Leviticus 19:13-23

13 Thou shalt not make false challenge to thy neighbour, neither thou shalt oppress him by violence. The hire of thy workman shall not dwell with thee unto the morrowtide. (Thou shalt not rob thy neighbour, nor shalt thou oppress him with violence. The wages of thy workman shall not abide with thee until the next morning.)
14 Thou shalt not curse a deaf man, neither thou shalt set an hurting before a blind man; but thou shalt dread thy Lord God, for I am the Lord. (Thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor shalt thou put a cause of stumbling in front of the blind; but thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, for I am the Lord.)
15 Thou shalt not do that, that is wicked, neither thou shalt deem unjustly; behold thou not the person of a poor man, neither honour thou the face of a mighty man; deem thou justly to thy neighbour (simply judge thy neighbour justly).
16 Thou shalt not be a slanderer, that is, a false accuser, neither a privy backbiter in the people (nor a backbiter in private among the people); thou shalt not stand against the blood of thy neighbour; I am the Lord.
17 Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart, but reprove thou him openly, lest thou have sin on him. (Thou shalt not hate thy brother in private, but rather, reprove thou him openly, lest thou sin because of him.)
18 Thou shalt not seek vengeance, neither thou shalt be mindful of the wrong of thy citizens (nor shalt thou remember the wrong-doings of thy fellow citizens); thou shalt love thy friend as thyself; I am the Lord.
19 Keep ye my laws (Obey ye my laws). Thou shalt not make thy beasts to engender with the beasts of another kind. Thou shalt not sow a field with diverse seed. Thou shalt not be clothed in a cloak which is woven of two things.
20 If a man sleepeth with a woman by fleshly knowing of seed, which woman is an handmaid, or bond, yea, a noble woman of kin, and nevertheless is not again-bought by price, neither rewarded with freedom, she shall be beaten [both shall be scourged], and they shall not die, for she was not free. (If a man sleepeth with a woman by fleshly knowing of seed, which woman is a slave-girl, or a bondwoman, and betrothed to another, but nevertheless not bought back with money, or rewarded with freedom, she shall be beaten/both of them shall be scourged, but they shall not die, for she was not free.)
21 Soothly the man for his trespass shall offer a ram to the Lord, at the door of the tabernacle of witnessing; (And the man shall bring a ram for a trespass offering to the Lord, to the entrance of the Tabernacle of the Witnessing;)
22 and the priest shall pray for him, and for his trespass, before the Lord; and the Lord shall be merciful to him, and the sin shall be forgiven.
23 When ye have entered into the land of promise, and have planted therein apple trees, ye shall do away the first fruits; (for three years) the apples which those trees bring forth shall be unclean to you, neither ye shall eat of them.

Leviticus 19:13-23 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO LEVITICUS 19

This chapter contains various laws, ceremonial and moral, tending to the sanctification of men, in imitation of the holy God, Le 19:1,2; as concerning the reverence of parents, and observing the sabbaths, Le 19:3; against idolatry, Le 19:4; about offering and eating of peace offerings, Le 19:5-8; concerning harvest and gleaning of fields and vineyards, Le 19:9,10; respecting the breach of several of the commandments of the law, as the eighth, ninth, and third, particularly, Le 19:11-13; and others relating to the ill usage of the deaf and blind, and having respect to persons rich or poor in judgment, and acting the part of a tale bearer among people, Le 19:14-16; and bearing hatred and ill will to any of their neighbours, Le 19:17,18; and others forbidding mixtures in the generation of cattle, sowing fields, and wearing apparel, Le 19:19; and concerning the punishment of a man that lay with a bondmaid, and the offering he should bring for his atonement, Le 19:20-22; then follow certain laws concerning fruit trees, when the fruit of them should be eaten, Le 19:23-25; and concerning eating with blood, using enchantments, and observing times, and managing the hair of the head and beard, and avoiding to make any marks, prints, and cuttings in the flesh for the dead, Le 19:26-28; a caution not to prostitute a daughter to whoredom, and to observe the sabbath, and reverence the sanctuary of God, and pay no regard to wizards and familiar spirits, Le 19:29-31; to show reverence to ancient persons, and not to vex and distress strangers, Le 19:32-34; and to do no injustice in weight and measure, Le 19:35,36; all which instructions are to be carefully observed, and put in execution, Le 19:37.

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.