1NO haréis para vosotros ído- los, ni escultura, ni os levantaréis título, ni pondréis en vuestra tierra piedra pintada para inclinaros a ella: porque yo Jehová soy vuestro Dios. 2Guardád mis sábados, y tenéd en reverencia mi santuario: Yo Jehová. 3Si anduviereis en mis decretos, y guardareis mis mandamientos, y los hiciereis, 4Yo daré vuestra lluvia en su tiempo, y la tierra dará su fruto, y el árbol del campo dará su fruto: 5Y la trilla os alcanzará a la vendimia, y la vendimia alcanzará a la sementera, y comeréis vuestro pan a hartura, y habitaréis seguros en vuestra tierra. 6Y yo daré paz en la tierra; y dormiréis, y no habrá quien os espante: y haré quitar las malas bestias de vuestra tierra: y por vuestra tierra no pasará espada. 7Y perseguiréis a vuestros enemigos, y delante de vosotros caerán a cuchillo. 8Y cinco de vosotros perseguirán a ciento, y ciento de vosotros perseguirán a diez mil, y vuestros enemigos caerán a cuchillo delante de vosotros. 9Porque yo me volveré a vosotros, y haceros he crecer, y multiplicaros he, y afirmaré mi concierto con vosotros. 10Y comeréis añejo envejecido, y sacaréis fuera lo añejo a causa de lo nuevo. 11Y pondré mi morada en medio de vosotros, y mi alma no os abominará. 12Y andaré entre vosotros, y yo seré vuestro Dios, y vosotros seréis mi pueblo. 13Yo Jehová, vuestro Dios, que os saqué de la tierra de Egipto, que no fueseis sus siervos: y rompí los látigos de vuestro yugo, y os he hecho andar el rostro alto. 14Empero si no me oyereis, ni hiciereis todos estos mis mandamientos, 15Y si abominareis mis decretos, y vuestra alma menospreciare mis derechos no haciendo todos mis mandamientos, e invalidando mi concierto; 16Yo también haré con vosotros esto: Enviaré sobre vosotros terror, hética, y calentura, que consuman los ojos, y atormenten el alma: y sembraréis en balde vuestra simiente, porque vuestros enemigos lo comerán. 17Y pondré mi ira sobre vosotros, y seréis heridos delante de vuestros enemigos; y los que os aborrecen se enseñorearán de vosotros, y huiréis sin que haya quien os persiga. 18Y si aun con estas cosas no me oyereis, yo tornaré a castigaros siete veces por vuestros pecados. 19Y quebrantaré la soberbia de vuestra fortaleza, y tornaré vuestro cielo como hierro, y vuestra tierra como metal. 20Y vuestra fuerza se consumirá en vano, que vuestra tierra no dará su fruto, y los árboles de la tierra no darán su fruto. 21Y si anduviereis conmigo al encuentro y no me quisiereis oir, yo añadiré sobre vosotros plagas siete veces según vuestros pecados. 22Y enviaré contra vosotros bestias fieras, que os deshijen, y talen vuestros animales, y os apoquen, y vuestros caminos sean desiertos. 23Y si con estas cosas no me fuereis castigados, mas aun anduviereis conmigo al encuentro, 24Yo también andaré con vosotros al encuentro y heriros he también siete veces al encuentro por vuestros pecados. 25Y meteré sobre vosotros espada vengadora de la venganza del concierto, y juntaros heis a vuestras ciudades, y yo enviaré pestilencia entre vosotros, y seréis entregados en mano del enemigo. 26Cuando yo os quebrantaré el bordón del pan, cocerán diez mujeres vuestro pan en un horno, y volverán vuestro pan por peso: y comeréis, y no os hartaréis. 27Y si con esto no me oyereis, mas todavía anduviereis conmigo al encuentro, 28Yo andaré con vosotros a ira de al encuentro, y castigaros he también yo siete veces por vuestros pecados. 29Y comeréis las carnes de vuestros hijos, y las carnes de vuestras hijas comeréis. 30Y destruiré vuestros altos, y talaré vuestras imágines, y pondré vuestros cuerpos muertos sobre los cuerpos muertos de vuestros ídolos, y mi alma os abominará. 31Y pondré vuestras ciudades en desierto, y asolaré vuestros santuarios, y no oleré el olor de vuestra holganza. 32Y yo asolaré la tierra, que se espanten de ella vuestros enemigos, que moran en ella. 33Y a vosotros esparciré por las gentes, y desenvainaré espada en pos de vosotros: y vuestra tierra estará asolada, y vuestras ciudades serán desierto. 34Entónces la tierra holgará sus sábados todos los dias que estuviere asolada, y vosotros en la tierra de vuestros enemigos: entónces la tierra sabatizará, y holgará sus sábados. 35Todo el tiempo que estará asolada, holgará lo que no holgó en vuestros sábados mientras habitabais en ella. 36Y los que quedaren de vosotros, yo meteré cobardía en sus corazones en la tierra de sus enemigos, que el sonido de una hoja movida los perseguirá, y huirán como de una espada, y caerán sin haber quien los persiga. 37Y tropezarán los unos en los otros como delante de una espada sin haber quien los persiga, y no podréis resistir delante de vuestros enemigos. 38Y pereceréis entre las gentes, y la tierra de vuestros enemigos os consumirá. 39Y los que quedaren de vosotros se desleirán en las tierras de vuestros enemigos por su iniquidad, y por la iniquidad de sus padres, con ellos serán desleidos. 40Y confesarán su iniquidad, y la iniquidad de sus padres, por su prevaricación con que prevaricaron contra mí: y también porque anduvieron conmigo al encuentro. 41También yo habré andado con ellos al encuentro, y los habré metido en la tierra de sus enemigos: y entónces se humillará su corazón incircunciso, y rogarán por su pecado. 42Y yo me acordaré de mi concierto con Jacob, y asimismo de mi concierto con Isaac, y también de mi concierto con Abraham me acordaré, y habré memoria de la tierra. 43Que la tierra estará desamparada de ellos, y holgará sus sábados estando yerma a causa de ellos: y ellos rogarán por su pecado: por cuanto menospreciaron mis derechos, y el alma de ellos tuvo fastidio de mis decretos. 44Y aun con todo esto estando ellos en tierra de sus enemigos, yo no los deseché, ni los abominé para consumirlos invalidando mi concierto con ellos: porque yo Jehová soy su Dios. 45Ántes me acordaré de ellos por el concierto antiguo, cuando los saqué de la tierra de Egipto en ojos de las gentes para ser su Dios: Yo Jehová. 46Estos son los decretos, derechos, y leyes que dió Jehová entre sí y los hijos de Israel en el monte de Sinaí por mano de Moisés.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 OF IDOLATRY. (
Lev 26:1-
Lev 26:2)
Ye shall make you no idols--Idolatry had been previously forbidden (
Exod 20:4-
Exod 20:5), but the law was repeated here with reference to some particular forms of it that were very prevalent among the neighboring nations.
a standing image--that is, "upright pillar."
image of stone--that is, an obelisk, inscribed with hieroglyphical and superstitious characters; the former denoting the common and smaller pillars of the Syrians or Canaanites; the latter, pointing to the large and elaborate obelisks which the Egyptians worshipped as guardian divinities, or used as stones of adoration to stimulate religious worship. The Israelites were enjoined to beware of them.
2 Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary--Very frequently, in this Book of the Law, the Sabbath and the sanctuary are mentioned as antidotes to idolatry.
3 A BLESSING TO THE OBEDIENT. (
Lev 26:3-
Lev 26:13)
If ye walk in my statutes--In that covenant into which God graciously entered with the people of Israel, He promised to bestow upon them a variety of blessings, so long as they continued obedient to Him as their Almighty Ruler; and in their subsequent history that people found every promise amply fulfilled, in the enjoyment of plenty, peace, a populous country, and victory over all enemies.
4 I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase--Rain seldom fell in Judea except at two seasons--the former rain at the end of autumn, the seedtime; and the latter rain in spring, before the beginning of harvest (
Jer 5:24).
5 your threshing shall reach unto the vintage, and the vintage shall reach unto the sowing time, &c.--The barley harvest in Judea was about the middle of April; the wheat harvest about six weeks after, or in the beginning of June. After the harvest came the vintage, and fruit gathering towards the latter end of July. Moses led the Hebrews to believe that, provided they were faithful to God, there would be no idle time between the harvest and vintage, so great would be the increase. (See
Amos 9:13). This promise would be very animating to a people who had come from a country where, for three months, they were pent up without being able to walk abroad because the fields were under water.
10 ye shall eat old store--Their stock of old corn would be still unexhausted and large when the next harvest brought a new supply.
13 I have broken the bands of your yoke, and made you go upright--a metaphorical expression to denote their emancipation from Egyptian slavery.
14 A CURSE TO THE DISOBEDIENT. (Lev. 26:14-39)
But if ye will not hearken unto me, &c.--In proportion to the great and manifold privileges bestowed upon the Israelites would be the extent of their national criminality and the severity of their national punishments if they disobeyed.
16 I will even appoint over you terror--the falling sickness [PATRICK].
consumption, and the burning ague--Some consider these as symptoms of the same disease--consumption followed by the shivering, burning, and sweating fits that are the usual concomitants of that malady. According to the Septuagint, "ague" is "the jaundice," which disorders the eyes and produces great depression of spirits. Others, however, consider the word as referring to a scorching wind; no certain explanation can be given.
18 if ye will not yet for all this hearken unto me, then I will punish you seven times more--that is, with far more severe and protracted calamities.
19 I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass--No figures could have been employed to convey a better idea of severe and long-continued famine.
22 I will also send wild beasts among you--This was one of the four judgments threatened (
Ezek 14:21; see also
2Kgs 2:4).
your highways shall be desolate--Trade and commerce will be destroyed--freedom and safety will be gone--neither stranger nor native will be found on the roads (
Isa 33:8). This is an exact picture of the present state of the Holy Land, which has long lain in a state of desolation, brought on by the sins of the ancient Jews.
26 ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, &c.--The bread used in families is usually baked by women, and at home. But sometimes also, in times of scarcity, it is baked in public ovens for want of fuel; and the scarcity predicted here would be so great, that one oven would be sufficient to bake as much as ten women used in ordinary occasions to provide for family use; and even this scanty portion of bread would be distributed by weight (
Ezek 4:16).
29 ye shall eat the flesh of your sons--The revolting picture was actually exhibited at the siege of Samaria, at the siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar (
Lam 4:10), and at the destruction of that city by the Romans. (See on
Deut 28:53).
30 I will destroy your high places--Consecrated enclosures on the tops of mountains, or on little hillocks, raised for practising the rites of idolatry.
cut down your images--According to some, those images were made in the form of chariots (
2Kgs 23:11); according to others, they were of a conical form, like small pyramids. Reared in honor of the sun, they were usually placed on a very high situation, to enable the worshippers to have a better view of the rising sun. They were forbidden to the Israelites, and when set up, ordered to be destroyed.
cast your carcases upon the carcases of your idols, &c.--Like the statues of idols, which, when broken, lie neglected and contemned, the Jews during the sieges and subsequent captivity often wanted the rites of sepulture.
31 I will make your cities waste--This destruction of its numerous and flourishing cities, which was brought upon Judea through the sins of Israel, took place by the forced removal of the people during, and long after, the captivity. But it is realized to a far greater extent now.
bring your sanctuaries unto desolation, and I will not smell the savour of your sweet odours--the tabernacle and temple, as is evident from the tenor of the subsequent clause, in which God announces that He will not accept or regard their sacrifices.
33 I will scatter you among the heathen, &c.--as was done when the elite of the nation were removed into Assyria and placed in various parts of the kingdom.
34 Then shall the land enjoy her sabbaths, as long as it lieth desolate, &c.--A long arrear of sabbatic years had accumulated through the avarice and apostasy of the Israelites, who had deprived their land of its appointed season of rest. The number of those sabbatic years seems to have been seventy, as determined by the duration of the captivity. This early prediction is very remarkable, considering that the usual policy of the Assyrian conquerors was to send colonies to cultivate and inhabit their newly acquired provinces.
38 the land of your enemies shall eat you up, &c.--On the removal of the ten tribes into captivity, they never returned, and all traces of them were lost.
40 If they shall confess their iniquity, &c.--This passage holds out the gracious promise of divine forgiveness and favor on their repentance, and their happy restoration to their land, in memory of the covenant made with their fathers (Rom. 2:1-29).
46 These are the statutes and judgments and laws--It has been thought by some that the last chapter was originally placed after the twenty-fifth [ADAM CLARKE], while others consider that the next chapter was added as an appendix, in consequence of many people being influenced by the promises and threats of the preceding one, to resolve that they would dedicate themselves and their possessions to the service of God [CALMET].