When I cut off your supply of bread, ten women will bake your bread in a single oven and dole out your bread by weight, so that you will eat but not be satisfied. When I cut off your supply of breadThis phrase signifies a divine action of judgment. The Hebrew root for "cut off" is "שָׁבַר" (shabar), which can mean to break or destroy. In the context of ancient Israel, bread was a staple of life, symbolizing sustenance and provision. The cutting off of bread supply indicates a severe famine or scarcity, a direct consequence of disobedience to God's covenant. Historically, bread was central to the diet, and its absence would have been a dire situation, emphasizing the seriousness of turning away from God's commands. ten women will bake your bread in a single oven
The image of "ten women" using "a single oven" underscores the scarcity and rationing of resources. In ancient times, bread baking was a communal activity, often involving multiple ovens. The fact that ten women must share one oven highlights the extreme shortage and the breakdown of normal societal functions. This scenario would have been a vivid picture of desperation and communal suffering, serving as a powerful warning to the Israelites about the consequences of forsaking their covenant with God. and dole out your bread by weight
"Dole out" suggests a careful, measured distribution, indicating that bread, once abundant, is now precious and scarce. The Hebrew word "מָשַׁל" (mashal) can mean to weigh or measure. This rationing reflects a time of crisis where every morsel is counted. In biblical times, bread was not typically weighed, as it was plentiful. Thus, this phrase conveys a reversal of fortune, a direct result of the people's disobedience, and serves as a call to repentance and reliance on God for provision. so that you will eat but not be satisfied
This phrase captures the futility and frustration of eating without fulfillment. The Hebrew word "שָׂבַע" (saba) means to be satisfied or full. The lack of satisfaction despite eating symbolizes spiritual emptiness and the inability of material sustenance to fulfill the deeper needs of the soul. This condition serves as a metaphor for the spiritual state of Israel when separated from God. It is a reminder that true satisfaction comes not from physical bread alone but from living in accordance with God's will and receiving His spiritual nourishment. Persons / Places / Events 1. God (Yahweh)The speaker of the warning, emphasizing His sovereignty and the consequences of disobedience. 2. IsraelitesThe recipients of the message, God's chosen people, who are being warned about the consequences of their potential disobedience. 3. BreadA staple food representing sustenance and provision, symbolizing God's provision and the lack thereof as a consequence of disobedience. 4. OvenRepresents scarcity, as ten women using a single oven indicates a severe shortage of resources. 5. CovenantThe broader context of Leviticus 26, which outlines the blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience under the Mosaic Covenant. Teaching Points Consequences of DisobedienceGod's warnings are serious, and disobedience leads to tangible consequences, such as scarcity and dissatisfaction. Dependence on GodTrue satisfaction comes from God alone. Physical provisions are insufficient without spiritual nourishment. Community ImpactDisobedience affects the entire community, as seen in the shared scarcity of resources. Covenant FaithfulnessThe importance of remaining faithful to God's covenant is underscored by the blessings and curses outlined in Leviticus. Spiritual HungerReflect on areas of spiritual hunger in your life and seek fulfillment in Christ, the Bread of Life. Bible Study Questions 1. How does Leviticus 26:26 illustrate the consequences of disobedience to God's commands? 2. In what ways can we see the principle of scarcity and dissatisfaction in our own lives when we stray from God's path? 3. How does the concept of bread in Leviticus 26:26 connect to Jesus' teaching about being the Bread of Life in John 6:35? 4. What are some practical steps we can take to ensure we are spiritually nourished and not just physically satisfied? 5. How can we, as a community of believers, support each other in remaining faithful to God's covenant and avoiding the pitfalls of disobedience? Connections to Other Scriptures Deuteronomy 28This chapter also outlines blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience, providing a parallel to the themes in Leviticus 26. Isaiah 3:1This verse speaks of God removing support and supply, similar to the cutting off of bread in Leviticus 26:26. Ezekiel 4:16God speaks of breaking the staff of bread, indicating a famine, which connects to the scarcity described in Leviticus 26:26. Matthew 4:4Jesus quotes Deuteronomy, emphasizing that man does not live by bread alone, pointing to spiritual sustenance beyond physical bread. John 6:35Jesus declares Himself the Bread of Life, offering spiritual satisfaction that contrasts with the physical dissatisfaction described in Leviticus 26:26. People Egyptians, Isaac, Israelites, Jacob, MosesPlaces Mount SinaiTopics Able, Amounts, Bake, Baked, Bread, Break, Breaking, Bring, Broke, Broken, Cooking, Deliver, Dole, Eat, Eaten, Measured, Oven, Rationed, Satisfied, Staff, Supply, Ten, Weight, WomenDictionary of Bible Themes Leviticus 26:26 5222 baking
5268 cooking
5341 hunger
5839 dissatisfaction
5939 satisfaction Leviticus 26:14-39 5827 curse
6026 sin, judgment on Leviticus 26:23-26 4438 eating Library Emancipated Slaves
I am the Lord your God, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, that ye should not be their bondmen; and I have broken the bands of your yoke, and made you go upright.'--LEV. xxvi. 13. The history of Israel is a parable and a prophecy as well as a history. The great central word of the New Testament has been drawn from it, viz. 'redemption,' i.e. a buying out of bondage. The Hebrew slaves in Egypt were 'delivered.' The deliverance made them a nation. God acquired them for Himself, and …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy ScriptureLii. Trust in God.
15th Sunday after Trinity. S. Matt. vi. 31. "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness." INTRODUCTION.--We read in ancient Roman history that a general named Aemilius Paulus was appointed to the Roman army in a time of war and great apprehension. He found in the army a sad condition of affairs, there were more officers than fighting men, and all these officers wanted to have their advice taken, and the war conducted in accordance with their several opinions. Then Aemilius Paulus …
S. Baring-Gould—The Village Pulpit, Volume II. Trinity to Advent A Reformer's Schooling
'The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the month Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace, 2. That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. 3. And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture a survey of the third and closing discourse of the prophet
We shall now, in conclusion, give a survey of the third and closing discourse of the prophet. After an introduction in vi. 1, 2, where the mountains serve only to give greater solemnity to the scene (in the fundamental passages Deut. xxxii. 1, and in Is. 1, 2, "heaven and earth" are mentioned for the same purposes, inasmuch as they are the most venerable parts of creation; "contend with the mountains" by taking them in and applying to [Pg 522] them as hearers), the prophet reminds the people of …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament Repentance
Then has God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.' Acts 11: 18. Repentance seems to be a bitter pill to take, but it is to purge out the bad humour of sin. By some Antinomian spirits it is cried down as a legal doctrine; but Christ himself preached it. From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent,' &c. Matt 4: 17. In his last farewell, when he was ascending to heaven, he commanded that Repentance should be preached in his name.' Luke 24: 47. Repentance is a pure gospel grace. …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments The Second Commandment
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am o jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of then that hate me; and shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.' Exod 20: 4-6. I. Thou shalt not …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments Covenanting Provided for in the Everlasting Covenant.
The duty of Covenanting is founded on the law of nature; but it also stands among the arrangements of Divine mercy made from everlasting. The promulgation of the law, enjoining it on man in innocence as a duty, was due to God's necessary dominion over the creatures of his power. The revelation of it as a service obligatory on men in a state of sin, arose from his unmerited grace. In the one display, we contemplate the authority of the righteous moral Governor of the universe; in the other, we see …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting Solomon's Temple Spiritualized
or, Gospel Light Fetched out of the Temple at Jerusalem, to Let us More Easily into the Glory of New Testament Truths. 'Thou son of man, shew the house to the house of Isreal;--shew them the form of the house, and the fashion thereof, and the goings out hereof, and the comings in thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the laws thereof.'--Ezekiel 43:10, 11 London: Printed for, and sold by George Larkin, at the Two Swans without Bishopgate, …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3 Appendix ix. List of Old Testament Passages Messianically Applied in Ancient Rabbinic Writings
THE following list contains the passages in the Old Testament applied to the Messiah or to Messianic times in the most ancient Jewish writings. They amount in all to 456, thus distributed: 75 from the Pentateuch, 243 from the Prophets, and 138 from the Hagiorgrapha, and supported by more than 558 separate quotations from Rabbinic writings. Despite all labour care, it can scarcely be hoped that the list is quite complete, although, it is hoped, no important passage has been omitted. The Rabbinic references …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah The Mercy of God
The next attribute is God's goodness or mercy. Mercy is the result and effect of God's goodness. Psa 33:5. So then this is the next attribute, God's goodness or mercy. The most learned of the heathens thought they gave their god Jupiter two golden characters when they styled him good and great. Both these meet in God, goodness and greatness, majesty and mercy. God is essentially good in himself and relatively good to us. They are both put together in Psa 119:98. Thou art good, and doest good.' This …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity Leviticus
The emphasis which modern criticism has very properly laid on the prophetic books and the prophetic element generally in the Old Testament, has had the effect of somewhat diverting popular attention from the priestly contributions to the literature and religion of Israel. From this neglect Leviticus has suffered most. Yet for many reasons it is worthy of close attention; it is the deliberate expression of the priestly mind of Israel at its best, and it thus forms a welcome foil to the unattractive …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Leviticus 26:26 NIVLeviticus 26:26 NLTLeviticus 26:26 ESVLeviticus 26:26 NASBLeviticus 26:26 KJV
Leviticus 26:26 Commentaries
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