Leviticus 20:19

19 And thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy mother's sister, nor of thy father's sister: for he uncovereth[a] his near kin: they shall bear their iniquity.

Leviticus 20:19 Meaning and Commentary

Leviticus 20:19

And thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy mother's
sister, nor of thy father's sister
An aunt either by mother or father's side, against which the law is, ( Leviticus 18:13 ) ; for he uncovereth his near kin;
as an aunt is to a man, and so an uncle to a woman, and both equally criminal; for it is a rule that holds good in all those cases, though not expressed, that what is binding upon one sex is upon the other, being in the same degree of relation, whether of consanguinity or affinity: they shall bear their iniquity;
"both" of them, as the Vulgate Latin version, the man and his aunt, and so a woman and her uncle; the guilt of their sin shall be upon them,
and the punishment of it be inflicted on them; either they should be cut off from their people, as before, or be childless, as in the following instances.

Leviticus 20:19 In-Context

17 And if a man shall take his sister, his father's daughter, or his mother's daughter, and see her nakedness, and she see his nakedness; it is a wicked thing; and they shall be cut off in the sight of their people: he hath uncovered his sister's nakedness; he shall bear his iniquity.
18 And if a man shall lie with a woman having her sickness, and shall uncover her nakedness; he hath discovered her fountain, and she hath uncovered the fountain of her blood: and both of them shall be cut off from among their people.
19 And thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy mother's sister, nor of thy father's sister: for he uncovereth his near kin: they shall bear their iniquity.
20 And if a man shall lie with his uncle's wife, he hath uncovered his uncle's nakedness: they shall bear their sin; they shall die childless.
21 And if a man shall take his brother's wife, it is an unclean thing: he hath uncovered his brother's nakedness; they shall be childless.

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. uncovereth: Heb. hath made naked
The King James Version is in the public domain.