The Third Book of Moses, Called Leviticus

Chapter 18

Unlawful marriages and unlawful lusts, 1-30.

1 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 "Speak to the children of Israel and say to them, 'I am the LORD your God. 3 After the doings of the land of Egypt in which you dwelt, you shall not do, and after the doings of the land of Canaan where I bring you, you shall not do, neither shall you walk in their ordinances. 4 You shall perform my judgments and keep my ordinances to walk in them. I am the LORD your God. 5 You shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgments, which if a man does, he shall live in them. I am the LORD.

6 'None of you shall approach any who is near of kin to him to uncover their nakedness. I am the LORD. 7 The nakedness of your father or the nakedness of your mother, you shall not uncover. She is your mother. You shall not uncover her nakedness. 8 The nakedness of your father's wife you shall not uncover. It is your father's nakedness. 9 The nakedness of your sister, the daughter of your father or daughter of your mother, whether born at home or born abroad, even their nakedness you shall not uncover. 10 The nakedness of your son's daughter or of your daughter's daughter, even their nakedness you shall not uncover, for theirs is your own nakedness. 11 The nakedness of your father's wife's daughter, begotten by your father (she is your sister), you shall not uncover her nakedness. 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, neither shall you 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 shall you take a wife in addition to her sister as a rival, to uncover her nakedness in opposition to her in her life-time.

19 'Also you shall not approach a woman to uncover her nakedness as long as she is put apart for her uncleanness. 20 Moreover, you shall not lie carnally with your neighbor's wife to defile yourself with her. 21 And you shall not let any of your children pass through the fire to Molech, neither shall you profane the name of your God. I am the LORD. 22 You shall not lie with mankind as with womankind. It is an abomination. 23 You shall not lie with any beast to defile yourself therewith, neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto. It is a perversion.

24 'Do not defile 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 visit its iniquity upon it, and the land itself vomits out her inhabitants. 26 You 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 who sojourns among you 27 (For all these abominations the men of the land have done who were before you, and the land is defiled), 28 So that the land may not vomit you out also when you defile it, as it vomited out the nations that were before you. 29 For whoever commits any of these abominations, even the souls who commit them shall be cut off from among their people. 30 Therefore, you shall keep my ordinance so that you do not commit any one of these abominable customs which were committed before you and that you do not defile yourselves in them. I am the LORD your God.'"

Commentary

Matthew Henry Commentary - Leviticus, Chapter 18[➚]

Notes

[v.5] - Quoted in Romans 10:5; Galatians 3:12.

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