Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Leviticus 26:25

And I will bring a sword upon you, that shall avenge the quarrel of [my] covenant: and when ye are gathered together within your cities, I will send the pestilence among you; and ye shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy.

25. execute the vengeance of the covenant ] exact retribution from you for disregarding My covenant with you.

ye shall be gathered together within your cities ] for shelter. Cp. Jer 4:5; Jer 35:11.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

The quarrel of my covenant, i.e. my quarrel with you for your breach of your faith and covenant made with me.

Into the hand of the enemy; because those few that shall be left of the pestilence will be unable to defend you in your cities or strong holds.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

And I will bring a sword upon you,…. War upon them by the sword of their enemies; they that use and kill with the sword, as the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan; their neighbours that delighted in war, and bore an implacable, hatred unto them, and gladly embraced every opportunity of shedding their blood, and ravaging their country:

that shall avenge the quarrel of [my] covenant; the covenant made with them at Sinai, which they transgressed, and for which vengeance would be taken on them in this way, God so ordering it in his providence, though the enemy meant it not, Isa 10:5;

and when ye are gathered together within your cities; from the fields and villages, fleeing from the enemy invading and destroying, to their fortified towns and cities for safety:

I will send the pestilence among you; which shall destroy those that escaped the sword, and thought themselves safe in a strong city, and even the very soldiers in the garrisons, who were set for the defence of the city:

and ye shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy; so many being taken off by the pestilence, there would not be a sufficient number to defend the place, and therefore obliged to give it up, by which means those that escaped the pestilence would fall into the hands of the enemy.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

He would bring over them “the sword avenging (i.e., executing) the covenant vengeance.” The “ covenant vengeance ” was punishment inflicted for a breach of the covenant, the severity of which corresponded to the greatness of the covenant blessings forfeited by a faithless apostasy. If they retreated to their towns (fortified places) from the sword of the enemy, the Lord would send a plague over them there, and give those who were spared by the plague into the power of the foe. He would also “break in pieces the staff of bread,” and compel them by the force of famine to submit to the foe. The means of sustenance should become so scarce, that ten women could bake their bread in a single oven, whereas in ordinary times every woman would require an oven for herself; and they would have to eat the bread which they brought home by weight, i.e., not as much as every one pleased, but in rations weighed out so scantily, that those who ate would not be satisfied, and would only be able to sustain their life in the most miserable way. Calamities such as these burst upon Israel and Judah more than once when their fortified towns were besieged, particularly in the later times of the kings, e.g., upon Samaria in the reign of Joram (2Ki 6:25.), and upon Jerusalem through the invasions of the Chaldeans (cf. Isa 3:1; Jer 14:18; Eze 4:16; Eze 5:12).

Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament

25. And I will bring a sword upon you. There is no doubt but that He means the hostile swords of all the nations, whereby the Israelites were sorely afflicted; and teaches that whosoever should bring trouble and perplexity upon them were the just executioners of His vengeance; just as He constantly declares by the prophets that He was the Leader of the people’s enemies, and that the Assyrians and Chaldeans both fought under Him. He calls the Assyrian His axe, and the rod of His anger which He wields in His hand, (Isa 10:15, and 5;) and Nebuchadnezzar His hired soldier. He says that He will call the Egyptians with a hiss, and will arouse the Chaldeans by the sound of his trumpet. (Isa 7:20, and elsewhere.) But since this point is sufficiently well known, there will be no occasion of further proofs. The sum is, that all wars are stirred by His command, and that the soldiers are armed at His will, and are strong in His strength. Hence it follows that He has innumerable forces by whose hand He may execute His vengeance whensoever He pleases. Afterwards, therefore, when the Israelites were harassed, and even cruelly oppressed by their enemies, God’s truth was manifested in all those continual defeats; whilst, from His great severity, we may gather how gross was the perversity of their conduct.

Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary

(25) That shall avenge the quarrel of my covenant.Better, that shall avenge my covenant, that is, the sword, which shall avenge the breach of the Divine covenant; a war, which will devastate them because of their rebellion against the covenant God. Hence the Chaldee Versions render it, that shall avenge on you the vengeance for that ye have transgressed against the words of the law.

And when ye are gathered together within your cities.When, completely defeated in the battlefield, the Israelites escape from the avenging sword into their fortified cities, they will then become a prey to pestilence, so that the surviving remnant will prefer to deliver themselves over into the hands of the relentless enemy. (Comp. Jer. 21:6-9; Eze. 5:12; Eze. 7:15.)

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

25. Avenge the quarrel of my covenant Literally, avenging the covenant of vengeance. The R.V., “Execute the vengeance of the covenant.” This was a punishment inflicted for breaking the covenant, and it was graduated, in severity, to the richness of covenant blessings forfeited by apostasy. “It may be reverently said that God does not deal carelessly with his own covenants. He does not throw them away, and take no further heed of their operation. In the sense of looking after his word and observing its issues he may be described in Old Testament language as a ‘jealous God.’” Joseph Parker. The Abrahamic covenant is here personified as a friend of God claiming vindication against the neglect and abuse of godless men. Sin changes the covenant of grace into the covenant of vengeance, and the love of the Saviour into “the wrath of the Lamb.” Rev 6:16.

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

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“And I will bring a sword upon you, that shall avenge the quarrel of my covenant.” Lev 26:25

It may be reverently said that God does not deal carelessly with his own covenants. He does not throw them away, and take no further heed of their operation. In the sense of looking after his word and observing its issues he may be described in Old Testament language as a “jealous” God. This great principle operates in nature as well as in grace. We see it in agriculture as certainly as we see it in what may be termed spiritual human conduct. We are not only punished because we do not pray, we are just as much punished because we do not plough. If a man will not sow in the seedtime he shall not reap in the harvest, and not having anything to reap, or any fruits to garner, he will know the meaning of the mystic words, “I will bring a sword upon you, that shall avenge the quarrel of my covenant.” If a man will not gather water in the time when the river is full he shall surely die of thirst in the season of drought. Who quarrels with this law of nature? Who says this is partial or unjust? We feel that the operation of such a law in nature is one of the guarantees of society. The covenant is here represented as a living thing having a quarrel against those who trifle with its spirit and claim. The covenant does not seem to avenge itself, but a sword from heaven is let down to smite those who have dealt unkindly and unjustly with the angel of God. This is a very solemn but a very grand and ennobling view of life. We know how true it is that the spirit of love cannot be outraged without the whole life suffering evil consequences. We also know that the spirit of honesty cannot be offended without a great fear and shaking passing through the whole constitution and framework of human relations. It is by such aids as these that we raise ourselves into a conception of spiritual realities and issues. Peace can only come by righteousness. “There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.” Discard theology, deny every proposition which theologians have ever asserted, and turn away from all prescribed religious forms, yet still there remains the indisputable fact that evil-doing is followed by tumult and pain, or if not so followed, a state of heart is revealed which is simply past feeling, and under whose judgments and actions human society is no longer safe. Whenever a sword smites us we should inquire how we have been dealing with God’s covenant. Whenever the grave opens at our feet we should put solemn questions to ourselves regarding our treatment of the covenant of life. Whatever helps to deeper religious consideration is a true agent in the education of mankind.

Fuente: The People’s Bible by Joseph Parker

Lev 26:25 And I will bring a sword upon you, that shall avenge the quarrel of [my] covenant: and when ye are gathered together within your cities, I will send the pestilence among you; and ye shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy.

Ver. 25. I will bring a sword. ] God “makes peace and creates evil,” i.e., war. called evil per antonomasiam. Whencesoever the sword comes, it is “bathed in heaven.” Isa 34:5

The quarrel of my covenant. ] For breach whereof Jerusalem is long since laid waste, those seven golden candlesticks are broken in pieces. Bohemia lies still a bleeding, which was the seat of the first open and authorised Reformation. And what may we think will become of us all, who, “like men have transgressed the covenant,” Hos 6:7 or as Junius reads it, not tanquam homines, but tanquam hominis, &c. We have made no more of breaking covenant, than if therein we had had to do with dust and ashes like ourselves, and not with the great God; who is therefore whetting his sword, and furbishing it for slaughter. Quod Deus avertat!

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)