Leviticus 26:29

KJV

And ye shall eat the flesh of your sons, and the flesh of your daughters shall ye eat.

KJV (with Strong's)

And ye shall eat {H398} the flesh {H1320} of your sons {H1121}, and the flesh {H1320} of your daughters {H1323} shall ye eat {H398}.

Complete Jewish Bible

You will eat the flesh of your own sons, you will eat the flesh of your own daughters.

Berean Standard Bible

You will eat the flesh of your own sons and daughters.

American Standard Version

And ye shall eat the flesh of your sons, and the flesh of your daughters shall ye eat.

Commentary

### SUMMARY
Leviticus 26:29 stands as a chilling and horrific warning within the covenant curses pronounced upon ancient Israel, detailing the ultimate consequence of persistent and severe disobedience to God's commands. This verse describes the unimaginable act of cannibalism—parents consuming their own children—as a dire outcome of extreme famine and siege, serving as a stark reminder of the absolute necessity of covenant faithfulness and the terrifying depths of divine judgment against rebellion. It underscores the profound seriousness of God's warnings and the catastrophic societal breakdown that results from abandoning His divine order.

### CONTEXT
* **Literary Context:** Leviticus 26 functions as a pivotal covenant document, outlining the blessings of obedience and the curses of disobedience that would befall Israel in the Promised Land. The chapter begins with promises of prosperity and peace for faithfulness (e.g., as outlined in [Leviticus 26:3-13](/leviticus/26-3-13 "Leviticus 26:3-13 - Blessings for Obedience")), but transitions abruptly to a progressively escalating series of curses for rebellion. These curses intensify in severity, moving from agricultural failure and military defeat to disease, wild beasts, desolation of the land, exile, and ultimately, the complete breakdown of human society and natural order. Verse 29 represents the horrifying climax of this escalation, depicting a scenario of such extreme desperation that it violates the most fundamental human taboos and familial bonds, emphasizing the ultimate horror of God's judgment when His people persistently reject His covenant.

* **Historical & Cultural Context:** The concept of covenant curses was well-established in the ancient Near East, often appearing in suzerainty treaties between a great king (suzerain) and his vassal states. These treaties included detailed stipulations, blessings for loyalty, and severe curses for disloyalty, often involving famine, disease, and military defeat. The specific horror of cannibalism, while extreme, was not an unheard-of consequence during prolonged sieges in ancient warfare, when starvation pushed populations to unimaginable acts of desperation. This grim reality is attested in various historical accounts and later biblical narratives, such as during the siege of Samaria in [2 Kings 6:24-30](/2_kings/6-24-30 "2 Kings 6:24-30 - Siege of Samaria and Cannibalism") and the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem recorded in [Lamentations 4:10](/lamentations/4-10 "Lamentations 4:10 - Mothers Eating Their Children"). Thus, for the Israelites on the cusp of entering Canaan, this warning was not merely rhetorical hyperbole but a terrifyingly real possibility, designed to impress upon them the absolute gravity of their covenant obligations and the catastrophic consequences of their failure to adhere to the Lord's commands.

* **Key Themes:** This verse powerfully contributes to several overarching themes within Leviticus and the broader Pentateuch. Primarily, it underscores the theme of **Covenant Faithfulness and Consequences**, demonstrating that God's covenant is not merely a set of suggestions but a binding agreement with severe repercussions for disobedience. It highlights the **Holiness of God** and His unwavering commitment to justice, revealing that His righteous character demands a response to sin. The verse also vividly illustrates the theme of **Societal Breakdown and Desolation** as a direct result of abandoning divine order, showing how the rejection of God's commands leads to the perversion of natural relationships and the collapse of human dignity. Finally, it serves as a stark warning about the **Seriousness of Sin**, portraying the ultimate depths of human depravity and suffering that can be reached when a people persistently rebels against their Creator, moving beyond agricultural and military woes to the unimaginable horror of familial self-consumption.

### EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
#### Key Word Analysis
* **Eat (Hebrew, _ʼâkal'_):** This common Hebrew verb, meaning "to eat" or "to consume," takes on an exceptionally gruesome and horrific weight in this context. While typically denoting sustenance and life-giving acts, here it signifies the ultimate perversion of natural order into life-destroying ones. The act of "eating" in this verse highlights not just the desperate consumption, but the unnatural, taboo, and utterly dehumanizing nature of consuming human flesh, particularly that of one's own offspring. It underscores the complete breakdown of all moral and societal norms under the crushing weight of divine judgment and extreme privation.
* **Flesh (Hebrew, _bâsâr'_):** The Hebrew word for "flesh" refers to the physical body, the substance of living beings, often denoting the entirety of a person or living creature. In this verse, its use emphasizes the raw, visceral reality of the act. It's not merely "food" but the very substance of one's own kin, underscoring the complete breakdown of familial bonds, natural affection, and human dignity. The repetition of "flesh" for both sons and daughters intensifies the horror, making the consumption of one's own bloodline the ultimate symbol of a society utterly consumed by its own rebellion and the resulting divine judgment.

#### Verse Breakdown
* **"And ye shall eat the flesh of your sons":** This clause immediately establishes the horrific nature of the curse. It speaks to an unimaginable reversal of the natural order, where parents, who are divinely ordained to protect, nourish, and sustain their children, are driven by extreme famine to consume them. This act signifies the ultimate breakdown of societal structure, moral order, and the most sacred of human relationships, representing the pinnacle of desperation and the depth of God's judgment.
* **"and the flesh of your daughters shall ye eat":** The repetition of the act, specifically mentioning both sons and daughters, intensifies the horror and emphasizes the totality and universality of the judgment. It leaves no room for doubt about the extent of the desperation and the complete absence of any remaining food sources. This parallel phrasing reinforces the certainty and the comprehensive nature of this dreadful consequence, ensuring that the warning applies to all offspring, leaving no family untouched by the potential horror of such a curse.

#### Literary Devices
Leviticus 26:29 employs several powerful literary devices to convey its chilling message. **Hyperbole**, though rooted in the grim reality of ancient sieges, is used to shock the audience into recognizing the extreme consequences of disobedience. The vivid imagery of parents consuming their children serves as a rhetorical extreme, designed to instill profound fear and deter covenant unfaithfulness. **Repetition** is evident in the similar phrasing "eat the flesh of your sons, and the flesh of your daughters shall ye eat," which amplifies the horror and reinforces the certainty of this judgment, emphasizing its comprehensive and inescapable nature. Furthermore, the verse presents a stark **Inversion** or **Perversion** of the natural order; instead of parents nurturing and preserving their offspring, they are driven to destroy and consume them. This reversal underscores the profound degree of societal and moral collapse that God's judgment would bring, symbolizing the complete abandonment of divine order and human decency.

### THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Leviticus 26:29 profoundly illustrates the seriousness of God's covenant with Israel and the unyielding nature of His justice. It reveals that persistent rebellion against His holy commands leads to consequences that are not merely punitive but are designed to dismantle the very fabric of life and society, exposing the depths of human depravity when divine order is abandoned. This verse highlights God's absolute sovereignty over life and death, His commitment to upholding His covenant, and the terrifying reality of His righteous judgment against sin. It serves as a stark reminder that true flourishing is inextricably linked to faithful obedience to the Creator, and that the rejection of His benevolent rule leads to unimaginable suffering and self-destruction.

* [Deuteronomy 28:53-57](/deuteronomy/28-53-57 "Deuteronomy 28:53-57 - Parallel Curses of Cannibalism")
* [Lamentations 4:10](/lamentations/4-10 "Lamentations 4:10 - Historical Fulfillment during Jerusalem's Siege")
* [Jeremiah 19:9](/jeremiah/19-9 "Jeremiah 19:9 - Prophecy of Eating Sons and Daughters")

### REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
While the specific, literal curse of Leviticus 26:29 was a historical warning to ancient Israel under a unique covenant, its underlying principles offer profound and enduring lessons for all believers. This verse compels us to confront the absolute seriousness of God's warnings and the reality that sin, particularly persistent and unrepentant rebellion, has severe and often devastating consequences, even if not always in such literal forms today. It reminds us that God's moral universe is ordered, and departing from His revealed will inevitably leads to disorder, suffering, and a breakdown of human flourishing. This passage should cultivate in us a deep reverence for God's holiness and justice, fostering a renewed commitment to faithful obedience, not out of fear alone, but out of a recognition that His commands are for our good and lead to life. It also serves as a poignant reminder of the immense grace found in Christ, who bore the ultimate curse on our behalf, offering a path to reconciliation and blessing where only judgment once loomed.

#### Questions for Reflection
* **How does this extreme warning challenge our understanding of God's justice and holiness, particularly in contrast to His love and mercy?**
* **What does this verse reveal about the profound seriousness of covenant disobedience and the consequences of abandoning divine order in our own lives or societies?**
* **In what ways might we, even in contemporary contexts, experience the "eating of our own" – metaphorically speaking – when we neglect God's wisdom and pursue paths of self-destruction or societal decay?**

### FAQ
**Is this a literal prophecy or symbolic imagery?**

Answer: This verse functions as both a literal prophecy and a powerful symbolic warning. While the language is stark and serves to symbolize the ultimate horror and societal breakdown resulting from divine judgment, the Bible and historical accounts confirm that such acts of cannibalism did tragically occur during extreme sieges and famines in Israel's history. For instance, [2 Kings 6:24-30](/2_kings/6-24-30 "2 Kings 6:24-30 - Siege of Samaria and Cannibalism") describes a mother eating her son during the siege of Samaria, and [Lamentations 4:10](/lamentations/4-10 "Lamentations 4:10 - Mothers Eating Their Children") recounts similar horrors during the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem. Thus, it was a literal, albeit horrific, consequence that God warned would befall a disobedient people.

**How does such a severe warning reconcile with God's character of love and mercy?**

Answer: While deeply disturbing, this warning, like all of God's judgments, stems from His perfect holiness and justice. God's love is not sentimental; it is a holy love that demands righteousness and cannot tolerate persistent rebellion. These warnings are, in a sense, a merciful act, designed to deter His people from a path that would inevitably lead to self-destruction and profound suffering. They underscore the gravity of sin and the immense value God places on His covenant relationship. Ultimately, the very existence of such a curse magnifies the profound mercy found in the New Covenant, where God Himself, in Christ, bore the curse on our behalf, offering redemption and reconciliation instead of judgment (as seen in [Galatians 3:13](/galatians/3-13 "Galatians 3:13 - Christ Redeemed Us from the Curse")).

### CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Leviticus 26:29, with its terrifying portrayal of the curse of the Law, finds its ultimate and glorious fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ. This verse starkly reveals the horrific consequences of humanity's rebellion against a holy God, demonstrating the depths of judgment that sin deserves. However, the New Testament proclaims that Jesus, the spotless [Lamb of God](/john/1-29 "John 1:29 - Jesus, the Lamb of God"), voluntarily entered into this realm of curse and judgment on our behalf. As [Galatians 3:13](/galatians/3-13 "Galatians 3:13 - Christ Redeemed Us from the Curse") declares, "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us." He bore the full weight of God's righteous wrath, enduring the ultimate separation and desolation that Leviticus 26:29 foreshadows, so that we might be reconciled to God. Instead of consuming our own children in desperation, Christ's sacrifice offers us spiritual nourishment and abundant life (cf. [John 6:53-58](/john/6-53-58 "John 6:53-58 - Eating the Flesh of the Son of Man") and [John 10:10](/john/10-10 "John 10:10 - Jesus Came to Give Abundant Life")). He reverses the curse, transforming the horror of death into the hope of eternal life, demonstrating that true blessing and flourishing come not through our perfect obedience to the Law, but through faith in the One who perfectly fulfilled it and bore its curses for us (cf. [2 Corinthians 5:21](/2_christians/5-21 "2 Corinthians 5:21 - Christ Became Sin for Us")).

Note: Commentary is generated by AI with a directive for Biblical fidelity. Always rely on the Holy Spirit for discernment. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

Cross-References

Lamentations 4:10

The hands of the pitiful women have sodden their own children: they were their meat in the destruction of the daughter of my people.

Matthew 24:19

And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!

Ezekiel 5:10

Therefore the fathers shall eat the sons in the midst of thee, and the sons shall eat their fathers; and I will execute judgments in thee, and the whole remnant of thee will I scatter into all the winds.

Luke 23:29

For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed [are] the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck.

Lamentations 2:20

Behold, O LORD, and consider to whom thou hast done this. Shall the women eat their fruit, [and] children of a span long? shall the priest and the prophet be slain in the sanctuary of the Lord?

2 Kings 6:28

And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered, This woman said unto me, Give thy son, that we may eat him to day, and we will eat my son to morrow.

2 Kings 6:29

So we boiled my son, and did eat him: and I said unto her on the next day, Give thy son, that we may eat him: and she hath hid her son.