Lev 18-20 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for Lev 18:1-2: 18:1–20:27 Chapters 18 and 20 primarily discuss sexual matters, warning against engaging in pagan practices both religious and secular. These chapters bracket exhortations to pursue holiness in everyday life (ch 19 ).

Summary for Lev 18:1-2: 18:1–20:27 ^a Chapters 18 ^b and 20 ^c primarily discuss sexual matters, warning against engaging in pagan practices both religious and secular. These chapters bracket exhortations to pursue holiness in everyday life (ch 19 ^d).
18:2 ^e Many Near Eastern treaties began with the name and titles of the ruler who was drawing up the treaty. The phrase I am the Lord your God gives the name of the Great King, Yahweh (English the Lord), followed by his title, your God (see also Exod 20:2 ^f; Deut 5:6 ^g). These words were an abbreviated way to invoke Israel’s covenant with God and all that it implied. By reminding the people that they were the Lord’s, these words carried an authority that required a response (Lev 11:44 ^h; 18:4-5 ⁱ). Chapter 18 ^j begins and ends (18:30 ^k) with these words, and they appear frequently throughout chs 19–26 ^l.
Summary for Lev 18:4-5: 18:4-5 ^m regulations ... decrees: The Bible anticipated that the courts would need to interpret the laws that God had provided to apply them to different circumstances. Such interpretations became case laws; the body of these court decisions was called mishpatim in Hebrew (cp. “decrees” in 10:11 ⁿ).

• Paul alludes to these verses in Rom 10:5 ^o and Gal 3:12 ^p, where he contrasts the “way of faith” with the “way of law.”
Summary for Lev 18:6-7: 18:6-7 ^q have sexual relations with: Literally to uncover the nakedness of. Similar regulations in ch 20 ^r use the Hebrew word shakab (“lie with”), a word frequently used to indicate an improper sexual relationship.
Summary for Lev 18:7-8: 18:7-8 ^s violate your father: The Hebrew text here equates having sexual relations with your mother or any of your father’s wives with having sexual relations with him (cp. Gen 35:22 ^t; 49:4 ^u; see also 1 Cor 5:1 ^v). The husband and his wife were “two united into one” (Gen 2:24 ^w; cp. Eph 5:29 ^x). Always in the background of these commands are the commands to honor your parents (Lev 20:9 ^y; Exod 20:12 ^z) and, by extension, other members of the family (see also study note on Lev 20:17). 18:7 ^aa She is your mother: Incest was prohibited because of the disruption it created in families, so the commands concerning this sin included close relatives not necessarily related by blood. Incest was a serious crime because it brought competition and chaos into the family structure. It threatened the safety of the home by violating a family’s appropriate intimacy and the sense of belonging shared by its members.

• The commands were directly addressed to the male, even though the female could be older (such as one’s mother). The male, especially if he was the head of the household or the firstborn, wielded more power than the female; with this position came the responsibility to use that power lawfully. In addition, the male was more likely to be the sexual aggressor in an illicit sexual union, although this was not always the case (e.g., Gen 39:6-18 ^ab).
18:9 ^ac Sexual relations with a full sister dishonored both parents, and relations with a half sister dishonored one parent.
Summary for Lev 18:12-13: 18:12-13 ^ad your father’s sister ... mother’s sister: These actions would dishonor your father or mother.
18:14 ^ae Having sexual relations with your aunt would dishonor your uncle. In turn, this would also dishonor your father (see 20:20 ^af).
18:15 ^ag Just as having sexual relations with your father’s wife would dishonor your father, having sexual relations with your daughter-in-law would dishonor your son. The law called for daughters-in-law to be treated like natural daughters (Exod 21:9 ^ah; cp. Gen 38:1-30 ^ai).
18:16 ^aj Sexual relations with your sister-in-law would be adulterous and disgrace your brother. The exception was the law of levirate marriage (see Deut 25:5-10 ^ak), which called for a man to marry his brother’s widow in order to produce an heir who was considered the dead brother’s son.
18:17 ^al As with all examples listed in ch 18 ^am, marrying a woman together with her daughter or granddaughter was prohibited because of the disruption it would cause in the family order. It would violate the intimacy of the family group by forcing a wife to compete for her husband’s affections against a much younger woman. The penalty for this act was death by burning (20:14 ^an).
18:18 ^ao The word rivals (Hebrew tsarah) vividly describes the relationship between Leah and Rachel (Gen 29:16–30:24 ^ap) and Hannah and Peninnah (1 Sam 1:6 ^aq); in both cases, the fellow wives were driven to bitter rivalry for their husband’s affections.
18:20 ^ar The Hebrew word translated defile yourself could be more literally translated to become ceremonially unclean.

• Sexual intercourse with a neighbor’s wife or any married woman defined adultery in the Old Testament. Breaking this law was punishable by death (Deut 22:22 ^as). Like incest, adultery threatened the integrity and security of the home and family. In this case, it violated the covenant of marriage and divided the adulterer’s affection between his spouse and his mistress.
18:21 ^at Molech was the national god of the Ammonites (1 Kgs 11:7 ^au). This god was later worshiped by Israel during times of apostasy (2 Kgs 23:10 ^av; Jer 32:35 ^aw). Molech probably appears in this list because Molech worship was associated with sexual sins; it seems to have included child sacrifice as well.

• To bring shame on (literally blaspheme, profane) the name of your God meant using the name of the Lord as though it were not holy, such as in a false oath (Lev 19:12 ^ax) or in the worship of a false god (Ezek 20:39 ^ay).
18:22 ^az In Gen 1:31 ^ba, God pronounced all things good. This yielded a theology of the created order where good is defined by what God created and by the way he intended it to function. Part of this “good” was the creation of woman as man’s companion (Gen 2:22-24 ^bb). Marriage forms a microcosm of the human race, which stands as the corporate bearer of God’s image. Sin, introduced by the Fall (Gen 3 ^bc), disrupted the created order. Homosexuality is but one example of sinful violation of God’s order; it is tied to the rejection of God by fallen humanity (Rom 1:25-32 ^bd).

• The Hebrew word translated detestable (to‘ebah) indicates strong disapproval and disgust (Lev 20:13 ^be; see also 18:26-30 ^bf).
18:23 ^bg Like homosexuality, bestiality is a violation of the natural order (see study note on 18:22).

• The phrase perverse act referred not only to a violation, but to a confusion of the order God created because it broke down clear boundaries that he had established.
Summary for Lev 18:24-25: 18:24-25 ^bh any of these ways: Pagan worship (18:21 ^bi), homosexuality (18:22 ^bj), and bestiality (18:23 ^bk).

• The land was so nauseated by Canaanite practices that it would dramatically vomit them out (see 18:28 ^bl).
18:28 ^bm Just as the land would vomit out the Canaanites, it would also vomit out the Israelites if they acted like the Canaanites (see study note on 18:24-25). This came to pass with the destruction and exile of the northern kingdom by the Assyrians in 722 BC (2 Kgs 17:6 ^bn) and when the Babylonians destroyed and exiled Judah in 586 BC (2 Kgs 25:8-21 ^bo).

‏ Leviticus 19

19:2 ^bp be holy: See study note on 11:44-45.
19:3 ^bq I am the Lord (see 18:2 ^br): These words break ch 19 ^bs into terse, staccato sections (19:3 ^bt, 4 ^bu, 10 ^bv, 12 ^bw, 14 ^bx, 16 ^by, 18 ^bz, 25 ^ca, 28 ^cb, 30 ^cc, 31 ^cd, 34 ^ce, 36 ^cf, 37 ^cg). Each use served to remind Israel why they were to obey God’s regulations.
Summary for Lev 19:9-10: 19:9-10 ^ch do not harvest. ... Leave them for the poor: Israel’s covenant with God included a social structure that created a leveling effect and resisted social divisions. Families were required to provide for family members who faced difficulties. Widows and orphans (Exod 22:22 ^ci), the poor, and foreigners (Lev 19:10 ^cj) were considered members of Israel’s extended family. The poor were not only given special consideration in the offering system (5:7-13 ^ck), but positive steps were taken to make sure they had food to eat.
19:11 ^cl A society that did not respect the property of others would quickly fall apart internally. To steal was prohibited (Exod 20:15 ^cm), and those who would deceive or cheat were required to present a guilt offering (see Lev 6:2-7 ^cn).
19:12 ^co To bring shame on the name means to blaspheme (see study note on 18:21).
19:13 ^cp Day laborers had no land and were a part of Israel’s lowest economic ranks. These hired workers depended on landowners for their livelihood. A hired man needed to receive his wages promptly so that he could feed his family (Deut 24:15 ^cq); to withhold the wages of such a worker was to cheat him.
19:14 ^cr The deaf and blind were helpless people, easy to belittle and exploit. The Israelites were not to take advantage of them.
19:15 ^cs Neither the poor nor the rich were to be favored in a legal case. Justice was the priority at all times (see Exod 23:3 ^ct, 6 ^cu).
19:16 ^cv Do not spread slanderous gossip: The image here is of a merchant who trades and sells harmful rumors and accusations. This practice would quickly erode and undermine the sense of community so valued in Israel (cp. Prov 11:13 ^cw; 16:28 ^cx; 20:19 ^cy; 26:20 ^cz; 2 Cor 12:20 ^da).
19:17 ^db for any of your relatives: The Hebrew term can refer to any fellow Israelite; all Israel was considered one family (cp. 1 Jn 3:15 ^dc).

• Confront people directly: Love does not mean closing one’s eyes to wrong; reproof can help a person change.
19:18 ^dd love your neighbor as yourself: This is the cornerstone for biblical ethics in both the Old Testament and the New Testament (see Matt 22:39 ^de; Mark 12:31 ^df; Luke 10:27 ^dg; Rom 13:8-9 ^dh; Gal 5:14 ^di; Jas 2:8 ^dj). It includes foreigners (Lev 19:34 ^dk; cp. Luke 10:30-37 ^dl). Conversely, hate leads to a grudge that can bear violent fruit (see 1 Jn 2:10-11 ^dm; 4:20 ^dn).
19:19 ^do two different kinds: God created a natural order (Gen 1:31 ^dp; see Lev 18:22 ^dq), and it is violated when God’s boundaries are crossed. The prohibitions against intermixing were also object lessons for the Israelites, who were not to intermarry with the Canaanites.
Summary for Lev 19:20-22: 19:20-22 ^dr Betrothal in the biblical world was considered equivalent to marriage. Sexual relations with a betrothed or engaged woman who was not a slave merited death, the same punishment as for adultery (Deut 22:22 ^ds; see Lev 18:20 ^dt). However, the situation was less clear when the woman was a slave who might be unable to refuse. While slaves in Israel had considerably more rights than those in Mesopotamia or Egypt, they were still not free. Because a slave girl could not be punished, the man was also left unpunished. Still, he was guilty in God’s sight and had to sacrifice a ram for his sin.
Summary for Lev 19:23-25: 19:23-25 ^du For the first three years, a newly planted fruit tree was only to be pruned and cultivated. This allowed all the strength to go back into the tree. In the fourth year, all of the fruit was considered the “first crop” and was given to God (see Exod 23:16 ^dv). Only in the fifth year could the fruit be eaten.
19:26 ^dw blood: See study note on 7:22-27.

• Priests were permitted to consult the Urim and Thummim (Exod 28:30 ^dx) or to cast lots (Lev 16:8 ^dy) to help decide cases not covered by Mosaic regulations. However, those who practiced fortune-telling or witchcraft were actually consulting a power apart from the Lord, which was forbidden under the first commandment (Exod 20:3 ^dz).
19:27 ^ea Do not trim: As discovered in Egyptian wall paintings, Canaanites carefully trimmed their hair and beards. The Israelites were not to imitate this practice so that they would not be influenced by Canaanite religion and ethics.
19:28 ^eb cut your bodies: Cutting oneself was associated with Canaanite mourning practices (21:5 ^ec; Deut 14:1 ^ed). The word translated tattoo might refer to painting the body, a practice also associated with paganism.
19:29 ^ee Cp. 21:9 ^ef; Deut 23:17 ^eg.
19:30 ^eh Sabbath days: The Hebrew word translated “Sabbath” (shabbath) is related to a verb which means simply “to cease,” implying rest from one’s labor. The Sabbath commemorated God’s resting on the seventh day after he had completed his work of creation (Gen 1:31 ^ei; 2:1-3 ^ej). It began at sundown on the sixth day. With the exodus from Egypt, the Sabbath gained covenantal significance (Exod 16:23-25 ^ek; 31:13 ^el). Because only free people, not slaves, had a regular day of rest, the Sabbath became symbolic of Israel’s liberation from bondage in Egypt (see Deut 5:13-15 ^em).

• The people were to show reverence (literally fear) because the sanctuary, like the Sabbath, was holy. They were not to enter it when they were unclean or bring anything unclean into it.
19:31 ^en mediums: Cp. 1 Sam 28:7-25 ^eo.

• The Hebrew term for consult the spirits (yidde‘oni) is derived from a root meaning “to know.” It describes those who claim to have special occult knowledge and use it to communicate with the dead.
19:32 ^ep In the ancient world, the elderly and the aged were respected for their wisdom (Job 32:7 ^eq). Honoring the elderly also honors God.
Summary for Lev 19:33-34: 19:33-34 ^er The Israelites, once foreigners living in ... Egypt, were to remember their own mistreatment and avoid inflicting similar abuse on others (see Deut 10:19 ^es).
Summary for Lev 19:35-36: 19:35-36 ^et dishonest standards: Merchants would sometimes use two different sets of weights, one heavy and one light (Deut 25:13-15 ^eu), in order to cheat customers. The Bible makes it clear that this practice was abhorrent to God (Prov 11:1 ^ev; 16:11 ^ew; 20:10 ^ex, 23 ^ey; Mic 6:11 ^ez).

‏ Leviticus 20

20:2 ^fa Stoning was the conventional means of enforcing capital punishment (see also 20:27 ^fb; 24:14 ^fc, 16 ^fd, 23 ^fe; Exod 19:13 ^ff; Num 15:35-36 ^fg; Deut 17:2-7 ^fh; Josh 7:25-26 ^fi; John 8:1-11 ^fj).
Summary for Lev 20:9-27: 20:9-27 ^fk Because pagan worship affected ethics, the regulations for families follow immediately after those dealing with pagan religious practices. To some extent, the laws of this section replicate those of 18:6-30 ^fl, which precede the section dealing with proper expressions of holiness (19:1-37 ^fm). These were all related issues, as the proper worship of God led to proper conduct toward other people, while improper worship of God led to moral violations. 20:9 ^fn The Hebrew word for dishonors means “to make light of, treat with contempt,” and is traditionally translated “curse,” in the sense of calling someone a vulgar or profane name. Parental authority was given by God, not chosen by the child (see Exod 20:12 ^fo; Deut 21:18-21 ^fp).
20:10 ^fq See study note on 18:20; see also Exod 20:14 ^fr.
20:11 ^fs See study note on 18:7-8. This injunction made it clear that the crime was seen as both incest and adultery.
20:17 ^ft a shameful disgrace: Proper conduct brings honor both to individuals and to their households; improper conduct brings shame.

• Both parties are cut off (see 7:20-21 ^fu), but the man will be punished (see 5:1 ^fv; 18:6 ^fw).
Summary for Lev 20:20-21: 20:20-21 ^fx Being left childless carried a social stigma and was considered a judgment from God (see Gen 30:1-2 ^fy; Deut 7:14 ^fz). What situation is envisioned in these verses? Sexual relations with a sister-in-law (Lev 18:16 ^ga) or an uncle’s wife (18:14 ^gb) have already been discussed. Adultery is dealt with elsewhere and would bring death to both parties (Deut 22:22 ^gc). If the woman involved was a widow without a male heir, the law of levirate marriage could be invoked (Deut 25:5-6 ^gd; see study note on Lev 18:16). Since those situations don’t seem to apply, it would appear that this law refers to marrying an aunt or a sister-in-law after she has been divorced from her husband. John the Baptist apparently applied this law to condemn Herod Antipas’s marriage to Herodias (see Mark 6:17-29 ^ge).
20:24 ^gf The expression flowing with milk and honey is common in Exodus—Deuteronomy. It conveys the idea of food being abundant and easy to get. This contrasts with Egypt, where everything depended on the flooding of the Nile and irrigation (Deut 11:9-12 ^gg).