Leviticus 26:31 (KJV)

Passage

And I will make your cities waste, and bring your sanctuaries unto desolation, and I will not smell the savour of 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 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.

Leviticus 26:31 And I will make your cities waste, and bring your sanctuaries unto desolation, and I will not smell the savour of your sweet odours.

Leviticus 26:32 And I will bring the land into desolation: and your enemies which dwell therein shall be astonished at it.

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

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "make", "cities", "waste", "bring", "sanctuaries", "desolation", "smell", and "savour". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "make" 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 destroy your high places..." into verse 32's "And I will bring the land into...", so "make" 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 "make" and "cities" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.