Leviticus 26:31 (DBY)

Passage

And I will lay waste your cities and desolate your sanctuaries; and I will not smell your sweet odours.

Nearby Context

Leviticus 26:29 And ye shall eat the flesh of your sons, and the flesh of your daughters shall ye eat.

Leviticus 26:30 And I will lay waste your high places, and cut down your sun-pillars, and cast your carcases upon the carcases of your idols; and my soul shall abhor you.

Leviticus 26:31 And I will lay waste your cities and desolate your sanctuaries; and I will not smell your sweet odours.

Leviticus 26:32 And I will bring the land into desolation; that your enemies who dwell there in may be astonished at it.

Leviticus 26:33 And I will scatter you among the nations, and will draw out the sword after you; and your land shall be desolation, and your cities waste.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "waste", "cities", "desolate", "sanctuaries", "smell", "sweet", and "odours". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "waste" and "cities", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 30's "And I will lay waste your high..." into verse 32's "And I will bring the land into...", so "waste" and "cities" 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 "waste" and "cities" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.