Leviticus 20:11

11 And the man who has sex relations with his father's wife has put shame on his father: the two of them are to be put to death; their blood will be on them.

Leviticus 20:11 Meaning and Commentary

Leviticus 20:11

And the man that lieth with his father's wife
Whether she be his mother, or another woman, as the Targum of Jonathan; that is, whether she is his own mother, or a stepmother, or whether he did this in the lifetime of his father, or after his death, or whether she was betrothed or married, it mattered not; according to the Jewish tradition ^F4, this is a breach of the law, ( Leviticus 18:8 ) ; and a man guilty of this

hath uncovered his father's nakedness;
and which is a foul and shameful piece of wickedness; the penalty follows:

both of them shall be put to death;
by casting stones on them, as the Targum of Jonathan adds; for, as before observed, wherever the following phrase,

their blood [shall be] upon them,
is used, stoning is meant; and so, according to the Misnah ^F5, all those were to be stoned, after mentioned, of whom this phrase is used.

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FOOTNOTES:

F4 Misn. ut supra, (Sanhedrin, c. 7.) sect. 4.
F5 lbid.

Leviticus 20:11 In-Context

9 Every man cursing his father or his mother is certainly to be put to death; because of his curse on his father or his mother, his blood will be on him.

10 And if a man has sex relations with another man's wife, even the wife of his neighbour, he and she are certainly to be put to death.

11 And the man who has sex relations with his father's wife has put shame on his father: the two of them are to be put to death; their blood will be on them.

12 And if a man has sex relations with his son's wife, the two of them are to be put to death: it is unnatural; their blood will be on them.

13 And if a man has sex relations with a man, the two of them have done a disgusting thing: let them be put to death; their blood will be on them.