Text -- Leviticus 20:1-8 (NET)

Prohibitions against Illegitimate Family Worship

20:1 The Lord spoke to Moses: 20:2 “You are to say to the Israelites, ‘Any man from the Israelites or from the foreigners who reside in Israel who gives any of his children to Molech must be put to death; the people of the land must pelt him with stones. 20:3 I myself will set my face against that man and cut him off from the midst of his people, because he has given some of his children to Molech and thereby defiled my sanctuary and profaned my holy name. 20:4 If, however, the people of the land shut their eyes to that man when he gives some of his children to Molech so that they do not put him to death, 20:5 I myself will set my face against that man and his clan. I will cut off from the midst of their people both him and all who follow after him in spiritual prostitution, to commit prostitution by worshiping Molech.

Prohibition against Spiritists and Mediums

20:6 “‘The person who turns to the spirits of the dead and familiar spirits to commit prostitution by going after them, I will set my face against that person and cut him off from the midst of his people.

Exhortation to Holiness and Obedience

20:7 “‘You must sanctify yourselves and be holy, because I am the Lord your God. 20:8 You must be sure to obey my statutes. I am the Lord who sanctifies you.

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: Lev 20:2

¹ tn Heb “or from the sojourner who sojourns”; NAB “an alien residing in Israel.”

² tn Heb “his seed” (so KJV, ASV); likewise in vv. 3-4.

³ tn Regarding Molech and Molech worship see the note on Lev 18:21.

⁴ tn This is not the most frequently-used Hebrew verb for stoning (see instead סָקַל, saqal), but a word that refers to the action of throwing, slinging, or pelting someone with stones (רָגָם, ragam; see HALOT 1187 s.v. רגם qal.a, and B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 136).

NET Notes: Lev 20:3

¹ tn Heb “And I, I shall give my faces.”

² sn On the “cut off” penalty see the notes on Lev 7:20 and 17:4.

³ tn Heb “for the sake of defiling my sanctuary and to profane my holy name.”

NET Notes: Lev 20:4

¹ tn Heb “And if shutting [infinitive absolute] they shut [finite verb].” For the infinitive absolute used to highlight contrast rather than emphasis see GKC 343 §113.p.

² tn Heb “from that man” (so ASV); NASB “disregard that man.”

NET Notes: Lev 20:5

¹ tn The adjective “spiritual” has been supplied in the translation to clarify that this is not a reference to literal prostitution, but figuratively compares idolatry to prostitution.

² tn Heb “to commit harlotry after Molech.” The translation employs “worshiping” here for clarity (cf. NAB, NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT). On the “cut off” penalty see the note on Lev 7:20.

NET Notes: Lev 20:6

¹ sn For structure and coherence in Lev 20:6-27 see the note on v. 27 below.

² tn See the note on the phrase “familiar spirits” in Lev 19:31 above.

³ tn Heb “I will give my faces.”

NET Notes: Lev 20:8

¹ tn Heb “And you shall keep my statutes and you shall do them.” This appears to be a kind of verbal hendiadys, where the first verb is a modifier of the action of the second verb (see GKC 386 §120.d, although שָׁמַר [shamar, “to keep”] is not cited there; cf. Lev 22:31, etc.).