Lev 20 | TNotes

20:2 ^a Stoning was the conventional means of enforcing capital punishment (see also 20:27 ^b; 24:14 ^c, 16 ^d, 23 ^e; Exod 19:13 ^f; Num 15:35-36 ^g; Deut 17:2-7 ^h; Josh 7:25-26 ⁱ; John 8:1-11 ^j).
Summary for Lev 20:9-27: 20:9-27 ^k 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 ^l, which precede the section dealing with proper expressions of holiness (19:1-37 ^m). 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 ⁿ 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 ^o; Deut 21:18-21 ^p).
20:10 ^q See study note on 18:20; see also Exod 20:14 ^r.
20:11 ^s See study note on 18:7-8. This injunction made it clear that the crime was seen as both incest and adultery.
20:17 ^t 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 ^u), but the man will be punished (see 5:1 ^v; 18:6 ^w).
Summary for Lev 20:20-21: 20:20-21 ^x Being left childless carried a social stigma and was considered a judgment from God (see Gen 30:1-2 ^y; Deut 7:14 ^z). What situation is envisioned in these verses? Sexual relations with a sister-in-law (Lev 18:16 ^aa) or an uncle’s wife (18:14 ^ab) have already been discussed. Adultery is dealt with elsewhere and would bring death to both parties (Deut 22:22 ^ac). If the woman involved was a widow without a male heir, the law of levirate marriage could be invoked (Deut 25:5-6 ^ad; 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 ^ae).
20:24 ^af 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 ^ag).