Leviticus 20:10-21

Punishments for Sexual Immorality

10 "If a ¹man commits adultery with the wife of^[a] his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.

11 ²If a man lies with his father's wife, he has uncovered his father's nakedness; both of them shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.

12 ³If a man lies with his daughter-in-law, both of them shall surely be put to death; they have committed ⁴perversion; their blood is upon them.

13 ⁵If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.

14 ⁶If a man takes a woman and her mother also, it is depravity; he and they shall be burned with fire, that there may be no depravity among you.

15 ⁷If a man lies with an animal, he shall surely be put to death, and you shall kill the animal.

16 ⁸If a woman approaches any animal and lies with it, you shall kill the woman and the animal; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.

17 ⁹"If a man takes his sister, a daughter of his father or a daughter of his mother, and sees her nakedness, and she sees his nakedness, it is a disgrace, and they shall be cut off in the sight of the children of their people. He has uncovered his sister's nakedness, and he shall bear his iniquity.

18 ¹⁰If a man lies with a woman during her menstrual period and uncovers her nakedness, he has made naked her fountain, and she has uncovered the fountain of her blood. Both of them shall be cut off from among their people.

19 ¹¹You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother's sister or of your father's sister, for that is to make naked ¹²one's relative; they shall bear their iniquity.

20 ¹³If a man lies with his uncle's wife, he has uncovered his uncle's nakedness; they shall bear their sin; they shall die childless.

21 ¹⁴If a man takes his brother's wife, it is impurity.^[b] He has uncovered his brother's nakedness; they shall be childless.

Leviticus 20:10-21 Meaning and Commentary

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.

Cross References

• 1. Leviticus 18:20; Deuteronomy 22:22; John 8:4, 5
• 2. See Leviticus 18:8
• 3. Leviticus 18:15
• 4. Leviticus 18:23
• 5. See Leviticus 18:22
• 6. Leviticus 18:17; Deuteronomy 27:23
• 7. Leviticus 18:23; Exodus 22:19; Deuteronomy 27:21
• 8. [See ver. 15 above]
• 9. Leviticus 18:9; Deuteronomy 27:22
• 10. Leviticus 18:19; [Leviticus 15:24]
• 11. Leviticus 18:12, 13
• 12. Leviticus 18:6
• 13. Leviticus 18:14
• 14. Leviticus 18:16

Footnotes

• [a]. Hebrew repeats if a man commits adultery with the wife of
• [b]. Literally menstrual impurity