Vayikra 19:29

29 Do not prostitute thy bat, to cause her to be a harlot; lest ha’aretz fall to whoredom, and ha’aretz become full of depravity.

Vayikra 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.

Vayikra 19:29 In-Context

27 Ye shall not cut the edge of your scalp, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard.
28 Ye shall not make any cuttings in your basar for the dead, nor tattoo any marks upon you: I am Hashem.
29 Do not prostitute thy bat, to cause her to be a harlot; lest ha’aretz fall to whoredom, and ha’aretz become full of depravity.
30 Ye shall be shomer over My Shabbatot, and reverence My Mikdash; I am Hashem.
31 Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after Ovos (Mediums) and Yidonim (Spiritists), to be defiled by them: I am Hashem Eloheichem.
The Orthodox Jewish Bible fourth edition, OJB. Copyright 2002,2003,2008,2010, 2011 by Artists for Israel International. All rights reserved.