Leviticus 19:15-25

15 '¹You shall do no injustice in judgment; you shall not be partial * to the poor nor defer * to the great, but you are to judge your neighbor fairly.

16 'You shall not go about as ²a slanderer among your people, and you are not to act against the ³life of your neighbor; I am the LORD.

17 'You ⁴shall not hate your fellow countryman in your heart; you ⁵may surely reprove your neighbor, but shall not incur sin because of him.

18 '⁶You shall not take vengeance, ⁷nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but ⁸you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD.

19 'You are to keep My statutes. You shall not breed together two kinds of your cattle; ⁹you shall not sow your field with two kinds of seed, nor wear a garment upon you of two kinds of material mixed together.

20 '¹⁰Now if a man lies carnally * with a woman who is a slave acquired for another man, but who has in no way been redeemed nor given her freedom, there shall be punishment; they shall not, however, be put to death, because she was not free.

21 'He shall bring his guilt offering to the LORD to the doorway of the tent of meeting, ¹¹a ram for a guilt offering.

22 'The priest shall also make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering before the LORD for his sin which he has committed, and the sin which he has committed will be forgiven him.

23 'When you enter the land and plant all kinds of trees for food, then you shall count their fruit as forbidden. Three years it shall be forbidden to you; it shall not be eaten.

24 'But in the fourth year all its fruit shall be holy, an offering of praise to the LORD.

25 'In the fifth year you are to eat of its fruit, that its yield may increase for you; I am the LORD your God.

Leviticus 19:15-25 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.

Cross References

• 1. Exodus 23:3, 6; Deuteronomy 1:17; Deuteronomy 10:17; Deuteronomy 16:19
• 2. Psalms 15:3; Jeremiah 6:28; Jeremiah 9:4; Ezekiel 22:9
• 3. Exodus 23:7; Deuteronomy 27:25
• 4. 1 John 2:9, 11; 1 John 3:15
• 5. Matthew 18:15; Luke 17:3
• 6. Deuteronomy 32:35; Romans 12:19; Hebrews 10:30
• 7. Psalms 103:9
• 8. Matthew 19:19; Mark 12:31; Luke 10:27; Romans 13:9; Galatians 5:14; James 2:8
• 9. Deuteronomy 22:9, 11
• 10. Deuteronomy 22:23-27
• 11. Leviticus 6:1-7

Footnotes

• [a] Lit "stand"
• [b] Lit "blood"
• [c] Lit "brother"
• [d] Lit "uncircumcised"
• [e] Lit "uncircumcised"