Leviticus 20

1 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying,

2 Likewise, thou shalt say to the sons of Israel, Any man of the sons of Israel or of the strangers that sojourn in Israel that gives any of his seed unto Molech shall surely die; the people of the land shall stone him with stones.

3 And I will set my face against that man and will cut him off from among his people because he has given of his seed unto Molech, contaminating my sanctuary and defiling my holy name.

4 And if the people of the land should hide their eyes from the man, when he gives of his seed unto Molech, to not kill him,

5 then I will set my face against that man and against his family and will cut him off with all those that fornicated after him, prostituting themselves after Molech.

6 And the person that turns after spiritists or after diviners to prostitute themselves after them, I will even set my face against that person and will cut him off from among his people.

7 Sanctify yourselves, therefore, and be ye holy, for I am the LORD your God.

8 And keep my statutes and do them. I AM he who sanctifies you.

9 For any man that curses his father or his mother shall be surely put to death: he has cursed his father or his mother; his blood shall be upon him.

10 And the man that commits adultery with another man’s wife, he that commits adultery with his neighbour’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely die.

11 And the man that lies with his father’s wife has uncovered his father’s nakedness; both of them shall surely die; their blood shall be upon them.

12 And if a man lies with his daughter-in-law, both of them shall surely be put to death; they have wrought mixture; their blood shall be upon them.

13 If a man shall join himself with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.

14 And if a man takes a wife and her mother, it is wickedness; they shall be burnt with fire, both he and they; that there be no wickedness among you.

15 And if a man copulates with a beast, he shall surely be put to death, and ye shall slay the beast.

16 And if a woman approaches any animal, to join herself with it, thou shalt kill the woman and the animal; they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon themselves.

17 And if a man shall take his sister, his father’s daughter, or his mother’s daughter and see her nakedness, and she see his nakedness; it is a wicked thing; and they shall be killed in the sight of the sons of their people; he has uncovered his sister’s nakedness; he shall bear his iniquity.

18 And if a man shall lie with a woman having her menstruation and shall uncover her nakedness, he has discovered her fountain, and she has uncovered the fountain of her blood; both of them shall be cut off from among their people.

19 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy mother’s sister, nor of thy father’s sister; for he uncovers his near kin; they shall bear their iniquity.

20 And if a man shall lie with his uncle’s wife, he has uncovered his uncle’s nakedness; they shall bear their sin; they shall die childless.

21 And if a man shall take his brother’s wife, it is an unclean thing; he has uncovered his brother’s nakedness; they shall be childless.

22 Keep, therefore, all my statutes and all my rights and do them, and the land where I bring you to dwell therein will not vomit you out.

23 And ye shall not walk in the practices of the Gentiles which I shall cast out before you; for they committed all these things, and therefore I abhorred them.

24 But I have said unto you, Ye shall possess their land, and I will give it unto you in possession of inheritance, a land that flows with milk and honey. I AM your God, who have separated you from the other peoples.

25 Therefore, ye shall differentiate between clean animals and unclean and between unclean fowls and clean; and ye shall not defile your persons by animals or by fowl or by any manner of living thing that moves on the ground which I have separated from you as unclean.

26 Ye must, therefore, be holy unto me, for I the LORD am holy and have separated you from the other peoples, that ye should be mine.

27 And the man or the woman that consults with spiritists, or that is a diviner, shall surely die; they shall stone them with stones; their blood shall be upon 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.