Leviticus — Chapter 20
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1And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2Again, thou shalt say to the children of Israel, Whosoever
3And I will set my face against that man, and will cut him off from among his people; because he hath given of his seed unto Molech, to defile my sanctuary, and to profane my holy name.
4And if the people of the land do any ways hide their eyes from the man, when he giveth of his seed unto Molech, and kill him not:
5Then I will set my face against that man, and against his family, and will cut him off, and all that go a whoring after him, to commit whoredom with Molech, from among their people.
6And the soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people.
7Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I
8And ye shall keep my statutes, and do them: I
9For every one that curseth his father or his mother shall be surely put to death: he hath cursed his father or his mother; his blood
10And the man that committeth adultery with
11And the man that lieth with his father’s wife hath uncovered his father’s nakedness: both of them shall surely be put to death; their blood
12And if a man lie with his daughter in law, both of them shall surely be put to death: they have wrought confusion; their blood
13If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood
14And if a man take a wife and her mother, it
15And if a man lie with a beast, he shall surely be put to death: and ye shall slay the beast.
16And if a woman approach unto any beast, and lie down thereto, thou shalt kill the woman, and the beast: they shall surely be put to death; their blood
17And 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
18And if a man shall lie with a woman having her sickness, and shall uncover her nakedness; he hath discovered her fountain, and she hath uncovered the fountain of her blood: and both of them shall be cut off from among their people.
19And thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy mother’s sister, nor of thy father’s sister: for he uncovereth his near kin: they shall bear their iniquity.
20And if a man shall lie with his uncle’s wife, he hath uncovered his uncle’s nakedness: they shall bear their sin; they shall die childless.
21And if a man shall take his brother’s wife, it
22Ye shall therefore keep all my statutes, and all my judgments, and do them: that the land, whither I bring you to dwell therein, spue you not out.
23And ye shall not walk in the manners of the nation, which I cast out before you: for they committed all these things, and therefore I abhorred them.
24But I have said unto you, Ye shall inherit their land, and I will give it unto you to possess it, a land that floweth with milk and honey: I
25Ye shall therefore put difference between clean beasts and unclean, and between unclean fowls and clean: and ye shall not make your souls abominable by beast, or by fowl, or by any manner of living thing that creepeth on the ground, which I have separated from you as unclean.
26And ye shall be holy unto me: for I the LORD
27A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood
1And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
2Moreover, thou shalt say to the children of Israel, Whosoever he be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn in Israel, that giveth of his seed unto Molech; he shall surely be put to death: the people of the land shall stone him with stones.
3I also will set my face against that man, and will cut him off from among his people; because he hath given of his seed unto Molech, to defile my sanctuary, and to profane my holy name.
4And if the people at the land do at all hide their eyes from that man, when he giveth of his seed unto Molech, and put him not to death;
5then I will set my face against that man, and against his family, and will cut him off, and all that play the harlot after him, to play the harlot with Molech, from among their people.
6And the soul that turneth unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto the wizards, to play the harlot after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people.
7Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy; for I am Jehovah your God.
8And ye shall keep my statutes, and do them: I am Jehovah who sanctifieth you.
9For every one that curseth his father or his mother shall surely be put to death: he hath cursed his father or his mother; his blood shall be upon him.
10And the man that committeth adultery with another man`s wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbor`s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.
11And the man that lieth with his father`s wife hath uncovered his father`s nakedness: both of them shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.
12And if a man lie with his daughter-in-law, both of them shall surely be put to death: they have wrought confusion; their blood shall be upon them.
13And if a man lie with mankind, as with womankind, both of them have committed abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.
14And if a man take 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.
15And if a man lie with a beast, he shall surely be put to death: and ye shall slay the beast.
16And if a woman approach unto any beast, and lie down thereto, thou shalt kill the woman, and the beast: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.
17And 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 shameful thing; and they shall be cut off in the sight of the children of their people: he hath uncovered his sister`s nakedness; he shall bear his iniquity.
18And if a man shall lie with a woman having her sickness, and shall uncover her nakedness; he hath made naked her fountain, and she hath uncovered the fountain of her blood: and both of them shall be cut off from among their people.
19And thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy mother`s sister, nor of thy father`s sister; for he hath made naked his near kin: they shall bear their iniquity.
20And if a man shall lie with his uncle`s wife, he hath uncovered his uncle`s nakedness: they shall bear their sin; they shall die childless.
21And if a man shall take his brother`s wife, it is impurity: he hath uncovered his brother`s nakedness; they shall be childless.
22Ye shall therefore keep all my statutes, and all mine ordinances, and do them; that the land, whither I bring you to dwell therein, vomit you not out.
23And ye shall not walk in the customs of the nation, which I cast out before you: for they did all these things, and therefore I abhorred them.
24But I have said unto you, Ye shall inherit their land, and I will give it unto you to possess it, a land flowing with milk and honey: I am Jehovah your God, who hath separated you from the peoples.
25Ye shall therefore make a distinction between the clean beast and the unclean, and between the unclean fowl and the clean: and ye shall not make your souls abominable by beast, or by bird, or by anything wherewith the ground teemeth, which I have separated from you as unclean.
26And ye shall be holy unto me: for I, Jehovah, am holy, and have set you apart from the peoples, that ye should be mine.
27A man also or a woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones; their blood shall be upon them.
1The Lord spoke to Moses:
2“You are to say to the Israelites, ‘Any man from the Israelites (or any of the resident foreigners who live in Israel) who gives any of his children to Molech must be put to death; the people of the land must pelt him with stones.
3I myself will set my face against that man and cut him off from the midst of his people, because he has given some of his children to Molech and thereby defiled my sanctuary and profaned my holy name.
4If, however, the people of the land shut their eyes to that man when he gives some of his children to Molech so that they do not put him to death,
5I myself will set my face against that man and his clan. I will cut off from the midst of the people both him and all who follow after him in spiritual prostitution, committing prostitution by worshiping Molech.
6“‘The person who turns to the spirits of the dead and familiar spirits to commit prostitution by going after them, I will set my face against that person and cut him off from the midst of his people.
7“‘You must sanctify yourselves and be holy, because I am the Lord your God.
8You must be sure to obey my statutes. I am the Lord who sanctifies you.
9“‘If anyone curses his father or mother, he must be put to death. He has cursed his father or mother; his blood guilt is on himself.
10If a man commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife, both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death.
11If a man goes to bed with his father’s wife, he has exposed his father’s nakedness. Both of them must be put to death; their blood guilt is on themselves.
12If a man goes to bed with his daughter-in-law, both of them must be put to death. They have committed perversion; their blood guilt is on themselves.
13If a man goes to bed with a male as one goes to bed with a woman, the two of them have committed an abomination. They must be put to death; their blood guilt is on themselves.
14If a man has marital relations with both a woman and her mother, it is lewdness. Both he and they must be burned to death, so there is no lewdness in your midst.
15If a man has sexual relations with any animal, he must be put to death, and you must kill the animal.
16If a woman approaches any animal to copulate with it, you must kill the woman, and the animal must be put to death; their blood guilt is on themselves.
17“‘If a man has marital relations with his sister, whether the daughter of his father or of his mother, so that he sees her nakedness and she sees his nakedness, it is a disgrace. They must be cut off in the sight of the children of their people. He has exposed his sister’s nakedness; he will bear his punishment for iniquity.
18If a man goes to bed with a menstruating woman and uncovers her nakedness, he has laid bare her fountain of blood, and she has exposed the fountain of her blood, so both of them must be cut off from the midst of their people.
19You must not expose the nakedness of your mother’s sister or your father’s sister, for such a person has exposed his own close relative. They must bear their punishment for iniquity.
20If a man goes to bed with his aunt, he has exposed his uncle’s nakedness; they must bear responsibility for their sin, they will die childless.
21If a man has marital relations with his brother’s wife, it is indecency. He has exposed his brother’s nakedness; they will be childless.
22“‘You must be sure to obey all my statutes and regulations, so that the land to which I am about to bring you to take up residence does not vomit you out.
23You must not walk in the statutes of the nations which I am about to drive out before you, because they have done all these things and I am filled with disgust against them.
24So I have said to you: You yourselves will possess their land and I myself will give it to you for a possession, a land flowing with milk and honey. I am the Lord your God who has set you apart from the other peoples.
25Therefore you must distinguish between the clean animal and the unclean, and between the unclean bird and the clean, and you must not make yourselves detestable by means of an animal or bird or anything that creeps on the ground—creatures I have distinguished for you as unclean.
26You must be holy to me because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart from the other peoples to be mine.
27“‘A man or woman who has in them a spirit of the dead or a familiar spirit must be put to death. They must pelt them with stones; their blood guilt is on themselves.’”
1Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
2“Moreover, you shall tell the children of Israel, ‘Anyone of the children of Israel, or of the strangers who live as foreigners in Israel, who gives any of his offspring to Molech; he shall surely be put to death. The people of the land shall stone him with stones.
3I also will set my face against that person, and will cut him off from among his people because he has given of his offspring to Molech, to defile my sanctuary, and to profane my holy name.
4If the people of the land all hide their eyes from that person, when he gives of his offspring to Molech, and don’t put him to death;
5then I will set my face against that man, and against his family, and will cut him off, and all who play the prostitute after him, to play the prostitute with Molech, from among their people.
6“‘The person that turns to those who are mediums, and to the wizards, to play the prostitute 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 holy; for I am Yahweh your God.
8You shall keep my statutes, and do them. I am Yahweh who sanctifies you.
9“‘For everyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death: he has cursed his father or his mother; his blood shall be upon him.
10“‘The man who commits adultery with another man’s wife, even he who commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.
11“‘The man who lies with his father’s wife has uncovered his father’s nakedness: both of them shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.
12“‘If a man lies with his daughter-in-law, both of them shall surely be put to death: they have committed a perversion; their blood shall be upon them.
13“‘If 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 shall be upon them.
14“‘If a man takes a wife and her mother, it is wickedness: they shall be burned with fire, both he and they; that there may be no wickedness among you.
15“‘If a man lies with an animal, he shall surely be put to death; and you shall kill the animal.
16“‘If 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 shall be upon them.
17“‘If a man takes his sister, his father’s daughter, or his mother’s daughter, and sees her nakedness, and she sees his nakedness; it is a shameful thing. They shall be cut off in the sight of the children of their people. He has uncovered his sister’s nakedness. He shall bear his iniquity.
18“‘If a man lies with a woman having her monthly 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“‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother’s sister, nor of your father’s sister; for he has made his close relative naked. They shall bear their iniquity.
20If 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“‘If a man takes his brother’s wife, it is an impurity. He has uncovered his brother’s nakedness. They shall be childless.
22“‘You shall therefore keep all my statutes, and all my ordinances, and do them; that the land, where I am bringing you to dwell, may not vomit you out.
23You shall not walk in the customs of the nation, which I am casting out before you: for they did all these things, and therefore I abhorred them.
24But I have said to you, “You shall inherit their land, and I will give it to you to possess it, a land flowing with milk and honey.” I am Yahweh your God, who has separated you from the peoples.
25“‘You shall therefore make a distinction between the clean animal and the unclean, and between the unclean fowl and the clean: and you shall not make yourselves abominable by animal, or by bird, or by anything with which the ground teems, which I have separated from you as unclean for you.
26You shall be holy to me; for I, Yahweh, am holy, and have set you apart from the peoples, that you should be mine.
27“‘A man or a woman that is a medium, or is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones. Their blood shall be upon them.’”
Summary
God prescribes penalties for idolatry, occult practices, and sexual sins — holiness has consequences, and God separates His people from wickedness.
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
- No specific geographic locations are referenced in this chapter.
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik notes the relationship between chapters 18 and 20 (prohibition and penalty) and emphasizes that the severity of penalties reflects God's view of these sins, not human cruelty. He highlights v.26 as the key: separation is for the purpose of BELONGING — "that ye should be mine."
- Charles Spurgeon: Sermon: "A Peculiar People" "God says: I have SEVERED you from other people, that ye should be MINE. There is the whole of it — separation FOR possession. God does not separate His people merely to make them different; He separates them to make them HIS. You are not merely called out of the world; you are called INTO God's own family. The holiness He demands is not cold isolation but warm belonging. 'That ye should be mine' — this is the sweetest word in all of Leviticus. You are His peculiar treasure, His special possession, His beloved people. And because you are His, you must be holy — for He is holy. A king's child bears the king's character."
Reflection
- 1. "Sanctify yourselves... I am the LORD which sanctify you" (vv.7-8). Both are true simultaneously. YOU must sanctify yourself (human responsibility). GOD sanctifies you (divine enablement). Holiness is not passive — you must pursue it. But it is not merely human effort — God empowers it. Work out your salvation, for God works in you (Philippians 2:12-13).
- 2. "If the people of the land do any ways hide their eyes" (v.4). God holds the community responsible for tolerating evil. Looking away is not neutrality — it is complicity. When you see sin and say nothing, do nothing, you share in the guilt. Are you "hiding your eyes" from evil in your family, church, or community?
- 3. "They committed all these things, and therefore I abhorred them" (v.23). The Canaanites were not expelled for their ethnicity but for their behavior. God's judgment is moral, not racial. And the same standard applies to Israel — and to any nation. No people group is exempt from moral accountability before God.
- 4. "I the LORD am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine" (v.26). The purpose of holiness is BELONGING. You are set apart not for isolation but for intimacy with God. "That ye should be mine" — this is the sweetest motivation for holiness. You are His treasured possession. Live like it.
- 5. "Such were some of you: but ye are washed" (1 Corinthians 6:11). The penalties in this chapter are severe — but the gospel offers cleansing even from these sins. No one is beyond redemption. The blood of Christ is sufficient for every sin listed here. The question is not "how bad is my sin?" but "how great is His grace?"