Leviticus 26:16 (WEB)

Passage

I also will do this to you: I will appoint terror over you, even consumption and fever, that shall consume the eyes, and make the soul to pine away. You will sow your seed in vain, for your enemies will eat it.

Nearby Context

Leviticus 26:14 “‘But if you will not listen to me, and will not do all these commandments;

Leviticus 26:15 and if you shall reject my statutes, and if your soul abhors my ordinances, so that you will not do all my commandments, but break my covenant;

Leviticus 26:16 I also will do this to you: I will appoint terror over you, even consumption and fever, that shall consume the eyes, and make the soul to pine away. You will sow your seed in vain, for your enemies will eat it.

Leviticus 26:17 I will set my face against you, and you will be struck before your enemies. Those who hate you will rule over you; and you will flee when no one pursues you.

Leviticus 26:18 “‘If you in spite of these things will not listen to me, then I will chastise you seven times more for your sins.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "appoint", "terror", "over", "even", "consumption", "fever", "shall", and "consume". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "appoint" and "terror", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "and if you shall reject my statutes..." into verse 17's "I will set my face against you...", so "appoint" and "terror" 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 "appoint" and "terror" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.