Leviticus20
English Standard Version
1The Lord to , ,
2 to the of , Any of the of or of the who in who any of his to shall be . The of the shall him with .
3I myself will my against that and will cut him from his , because he has one of his to , to make my and to my .
4And if the of the do at their to that when he one of his to , and do put him to ,
5then I will my against that and against his and will from their , him and all who follow him in .
6If a to and , them, I will my against that and will from his .
7 yourselves, therefore, and be , for I am the Lord your .
8 my and them; I am the Lord who you.
9For who his or his shall be ; he has his or his ; his is upon him.
10If a commits with the of his , both the and the shall be .
11If a with his , he has his ; of them shall be ; their is upon them.
12If a with his , of them shall be ; they have ; their is upon them.
13If a with a with a , of them have an ; they shall be ; their is upon them.
14If a a and her also, it is ; he and they shall be with , that there may be no you.
15If a with an , he shall be , and you shall the .
16If a any and with it, you shall the and the ; they shall be ; their is upon them.
17If a his , a of his a of his , and her , and she his , it is a , and they shall be in the of the of their . He has his , and he shall his .
18If a with a during her and her , he has her , and she has the of her . of them shall be from their .
19You shall not the of your or of your , for that is to ; they shall their .
20If a with his , he has his ; they shall their ; they shall .
21If a his , it is . He has his ; they shall be .
22You shall therefore all my and all my and them, that the where I am you to may not you out.
23And you shall not in the of the that I am you, for they these , and therefore I them.
24But I have to you, You shall their , and I will it to you to , a with and . I am the Lord your , who has you from the .
25You shall therefore the from the , and the from the . You shall not make by or by or by with which the , which I have for you to hold .
26You shall be to me, for I the Lord am and have you from the , that you should be mine.
27A or a is a or a shall be . They shall be with ; their shall be upon them.
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Leviticus 20.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: Law against sacrificing children to Moloch, Of children that curse their parents. (1–9). Laws repeated, Holiness enjoined. (10–27).
vv1-9
Are we shocked at the unnatural cruelty of the ancient idolaters in sacrificing their children? We may justly be so. But are there not very many parents, who, by bad teaching and wicked examples, and by the mysteries of iniquity which they show their children, devote them to the service of Satan, and forward their everlasting ruin, in a manner even more to be lamented? What an account must such parents render to God, and what a meeting will they have with their children at the day of judgment! On the other hand, let children remember that he who cursed father or mother was surely put to death. This law Christ confirmed. Laws which were made before are repeated, and penalties annexed to them. If men will not avoid evil practices, because the law has made these practices sin, and it is right that we go on that principle, surely they should avoid them when the law has made them death, from a principle of self-preservation. In the midst of these laws comes in a general charge, Sanctify yourselves, and be ye holy. It is the Lord that sanctifies, and his work will be done, though it be difficult. Yet his grace is so far from doing away our endeavours, that it strongly encourages them. Work out your salvation, for it is God that worketh in you.
vv10-27
These verses repeat what had been said before, but it was needful there should be line upon line. What praises we owe to God that he has taught the evil of sin, and the sure way of deliverance from it! May we have grace to adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things; may we have no fellowship with unfruitful works of darkness, but reprove them.
Key Words
דָבַר: perhaps properly, to arrange; but used figuratively (of words), to speak; rarely (in a destructive sense) to subdue
מֹשֶׁה: Mosheh, the Israelite lawgiver
אָמַר: to say (used with great latitude)
בֵּן: a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like father or brother), etc.)
יִשְׂרָאֵל: Jisrael, a symbolical name of Jacob; also (typically) of his posterity
אִישׁ: a man as an individual or a male person; often used as an adjunct to a more definite term (and in such cases frequently not expressed in translation)
גֵּר: properly, a guest; by implication, a foreigner
גּוּר: properly, to turn aside from the road (for a lodging or any other purpose), i.e. sojourn (as a guest); also to shrink, fear (as in a strange place); also to gather forhostility (as afraid)
נָתַן: to give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etc.)
זֶרַע: seed; figuratively, fruit, plant, sowing-time, posterity
Cross References
Leviticus 20Direct parallel forbidding the giving of offspring to the pagan deity Molech.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Explicit law forbidding a man from marrying or uncovering the nakedness of his brother's wife.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Jesus explicitly cites and confirms the law of puting to death children who curse parents.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Internal chapter parallel repeating the core mandate to sanctify yourselves and be holy.
Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole
New Testament command quoting the Levitical charge 'Be ye holy; for I am holy.'
Supported by Matthew Henry
Identical phrase of God setting His face against a person and cutting them off.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Explicit covenant parallel declaring Yahweh as the One who sanctifies His covenant people.
Supported by Matthew Poole, John Calvin
The foundational covenant law declaring that anyone cursing father or mother must be executed.
Supported by John Calvin
John the Baptist rebukes Herod Antipas for taking his brother Philip's wife.
Supported by John Calvin
Warns Israel that the land will vomit or spue them out for committing abominations.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
The foundational dietary code defining clean and unclean beasts, birds, and creeping things.
Supported by JFB
Contrasts humanly ignoring or winking at sins with God overlooking times of ignorance.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Direct prohibition against turning to mediums, wizards, and familiar spirits.
Supported by Matthew Poole
The specific judicial penalty of death for both the adulterer and the adulteress.
Supported by John Calvin
Paul references the prohibition of a man sleeping with his father's wife as intolerable.
Illustrates execution by stoning followed by burning with fire as specified in verse 14.
Supported by JFB
The underlying moral prohibition against bestiality, here coupled with the death penalty.
God's presence separates and distinguishes Israel from all other people upon the earth.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Peter's vision of clean and unclean beasts, illustrating the breaking down of national barriers.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Historical account of Saul seeking out a woman with a familiar spirit at Endor.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Parallel prohibition against turning after those who have familiar spirits or wizards.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Civil law demanding capital punishment for practicing witchcraft.
Supported by Matthew Poole
The direct moral prohibition against uncovering the nakedness of one's father's wife.
The direct moral prohibition against lying with one's daughter-in-law.
The underlying moral prohibition against homosexual practice, labeled an abomination.
The underlying moral prohibition regarding relations during a woman's impurity.
Israel chosen to be a holy, peculiar people, severed from other nations.
Supported by John Calvin