As long as it lieth desolate it shall rest; because it did not rest in your sabbaths, when ye dwelt upon it.

LEVITICUS 26:35KJV
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Leviticus 26:35 (KJV)

What does Leviticus 26:35 mean?

Leviticus 26:35 says that the land of Israel will finally have its rest while it lies empty and abandoned, because the people did not let it rest during the Sabbath years when they lived there. The verse explains that the land’s desolation is a kind of forced Sabbath, making up for the times the people ignored God’s command to let the land rest.

In this verse, God is speaking to the Israelites through Moses, warning them about the consequences of disobeying His laws, especially the command to observe Sabbath years for the land. The context is a list of blessings for obedience and warnings of hardship for disobedience. Here, the focus is on the land itself, showing that God’s instructions about rest were not just for people, but for the land as well.

The Hebrew behind Leviticus 26:35

  • שָׁמֵם (shamem, “desolate”): This word means abandoned or laid waste. Its use here highlights that the land’s emptiness is not just a punishment for the people, but a way for the land to recover from being overworked.
  • שָׁבַת (shavat, “rest”): This verb means to cease or stop, and is the root of the word “Sabbath.” The repetition in the verse emphasizes that the land’s rest is both a missed opportunity and a necessary correction.
  • שַׁבָּתוֹן (shabbat, “Sabbaths”): This noun refers to the special years when the land was supposed to rest. The verse connects the land’s forced rest directly to the people’s failure to observe these Sabbath years.
  • יָשַׁב (yashav, “dwelt”): This verb means to live or settle. The verse points out that the problem happened while the Israelites were living in the land, making clear that their actions brought about this consequence.

Why Leviticus 26:35 matters

  • Leviticus 26:35 clarifies that God’s commands about rest applied not just to people, but to the land itself, showing a broader view of Sabbath than many readers expect.
  • The verse explains why the land’s desolation is not just a punishment, but also a way to restore balance after years of neglecting God’s instructions.
  • This verse connects to the wider passage by showing that the consequences of disobedience are both spiritual and practical, affecting the land, the people, and their relationship with God.

Where else these words appear

“rest” Hebrew H7673 · used in 67 verses

  • Genesis 2:2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
  • Nehemiah 4:11 And our adversaries said, They shall not know, neither see, till we come in the midst among them, and slay them, and cause the work to cease.
  • Jeremiah 48:35 Moreover I will cause to cease in Moab, saith the LORD, him that offereth in the high places, and him that burneth incense to his gods.

“desolate” Hebrew H8074 · used in 87 verses

  • Leviticus 26:22 I will also send wild beasts among you, which shall rob you of your children, and destroy your cattle, and make you few in number; and your high ways shall be desolate.
  • Isaiah 54:3 For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.
  • Ezekiel 28:19 All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.

“sabbaths” Hebrew H7676 · used in 89 verses

  • Exodus 16:23 And he said unto them, This is that which the LORD hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the LORD: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning.
  • Leviticus 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: because, even because they despised my judgments, and because their soul abhorred my statutes.
  • Nehemiah 13:22 And I commanded the Levites that they should cleanse themselves, and that they should come and keep the gates, to sanctify the sabbath day. Remember me, O my God, concerning this also, and spare me according to the greatness of thy mercy.