Leviticus 20:22-26

22 “ ‘Keep all my decrees and laws and follow them, so that the land where I am bringing you to live may not vomit you out.
23 You must not live according to the customs of the nations I am going to drive out before you. Because they did all these things, I abhorred them.
24 But I said to you, “You will possess their land; I will give it to you as an inheritance, a land flowing with milk and honey.” I am the LORD your God, who has set you apart from the nations.
25 “ ‘You must therefore make a distinction between clean and unclean animals and between unclean and clean birds. Do not defile yourselves by any animal or bird or anything that moves along the ground—those that I have set apart as unclean for you.
26 You are to be holy to me because I, the LORD, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own.

Leviticus 20:22-26 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 11

  • 1. S Genesis 26:5
  • 2. S Leviticus 18:25-28
  • 3. S Leviticus 18:3
  • 4. S Leviticus 18:24; Leviticus 18:24,27,30
  • 5. S Leviticus 18:25
  • 6. S Exodus 3:8; Exodus 13:5; Exodus 33:3; Numbers 14:8; Numbers 16:14
  • 7. S Exodus 33:16
  • 8. Leviticus 10:10; Leviticus 11:1-47; Deuteronomy 14:3-21; Acts 10:14
  • 9. Deuteronomy 14:2
  • 10. ver 8; Leviticus 19:2; Joshua 24:19; 2 Kings 19:22; Psalms 99:3
  • 11. S Exodus 33:16
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