Leviticus 26:14-35
Summary for Lev 26:14-39: 26:14-39 a The objective of God’s punishment of his people is to change behavior and restore relationship. God responds to his disobedient people as a perfectly righteous and loving parent would to a child. The punishments designed to curb rebellious behavior gradually increase, giving Israel the opportunity to repent at any time (26:18-28 b). Even when Israel was punished with exile from the land in 722 and 586 BC, God was working to restore his people (see, e.g., Isa 40–66 c; Jer 29:10 d; Amos 9:11-15 e).26:18 f seven times over: I.e., many times (see also 26:21 g, 24 h, 28 i; Gen 4:15 j).
Summary for Lev 26:19-20: 26:19-20 k If God withholds rain, the ground will be hard and unproductive.
26:29 l Starvation would so pervade the land that when a child died of hunger, he or she would be eaten, in pagan fashion, by the others in the family (Deut 28:53-57 m; see 2 Kgs 6:24-31 n; Lam 2:20 o; cp. 2 Kgs 3:27 p).
26:30 q The pagan shrines mentioned here were the infamous “high places” built on hilltops (see 2 Kgs 18:4 r). These shrines incorporated elements from pre-Israelite religions into Israel’s worship and challenged the Temple for religious authority.
• places of worship (Hebrew khamman): Perhaps “incense altars.” Some of these altars were used in Baal worship (2 Chr 34:4 s).
26:34 t With the people gone into captivity in a foreign land, there would be no one to work the land. It would at last have the “rest” of lying fallow that the people had denied it (see 25:1-7 u).
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