Leviticus 20:17-27

17 He that taketh his sister, his father's daughter, or his mother's daughter, and seeth her filth(hood), and she seeth the shame of her brother, they have wrought an unleaveful thing, both shall be slain in the sight of their people; for they showed together their filth(hood), and they shall bear together their wickedness. (He who taketh to bed his sister, his father's daughter, or his mother's daughter, and seeth her nakedness, and she seeth her brother's nakedness, they both have done an unlawful thing, and they both shall be cut off in the presence of their people; for they uncovered their nakedness to each other, and so they shall bear their wickedness together.)
18 If a man doeth fleshly knowing with a woman in the flowing of blood of the month, and showeth her filth(hood), and she openeth the well of her blood, both they shall be slain from the midst of their people. (If a man doeth fleshly knowing with a woman during the flowing out of the blood of the month, and uncovereth her nakedness, and she openeth the well of her blood to him, they both shall be cut off from the midst of their people.)
19 Thou shalt not discover the filth(hood) of thy mother's sister, and of thy father's sister; he, that doeth this, shall make naked the shame of his flesh, and both they shall bear their wickedness. (Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy mother's sister, or of thy father's sister; he, who doeth this, shall make naked his own kin's flesh, and they both shall bear their wickedness.)
20 He that doeth fleshly knowing with the wife of his father's brother, either of his mother's brother, and showeth the filth(hood) of his kin, both they shall bear their sin, [and] they shall die without free children. (He who doeth fleshly knowing with the wife of his father's brother, or the wife of his mother's brother, and uncovereth the nakedness of his kin, they both shall bear their sin, and they shall die without any children.)
21 He that weddeth his brother's wife, doeth an unleaveful thing; he showed his brother's filth(hood), [and] he shall be without free children. (He who weddeth his brother's wife, doeth an unlawful thing; he uncovered her nakedness which is for his brother alone, and they shall die without any children.)
22 Keep ye my laws and my dooms, and do ye those, lest the land, into which ye shall enter and dwell in, cast out vilely also you (also vilely throw you out).
23 Do not ye go in the lawful things, that is, in worshipping and in the manner of living of them, of the nations, which I shall cast out before you, for they did all these things, and I had abomination of them. (Do not ye follow the laws, and the customs, of the nations which I shall throw out before you, for they did all these things, and I found them abominable.)
24 Forsooth I spake to you, Wield ye their land, that I shall give to you into heritage, that land flowing with milk and honey; I am your Lord God, that parted you from other peoples. (But I said to you, Take ye their land, that I shall give to you for an inheritance, that land flowing with milk and honey; I am the Lord your God, who separated you from other peoples.)
25 Therefore also ye part a clean beast from an unclean, and a clean bird from an unclean, lest ye defoul your souls in beasts, and in birds, and in all things that be moved in earth, and which things I showed to you to be defouled. (And so ye shall separate a clean beast from an unclean one, and a clean bird from an unclean one, lest ye defile your souls with beasts, and birds, and with all the things that move upon the earth, and which things I showed you to be defiled, or unclean.)
26 Ye shall be holy to me, for I the Lord am holy, and I separated you from other peoples, (so) that ye shall be mine.
27 A man either a woman, in which is an unclean spirit [of witchcraft] speaking in the womb, either a spirit of false divining, die they by death (shall be put to death); men shall oppress them with stones; their blood be on them.

Leviticus 20:17-27 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.

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