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.

LEVITICUS 26:43KJV
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Leviticus 26:43 (KJV)

What does Leviticus 26:43 mean?

Leviticus 26:43 says that after the Israelites are removed from their land because of their wrongdoing, the land itself will finally have rest and enjoy the sabbath years it missed while they lived there. The people will come to accept the consequences of their actions, recognizing that their suffering came because they rejected God’s commands and deeply disliked His laws.

In this verse, God is speaking to the Israelites through Moses, warning them about what will happen if they ignore God’s instructions. The context is a list of blessings for obedience and warnings of hardship for disobedience. Here, the focus is on the land getting its rest while the people are gone, and the people coming to terms with their guilt because they treated God’s rules with contempt.

The Hebrew behind Leviticus 26:43

  • "enjoy" — רָצָה (ratsah): This word can mean "to be pleased with" or "to enjoy." Here, it describes the land finally receiving the sabbath rests it was denied, almost as if the land itself benefits from the absence of the people.
  • "sabbaths" — שַׁבָּת (shabbat): This refers to the special rest years the land was supposed to have every seventh year. The verse highlights that these sabbath years were ignored, and now the land will get them while lying unused.
  • "despised" — מָאַס (ma'as): This word means "to reject" or "to treat as worthless." It shows the strong attitude the people had toward God’s judgments—they didn’t just forget them, they actively rejected them.
  • "abhorred" — גָּעַל (ga'al): This means "to loathe" or "to feel disgust." The verse uses it to show how deeply the people disliked God’s statutes, not just in action but in their hearts.

Why Leviticus 26:43 matters

  • Leviticus 26:43 clarifies that the land itself is important in God’s covenant with Israel, not just the people; the land’s rest is a consequence of the people’s actions.
  • The verse emphasizes that the punishment is not random but directly tied to the people’s attitude toward God’s commands—they despised and abhorred them.
  • This verse connects to the broader theme of Leviticus 26, where both blessings and curses are presented as natural results of the people’s relationship with God and His laws.

Where else these words appear

“abhorred” Hebrew H1602 · used in 9 verses

  • Leviticus 26:11 And I will set my tabernacle among you: and my soul shall not abhor you.
  • Leviticus 26:30 And I will destroy your high places, and cut down your images, and cast your carcases upon the carcases of your idols, and my soul shall abhor you.
  • Job 21:10 Their bull gendereth, and faileth not; their cow calveth, and casteth not her calf.

“because” Hebrew H3282 · used in 16 verses

  • Genesis 22:16 And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:
  • 1 Kings 21:29 Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me? because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days: but in his son's days will I bring the evil upon his house.
  • Ezekiel 12:12 And the prince that is among them shall bear upon his shoulder in the twilight, and shall go forth: they shall dig through the wall to carry out thereby: he shall cover his face, that he see not the ground with his eyes.

“enjoy” Hebrew H7521 · used in 55 verses

  • Genesis 33:10 And Jacob said, Nay, I pray thee, if now I have found grace in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand: for therefore I have seen thy face, as though I had seen the face of God, and thou wast pleased with me.
  • Esther 10:3 For Mordecai the Jew was next unto king Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews, and accepted of the multitude of his brethren, seeking the wealth of his people, and speaking peace to all his seed.
  • Proverbs 3:12 For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.

“despised” Hebrew H3988 · used in 69 verses

  • Leviticus 26:15 And if ye shall despise my statutes, or if your soul abhor my judgments, so that ye will not do all my commandments, but that ye break my covenant:
  • Job 31:13 If I did despise the cause of my manservant or of my maidservant, when they contended with me;
  • Isaiah 41:9 Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art my servant; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away.