What is the meaning of Leviticus 18:28?

So if you defile the land

- God speaks as Owner of the land promised to Israel (Leviticus 25:23).

- “Defile” points to the specific sins cataloged earlier in the chapter—sexual immorality, child sacrifice, idolatry—acts that offend His holiness (Leviticus 18:24).

- Obedience brings blessing; disobedience brings real-world consequences, just as Deuteronomy 28:15-25 warns.

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it will vomit you out

- The wording is vivid on purpose: sin is so offensive that the land reacts as a body expels something toxic.

- This is not a mere metaphor. God ties Israel’s tenure in Canaan to moral purity (Numbers 35:33-34).

- History proves the point: exile to Assyria and Babylon happened exactly as predicted (2 Kings 17:18; 2 Chronicles 36:17-21).

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as it spewed out the nations before you

- The Canaanite peoples were expelled for identical sins (Genesis 15:16; Deuteronomy 9:4-5).

- Israel was warned they would receive the same judgment if they copied those practices (Leviticus 20:22-23).

- God shows no favoritism: privilege never cancels responsibility (Romans 2:11).

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summary

Leviticus 18:28 is a straightforward, literal warning: if God’s people adopt the corrupt ways of the previous inhabitants, the land promised to them will just as literally eject them. The verse underscores God’s absolute ownership, His intolerance of persistent sin, and the historical reality that blessing or exile hinges on covenant faithfulness.