And if in spite of this you will not listen to me, then I will discipline you again sevenfold for your sins,
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Leviticus 26:18
What does Leviticus 26:18 mean?
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Leviticus 26:18
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The phrase "seven times more" isn't just about increasing the punishment; it signifies God's intent to bring a complete and thorough discipline, reflecting the thoroughness of the covenant itself. This escalating judgment emphasizes that God's corrections are not arbitrary but a precise and comprehensive response to persistent sin, aimed at complete restoration.
And if in spite of this you will not listen to me, then I will discipline you again sevenfold for your sins,
English Standard Version (ESV)
God is laying out the consequences for disobedience, a stark contrast to the blessings promised for faithfulness. After outlining initial plagues like terror and disease and defeat by enemies, this verse introduces a further escalation of discipline if the people remain unrepentant. The text continues by detailing the resulting earthly hardships, such as a barren sky and unfruitful land, pushing the consequences to a more severe and prolonged level.
What does it mean for God to punish 'seven times more'? It's not just about adding up punishments; it's about the escalating intensity and thoroughness of His correction.
In Leviticus 26, God lays out a clear path of consequences for disobedience. The phrase 'seven times more' isn't a strict mathematical count, but a biblical idiom signifying completeness, intensity, and a thorough, unceasing level of discipline.
What happens when God's discipline intensifies? The very fabric of their existence—the heavens and the earth—is turned against them.
The 'sevenfold' discipline described in Leviticus 26 isn't abstract; it has tangible, devastating effects on the people's lives and their land. When obedience fails, the blessings of the covenant turn into curses.
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Understand the original words
yasar · Hebrew Verb
God's corrective action intended to produce repentance. In Scripture, discipline is an expression of God's holiness and His faithfulness to His covenant, aimed at bringing His people back to obedience.
chattath · Hebrew Noun
Missing the mark or violating the law of God. It is a rebellion against God’s character and commands, requiring atonement or, if persisted in, resulting in divine judgment.
This passage describes the severe consequences of not serving the Lord with joy and gladness, including being served by enemies and experiencing hunger and distress, echoing the escalating punishments in Leviticus 26 when obedience fails.
Psalm 119:164The psalmist declares 'Seven times a day I praise you, because of your righteous rules,' contrasting with God's 'seven times' punishment here, highlighting the intense devotion God desires and the severe consequences for its absence.
Proverbs 24:16This proverb states, 'For the righteous falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble into calamity.' It uses the number seven to signify completeness, showing that even repeated falls are not the end for the righteous, unlike the unending calamity threatened for the unrighteous in Leviticus.
Jeremiah 16:18This verse speaks of God repaying iniquity and sin twofold, showing a pattern of escalating divine justice against persistent sin that parallels the multiplying punishments in Leviticus.
Luke 17:4Jesus tells Peter, 'And if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, “I repent,” you must forgive him.' This shows the number seven representing a complete cycle, which in Leviticus signifies a complete and intensified measure of judgment when repentance is absent.
calvinLeviticus 26:14-45: "But if ye will not hearken unto me, and will not do all these commandments;"
I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain; for your enemies shall eat it.
Etiam ego faciam hoc vobis: constituam super vos terrorem, tabem, et febrem, consumentia oculos, et dolore afficientia animam, seretisque frustra semen vestrum: nam co…
pulpitLeviticus 26:18: "And if ye will not yet for all this hearken unto me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins."
Verses 18-20. - Punishment in its second degree. I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass; the result of no rain in a land scorched by the fiery Eastern sun. Your land shall not yield her increase, neither shall the tress of the land yield their fruits. Cf. 1 Kings 8:35; Haggai 1:10, 11.
The phrase "seven times more" isn't just about increasing the punishment; it signifies God's intent to bring a complete and thorough discipline, reflecting the thoroughness of the covenant itself. This escalating judgment emphasizes that God's corrections are not arbitrary but a precise and comprehensive response to persistent sin, aimed at complete restoration.
God is laying out the consequences for disobedience, a stark contrast to the blessings promised for faithfulness. After outlining initial plagues like terror and disease and defeat by enemies, this verse introduces a further escalation of discipline if the people remain unrepentant. The text continues by detailing the resulting earthly hardships, such as a barren sky and unfruitful land, pushing the consequences to a more severe and prolonged level.
God is laying out the consequences for disobedience, a stark contrast to the blessings promised for faithfulness. After outlining initial plagues like terror and disease and defeat by enemies, this verse introduces a further escalation of discipline if the people remain unrepentant. The text continues by detailing the resulting earthly hardships, such as a barren sky and unfruitful land, pushing the consequences to a more severe and prolonged level.
"And if in spite of this you will not listen to me, then I will discipline you again sevenfold for your sins," — The phrase "seven times more" isn't just about increasing the punishment; it signifies God's intent to bring a complete and thorough discipline, reflecting the thoroughness of the covenant itself.…
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Last reviewed October 2026