1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, I am the LORD your God.
3 After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do: neither shall ye walk in their ordinances.
4 Ye shall do my judgments, and keep mine ordinances, to walk therein: I am the LORD your God.
5 Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am the LORD.
6 None of you shall approach to any that is near of kin to him, to uncover their nakedness: I am the LORD.
7 The nakedness of thy father, or the nakedness of thy mother, shalt thou not uncover: she is thy mother; thou shalt not uncover her nakedness.
8 The nakedness of thy father's wife shalt thou not uncover: it is thy father's nakedness.
9 The nakedness of thy sister, the daughter of thy father, or daughter of thy mother, whether she be born at home, or born abroad, even their nakedness thou shalt not uncover.
10 The nakedness of thy son's daughter, or of thy daughter's daughter, even their nakedness thou shalt not uncover: for theirs is thine own nakedness.
11 The nakedness of thy father's wife's daughter, begotten of thy father, she is thy sister, thou shalt not uncover her nakedness.
12 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father's sister: she is thy father's near kinswoman.
13 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy mother's sister: for she is thy mother's near kinswoman.
14 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father's brother, thou shalt not approach to his wife: she is thine aunt.
15 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy daughter in law: she is thy son's wife; thou shalt not uncover her nakedness.
16 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy brother's wife: it is thy brother's nakedness.
17 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of a woman and her daughter, neither shalt thou take her son's daughter, or her daughter's daughter, to uncover her nakedness; for they are her near kinswomen: it is wickedness.
18 Neither shalt thou take a wife to her sister, to vex her, to uncover her nakedness, beside the other in her life time.
19 Also thou shalt not approach unto a woman to uncover her nakedness, as long as she is put apart for her uncleanness.
20 Moreover thou shalt not lie carnally with thy neighbor's wife, to defile thyself with her.
21 And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD.
22 Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.
23 Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto: it is confusion.
24 Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you:
25 And the land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants.
26 Ye shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations; neither any of your own nation, nor any stranger that sojourneth among you:
27 (For all these abominations have the men of the land done, which were before you, and the land is defiled;)
28 That the land spue not you out also, when ye defile it, as it spued out the nations that were before you.
29 For whosoever shall commit any of these abominations, even the souls that commit them shall be cut off from among their people.
30 Therefore shall ye keep mine ordinance, that ye commit not any one of these abominable customs, which were committed before you, and that ye defile not yourselves therein: I am the LORD your God.
1 And the LORD H3068 spake H1696 unto Moses, H4872 saying, H559
2 Speak H1696 unto the children H1121 of Israel, H3478 and say H559 unto them, I am the LORD H3068 your God. H430
3 After the doings H4639 of the land H776 of Egypt, H4714 wherein ye dwelt, H3427 shall ye not do: H6213 and after the doings H4639 of the land H776 of Canaan, H3667 whither I bring H935 you, shall ye not do: H6213 neither shall ye walk H3212 in their ordinances. H2708
4 Ye shall do H6213 my judgments, H4941 and keep H8104 mine ordinances, H2708 to walk H3212 therein: I am the LORD H3068 your God. H430
5 Ye shall therefore keep H8104 my statutes, H2708 and my judgments: H4941 which H834 if a man H120 do, H6213 he shall live H2425 in them: I am the LORD. H3068
6 None of you shall approach H7126 to any H376 that is near H7607 of kin H1320 to him, to uncover H1540 their nakedness: H6172 I am the LORD. H3068
7 The nakedness H6172 of thy father, H1 or the nakedness H6172 of thy mother, H517 shalt thou not uncover: H1540 she is thy mother; H517 thou shalt not uncover H1540 her nakedness. H6172
8 The nakedness H6172 of thy father's H1 wife H802 shalt thou not uncover: H1540 it is thy father's H1 nakedness. H6172
9 The nakedness H6172 of thy sister, H269 the daughter H1323 of thy father, H1 or daughter H1323 of thy mother, H517 whether she be born H4138 at home, H1004 or born H4138 abroad, H2351 even their nakedness H6172 thou shalt not uncover. H1540
10 The nakedness H6172 of thy son's H1121 daughter, H1323 or of thy daughter's H1323 daughter, H1323 even their nakedness H6172 thou shalt not uncover: H1540 for theirs H2007 is thine own nakedness. H6172
11 The nakedness H6172 of thy father's H1 wife's H802 daughter, H1323 begotten H4138 of thy father, H1 she is thy sister, H269 thou shalt not uncover H1540 her nakedness. H6172
12 Thou shalt not uncover H1540 the nakedness H6172 of thy father's H1 sister: H269 she is thy father's H1 near kinswoman. H7607
13 Thou shalt not uncover H1540 the nakedness H6172 of thy mother's H517 sister: H269 for she is thy mother's H517 near kinswoman. H7607
14 Thou shalt not uncover H1540 the nakedness H6172 of thy father's H1 brother, H251 thou shalt not approach H7126 to his wife: H802 she is thine aunt. H1733
15 Thou shalt not uncover H1540 the nakedness H6172 of thy daughter in law: H3618 she is thy son's H1121 wife; H802 thou shalt not uncover H1540 her nakedness. H6172
16 Thou shalt not uncover H1540 the nakedness H6172 of thy brother's H251 wife: H802 it is thy brother's H251 nakedness. H6172
17 Thou shalt not uncover H1540 the nakedness H6172 of a woman H802 and her daughter, H1323 neither shalt thou take H3947 her son's H1121 daughter, H1323 or her daughter's H1323 daughter, H1323 to uncover H1540 her nakedness; H6172 for they are her near kinswomen: H7608 it is wickedness. H2154
18 Neither shalt thou take H3947 a wife H802 to her sister, H269 to vex H6887 her, to uncover H1540 her nakedness, H6172 beside the other in her life H2416 time.
19 Also thou shalt not approach H7126 unto a woman H802 to uncover H1540 her nakedness, H6172 as long as she is put apart H5079 for her uncleanness. H2932
20 Moreover thou shalt not H5414 lie H7903 carnally H2233 with thy neighbour's H5997 wife, H802 to defile H2930 thyself with her.
21 And thou shalt not H5414 let any of thy seed H2233 pass H5674 through the fire to Molech, H4432 neither shalt thou profane H2490 the name H8034 of thy God: H430 I am the LORD. H3068
22 Thou shalt not lie H7901 with mankind, H2145 as with H4904 womankind: H802 it is abomination. H8441
23 Neither shalt thou H5414 lie H7903 with any beast H929 to defile H2930 thyself therewith: neither shall any woman H802 stand H5975 before H6440 a beast H929 to lie down H7250 thereto: it is confusion. H8397
24 Defile H2930 not ye yourselves in any of these things: H428 for in all these the nations H1471 are defiled H2930 which I cast out H7971 before H6440 you:
25 And the land H776 is defiled: H2930 therefore I do visit H6485 the iniquity H5771 thereof upon it, and the land H776 itself vomiteth out H6958 her inhabitants. H3427
26 Ye shall therefore keep H8104 my statutes H2708 and my judgments, H4941 and shall not commit H6213 any of these abominations; H8441 neither any of your own nation, H249 nor any stranger H1616 that sojourneth H1481 among H8432 you:
27 (For all these H411 abominations H8441 have the men H582 of the land H776 done, H6213 which were before H6440 you, and the land H776 is defiled;) H2930
28 That the land H776 spue not you out H6958 also, when ye defile H2930 it, as it spued out H6958 the nations H1471 that were before H6440 you.
29 For whosoever shall commit H6213 any of these abominations, H8441 even the souls H5315 that commit H6213 them shall be cut off H3772 from among H7130 their people. H5971
30 Therefore shall ye keep H8104 mine ordinance, H4931 that ye commit H6213 not any one of these abominable H8441 customs, H2708 which were committed H6213 before H6440 you, and that ye defile H2930 not yourselves therein: I am the LORD H3068 your God. H430
1 And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, I am Jehovah your God.
3 After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do; neither shall ye walk in their statutes.
4 Mine ordinances shall ye do, and my statutes shall ye keep, to walk therein: I am Jehovah your God.
5 Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and mine ordinances; which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am Jehovah.
6 None of you shall approach to any that are near of kin to him, to uncover `their' nakedness: I am Jehovah.
7 The nakedness of thy father, even the nakedness of thy mother, shalt thou not uncover: she is thy mother; thou shalt not uncover her nakedness.
8 The nakedness of thy father's wife shalt thou not uncover: it is thy father's nakedness.
9 The nakedness of thy sister, the daughter of thy father, or the daughter of thy mother, whether born at home, or born abroad, even their nakedness thou shalt not uncover.
10 The nakedness of thy son's daughter, or of thy daughter's daughter, even their nakedness thou shalt not uncover: for theirs is thine own nakedness.
11 The nakedness of thy father's wife's daughter, begotten of thy father, she is thy sister, thou shalt not uncover her nakedness.
12 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father's sister: she is thy father's near kinswoman.
13 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy mother's sister: for she is thy mother's near kinswoman.
14 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father's brother, thou shalt not approach to his wife: she is thine aunt.
15 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy daughter-in-law: she is thy son's wife; thou shalt not uncover her nakedness.
16 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy brother's wife: it is thy brother's nakedness.
17 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of a woman and her daughter; thou shalt not take her son's daughter, or her daughter's daughter, to uncover her nakedness; they are near kinswomen: it is wickedness.
18 And thou shalt not take a wife to her sister, to be a rival `to her', to uncover her nakedness, besides the other in her life-time.
19 And thou shalt not approach unto a woman to uncover her nakedness, as long as she is impure by her uncleanness.
20 And thou shalt not lie carnally with thy neighbor's wife, to defile thyself with her.
21 And thou shalt not give any of thy seed to make them pass through `the fire' to Molech; neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am Jehovah.
22 Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.
23 And thou shalt not lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith; neither shall any woman stand before a beast, to lie down thereto: it is confusion.
24 Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out from before you;
25 And the land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land vomiteth out her inhabitants.
26 Ye therefore shall keep my statutes and mine ordinances, and shall not do any of these abominations; neither the home-born, nor the stranger that sojourneth among you;
27 (for all these abominations have the men of the land done, that were before you, and the land is defiled);
28 that the land vomit not you out also, when ye defile it, as it vomited out the nation that was before you.
29 For whosoever shall do any of these abominations, even the souls that do them shall be cut off from among their people.
30 Therefore shall ye keep my charge, that ye practise not any of these abominable customs, which were practised before you, and that ye defile not yourselves therein: I am Jehovah your God.
1 And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying,
2 `Speak unto the sons of Israel, and thou hast said unto them, I `am' Jehovah your God;
3 according to the work of the land of Egypt in which ye have dwelt ye do not, and according to the work of the land of Canaan whither I am bringing you in, ye do not, and in their statutes ye walk not.
4 `My judgments ye do, and My statutes ye keep, to walk in them; I `am' Jehovah your God;
5 and ye have kept My statutes and My judgments which man doth and liveth in them; I `am' Jehovah.
6 `None of you unto any relation of his flesh doth draw near to uncover nakedness; I `am' Jehovah.
7 `The nakedness of thy father and the nakedness of thy mother thou dost not uncover, she `is' thy mother; thou dost not uncover her nakedness.
8 `The nakedness of the wife of thy father thou dost not uncover; it `is' the nakedness of thy father.
9 `The nakedness of thy sister, daughter of thy father, or daughter of thy mother, born at home or born without; thou dost not uncover their nakedness.
10 `The nakedness of thy son's daughter, or of thy daughter's daughter: thou dost not uncover their nakedness; for theirs `is' thy nakedness.
11 `The nakedness of a daughter of thy father's wife, begotten of thy father, she `is' thy sister; thou dost not uncover her nakedness.
12 `The nakedness of a sister of thy father thou dost not uncover; she `is' a relation of thy father.
13 `The nakedness of thy mother's sister thou dost not uncover; for she `is' thy mother's relation.
14 `The nakedness of thy father's brother thou dost not uncover; unto his wife thou dost not draw near; she `is' thine aunt.
15 `The nakedness of thy daughter-in-law thou dost not uncover; she `is' thy son's wife; thou dost not uncover her nakedness.
16 `The nakedness of thy brother's wife thou dost not uncover; it `is' thy brother's nakedness.
17 `The nakedness of a woman and her daughter thou dost not uncover; her son's daughter, and her daughter's daughter thou dost not take to uncover her nakedness; they `are' her relations; it `is' wickedness.
18 `And a woman unto another thou dost not take, to be an adversary, to uncover her nakedness beside her, in her life.
19 `And unto a woman in the separation of her uncleanness thou dost not draw near to uncover her nakedness.
20 `And unto the wife of thy fellow thou dost not give thy seed of copulation, for uncleanness with her.
21 `And of thy seed thou dost not give to pass over to the Molech; nor dost thou pollute the name of thy God; I `am' Jehovah.
22 `And with a male thou dost not lie as one lieth with a woman; abomination it `is'.
23 `And with any beast thou dost not give thy copulation, for uncleanness with it; and a woman doth not stand before a beast to lie down with it; confusion it `is'.
24 `Ye are not defiled with all these, for with all these have the nations been defiled which I am sending away from before you;
25 and the land is defiled, and I charge its iniquity upon it, and the land vomiteth out its inhabitants:
26 and ye -- ye have kept My statutes and My judgments, and do not `any' of all these abominations, the native and the sojourner who is sojourning in your midst,
27 (for all these abominations have the men of the land done who `are' before you, and the land is defiled),
28 and the land doth not vomit you out in your defiling it, as it hath vomited out the nation which `is' before you;
29 for any one who doth `any' of all these abominations -- even the persons who are doing `so', have been cut off from the midst of their people;
30 and ye have kept My charge, so as not to do `any' of the abominable statutes which have been done before you, and ye do not defile yourselves with them; I `am' Jehovah your God.'
1 And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,
2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, I am Jehovah your God.
3 After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do; and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do; neither shall ye walk in their customs.
4 Mine ordinances shall ye do and my statutes shall ye observe to walk therein: I am Jehovah your God.
5 And ye shall observe my statutes and my judgments, by which the man that doeth them shall live: I am Jehovah.
6 No one shall approach to any that is his near relation, to uncover his nakedness: I am Jehovah.
7 The nakedness of thy father, and the nakedness of thy mother, shalt thou not uncover: she is thy mother: thou shalt not uncover her nakedness.
8 The nakedness of thy father's wife shalt thou not uncover: it is thy father's nakedness.
9 The nakedness of thy sister, the daughter of thy father, or daughter of thy mother, born at home, or born abroad -- their nakedness shalt thou not uncover.
10 The nakedness of thy son's daughter, or of thy daughter's daughter -- their nakedness shalt thou not uncover; for theirs is thy nakedness.
11 The nakedness of thy father's wife's daughter, begotten of thy father: she is thy sister: thou shalt not uncover her nakedness.
12 The nakedness of thy father's sister shalt thou not uncover: she is thy father's near relation.
13 The nakedness of thy mother's sister shalt thou not uncover; for she is thy mother's near relation.
14 The nakedness of thy father's brother shalt thou not uncover; thou shalt not approach his wife: she is thine aunt.
15 The nakedness of thy daughter-in-law shalt thou not uncover: she is thy son's wife; thou shalt not uncover her nakedness.
16 The nakedness of thy brother's wife shalt thou not uncover: it is thy brother's nakedness.
17 The nakedness of a woman and her daughter shalt thou not uncover; thou shalt not take her son's daughter, nor her daughter's daughter, to uncover her nakedness: they are her near relations: it is wickedness.
18 And thou shalt not take a wife to her sister, to vex her, to uncover her nakedness beside her, during her life.
19 And thou shalt not approach a woman in the separation of her uncleanness to uncover her nakedness.
20 And thou shalt not lie carnally with thy neighbour's wife, to become unclean with her.
21 And thou shalt not give of thy seed to let them pass through [the fire] to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am Jehovah.
22 And thou shalt not lie with mankind as one lieth with a woman: it is an abomination.
23 And thou shalt lie with no beast to become unclean therewith; and a woman shall not stand before a beast to lie down with it: it is confusion.
24 Make not yourselves unclean in any of these things; for in all these have the nations which I am casting out before you made themselves unclean.
25 And the land hath become unclean; and I visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land vomiteth out its inhabitants.
26 But *ye* shall observe my statutes and my judgments, and shall not commit any of all these abominations: the home-born, and the stranger that sojourneth among you;
27 (for all these abominations have the men of the land done, who were before you, and the land hath been made unclean);
28 that the land vomit you not out, when ye make it unclean, as it vomited out the nation that was before you.
29 For whoever committeth any of these abominations, ... the souls that commit them shall be cut off from among their people.
30 And ye shall observe my charge, that ye commit not [any] of the abominable customs which were committed before you; and ye shall not make yourselves unclean therein: I am Jehovah your God.
1 Yahweh said to Moses,
2 "Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, 'I am Yahweh your God.
3 You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you lived: and you shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you; neither shall you walk in their statutes.
4 You shall do my ordinances, and you shall keep my statutes, and walk in them: I am Yahweh your God.
5 You shall therefore keep my statutes and my ordinances; which if a man does, he shall live in them: I am Yahweh.
6 "'None of you shall approach anyone who are his close relatives, to uncover their nakedness: I am Yahweh.
7 "'You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father, nor the nakedness of your mother: she is your mother. You shall not uncover her nakedness.
8 "'You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's wife: it is your father's nakedness.
9 "'You shall not uncover the nakedness of your sister, the daughter of your father, or the daughter of your mother, whether born at home, or born abroad.
10 "'You shall not uncover the nakedness of your son's daughter, or of your daughter's daughter, even their nakedness: for theirs is your own nakedness.
11 "'You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's wife's daughter, conceived by your father, since she is your sister. "'
12 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's sister: she is your father's near kinswoman.
13 "'You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother's sister: for she is your mother's near kinswoman.
14 "'You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's brother, you shall not approach his wife: she is your aunt.
15 "'You shall not uncover the nakedness of your daughter-in-law: she is your son's wife. You shall not uncover her nakedness.
16 "'You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother's wife: it is your brother's nakedness.
17 "'You shall not uncover the nakedness of a woman and her daughter. You shall not take her son's daughter, or her daughter's daughter, to uncover her nakedness; they are near kinswomen: it is wickedness.
18 "'You shall not take a wife to her sister, to be a rival, to uncover her nakedness, while her sister is yet alive.
19 "'You shall not approach a woman to uncover her nakedness, as long as she is impure by her uncleanness.
20 "'You shall not lie carnally with your neighbor's wife, and defile yourself with her.
21 "'You shall not give any of your children to sacrifice to Molech; neither shall you profane the name of your God: I am Yahweh.
22 "'You shall not lie with a man, as with a woman. That is detestible.
23 "'You shall not lie with any animal to defile yourself with it; neither shall any woman give herself to an animal, to lie down with it: it is a perversion.
24 "'Don't defile yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations which I am casting out before you were defiled.
25 The land was defiled: therefore I punished its iniquity, and the land vomitted out her inhabitants.
26 You therefore shall keep my statutes and my ordinances, and shall not do any of these abominations; neither the native-born, nor the stranger who lives as a foreigner among you;
27 (for all these abominations have the men of the land done, that were before you, and the land became defiled);
28 that the land not vomit you out also, when you defile it, as it vomited out the nation that was before you.
29 "'For whoever shall do any of these abominations, even the souls that do them shall be cut off from among their people.
30 Therefore you shall keep my charge, that you do not practice any of these abominable customs, which were practiced before you, and that you do not defile yourselves with them: I am Yahweh your God.'"
1 And the Lord said to Moses,
2 Say to the children of Israel, I am the Lord your God.
3 You may not do those things which were done in the land of Egypt where you were living; and you may not do those things which are done in the land of Canaan where I am taking you, or be guided in your behaviour by their rules.
4 But you are to be guided by my decisions and keep my rules, and be guided by them: I am the Lord your God.
5 So keep my rules and my decisions, which, if a man does them, will be life to him: I am the Lord.
6 You may not have sex connection with anyone who is a near relation: I am the Lord.
7 You may not have sex relations with your father or your mother: she is your mother, you may not take her.
8 And you may not have sex relations with your father's wife: she is your father's.
9 You may not take your sister, the daughter of your father or of your mother, wherever her birth took place, among you or in another country.
10 You may not have sex relations with your son's daughter or your daughter's daughter, for they are part of yourself;
11 Or your father's wife's daughter, the child of your father, for she is your sister.
12 You may not have sex connection with your father's sister, for she is your father's near relation.
13 You may not have sex connection with your mother's sister, for she is your mother's near relation.
14 You may not have sex relations with the wife of your father's brother, for she is of your family;
15 Or with your daughter-in-law, for she is your son's wife, and you may not take her.
16 You may not have sex relations with your brother's wife, for she is your brother's.
17 You may not take as wife a woman and her daughter, or her son's daughter or her daughter's daughter, for they are of one family: it is an act of shame.
18 And you may not take as wife a woman and at the same time her sister, to be in competition with her in her life-time.
19 And you may not go near a woman or have sex relations with her when she is unclean, at her regular time.
20 And you may not have sex relations with your neighbour's wife, making yourself unclean with her.
21 And you may not make any of your children go through the fire as an offering to Molech, and you may not put shame on the name of your God: I am the Lord.
22 You may not have sex relations with men, as you do with women: it is a disgusting thing.
23 And you may not have sex relations with a beast, making yourself unclean with it; and a woman may not give herself to a beast: it is an unnatural act.
24 Do not make yourself unclean in any of these ways; for so have those nations whom I am driving out from before you made themselves unclean:
25 And the land itself has become unclean; so that I have sent on it the reward of its wrongdoing, and the land itself puts out those who are living in it.
26 So then keep my rules and my decisions, and do not do any of these disgusting things, those of you who are Israelites by birth, or any others who are living with you:
27 (For all these disgusting things were done by the men of this country who were there before you, and the land has been made unclean by them;)
28 So that the land may not put you out from it, when you make it unclean, as it put out the nations which were there before you.
29 For all those who do any of these disgusting things will be cut off from among their people.
30 So then, keep my orders, so that you may not do any of these disgusting things which were done before you, or make yourselves unclean through them: I am the Lord your God.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Keil & Delitzsch Commentary » Commentary on Leviticus 18
Commentary on Leviticus 18 Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
Holiness of the Marriage Relation. - The prohibition of incest and similar sensual abominations is introduced with a general warning as to the licentious customs of the Egyptians and Canaanites, and an exhortation to walk in the judgments and ordinances of Jehovah (Leviticus 18:2-5), and is brought to a close with a threatening allusion to the consequences of all such defilements (Leviticus 18:24-30).
Leviticus 18:1-4
By the words, “I am Jehovah your God,” which are placed at the head and repeated at the close (Leviticus 18:30), the observance of the command is enforced upon the people as a covenant obligation, and urged upon them most strongly by the promise, that through the observance of the ordinances and judgments of Jehovah they should live (Leviticus 18:5).
Leviticus 18:5
“ The man who does them (the ordinances of Jehovah) shall live (gain true life) through them ” (see at Exodus 1:16 and Genesis 3:22).
The laws against incest are introduced in Leviticus 18:6 with the general prohibition, descriptive of the nature of this sin, “None of you shall approach בּשׂרו אל־כּל־שׁאר to any flesh of his flesh, to uncover nakedness.” The difference between שׁאר flesh, and בּשׂר flesh, is involved in obscurity, as both words are used in connection with edible flesh (see the Lexicons). “Flesh of his flesh” is a flesh that is of his own flesh, belongs to the same flesh as himself (Genesis 2:24), and is applied to a blood-relation, blood-relationship being called שׁארה (or flesh-kindred) in Hebrew (Leviticus 18:17). Sexual intercourse is called uncovering the nakedness of another (Ezekiel 16:36; Ezekiel 23:18). The prohibition relates to both married and unmarried intercourse, though the reference is chiefly to the former (see Leviticus 18:18; Leviticus 20:14, Leviticus 20:17, Leviticus 20:21). Intercourse is forbidden (1) with a mother, (2) with a step-mother, (3) with a sister or half-sister, (4) with a granddaughter, the daughter of either son or daughter, (5) with the daughter of a step-mother, (6) with an aunt, the sister of either father or mother, (7) with the wife of an uncle on the father's side, (8) with a daughter-in-law, (9) with a sister-in-law, or brother's wife, (10) with a woman and her daughter, or a woman and her granddaughter, and (11) with two sisters at the same time. No special reference is made to sexual intercourse with ( a ) a daughter, ( b ) a full sister, ( c ) a mother-in-law; the last, however, which is mentioned in Deuteronomy 27:23 as an accursed crime, is included here in No. 10, and the second in No. 3, whilst the first, like parricide in Exodus 21:15, is not expressly noticed, simply because the crime was regarded as one that never could occur. Those mentioned under Nos. 1, 2, 3, 8, and 10 were to be followed by the death or extermination of the criminals (Leviticus 20:11-12, Leviticus 20:14, Leviticus 20:17), on account of their being accursed crimes (Deuteronomy 23:1; Deuteronomy 27:20, Deuteronomy 27:22-23). On the other hand, the only threat held out in the case of the connection mentioned under Nos. 6, 7, and 9, was that those who committed such crimes should bear their iniquity, or die childless (Leviticus 20:19-21). The cases noticed under Nos. 4 and 5 are passed over in ch. 20, though they no doubt belonged to the crimes which were to be punished with death, and No. 11, for which no punishment was fixed, because the wrong had been already pointed out in Leviticus 18:18.
(Note: The marriage laws and customs were much more lax among the Gentiles. With the Egyptians it was lawful to marry sisters and half-sisters ( Diod. Sic. i. 27), and the licentiousness of the women was very great among them (see at Genesis 39:6.). With the Persians marriage was allowed with mother, daughter, and sister ( Clem. Al. strom. iii. p. 431; Eusebii praep. ev. vi. 10); and this is also said to have been the case with the Medians, Indians, and Ethiopians, as well as with the Assyrians ( Jerome adv. Jovin . ii. 7; Lucian, Sacriff . 5); whereas the Greeks and Romans abhorred such marriages, and the Athenians and Spartans only permitted marriages with half-sisters (cf. Selden de jure nat. et gent . v. 11, pp. 619ff.). The ancient Arabs, before the time of Mohammed, were very strict in this respect, and would not allow of marriage with a mother, daughter, or aunt on either the father's or mother's side, or with two sisters at the same time. The only cases on record of marriage between brothers and sisters are among the Arabs of Marbat ( Seetzen, Zach's Mon. Corresp. Oct. 1809). This custom Mohammed raised into a law, and extended it to nieces, nurses, foster-sisters, etc. ( Koran, Sure iv. 20ff.).)
Elaborate commentaries upon this chapter are to be found in Michaelis Abhandl. über die Ehegesetze Mosis, and his Mos. Recht; also in Saalschütz Mos. Recth. See also my Archäologie ii. p. 108. For the rabbinical laws and those of the Talmud, see Selden oxur ebr. lib. 1, c. 1ff., and Saalschütz ut sup .
The enumeration of the different cases commences in Leviticus 18:7 very appropriately with the prohibition of incest with a mother. Sexual connection with a mother is called “uncovering the nakedness of father and mother.” As husband and wife are one flesh (Genesis 2:24), the nakedness of the husband is uncovered in that of his wife, or, as it is described in Deuteronomy 22:30; Deuteronomy 27:20, the wing, i.e., the edge, of the bedclothes of the father's bed, as the husband spreads his bedclothes over his wife as well as himself (Ruth 3:9). For, strictly speaking, ערוה גּלּה is only used with reference to the wife; but in the dishonouring of his wife the honour of the husband is violated also, and his bed defiled, Genesis 49:4. It is wrong, therefore, to interpret the verse, as Jonathan and Clericus do, as relating to carnal intercourse between a daughter and father. Not only is this at variance with the circumstance that all these laws are intended for the man alone, and addressed expressly to him, but also with Leviticus 18:8, where the nakedness of the father's wife is distinctly called the father's shame.
Intercourse with a father's wife, i.e., with a step-mother, is forbidden as uncovering the father's nakedness; since a father's wife stood in blood-relationship only to the son whose mother she was. But for the father's sake her nakedness was to be inaccessible to the son, and uncovering it was to be punished with death as incest (Leviticus 20:11; Deuteronomy 27:20). By the “father's wife” we are probably to understand not merely his full lawful wife, but his concubine also, since the father's bed was defiled in the latter case no less than in the former (Genesis 49:4), and an accursed crime was committed, the punishment of which was death. At all events, it cannot be inferred from Leviticus 19:20-22 and Exodus 21:9, as Knobel supposes, that a milder punishment was inflicted in this case.
By the sister, the daughter of father or mother, we are to understand only the step-or half-sister, who had either the same father or the same mother as the brother had. The clause, “ whether born at home or born abroad, ” does not refer to legitimate or illegitimate birth, but is to be taken as a more precise definition of the words, daughter of thy father or of thy mother, and understood, as Lud. de Dieu supposes, as referring to the half-sister “of the first marriage, whether the father's daughter left by a deceased wife, or the mother's daughter left by a deceased husband,” so that the person marrying her would be a son by a second marriage. Sexual intercourse with a half-sister is described as חסד in Leviticus 20:17, and threatened with extermination. This word generally signifies sparing love, favour, grace; but here, as in Proverbs 14:34, it means dishonour, shame, from the Piel חסּד , to dishonour.
The prohibition of marriage with a granddaughter, whether the daughter of a son or daughter, is explained in the words, “for they are thy nakedness,” the meaning of which is, that as they were directly descended from the grandfather, carnal intercourse with them would be equivalent to dishonouring his own flesh and blood.
“ The daughter of thy father's wife (i.e., thy step-mother), born to thy father, ” is the half-sister by a second marriage; and the prohibition refers to the son by a first marriage, whereas Leviticus 18:9 treats of the son by a second marriage. The notion that the man's own mother is also included, and that the prohibition includes marriage with a full sister, is at variance with the usage of the expression “thy father's wife.”
Marriage or conjugal intercourse with the sister of either father or mother (i.e., with either the paternal or maternal aunt) was prohibited, because she was the blood-relation of the father or mother. שׁאר = בּשׂר שׁאר (Leviticus 18:6, as in Leviticus 20:19; Leviticus 21:2; Numbers 27:11), hence שׁארה , blood-relationship (Leviticus 18:17).
So, again, with the wife of the father's brother, because the nakedness of the uncle was thereby uncovered. The threat held out in Leviticus 20:19 and Leviticus 20:20 against the alliances prohibited in Leviticus 18:12-14, is that the persons concerned should bear their iniquity or sin, i.e., should suffer punishment in consequence (see at Leviticus 5:1); and in the last case it is stated that they should die childless. From this it is obvious that sexual connection with the sister of either father or mother was not to be punished with death by the magistrate, but would be punished with disease by God Himself.
Sexual connection with a daughter-in-law, a son's wife, is called תּבל in Leviticus 20:12, and threatened with death to both the parties concerned. תּבל , from בּלל to mix, to confuse, signifies a sinful mixing up or confusing of the divine ordinances by unnatural unchastity, like the lying of a woman with a beast, which is the only other connection in which the word occurs (Leviticus 18:23).
Marriage with a brother's wife was a sin against the brother's nakedness, a sexual defilement, which God would punish with barrenness. This prohibition, however, only refers to cases in which the deceased brother had left children; for if he had died childless, the brother not only might, but was required to marry his sister-in-law (Deuteronomy 25:5).
Marriage with a woman and her daughter, whether both together or in succession, is described in Deuteronomy 27:20 as an accursed lying with the mother-in-law; whereas here it is the relation to the step-daughter which is primarily referred to, as we may see from the parallel prohibition, which is added, against taking the daughter of her son or daughter, i.e., the granddaughter-in-law. Both of these were crimes against blood-relationship which were to be punished with death in the case of both parties (Leviticus 20:14), because they were “wickedness,” זמּה , lit., invention, design, here applied to the crime of licentiousness and whoredom (Leviticus 19:29; Judges 20:6; Job 31:11).
Lastly, it was forbidden to take a wife to her sister ( עליה upon her, as in Genesis 28:9; Genesis 31:50) in her life-time, that is to say, to marry two sisters at the same time, לצרר “to pack together, to uncover this nakedness,” i.e., to pack both together into one marriage bond, and so place the sisters in carnal union through their common husband, and disturb the sisterly relation, as the marriage with two sisters that was forced upon Jacob had evidently done. No punishment is fixed for the marriage with two sisters; and, of course, after the death of the first wife a man was at liberty to marry her sister.
Prohibition of other kinds of unchastity and of unnatural crimes . - Leviticus 18:19 prohibits intercourse with a woman during her uncleanness. טמאה נדּת signifies the uncleanness of a woman's hemorrhage, whether menstruation or after childbirth, which is called in Leviticus 12:7; Leviticus 20:18, the fountain of bleeding. The guilty persons were both of them to be cut off from their nation according to Leviticus 20:18, i.e., to be punished with death.
Leviticus 18:20
“To a neighbour's wife thou shalt not give שׁכבתּך thy pouring as seed” (i.e., make her pregnant), “to defile thyself with her,” viz., by the emissio seminis (Leviticus 15:16-17), a defilement which was to be punished as adultery by the stoning to death of both parties (Leviticus 20:10; Deuteronomy 22:22, cf. John 9:5).
Leviticus 18:21
To bodily unchastity there is appended a prohibition of spiritual whoredom. “ Thou shalt not give of thy seed to cause to pass through (sc., the fire; Deuteronomy 18:10) for Moloch .” המּלך is constantly written with the article: it is rendered by the lxx ἄρχων both here and in Leviticus 20:2., but ὁ Μολόχ βασιλεύς in other places (2 Kings 23:10; Jeremiah 32:35). Moloch was an old Canaanitish idol, called by the Phoenicians and Carthaginians Melkarth, Baal-melech, Malcom, and other such names, and related to Baal, a sun-god worshipped, like Kronos and Saturn , by the sacrifice of children. It was represented by a brazen statue, which was hollow and capable of being heated, and formed with a bull's head, and arms stretched out to receive the children to be sacrificed. From the time of Ahaz children were slain at Jerusalem in the valley of Ben-hinnom, and then sacrificed by being laid in the heated arms and burned (Ezekiel 16:20-21; Ezekiel 20:31; Jeremiah 32:35; 2 Kings 23:10; 2 Kings 16:3; 2 Kings 17:17; 2 Kings 21:6, cf. Psalms 106:37-38). Now although this offering of children in the valley of Ben-hinnom is called a “slaughtering” by Ezekiel (Ezekiel 16:21), and a “burning through (in the) fire” by Jeremiah (Jeremiah 7:31), and although, in the times of the later kings, children were actually given up to Moloch and burned as slain-offerings, even among the Israelites; it by no means follows from this, that “passing through to Moloch,” or “passing through the fire,” or “passing through the fire to Moloch” (2 Kings 23:10), signified slaughtering and burning with fire, though this has been almost unanimously assumed since the time of Clericus . But according to the unanimous explanation of the Rabbins, fathers, and earlier theologians, “causing to pass through the fire” denoted primarily going through the fire without burning, a februation, or purification through fire, by which the children were consecrated to Moloch; a kind of fire-baptism, which preceded the sacrificing, and was performed, particularly in olden time, without actual sacrificing, or slaying and burning. For februation was practised among the most different nations without being connected with human sacrifices; and, like most of the idolatrous rites of the heathen, no doubt the worship of Moloch assumed different forms at different times and among different nations. If the Israelites had really sacrificed their children to Moloch, i.e., had slain and burned them, before the time of Ahaz, the burning would certainly have been mentioned before; for Solomon had built a high place upon the mountain to the east of Jerusalem for Moloch, the abomination of the children of Ammon, to please his foreign wives (1 Kings 11:7 : see the Art. Moloch in Herzog's Cycl.). This idolatrous worship was to be punished with death by stoning, as a desecration of the name of Jehovah, and a defiling of His sanctuary (Leviticus 20:3), i.e., as a practical contempt of the manifestations of the grace of the living God (Leviticus 20:2-3).
Leviticus 18:22-23
Lastly, it was forbidden to “lie with mankind as with womankind,” i.e., to commit the crime of paederastia , that sin of Sodom (Genesis 19:5), to which the whole of the heathen were more or less addicted (Romans 1:27), and from which even the Israelites did not keep themselves free (Judges 19:22.); or to “lie with any beast.” “Into no beast shalt thou give thine emission of seed,...and a woman shall not place herself before a beast to lie down thereto.” רבע = רבץ “to lie,” is the term used particularly to denote a crime of this description (Leviticus 20:13 and Leviticus 20:15, Leviticus 20:16, cf. Exodus 22:18). Lying with animals was connected in Egypt with the worship of the goat; at Mendes especially, where the women lay down before he-goats ( Herodotus , 2, 46; Strabo , 17, p. 802). Aelian (nat. an. vii. 19) relates an account of the crime being also committed with a dog in Rome; and according to Sonnini , R. 11, p. 330, in modern Egypt men are said to lie even with female crocodiles.
In the concluding exhortation God pointed expressly to the fact, that the nations which He was driving out before the Israelites (the participle משׁלּח is used of that which is certainly and speedily coming to pass) had defiled the land by such abominations as those, that He had visited their iniquity and the land had spat out its inhabitants, and warned the Israelites to beware of these abominations, that the land might not spit them out as it had the Canaanites before them. The pret. ותּקא (Leviticus 18:25) and קאה (Leviticus 18:28) are prophetic (cf. Leviticus 20:22-23), and the expression is poetical. The land is personified as a living creature, which violently rejects food that it dislikes. “ Hoc enim tropo vult significare Scriptura enormitatem criminum, quod scilicet ipsae creaturae irrationales suo creatori semper obedientes et pro illo pugnantes detestentur peccatores tales eosque terra quasi evomat, cum illi expelluntur ab ea ” ( C. a Lap. ).