Leviticus 20

1 And the Lord spake to Moses, and said,

2 Speak thou these things to the sons of Israel, If any man of the sons of Israel, and of the comelings that dwell in Israel, giveth of his seed to the idol Moloch, die he by death; the people of the land shall stone him. (Say thou these things to the Israelites, If any Israelite, or a newcomer who liveth in Israel, giveth his children to the false god Moloch, he shall be put to death; the people of the land shall stone him.)

3 And I shall set fast my face against him, and I shall cut away him from the midst of my people, for he gave of his seed to Moloch, and defouled my saintuary, and defouled mine holy name. (And I shall set my face against him, and I shall cut him off from the midst of my people, for he gave his children to Moloch, and defiled my sanctuary, and defiled my holy name.)

4 That if the people of the land is negligent, and little chargeth (for) my behest, and suffereth the man that gave of his seed to Moloch, neither will slay him, (But if the people of the land be negligent, and care little for my command, and consent to the man who gave his children to Moloch, and indeed will not kill him,)

5 I shall set my face on that man, and on his kindred, and I shall cut him down, and all that consented to him, that they should do fornication, that is, idolatry, with Moloch, from the midst of their people. (I shall set my face against that man, and against his kindred, and I shall cut off him, and all who consented to him, yea, they who would do fornication, that is, idolatry, with Moloch, from the midst of their people.)

6 If a man boweth to astrologers, and to false diviners, and doeth fornication with them, I shall set my face against him, and I shall slay him from the midst of his people (and I shall cut him off from the midst of his people).

7 Be ye hallowed, and be ye holy, for I am holy, your Lord God (the Lord your God).

8 Keep ye my behests, and do ye those, for I am the Lord that halloweth you. (Obey ye my commands, and do ye them, for I am the Lord who maketh you holy.)

9 Therefore he that curseth his father, either mother, die he by death; if a man curseth his father and mother, his blood be on him. (He who curseth his father, or his mother, shall be put to death; if a man curseth his father, or his mother, his blood be on him.)

10 If a man doeth lechery with another man's wife, and doeth adultery with his neighbour's wife, both the adulterer and the adulteress die they by death. (If a man doeth lechery with another man's wife, yea, if he doeth adultery with his neighbour's wife, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall be put to death.)

11 If a man sleepeth with his step-dame, and showeth his father's shame, both they die by death; their blood be on them. (If a man sleepeth with his step-mother, and uncovereth her nakedness, which is for his father alone, they both shall be put to death; their blood be on them.)

12 If any man sleepeth with his son's wife, ever either die, for they have wrought great sin (they both shall be put to death, for they have done a great sin); their blood be on them.

13 If a man sleepeth with a man, by lechery of a woman, ever either hath wrought unleaveful thing, die they by death; their blood be on them. (If a man sleepeth with a man, like in fleshly coupling with a woman, they both have done an unlawful thing, and they both shall be put to death; their blood be on them.)

14 He that weddeth over his wife her mother, hath wrought great sin; he shall be burnt quick with them, and so great unleaveful doing shall not dwell in the midst of you. (He who taketh both his wife and her mother to bed, hath done a great sin; he shall be burned alive with them, and so a great unlawful doing shall not remain in the midst of you.)

15 He that doeth lechery with a great beast, or with a little (beast), die he by death (shall be put to death), also slay ye the beast.

16 A woman that lieth under any beast, be she slain together with it; their blood be on them.

17 He that taketh his sister, his father's daughter, or his mother's daughter, and seeth her filth(hood), and she seeth the shame of her brother, they have wrought an unleaveful thing, both shall be slain in the sight of their people; for they showed together their filth(hood), and they shall bear together their wickedness. (He who taketh to bed his sister, his father's daughter, or his mother's daughter, and seeth her nakedness, and she seeth her brother's nakedness, they both have done an unlawful thing, and they both shall be cut off in the presence of their people; for they uncovered their nakedness to each other, and so they shall bear their wickedness together.)

18 If a man doeth fleshly knowing with a woman in the flowing of blood of the month, and showeth her filth(hood), and she openeth the well of her blood, both they shall be slain from the midst of their people. (If a man doeth fleshly knowing with a woman during the flowing out of the blood of the month, and uncovereth her nakedness, and she openeth the well of her blood to him, they both shall be cut off from the midst of their people.)

19 Thou shalt not discover the filth(hood) of thy mother's sister, and of thy father's sister; he, that doeth this, shall make naked the shame of his flesh, and both they shall bear their wickedness. (Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy mother's sister, or of thy father's sister; he, who doeth this, shall make naked his own kin's flesh, and they both shall bear their wickedness.)

20 He that doeth fleshly knowing with the wife of his father's brother, either of his mother's brother, and showeth the filth(hood) of his kin, both they shall bear their sin, [and] they shall die without free children. (He who doeth fleshly knowing with the wife of his father's brother, or the wife of his mother's brother, and uncovereth the nakedness of his kin, they both shall bear their sin, and they shall die without any children.)

21 He that weddeth his brother's wife, doeth an unleaveful thing; he showed his brother's filth(hood), [and] he shall be without free children. (He who weddeth his brother's wife, doeth an unlawful thing; he uncovered her nakedness which is for his brother alone, and they shall die without any children.)

22 Keep ye my laws and my dooms, and do ye those, lest the land, into which ye shall enter and dwell in, cast out vilely also you (also vilely throw you out).

23 Do not ye go in the lawful things, that is, in worshipping and in the manner of living of them, of the nations, which I shall cast out before you, for they did all these things, and I had abomination of them. (Do not ye follow the laws, and the customs, of the nations which I shall throw out before you, for they did all these things, and I found them abominable.)

24 Forsooth I spake to you, Wield ye their land, that I shall give to you into heritage, that land flowing with milk and honey; I am your Lord God, that parted you from other peoples. (But I said to you, Take ye their land, that I shall give to you for an inheritance, that land flowing with milk and honey; I am the Lord your God, who separated you from other peoples.)

25 Therefore also ye part a clean beast from an unclean, and a clean bird from an unclean, lest ye defoul your souls in beasts, and in birds, and in all things that be moved in earth, and which things I showed to you to be defouled. (And so ye shall separate a clean beast from an unclean one, and a clean bird from an unclean one, lest ye defile your souls with beasts, and birds, and with all the things that move upon the earth, and which things I showed you to be defiled, or unclean.)

26 Ye shall be holy to me, for I the Lord am holy, and I separated you from other peoples, (so) that ye shall be mine.

27 A man either a woman, in which is an unclean spirit [of witchcraft] speaking in the womb, either a spirit of false divining, die they by death (shall be put to death); men shall oppress them with stones; their blood be on them.

Leviticus 20 Commentary

Chapter 20

Law against sacrificing children to Moloch, Of children that curse their parents. (1-9) Laws repeated, Holiness enjoined. (10-27)

Verses 1-9 Are we shocked at the unnatural cruelty of the ancient idolaters in sacrificing their children? We may justly be so. But are there not very many parents, who, by bad teaching and wicked examples, and by the mysteries of iniquity which they show their children, devote them to the service of Satan, and forward their everlasting ruin, in a manner even more to be lamented? What an account must such parents render to God, and what a meeting will they have with their children at the day of judgment! On the other hand, let children remember that he who cursed father or mother was surely put to death. This law Christ confirmed. Laws which were made before are repeated, and penalties annexed to them. If men will not avoid evil practices, because the law has made these practices sin, and it is right that we go on that principle, surely they should avoid them when the law has made them death, from a principle of self-preservation. In the midst of these laws comes in a general charge, Sanctify yourselves, and be ye holy. It is the Lord that sanctifies, and his work will be done, though it be difficult. Yet his grace is so far from doing away our endeavours, that it strongly encourages them. Work out your salvation, for it is God that worketh in you.

Verses 10-27 These verses repeat what had been said before, but it was needful there should be line upon line. What praises we owe to God that he has taught the evil of sin, and the sure way of deliverance from it! May we have grace to adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things; may we have no fellowship with unfruitful works of darkness, but reprove them.

Chapter Summary

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.