Leviticus 26:19

I will break down your stubborn pride and make your sky like iron and your land like bronze,

Berean Standard Bible

Study note

Setting — God addresses Israel through Moses during the covenant curse sequence, specifying the next phase of judgment if the people persist in disobedience.

The words — The verb שָׁבַרְתִּי (sha.var.Ti) means "I will break," directly applied to גְּאוֹן עֻזְּכֶם (ge.'on 'u.zem), literally "the pride of your strength."

The thread — The hardened sky and earth imagery reappears in Deuteronomy 28:23, while the theme of humbling pride runs through Isaiah 25:11 and the drought confrontation in 1 Kings 17:1.

Why it lands — The text states that God will shatter human arrogance and replace natural fertility with unyielding elements, requiring a clear-eyed recognition that provision and resistance both fall under divine control.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

וְשָׁבַרְתִּ֖יve./sha.var.Tiand/ I will break אֶת־'et-<obj.>גְּא֣וֹןge.'on[the] pride of עֻזְּכֶ֑ם'u.ze./Khemstrength/ your וְנָתַתִּ֤יve./na.ta.Tiand/ I will make אֶת־'et-<obj.>שְׁמֵיכֶם֙she.mei./Khemheavens/ your כַּבַּרְזֶ֔לka./bar.Zellike <the>/ iron וְאֶֽת־ve./'Etand/ <obj.>אַרְצְכֶ֖ם'ar.tze./Khemland/ your כַּנְּחֻשָֽׁה׃ka./ne.chu.Shahlike <the>/ bronze

King James Version

And I will break the pride of your power; and I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass:

Cross-references

Deuteronomy 28:23 The sky over your head will be bronze, and the earth beneath you iron.
1 Kings 17:1 Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was among the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As surely as the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there will be neither dew nor rain in these years except at my word!”
Isaiah 25:11 He will spread out his hands within it, as a swimmer spreads his arms to swim. His pride will be brought low, despite the skill of his hands.
1 Samuel 4:11 The ark of God was captured, and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.
Jeremiah 13:9 “This is what the LORD says: In the same way I will ruin the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem.
Jeremiah 14:1 This is the word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah concerning the drought:
Ezekiel 30:6 For this is what the LORD says: The allies of Egypt will fall, and her proud strength will collapse. From Migdol to Syene they will fall by the sword within her, declares the Lord GOD.
Daniel 4:37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, for all His works are true and all His ways are just. And He is able to humble those who walk in pride.
Zephaniah 3:11 On that day you will not be put to shame for any of the deeds by which you have transgressed against Me. For then I will remove from among you those who rejoice in their pride, and you will never again be haughty on My holy mountain.
Luke 4:25 But I tell you truthfully that there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and great famine swept over all the land.