Leviticus 18 Footnotes
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18:3 Homosexuality and bestiality were apparently common in Canaanite culture. Homosexuality (v. 22) is mentioned with reference to the Canaanites (Gn 19:5-11; Jdg 19) and also attested in Mesopotamia. Bestiality (Lv 18:23) is also known from Egyptian, Canaanite, and Hethite sources. In the Egyptian royal family brothers married sisters. In the laws of Hammurabi and in the Hittite law codes, some of the incestuous relationships listed in Ex 18:6-18 are prohibited.
18:21 The Molech cult involved the sacrifice of children (20:2-5; Dt 12:31; 18:10; 2Kg 23:10; Jr 32:35). Remnants of Molech sacrifices have been found in North Africa, and there is evidence to suggest that these rites originated in Phoenicia.
18:24-25 God was evicting the Canaanites from the land because of their evil practices (v. 24; 20:24). If the Israelites followed the Canaanites’ customs and practices (which they later did), the same thing would happen to them. The incident of Baal of Peor (Nm 25:1-3) illustrates the relationship between sexual immorality and idolatry.