Leviticus 26:35 (KJV)

Passage

As long as it lieth desolate it shall rest; because it did not rest in your sabbaths, when ye dwelt upon it.

Nearby Context

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.

Leviticus 26:34 Then shall the land enjoy her sabbaths, as long as it lieth desolate, and ye be in your enemies’ land; even then shall the land rest, and enjoy her sabbaths.

Leviticus 26:35 As long as it lieth desolate it shall rest; because it did not rest in your sabbaths, when ye dwelt upon it.

Leviticus 26:36 And upon them that are left alive of you I will send a faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies; and the sound of a shaken leaf shall chase them; and they shall flee, as fleeing from a sword; and they shall fall when none pursueth.

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

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "long", "lieth", "desolate", "shall", "rest", "sabbaths", and "dwelt". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "long" and "lieth", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 34's "Then shall the land enjoy her sabbaths..." into verse 36's "And upon them that are left alive...", so "long" and "lieth" 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 "long" and "lieth" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.