Leviticus 18

1 And the Lord spake to Moses, and said,
2 Speak thou to the sons of Israel, and thou shalt say to them, I am your Lord God; (Speak thou to the Israelites, and thou shalt say to them, I am the Lord your God;)
3 ye shall not do by the custom of the land of Egypt, in which ye dwelled; ye shall not do by the custom of the land of Canaan, to which I shall bring you in, neither ye shall go in the lawful things of them, that is, in the(ir) custom of worshipping (nor shall ye follow their laws, or their custom of worshipping).
4 Ye shall do my dooms, and ye shall keep my behests, and ye shall go in them; I am your Lord God. (Ye shall follow my laws, or my judgements, and ye shall obey my commands, and ye shall walk in them; I am the Lord your God.)
5 Keep ye my laws and dooms, which a man shall do, and he shall live in those; I am your Lord God. (Obey ye my laws and judgements, for those who follow them, shall have life; I am the Lord your God.)
6 A man shall not nigh to a nigh woman of his blood, that he show her filthhood (that he uncover her nakedness/so that they have intercourse); I am the Lord.
7 Thou shalt not discover the filthhood of thy father, and the filthhood of thy mother; she is thy mother, thou shalt not show her filthhood. (Thou shalt not uncover thy father's nakedness, that is, thy mother's nakedness; for she is thy mother, and thou shalt not uncover her nakedness.)
8 Thou shalt not uncover the filthhood of the wife of thy father, for it is the filthhood of thy father. (Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father's wife, for her nakedness is for thy father alone.)
9 Thou shalt not show the filthhood of thy sister, of father, either of mother (Thou shalt not uncover thy sister's nakedness, that is, thy father's daughter, or thy mother's daughter), which sister is begotten at home, that is, in wedlock, either withoutforth, that is, out of wedlock.
10 Thou shalt not show the filthhood of the daughter of thy son, either of thy niece, that is, the daughter of thy daughter, for it is thy filthhood. (Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy son's daughter, or thy daughter's daughter, for it is thy own nakedness, that is, they be of thy own flesh.)
11 Thou shalt not show the filthhood of the daughter of the wife of thy father, which she childed to thy father, and she is thy sister. (Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of the daughter of thy father's wife, whom she bare for thy father, for she is thy sister.)
12 Thou shalt not open the filthhood of thy father's sister, for she is the flesh of thy father. (Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father's sister, for she is of thy father's flesh.)
13 Thou shalt not show the filthhood of the sister of thy mother, for she is the flesh of thy mother. (Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy mother's sister, for she is of thy mother's flesh.)
14 Thou shalt not show the filthhood of the brother of thy father, neither thou shalt nigh to his wife, that is joined to thee by affinity. (Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father's brother, that is, thou shalt not come near to his wife, for she is joined to thee by affinity.)
15 Thou shalt not show the filthhood of thy son's wife, for she is the wife of thy son, neither thou shalt discover her shame; and no man take his brother's wife. (Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy son's wife, for she is thy son's wife, so thou shalt not uncover her nakedness; and no man shall take his brother's wife to bed.)
16 Thou shalt not show the filth(hood) of thy brother's wife, for it is the filthhood of thy brother. (Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy brother's wife, for her nakedness is for thy brother alone.)
17 Thou shalt not show the filth(hood) of a woman, and of her daughter; thou shalt not take the daughter of her son, and the daughter of her daughter, that thou show her shame; they be the flesh of her, and such lechery is incest, that is, lechery of them that be kin. (Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of both a woman, and her daughter; thou shalt not take her son's daughter, or her daughter's daughter, and uncover their nakedness; for they be of her flesh, and such lechery is incest, that is, lechery of them who be kin.)
18 Thou shalt not take the sister of thy wife, to (the) anguish of her, neither thou shalt show the filth(hood) of her, while thy wife liveth yet. (Thou shalt not take thy wife's sister to bed, and so cause thy wife anguish, nor shalt thou uncover her sister's nakedness, while thy wife yet liveth.)
19 Thou shalt not nigh to a woman that suffereth the running of blood of month, neither thou shalt show her filthhood. (Thou shalt not come near to a woman who suffereth the running of the blood of the month, nor shalt thou uncover her nakedness.)
20 Thou shalt not do lechery with thy neighbour's wife, neither thou shalt be defouled with mixing [together] of seed. (Thou shalt not do fleshly coupling with thy neighbour's wife, and so be defiled with her.)
21 Thou shalt not give of thy seed, that it be offered to the idol Moloch, neither thou shalt defoul the name of thy God; I am the Lord. (Thou shalt not give any of thy children to be offered to the false god Moloch, and so defile the name of thy God; I am the Lord.)
22 Thou shalt not be meddled, [(or) mingled,] with a man, by lechery of a woman, for it is abomination. (Thou shalt not be mixed together with a man, like in fleshly coupling with a woman, for it is an abomination.)
23 Thou shalt not do lechery with any beast, neither thou shalt be defouled with it. A woman shall not lie under a beast, neither shall be meddled, [(or) mingled,] therewith, that is, defouled by fleshly knowing thereof, for it is great sin. (Thou shalt not do lechery with any beast, nor shalt thou be defiled with it. A woman shall not lie under a beast, nor shall be mixed together with it, that is, be defiled by fleshly knowing of it, for it is a great sin.)
24 Be ye not defouled in all these things, in which all folks, either heathen men, be defouled, which folks I shall cast out before your sight, (Do not ye be defiled with any of these things, in which all the nations, or all the heathen, be defiled, which nations I shall throw out before you,)
25 of whom the land is defouled, of which land I shall visit the great sins (of them upon it), that it vomit, or throw out, his dwellers. (by whom the land is defiled, of which land I shall visit their great sins upon it, so that it vomit, or throw out, its inhabitants.)
26 Keep ye my lawful things, and my dooms, that ye do not any of all these abominations, as well a man born in the land, as a comeling that is a pilgrim with you. (Obey ye my laws, and my judgements, so that ye do not do any of these abominations, yea, anyone born in the land, as well as a newcomer who is a foreigner, or a stranger, among you.)
27 For the dwellers of the land, that were before you, did all (of) these abominations, and defouled that land.
28 Therefore beware, lest it cast out vilely you in the same manner, when ye shall do such sins, as it casted out vilely the folk, that was before you. (And so beware, lest when ye shall do such sins, it vilely throw you out, in the same manner as it hath vilely thrown out the people, who were before you.)
29 Each man that shall do anything of these abominations, shall perish from the midst of his people.
30 Keep ye my behests; do not ye do those things, which they that were before you did, and be ye not defouled in those; I am your Lord God. (Obey ye my commands; do not ye do those things, which they who were before you did, and be ye not defiled with them; I am the Lord your God.)

Leviticus 18 Commentary

Chapter 18

Unlawful marriages and fleshly lusts.

- Here is a law against all conformity to the corrupt usages of the heathen. Also laws against incest, against brutal lusts, and barbarous idolatries; and the enforcement of these laws from the ruin of the Canaanites. God here gives moral precepts. Close and constant adherence to God's ordinances is the most effectual preservative from gross sin. The grace of God only will secure us; that grace is to be expected only in the use of the means of grace. Nor does He ever leave any to their hearts' lusts, till they have left him and his services.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO LEVITICUS 18

In this chapter the Israelites are directed in general not to imitate the customs and practices of the Egyptians and Canaanites, but to keep the ordinances, statutes, and judgments of the Lord, Le 18:1-5; and they are instructed particularly to avoid incestuous marriages, Le 18:6-18; carnal copulation with a menstruous woman, Le 18:19; adultery, Le 18:20; letting any of their seed pass through the fire to Molech, Le 18:21; sodomy, Le 18:22; and bestiality, Le 18:23; and they are deterred from these things by observing to them the pollution and destruction which they brought on the inhabitants of Canaan, and would bring the same on them should they commit them, Le 18:24-30.

Leviticus 18 Commentaries

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