Leviticus 26:36

36 'And as for those of you who are left, I will send faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies; the sound of a shaken leaf shall cause them to flee; they shall flee as though fleeing from a sword, and they shall fall when no one pursues.

Leviticus 26:36 Meaning and Commentary

Leviticus 26:36

And upon them that are left [alive] of you
In the land of Judea, or rather scattered about among the nations, suggesting that these would be comparatively few: I will send a faintness into their hearts in the lands of their
enemies;
or "a softness" ^F25; so that they should be effeminate, pusillanimous, and cowardly, have nothing of a manly spirit and courage in them; but be mean spirited and faint hearted, as the Jews are noted to be at this day, as Bishop Patrick observes; who also adds,

``it being scarce ever heard, that a Jew listed himself for a soldier, or engaged in the defence of his country where he lives:''

and the sound of a shaken leaf shall chase them;
either the sound of a leaf that falls from the tree, as the Targum of Jonathan, or which the wind beats one against another, as Jarchi, which makes some little noise; even this should terrify them, taking it to be the noise of some enemy near at hand, just ready to fall on them; such poor faint hearted creatures should they be; and they shall flee as fleeing from the sword;
as if there were an army of soldiers with their swords drawn pursuing them: and they shall fall when none pursueth;
fall upon the ground, and into a fit, and drop down as if dead, as if they had been really wounded with a sword and slain, see ( Proverbs 28:1 ) .

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FOOTNOTES:

F25 (Krm) "mollitiem", Montanus, Vatablus, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Drusius.

Leviticus 26:36 In-Context

34 Then the land shall enjoy its sabbaths as long as it lies desolate and you are in your enemies' land; then the land shall rest and enjoy its sabbaths.

35 As long as it lies desolate it shall rest-- for the time it did not rest on your sabbaths when you dwelt in it.

36 'And as for those of you who are left, I will send faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies; the sound of a shaken leaf shall cause them to flee; they shall flee as though fleeing from a sword, and they shall fall when no one pursues.

37 They shall stumble over one another, as it were before a sword, when no one pursues; and you shall have no power to stand before your enemies.

38 You shall perish among the nations, and the land of your enemies shall eat you up.