Leviticus 20:1-11

Punishments for Sin

1 The LORD said to Moses,

2 “Say to the Israelites: ‘Any Israelite or any foreigner residing in Israel who sacrifices any of his children to Molek is to be put to death. The members of the community are to stone him.

3 I myself will set my face against him and will cut him off from his people; for by sacrificing his children to Molek, he has defiled my sanctuary and profaned my holy name.

4 If the members of the community close their eyes when that man sacrifices one of his children to Molek and if they fail to put him to death,

5 I myself will set my face against him and his family and will cut them off from their people together with all who follow him in prostituting themselves to Molek.

6 “ ‘I will set my face against anyone who turns to mediums and spiritists to prostitute themselves by following them, and I will cut them off from their people.

7 “ ‘Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the LORD your God.

8 Keep my decrees and follow them. I am the LORD, who makes you holy.

9 “ ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death. Because they have cursed their father or mother, their blood will be on their own head.

10 “ ‘If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife—with the wife of his neighbor—both the adulterer and the adulteress are to be put to death.

11 “ ‘If a man has sexual relations with his father’s wife, he has dishonored his father. Both the man and the woman are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.

Leviticus 20:1-11 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO LEVITICUS 20

In this chapter several laws are, repeated, enforced with a penalty annexed to them, and the breach them made capital, to deter from it, as giving seed to Molech, Le 20:1-5; going after such that have familiar spirits, or are wizards, Le 20:6; by shunning which, and other sins, a regard would be shown to holiness, Le 20:7,8; such as cursing parents, Le 20:9; committing adultery, Le 20:10; incestuous copulations, and marriages, and beastly actions, Le 20:11-21; all which it became the Israelites to avoid, lest, when come into the land of Canaan, they should be cast out of it, as the old inhabitants were for the same things, Le 20:22-24; and therefore, that they might appear to be a distinct people from others, they were to put a difference between clean and unclean creatures, Le 20:25,26; and the chapter is closed with a law, making it death for any person to have a familiar spirit, or to be a wizard, Le 19:27.

Cross References

• 1. ver 10; Genesis 26:11; Exodus 19:12
• 2. ver 27; Leviticus 24:14; Numbers 15:35,36; Deuteronomy 21:21; Joshua 7:25
• 3. ver 5,6; Leviticus 23:30
• 4. Psalms 74:7; Psalms 79:1; Jeremiah 7:30; Ezekiel 5:11
• 5. S Leviticus 15:31
• 6. S Leviticus 18:21
• 7. Deuteronomy 17:2-5
• 8. S ver 3; S Leviticus 19:31
• 9. S Leviticus 11:44
• 10. S Exodus 29:1; Exodus 31:13; Leviticus 11:45; Ephesians 1:4; 1 Peter 1:16*
• 11. S Exodus 6:2; S Exodus 20:2
• 12. S Genesis 26:5
• 13. S Exodus 31:13; Ezekiel 20:12
• 14. Exodus 20:12; Jeremiah 35:16; Malachi 1:6; Malachi 2:10
• 15. S Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 27:16; Ezekiel 22:7
• 16. Exodus 21:17; Deuteronomy 21:20-21; Matthew 15:4*; Mark 7:10*
• 17. ver 11; Deuteronomy 22:30; Joshua 2:19; 2 Samuel 1:16; 2 Samuel 3:29; 1 Kings 2:37; Ezekiel 18:13; Ezekiel 33:4,5
• 18. Exodus 20:14; Deuteronomy 5:18; Deuteronomy 22:22; John 8:5
• 19. S Genesis 38:24; S Exodus 21:12
• 20. S Leviticus 18:7; Deuteronomy 27:23
• 21. S ver 9; S Leviticus 18:8