Leviticus 26:37 (ASV)

Passage

And they shall stumble one upon another, as it were before the sword, when none pursueth: and ye shall have no power to stand before your enemies.

Nearby Context

Leviticus 26:35 As long as it lieth desolate it shall have rest, even the rest which it had not in your sabbaths, when ye dwelt upon it.

Leviticus 26:36 And as for them that are left of you, I will send a faintness into their heart in the lands of their enemies: and the sound of a driven leaf shall chase them; and they shall flee, as one fleeth from the sword; and they shall fall when none pursueth.

Leviticus 26:37 And they shall stumble one upon another, as it were before the sword, when none pursueth: and ye shall have no power to stand before your enemies.

Leviticus 26:38 And ye shall perish among the nations, and the land of your enemies shall eat you up.

Leviticus 26:39 And they that are left of you shall pine away in their iniquity in your enemies` lands; and also in the iniquities of their fathers shall they pine away with them.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "shall", "stumble", "upon", "another", "before", "sword", "none", and "pursueth". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "shall" and "stumble", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 36's "And as for them that are left..." into verse 38's "And ye shall perish among the nations...", so "shall" and "stumble" belong inside that flow. In Leviticus context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "shall" and "stumble" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.