He executes..." | God's nature includes righteous judgment. |
| Isa 5:5-7 | "And now I will tell you what I will do to My vineyard: I will take away its hedge..." | Parable of neglected vineyard and its judgment. |
| Eze 36:18-19 | "Therefore I poured out My wrath on them... and I scattered them among the countries..." | God's judgment and scattering for defiling the land. |
| Heb 12:5-11 | "For whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives." | God's discipline, even severe, is for good. |
| Rest & God's Will | ||
| Gen 2:2-3 | "And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day..." | Principle of rest established at creation. |
| Heb 4:9-10 | "There remains therefore a rest for the people of God... ceased from his own works as God did from His." | The greater spiritual rest available in Christ. |
Leviticus 26 verses
Leviticus 26 34 Meaning
Leviticus 26:34 declares a direct consequence of Israel's disobedience to God's covenant, particularly their failure to observe the Sabbath years for the land. When the Israelites are driven from their land into exile by their enemies, the land itself will then experience the mandated periods of rest that were denied to it by human transgression. This verse underscores God's justice in ensuring that His creation receives its due, even through severe judgment on His people.
Leviticus 26 34 Context
Leviticus 26 serves as the climactic conclusion to the detailed covenant laws given to Israel through Moses. It functions as a prophetic appendix to the legal sections of the book, outlining the blessings promised for obedience and, more extensively, the curses threatened for disobedience. The chapter is structured as a series of increasing judgments, with escalating severity, leading to exile. Specifically, verses 33-35 are part of the dire consequences, directly addressing the ultimate judgment of scattering Israel among the nations and the desolation of the land. Historically, these warnings were given before Israel entered Canaan, preparing them for the gravity of their covenant obligations. The explicit mention of the "sabbaths" for the land points back to the laws given in Leviticus 25, which commanded rest for the land every seventh year (the Shemitta or Sabbath year) and in the Jubilee year. Failure to observe these agrarian Sabbath cycles demonstrated a profound lack of faith in God's provision and sovereignty, implying a distrust that God would sustain them without their continuous toil.
Leviticus 26 34 Word analysis
- Then (אָז - 'āz): Functions as a temporal and consequential connector, indicating that what follows is a direct result or in that moment, when the previous conditions (exile) are met.
- the land (הָאָרֶץ - hā'āreṣ): Refers specifically to the land of Canaan, the inheritance God promised to Israel, which held significant theological importance as the place of God's covenant dwelling with His people.
- will enjoy its sabbaths (תִּרְצֶה אֶת-שַׁבְּתֹתֶיהָ - tirṣeh 'eṯ-šabbatoteihā):
- will enjoy (תִּרְצֶה - tirṣeh): From the verb רָצָה (raṣah), meaning "to be pleased, accept, favor, desire, delight in, enjoy." This is strong anthropomorphic language. It implies the land itself finds satisfaction or acceptance in receiving its due rest, which it was denied. In God's eyes, this forced rest is an acceptable or pleasing outcome, despite the judgment.
- its sabbaths (אֶת-שַׁבְּתֹתֶיהָ - 'eṯ-šabbatoteihā): Plural of שַׁבָּת (šabbāṯ), here referring to the mandated Sabbath years (Shemitta), not the weekly Sabbath. These were agricultural sabbaths when the land was to lie fallow (Lev 25:1-7), symbolizing trust in God's provision.
- as long as it lies desolate (כֹּל יְמֵי הׇשׇּׁמָּה - kol yemei haššammāh):
- desolate (הׇשׇּׁמָּה - haššammāh): From שָׁמֵם (šāmem), meaning to be desolated, devastated, astonished. It describes the state of ruin, emptiness, and abandonment, a direct consequence of God's judgment.
- while you are in the land of your enemies (וְאַתֶּם בְּאֶרֶץ אֹיְבֵיכֶם - wə'attem bə'ereṣ 'oyĕḇêḵem): Directly identifies the concurrent condition of the people – in exile, indicating their removal from the land as a prerequisite for its rest. This points to divine sovereignty in both judgment and ensuring the land's proper rest.
- then the land will rest (אָז תִּשְׁבַּת הָאָרֶץ - 'āz tišbaṯ hā'āreṣ):
- will rest (תִּשְׁבַּת - tišbaṯ): From שָׁבַת (šāḇaṯ), meaning to cease, rest, desist. It directly refers to the cessation of agricultural labor on the land.
- and enjoy its sabbaths (וְהִרְצָת אֶת-שַׁבְּתֹתֶיהָ - wəhirṣāṯ 'eṯ-šabbatoteihā): This phrase repeats the initial idea for emphasis and solemnity. It highlights God's resolve that the land will indeed receive the sabbath rests it was due, even if through human suffering. The repetition strengthens the certainty of divine justice.
Leviticus 26 34 Bonus section
The concept of the land "enjoying" its Sabbaths demonstrates the integrated theology within God's creation. There is a "right" order and rhythm to nature, instituted by God, and human disobedience can disrupt this order. When humans fail in their stewardship and covenant duties, God steps in, sometimes through harsh judgment, to restore the created order. The land, though inanimate, is seen as having a claim before God, whose will ensures it receives what is due. This precise prophecy and its fulfillment (2 Chr 36:20-21) highlight God's sovereignty, long-suffering patience (He endured 490 years of neglected sabbaths), and meticulousness in executing His word. Even in judgment, God is just and consistent with His prior declarations.
Leviticus 26 34 Commentary
Leviticus 26:34 is a profound declaration of divine justice, emphasizing that God's covenant extends to His creation. Israel's failure to keep the Shemitta (Sabbath year) laws, laid out in Leviticus 25, demonstrated a profound lack of faith in God's provision and a rejection of His sovereign claim over the land. They worked the land continuously for personal gain, disregarding God's command for its rest, effectively robbing the land of its designated sabbaths. This verse pronounces the judgment: if they refuse to grant the land its voluntary rest, God will enforce an involuntary rest through their expulsion and the land's desolation. The Babylonian Exile (specifically 70 years) is understood as the direct fulfillment of this prophecy, making up for the roughly 490 years (70 Shemitta years) during which Israel failed to observe these commands. The land "enjoying" its sabbaths is striking anthropomorphism, illustrating God's meticulous care for every aspect of His covenant and creation, even using judgment to ensure the physical land's appointed rhythms are observed. It reminds us that obedience is not merely for human benefit, but honors God's design for the entire created order.