I will make my dwelling among you, and my soul shall not abhor you.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Leviticus 26:11
What does Leviticus 26:11 mean?
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Leviticus 26:11
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The verse promises God's dwelling place among His people, but the phrase "my soul shall not abhor you" is crucial. It reveals that even with God's presence, there's a potential for Him to find His people detestable. This isn't about God's changeable nature, but about the deep connection between His presence and our purity, where His very being abhors what is contrary to Him.
I will make my dwelling among you, and my soul shall not abhor you.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This passage is part of a covenant promise where God outlines the blessings for obedience. If Israel follows His statutes and commandments, He promises to dwell among them, ensuring His presence, protection, and favor, and assuring them that He will not turn away in disgust. This stands in stark contrast to the curses that will follow disobedience, laying out the ultimate stakes of their relationship with God.
Imagine God, the Creator of the universe, choosing to reside with you. This verse promises that very thing. But what does it mean for God to 'set His tabernacle' among us?
The Sacred Tent
Leviticus 26:11 speaks of God setting His 'tabernacle' or 'dwelling place' among His people. In the Old Testament context, this points directly to the Tabernacle, the portable sanctuary God commanded Israel to build. It was a physical manifestation of God's presence in their midst as they journeyed through the wilderness.
But this promise is more than just a tent. It signifies God's active presence, His intention to be intimately involved in their lives. It's a sign of favor and a commitment to relationship.
Beyond the Tent
This promise reaches forward to the ultimate fulfillment: Jesus Christ. The New Testament calls Jesus 'the Word made flesh,' who 'tabernacled among us' (John 1:14). God's dwelling place ultimately became human nature itself in Jesus. Even today, believers are called the 'temple of the living God' (2 Corinthians 6:16), with God's Spirit dwelling within them.
The verse concludes with a powerful assurance: 'my soul shall not abhor you.' What does this 'abhorrence' mean, and why is its absence so significant?
God's Perfect Love
The phrase 'my soul shall not abhor you' is a direct contrast to what might happen if God were to judge Israel strictly according to the Law. The Hebrew concept here implies a deep disgust or loathing, a complete turning away.
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Why 'Not Abhor'?
God's promise not to abhor them is rooted in several things:
Understand the original words
mishkan · Hebrew Noun
The state of God actively residing or manifesting His presence among His people, symbolizing intimacy, communion, and divine protection.
ga'al · Hebrew Verb
To hate, detest, or loathe with intense repulsion; in Scripture, it often refers to God’s reaction to sin or, as here, the negation of such a reaction toward His obedient people.
This passage directly links God's dwelling among people to the coming of Jesus, showing the ultimate fulfillment of this promise in the Incarnation.
2 Corinthians 6:16The Apostle Paul echoes this promise, inviting believers to separation from sin so that God can dwell among them and be their God, highlighting the spiritual reality of this presence.
Revelation 21:3This vision of the new Jerusalem depicts the ultimate dwelling of God with humanity, where He will be their God and dwell with them, fulfilling the promise in its fullest sense.
Ezekiel 37:27This prophetic word speaks of God's sanctuary being permanently established among His people, promising His dwelling and presence, which resonates with the assurance given in Leviticus.
clarkeLeviticus 26:11: "And I will set my tabernacle among you: and my soul shall not abhor you."
I will set my tabernacle among you - This and the following verse contain the grand promise of the Gospel dispensation, viz. the presence, manifestation, and indwelling of God in human nature, and his constant in dwelling in the souls of his followers. So John 1:14 the Word was made flesh, και εσκηνωσεν εν ἡμιν, and Made His Tabernacle among us. And to this promise of the law St. Paul evidently refers,…
calvinLeviticus 26:3-13: "If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them;"
- If ye walk in my statutes. We have now to deal with two remarkable passages, in which he professedly treats of the rewards which the servants of God may expect, and of the punishments which await the transgressors. I have indeed already observed, that whatever God promises us on the condition of our walking in His commandments would be ineffectual if He should be extreme in examining our works. Hence it ar…
The verse promises God's dwelling place among His people, but the phrase "my soul shall not abhor you" is crucial. It reveals that even with God's presence, there's a potential for Him to find His people detestable. This isn't about God's changeable nature, but about the deep connection between His presence and our purity, where His very being abhors what is contrary to Him.
This passage is part of a covenant promise where God outlines the blessings for obedience. If Israel follows His statutes and commandments, He promises to dwell among them, ensuring His presence, protection, and favor, and assuring them that He will not turn away in disgust. This stands in stark contrast to the curses that will follow disobedience, laying out the ultimate stakes of their relationship with God.
This passage is part of a covenant promise where God outlines the blessings for obedience. If Israel follows His statutes and commandments, He promises to dwell among them, ensuring His presence, protection, and favor, and assuring them that He will not turn away in disgust. This stands in stark contrast to the curses that will follow disobedience, laying out the ultimate stakes of their relationship with God.
"I will make my dwelling among you, and my soul shall not abhor you." — The verse promises God's dwelling place among His people, but the phrase "my soul shall not abhor you" is crucial. It reveals that even with God's presence, there's a potential for Him to find His pe…
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Last reviewed October 2026