Leviticus 26:37 (KJV)

Passage

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.

Nearby Context

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.

Leviticus 26:38 And ye shall perish among the heathen, 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", "fall", "upon", "another", "before", "sword", "none", and "pursueth". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "shall" and "fall", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 36's "And upon them that are left alive..." into verse 38's "And ye shall perish among the heathen...", so "shall" and "fall" 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 "fall" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.