Leviticus 26:18 (DBY)

Passage

And if for this ye hearken not unto me, I will punish you sevenfold more for your sins,

Nearby Context

Leviticus 26:16 I also will do this unto you I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and fever, which shall cause the eyes to fail, and the soul to waste away; and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.

Leviticus 26:17 And I will set my face against you, that ye may be routed before your enemies; they that hate you shall have dominion over you; and ye shall flee when none pursueth you.

Leviticus 26:18 And if for this ye hearken not unto me, I will punish you sevenfold more for your sins,

Leviticus 26:19 and I will break the arrogance of your power; and I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as bronze,

Leviticus 26:20 and your strength shall be spent in vain, and your land shall not yield its produce; and the trees of the land shall not yield their fruit.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "hearken", "punish", "sevenfold", and "sins". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "hearken" and "punish", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 17's "And I will set my face against..." into verse 19's "and I will break the arrogance of...", so "hearken" and "punish" 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 "hearken" and "punish" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.