19 `And the nakedness of thy mother's sister, and of thy father's sister, thou dost not uncover; because his relation he hath made bare; their iniquity they bear.
`None of you unto any relation of his flesh doth draw near to uncover nakedness; I `am' Jehovah.
And Amram taketh Jochebed his aunt to himself for a wife, and she beareth to him Aaron and Moses: and the years of the life of Amram `are' a hundred and thirty and seven years.
`The nakedness of a sister of thy father thou dost not uncover; she `is' a relation of thy father. `The nakedness of thy mother's sister thou dost not uncover; for she `is' thy mother's relation. `The nakedness of thy father's brother thou dost not uncover; unto his wife thou dost not draw near; she `is' thine aunt. `The nakedness of thy daughter-in-law thou dost not uncover; she `is' thy son's wife; thou dost not uncover her nakedness. `The nakedness of thy brother's wife thou dost not uncover; it `is' thy brother's nakedness. `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. `And a woman unto another thou dost not take, to be an adversary, to uncover her nakedness beside her, in her life. `And unto a woman in the separation of her uncleanness thou dost not draw near to uncover her nakedness. `And unto the wife of thy fellow thou dost not give thy seed of copulation, for uncleanness with her. `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. `And with a male thou dost not lie as one lieth with a woman; abomination it `is'. `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'. `Ye are not defiled with all these, for with all these have the nations been defiled which I am sending away from before you; and the land is defiled, and I charge its iniquity upon it, and the land vomiteth out its inhabitants: 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, (for all these abominations have the men of the land done who `are' before you, and the land is defiled), and the land doth not vomit you out in your defiling it, as it hath vomited out the nation which `is' before you; 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; 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.'
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Leviticus 20
Commentary on Leviticus 20 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 20
Le 20:1-27. Giving One's Seed to Molech.
2. Whosoever … giveth any of his seed unto Molech—(See on Le 18:21).
the people of the land shall stone him with stones, &c.—Criminals who were condemned to be stoned were led, with their hands bound, without the gates to a small eminence, where was a large stone placed at the bottom. When they had approached within ten cubits of the spot, they were exhorted to confess, that, by faith and repentance, their souls might be saved. When led forward to within four cubits, they were stripped almost naked, and received some stupefying draught, during which the witnesses prepared, by laying aside their outer garments, to carry into execution the capital sentence which the law bound them to do. The criminal, being placed on the edge of the precipice, was then pushed backwards, so that he fell down the perpendicular height on the stone lying below: if not killed by the fall, the second witness dashed a large stone down upon his breast, and then the "people of the land," who were by-standers, rushed forward, and with stones completed the work of death (Mt 21:44; Ac 7:58).
4. If the people of the land do any ways hide their eyes from the man, &c.—that is, connive at their countrymen practising the horrid rites of Molech. Awful was it that any Hebrew parents could so violate their national covenant, and no wonder that God denounced the severest penalties against them and their families.
7-19. Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy—The minute specification of the incestuous and unnatural crimes here enumerated shows their sad prevalence amongst the idolatrous nations around, and the extreme proneness of the Israelites to follow the customs of their neighbors. It is to be understood, that, whenever mention is made that the offender was "to be put to death" without describing the mode, stoning is meant. The only instance of another form of capital punishment occurs in Le 20:14, that of being burnt with fire; and yet it is probable that even here death was first inflicted by stoning, and the body of the criminal afterwards consumed by fire (Jos 7:15).
20. they shall die childless—Either by the judgment of God they shall have no children, or their spurious offspring shall be denied by human authority the ordinary privileges of children in Israel.
24. I … have separated you from other people—Their selection from the rest of the nations was for the all-important end of preserving the knowledge and worship of the true God amid the universal apostasy; and as the distinction of meats was one great means of completing that separation, the law about making a difference between clean and unclean beasts is here repeated with emphatic solemnity.