Leviticus 18:2

2 "Speak to the {Israelites}, and say to them, 'I [am] Yahweh your God.

Leviticus 18:2 Meaning and Commentary

Leviticus 18:2

Speak unto the children of Israel
To the heads of their tribes, that they might deliver to them the following laws; or Moses is bid to publish them among them, either by word of mouth, or by writing, or both: and say unto them, I am the Lord your God;
with which they were to be introduced; showing the right he had to enact and enjoin such laws, since he was Jehovah, the Being of beings, and from whom they received their beings; their sovereign Lord and King, who had a right to rule over them, and command what he pleased; and also the obligation they lay under to him to regard them, and yield a cheerful obedience to them, since he was their God, not only that had made them, but had redeemed them out of Egypt; and who had made a covenant with them, and had taken special care of them, and had bestowed many wonderful favours on them; and for this purpose is this phrase often used in this chapter, and very frequently in the next. See ( Leviticus 18:2 Leviticus 18:4 Leviticus 18:30 ) ( Leviticus 19:3 Leviticus 19:4 Leviticus 19:10 Leviticus 19:25 Leviticus 19:31 Leviticus 19:34 Leviticus 19:36 ) .

Leviticus 18:2 In-Context

1 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
2 "Speak to the {Israelites}, and say to them, 'I [am] Yahweh your God.
3 You must not {carry out} the practices of the land of Egypt, in which you lived, and you must not {carry out} the practices of the land of Canaan, to which I am bringing you; and you must not follow their statutes.
4 You must {carry out} my regulations, and you must observe my statutes by following them; I [am] Yahweh your God.
5 And you shall observe my statutes and my regulations {by which the person doing them shall live}; I [am] Yahweh.

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. Literally "sons/children of Israel"
Scripture quotations marked (LEB) are from the Lexham English Bible. Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software.