Old Testament Commentary - Leviticus 20

by Don R. Hender

Scriptural Text [& Editorial]
Commentary & Explanation
Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
           CHAPTER 20            

Death penalty prescribed for sacrificing children to Molech, cursing father and mother, adultry, homosexuality, bestiality, spiritualism, and other abominations—Divers laws and ordinances set forth.

  1 AND the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
  2 Again, 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 any of his seed unto aMolech; he shall surely be put to death: the people of the land shall stone him with stones.
  3 And 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 adefile my sanctuary, and to bprofane my holy name.
  4 And if the people of the land do any ways hide their eyes from the man, when he giveth of his seed unto Molech, and akill him not:
  5 Then I will set my aface against that man, and against his family, and will cut him off, and all that go a whoring after him, to commit bwhoredom with Molech, from among their people.
  6 ¶ And the soul that turneth aafter such as have bfamiliar cspirits, and after dwizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will ecut him off from among his people.
  7 ¶ aSanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye bholy: for I am the LORD your God.
  8 And ye shall keep my statutes, and do them: I am the aLORD which sanctify you.
  9 ¶ For every one that acurseth his bfather or his mother shall be surely put to death: he hath cursed his father or his mother; his cblood shall be upon him.
  10 ¶ And the man that committeth adultery with another man's wife, even he that committeth adultery with his aneighbour's wife, the badulterer and the cadulteress shall surely be put to ddeath.
  11 And the man that lieth with his afather's wife hath uncovered his father's bnakedness: both of them shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.
  12 And if a man lie with his daughter in law, both of them shall surely be put to death: they have awrought confusion; their blood shall be upon them.
  13 If a man aalso lie with mankind, as he lieth with a bwoman, both of them have committed an cabomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.
  14 And if a man take a wife and her mother, it is awickedness: they shall be burnt with fire, both he and they; that there be no wickedness among you.
  15 And if a man lie with a abeast, he shall surely be put to death: and ye shall slay the beast.
  16 And 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.
  17 And if a man shall take his sister, his father's daughter, or his mother's daughter, and see her anakedness, and she see his nakedness; it is a bwicked thing; and they shall be ccut off in the sight of their people: he hath uncovered his sister's nakedness; he shall bear his iniquity.
  18 And 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.
  19 And 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.
  20 And 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.
  21 And if a man shall take his brother's wife, it is aan unclean thing: he hath uncovered his brother's nakedness; they shall be childless.
  22 ¶ Ye shall therefore keep all my statutes, and all my judgmentsa, and do them: that the land, whither I bring you to dwell therein, aspue you not out.
  23 And ye shall not awalk in the manners of the bnation, which I cast out before you: for they committed all these things, and therefore I abhorred them.
  24 But 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 amilk and honey: I am the LORD your God, which have bseparated you from other people.
 22a keep all my statutes and all my judgments Again here are further statutes and judgments which are given by the Lord which are to be kept and according to Malachi 4:4 they are to be kept in order to not be burned at that great and last day of the Lord.
  25 Ye shall therefore aput 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 bseparated from you as unclean.
  26 And ye shall be aholy unto me: for I the LORD am bholy, and have csevered you from other people, that ye should be dmine.
  27 ¶ A man also or woman that hath a afamiliar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their bblood shall be upon them.