Leviticus 19:29

29 "'Do not dishonor your daughter by making her become a prostitute. If you do this, the country will be filled with all kinds of sin.

Leviticus 19:29 Meaning and Commentary

Leviticus 19:29

Do not prostitute thy daughter, to cause her to be a whore,
&c.] Not by delaying to marry her, which is the sense the Jews give {l}, but it refers to a wicked practice among the Phoenicians or Canaanites, Athanasius F13 speaks of, whose women used to prostitute themselves in the temples of their idols; and to such filthy services, in a religious way, the Israelites, in imitation of them, are forbid to expose their daughters: such filthy practices, under a notion of religion, were committed at Babylon, Corinth, and other places; (See Gill on Micah 1:7); lest the land fall to whoredom, and the land become full of wickedness:
of the wickedness of whoredom, both corporeal and spiritual, fornication and idolatry; both of which would be promoted by such abominable practices, and in process of time the land be filled with them.


FOOTNOTES:

F12 Targ. Jon. in loc. T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 76. 1.
F13 Contra Gentes, p. 21.

Leviticus 19:29 In-Context

27 "'You must not cut the hair on the sides of your heads or cut the edges of your beard.
28 You must not cut your body to show sadness for someone who died or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the Lord.
29 "'Do not dishonor your daughter by making her become a prostitute. If you do this, the country will be filled with all kinds of sin.
30 "'Obey the laws about Sabbaths, and respect my Most Holy Place. I am the Lord.
31 "'Do not go to mediums or fortune-tellers for advice, or you will become unclean. I am the Lord your God.
Scripture taken from the New Century Version. Copyright © 1987, 1988, 1991 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.