Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Leviticus 26:17
And I will set my face against you, and ye shall be slain before your enemies: they that hate you shall reign over you; and ye shall flee when none pursueth you.
17. ye shall flee when none pursueth you ] Cp. Lev 26:36; Pro 28:1; also Psa 53:5.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
And I will set my face against you,…. Exert his power, and stir up his wrath and indignation against them, as enemies of his, to cut them off; see Ps 34:16; which is the reverse of having respect to them, Le 26:9;
and ye shall be slain before your enemies; as they were sometimes by the Philistines and others:
and they that hate you shall reign over you; as did the Chaldeans and Babylonians; see Ps 106:41;
and ye shall flee when none pursueth you; of such pusillanimous spirits should they be, and filled with such dread and terror of their enemies, so contrary from what is promised them on their obedience, Le 26:8.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Yea, the Lord would turn His face against them, so that they would be beaten by their enemies, and be so thoroughly humbled in consequence, that they would flee when no man pursued (cf. Lev 26:36).
But if these punishments did not answer their purpose, and bring Israel back to fidelity to its God, the Lord would punish the disobedient nation still more severely, and chasten the rebellious for their sin, not simply only, but sevenfold. This He would do, so long as Israel persevered in obstinate resistance, and to this end He would multiply His judgments by degrees. This graduated advance of the judgments of God is so depicted in the following passage, that four times in succession new and multiplied punishments are announced: (1) utter barrenness in their land, – that is to say, one heavier punishment (Lev 26:18-20); (2) the extermination of their cattle by beasts of prey, and childlessness, – two punishments (Lev 26:21, Lev 26:22); (3) war, plague, and famine, – three punishments (Lev 26:23-26); (4) the destruction of all idolatrous abominations, the overthrow of their towns and holy places, the devastation of the land, and the dispersion of the people among the heathen-four punishments which would bring the Israelites to the verge of destruction (Lev 26:27-33). In this way would the Lord punish the stiffneckedness of His people. – These divine threats embrace the whole of Israel’s future. But the series of judgments mentioned is not to be understood historically, as a prediction of the temporal succession of the different punishments, but as an ideal account of the judgments of God, unfolding themselves with inward necessity in a manner answering to the progressive development of the sin. As the nation would not resist the Lord continually, but times of disobedience and apostasy would alternate with times of obedience and faithfulness, so the judgments of God would alternate with His blessings; and as the opposition would not increase in uniform progress, sometimes becoming weaker and then at other times gaining greater force again, so the punishments would not multiply continuously, but correspond in every case to the amount of the sin, and only burst in upon the incorrigible race in all the intensity foretold, when ungodliness gained the upper hand.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
(17) And I will set my face against you.That is, make them feel his anger. (See Note on Lev. 17:10.)
Be slain before your enemies.Better, be smitten before your enemies, as this phrase is rendered in the Authorised Version (Num. 14:42; Deu. 1:42; Deu. 28:25).
Shall reign over you.Better, shall rule over you, as the Authorised Version renders it in Isa. 14:2; Eze. 29:15; Eze. 34:4, &c.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
17. I will set my face By direct interposition, in addition to those ministers of his wrath, will Jehovah vindicate his broken covenant and punish his refractory people.
Ye shall flee So great is the contrast in war between those obedient to God and the disobedient, that instead of one chasing a thousand, a thousand godless Hebrews shall flee when not even one enemy pursues.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
If the FATHER’S rod will not do, GOD will try what the enemies’ sword will accomplish. David’s prayer is instructive on this point. 2Sa 24:14 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Lev 26:17 And I will set my face against you, and ye shall be slain before your enemies: they that hate you shall reign over you; and ye shall flee when none pursueth you.
Ver. 17. They that hate you. ] A heavy curse to any people, to have mischievous, malicious princes set over them: odious to God, malignant to the people.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
face. Figure of speech Anthropopatheia. App-6.
reign = rule.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
set: Lev 17:10, Lev 20:5, Lev 20:6, Psa 68:1, Psa 68:2
ye shall be: Deu 28:25, Jdg 2:14, 1Sa 4:10, 1Sa 31:1, Neh 9:27-30, Psa 106:41, Psa 106:42, Jer 19:7, Lam 1:5
shall flee: Lev 26:36, Psa 53:5, Pro 28:1
Reciprocal: Gen 4:14 – that Lev 5:15 – thy estimation Num 14:43 – General Deu 1:42 – for I am not Jos 7:4 – fled Jdg 6:2 – the hand 1Sa 13:7 – the Hebrews 2Sa 24:13 – flee 1Ki 8:33 – smitten down 2Ki 13:3 – and he delivered 2Ki 21:14 – deliver 2Ki 25:4 – fled 1Ch 21:12 – to be destroyed 2Ch 6:24 – put to the worse 2Ch 29:9 – our fathers Neh 9:37 – dominion Psa 34:16 – face Psa 44:10 – Thou Psa 89:42 – General Isa 10:4 – Without me Isa 63:10 – he was Jer 20:6 – thou hast Jer 21:10 – I have Jer 23:30 – General Jer 39:4 – when Jer 44:11 – I will Jer 52:7 – all the men Eze 5:8 – even I Eze 14:8 – I will set Eze 15:7 – I will set 1Pe 3:12 – but
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
26:17 And I will set {g} my face against you, and ye shall be slain before your enemies: they that hate you shall reign over you; and ye shall flee when none pursueth you.
(g) Read Lev 17:10.