The land also shall be left of them, and shall enjoy her sabbaths, while she lieth desolate without them: and they shall accept of the punishment of their iniquity: because, even because they despised my judgments, and because their soul abhorred my statutes.
The land will be left empty by them and will finally enjoy its sabbath rests while it lies desolate without them. And they will accept the punishment for their wrongdoing, because they rejected my laws and their hearts despised my rules.
God is saying that when His people are exiled from their land due to disobedience, the land itself will get the rest it was supposed to have, and the people will finally accept that their punishment came from rejecting God's ways.
📚 Historical Context
In the book of Leviticus, which was given to the Israelites through Moses during their wilderness journey after escaping Egypt, God outlines the blessings for obedience and the curses for disobedience as part of His covenant with them. This verse specifically addresses the consequences of ignoring the commanded Sabbath rests for the land, where every seventh year the fields were to lie fallow, a practice the Israelites often neglected leading to eventual exile and desolation. It serves as a warning within the broader narrative of God's holiness and the need for His people to honor His laws to maintain their relationship with Him.
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