Discovery BoxLeviticus 18:1--20:27
Context18:1 The Lord spoke to Moses: 18:2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them, ‘I am the Lord your God! 18:3 You must not do as they do in the land of Egypt where you have been living, 1 and you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan into which I am about to bring you; 2 you must not 3 walk in their statutes. 18:4 You must observe my regulations 4 and you must be sure to walk in my statutes. 5 I am the Lord your God. 18:5 So you must keep 6 my statutes and my regulations; anyone who does so will live by keeping them. 7 I am the Lord.
18:6 “‘No man is to approach any close relative 8 to have sexual intercourse with her. 9 I am the Lord. 10 18:7 You must not 11 expose your father’s nakedness by having sexual intercourse with your mother. 12 She is your mother; you must not have intercourse with her. 18:8 You must not have sexual intercourse with your father’s wife; she is your father’s nakedness. 13 18:9 You must not have sexual intercourse with your sister, whether she is your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, 14 whether she is born in the same household or born outside it; 15 you must not have sexual intercourse with either of them. 16 18:10 You must not expose the nakedness of your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter by having sexual intercourse with them, because they are your own nakedness. 17 18:11 You must not have sexual intercourse with the daughter of your father’s wife born of your father; she is your sister. You must not have intercourse with her. 18 18:12 You must not have sexual intercourse with your father’s sister; she is your father’s flesh. 19 18:13 You must not have sexual intercourse with your mother’s sister, because she is your mother’s flesh. 18:14 You must not expose the nakedness of your father’s brother; you must not approach his wife to have sexual intercourse with her. 20 She is your aunt. 21 18:15 You must not have sexual intercourse with your daughter-in-law; she is your son’s wife. You must not have intercourse with her. 18:16 You must not have sexual intercourse with your brother’s wife; she is your brother’s nakedness. 22 18:17 You must not have sexual intercourse with both a woman and her daughter; you must not take as wife either her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter to have intercourse with them. 23 They are closely related to her 24 – it is lewdness. 25 18:18 You must not take a woman in marriage and then marry her sister as a rival wife 26 while she is still alive, 27 to have sexual intercourse with her.
18:19 “‘You must not approach a woman in her menstrual impurity 28 to have sexual intercourse with her. 18:20 You must not have sexual intercourse 29 with the wife of your fellow citizen to become unclean with her. 18:21 You must not give any of your children as an offering to Molech, 30 so that you do not profane 31 the name of your God. I am the Lord! 18:22 You must not have sexual intercourse with a male as one has sexual intercourse with a woman; 32 it is a detestable act. 33 18:23 You must not have sexual intercourse 34 with any animal to become defiled with it, and a woman must not stand before an animal to have sexual intercourse with it; 35 it is a perversion. 36
18:24 “‘Do not defile yourselves with any of these things, for the nations which I am about to drive out before you 37 have been defiled with all these things. 18:25 Therefore 38 the land has become unclean and I have brought the punishment for its iniquity upon it, 39 so that the land has vomited out its inhabitants. 18:26 You yourselves must obey 40 my statutes and my regulations and must not do any of these abominations, both the native citizen and the resident foreigner in your midst, 41 18:27 for the people who were in the land before you have done all these abominations, 42 and the land has become unclean. 18:28 So do not make the land vomit you out because you defile it 43 just as it has vomited out the nations 44 that were before you. 18:29 For if anyone does any of these abominations, the persons who do them will be cut off from the midst of their people. 45 18:30 You must obey my charge to not practice any of the abominable statutes 46 that have been done before you, so that you do not 47 defile yourselves by them. I am the Lord your God.’”
19:1 The Lord spoke to Moses: 19:2 “Speak to the whole congregation of the Israelites and tell them, ‘You must be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy. 19:3 Each of you must respect his mother and his father, 48 and you must keep my Sabbaths. I am the Lord your God. 19:4 Do not turn to idols, 49 and you must not make for yourselves gods of cast metal. I am the Lord your God.
19:5 “‘When you sacrifice a peace offering sacrifice to the Lord, you must sacrifice it so that it is accepted for you. 50 19:6 It must be eaten on the day of your sacrifice and on the following day, 51 but what is left over until the third day must be burned up. 52 19:7 If, however, it is eaten 53 on the third day, it is spoiled, 54 it will not be accepted, 19:8 and the one who eats it will bear his punishment for iniquity 55 because he has profaned 56 what is holy to the Lord. 57 That person will be cut off from his people. 58
19:9 “‘When you gather in the harvest 59 of your land, you must not completely harvest the corner of your field, 60 and you must not gather up the gleanings of your harvest. 19:10 You must not pick your vineyard bare, 61 and you must not gather up the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You must leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the Lord your God.
19:11 “‘You must not steal, you must not tell lies, and you must not deal falsely with your fellow citizen. 62 19:12 You must not swear falsely 63 in my name, so that you do not profane 64 the name of your God. I am the Lord. 19:13 You must not oppress your neighbor or commit robbery against him. 65 You must not withhold 66 the wages of the hired laborer overnight until morning. 19:14 You must not curse a deaf person or put a stumbling block in front of a blind person. 67 You must fear 68 your God; I am the Lord.
19:15 “‘You 69 must not deal unjustly in judgment: 70 you must neither show partiality to the poor nor honor the rich. 71 You must judge your fellow citizen fairly. 72 19:16 You must not go about as a slanderer among your people. 73 You must not stand idly by when your neighbor’s life is at stake. 74 I am the Lord. 19:17 You must not hate your brother in your heart. You must surely reprove your fellow citizen so that you do not incur sin on account of him. 75 19:18 You must not take vengeance or bear a grudge 76 against the children of your people, but you must love your neighbor as yourself. 77 I am the Lord. 19:19 You must keep my statutes. You must not allow two different kinds of your animals to breed, 78 you must not sow your field with two different kinds of seed, and you must not wear 79 a garment made of two different kinds of fabric. 80
19:20 “‘When a man has sexual intercourse with a woman, 81 although she is a slave woman designated for another man and she has not yet been ransomed, or freedom has not been granted to her, there will be an obligation to pay compensation. 82 They must not be put to death, because she was not free. 19:21 He must bring his guilt offering to the Lord at the entrance of the Meeting Tent, a guilt offering ram, 83 19:22 and the priest is to make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering before the Lord for his sin that he has committed, 84 and he will be forgiven 85 of his sin 86 that he has committed.
19:23 “‘When you enter the land and plant any fruit tree, 87 you must consider its fruit to be forbidden. 88 Three years it will be forbidden to you; 89 it must not be eaten. 19:24 In the fourth year all its fruit will be holy, praise offerings 90 to the Lord. 19:25 Then in the fifth year you may eat its fruit to add its produce to your harvest. 91 I am the Lord your God.
19:26 “‘You must not eat anything with the blood still in it. 92 You must not practice either divination or soothsaying. 93 19:27 You must not round off the corners of the hair on your head or ruin the corners of your beard. 94 19:28 You must not slash your body for a dead person 95 or incise a tattoo on yourself. 96 I am the Lord. 19:29 Do not profane your daughter by making her a prostitute, 97 so that the land does not practice prostitution and become full of lewdness. 98
19:30 “‘You must keep my Sabbaths and fear my sanctuary. I am the Lord. 19:31 Do not turn to the spirits of the dead and do not seek familiar spirits 99 to become unclean by them. I am the Lord your God. 19:32 You must stand up in the presence of the aged, honor the presence of an elder, and fear your God. I am the Lord. 19:33 When a foreigner resides 100 with you in your land, you must not oppress him. 19:34 The foreigner who resides with you must be to you like a native citizen among you; so 101 you must love him as yourself, because you were foreigners in the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God. 19:35 You must not do injustice in the regulation of measures, whether of length, weight, or volume. 102 19:36 You must have honest balances, 103 honest weights, an honest ephah, and an honest hin. 104 I am the Lord your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt. 19:37 You must be sure to obey all my statutes and regulations. 105 I am the Lord.’”
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 106 who gives any of his children 107 to Molech 108 must be put to death; the people of the land must pelt him with stones. 109 20:3 I myself will set my face 110 against that man and cut him off from the midst of his people, 111 because he has given some of his children to Molech and thereby defiled my sanctuary and profaned my holy name. 112 20:4 If, however, the people of the land shut their eyes 113 to that man 114 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, 115 to commit prostitution by worshiping Molech. 116
20:6 “‘The person who turns to the spirits of the dead and familiar spirits 118 to commit prostitution by going after them, I will set my face 119 against that person and cut him off from the midst of his people.
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. 120 I am the Lord who sanctifies you.
20:9 “‘If anyone 122 curses his father and mother 123 he must be put to death. He has cursed his father and mother; his blood guilt is on himself. 124 20:10 If a man 125 commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife, 126 both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death. 20:11 If a man has sexual intercourse with his father’s wife, he has exposed his father’s nakedness. 127 Both of them must be put to death; their blood guilt is on themselves. 128 20:12 If a man has sexual intercourse with his daughter-in-law, both of them must be put to death. They have committed perversion; 129 their blood guilt is on themselves. 20:13 If a man has sexual intercourse with a male as one has sexual intercourse with a woman, 130 the two of them have committed an abomination. They must be put to death; their blood guilt is on themselves. 20:14 If a man has sexual intercourse with both a woman and her mother, 131 it is lewdness. 132 Both he and they must be burned to death, 133 so there is no lewdness in your midst. 20:15 If a man has sexual intercourse 134 with any animal, he must be put to death, and you must kill the animal. 20:16 If a woman approaches any animal to have sexual intercourse with it, 135 you must kill the woman, and the animal must be put to death; their blood guilt is on themselves.
20:17 “‘If a man has sexual intercourse with 136 his sister, whether the daughter of his father or his mother, so that he sees her nakedness and she sees his nakedness, it is a disgrace. They must be cut off in the sight of the children of their people. 137 He has exposed his sister’s nakedness; he will bear his punishment for iniquity. 138 20:18 If a man has sexual intercourse with a menstruating woman and uncovers her nakedness, he has laid bare her fountain of blood and she has exposed the fountain of her blood, so both of them 139 must be cut off from the midst of their people. 20:19 You must not expose the nakedness of your mother’s sister and your father’s sister, for such a person has laid bare his own close relative. 140 They must bear their punishment for iniquity. 141 20:20 If a man has sexual intercourse with his aunt, he has exposed his uncle’s nakedness; they must bear responsibility for their sin, they will die childless. 20:21 If a man has sexual intercourse with 142 his brother’s wife, it is indecency. He has exposed his brother’s nakedness; 143 they will be childless.
20:22 “‘You must be sure to obey all my statutes and regulations, 144 so that 145 the land to which I am about to bring you to take up residence there does not vomit you out. 20:23 You must not walk in the statutes of the nation 146 which I am about to drive out before you, because they have done all these things and I am filled with disgust against them. 20:24 So I have said to you: You yourselves will possess their land and I myself will give it to you for a possession, a land flowing with milk and honey. I am the Lord your God who has set you apart from the other peoples. 147 20:25 Therefore you must distinguish 148 between the clean animal and the unclean, and between the unclean bird and the clean, and you must not make yourselves detestable by means of an animal or bird or anything that creeps on the ground – creatures 149 I have distinguished for you as unclean. 150 20:26 You must be holy to me because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart from the other peoples to be mine.
20:27 “‘A man or woman who 151 has in them a spirit of the dead or a familiar spirit 152 must be put to death. They must pelt them with stones; 153 their blood guilt is on themselves.’”
[18:3] 1 tn Heb “As the work [or “deed”] of the land of Egypt, which you were dwelling in it, you must not do.”
[18:3] 2 tn Heb “and as the work [or “deed”] of the land of Canaan which I am bringing you to there, you must not do.” The participle “I am bringing” is inceptive; the
[18:3] 3 tn Heb “and you shall not walk.”
[18:4] 4 tn Heb “My regulations you shall do”; KJV, NASB “my judgments”; NRSV “My ordinances”; NIV, TEV “my laws.”
[18:4] 5 tn Heb “and my statutes you shall keep [or “watch; guard”] to walk in them.”
[18:5] 6 tn Heb “And you shall keep.”
[18:5] 7 tn Heb “which the man shall do them and shall live in them.” The term for “a man, human being; mankind” (אָדָם, ’adam; see the note on Lev 1:2) in this case refers to any person among “mankind,” male or female. The expression וָחַי (vakhay, “and shall live”) looks like the adjective “living” so it is written וְחָיָה (vÿkhayah) in Smr, but the MT form is simply the same verb written as a double ayin verb (see HALOT 309 s.v. חיה qal and GKC 218 §76.i; cf. Lev 25:35).
[18:6] 8 tn Heb “Man, man shall not draw near to any flesh (שְׁאֵר, shÿ’er) of his body/flesh (בָּשָׂר, basar).” The repetition of the word “man” is distributive, meaning “any (or “every”) man” (GKC 395-96 §123.c; cf. Lev 15:2). The two words for “flesh” are combined to refer to emphasize the physical familial relatedness (see J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 282, and B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 119).
[18:6] 9 tn Heb “to uncover [her] nakedness” (cf. KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV), which is clearly euphemistic for sexual intercourse (see J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 282, and B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 119). This expression occurs a number of times in the following context and is generally translated “have sexual intercourse with [someone],” although in the case of the father mentioned in the following verse the expression may be connected to the shame or disgrace that would belong to the father whose wife’s sexuality is violated by his son. See the note on the word “mother” in v. 7.
[18:6] 10 sn The general statement prohibiting sexual intercourse between close relatives serves as an opening summary statement for the following section, which gives details concerning which degrees of relationship are specifically forbidden.
[18:7] 11 tn The verbal negative here is the same as that used in the Ten Commandments (Exod 20:4-5, 7, 13-17). It suggests permanent prohibition rather than a simple negative command and could, therefore, be rendered “must not” here and throughout the following section as it is in vv. 3-4 above.
[18:7] 12 tn Heb “The nakedness of your father and [i.e., even] the nakedness of your mother you shall not uncover.”
[18:8] 13 tn Heb “the nakedness of your father she is.” See the note on v. 7 above. This law refers to another wife of the man’s father, who is not that man’s mother. The laws in the Pentateuch sometimes assume the possibility that a man may have more than one wife (cf., e.g., Deut 21:15-17).
[18:9] 14 tn Heb “the daughter of your father or the daughter of your mother.”
[18:9] 15 tn Heb “born of house or born of outside.” CEV interprets as “whether you grew up together or not” (cf. also TEV, NLT).
[18:9] 16 tc Several medieval Hebrew
[18:10] 17 sn That is, to have sexual intercourse with one’s granddaughter would be like openly exposing one’s own shameful nakedness (see the note on v. 7 above).
[18:11] 18 tn Heb “The nakedness of the daughter of your father’s wife born of your father, she is your sister; you must not uncover her nakedness.” That is, a half sister, the daughter of the man’s father by another wife, who is not the man’s mother, is to be considered a true sister. Therefore, the man must not have sexual intercourse with her.
[18:12] 19 tc A few medieval Hebrew
[18:14] 20 tn Heb “you must not draw near to his wife.” In the context this refers to approaching one’s aunt to have sexual intercourse with her, so this has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:14] 21 tn As in v. 12 (see the note there), some
[18:16] 22 sn Regarding the last clause, see the notes on vv. 7 and 10 above.
[18:17] 23 tn Heb “You must not uncover the nakedness of both a woman and her daughter; the daughter of her son and the daughter of her daughter you must not take to uncover her nakedness.” Translating “her” as “them” provides consistency in the English. In this kind of context, “take” means to “take in marriage” (cf. also v. 18). The LXX and Syriac have “their nakedness,” referring to the nakedness of the woman’s granddaughters, rather than the nakedness of the woman herself.
[18:17] 24 tc Heb “they are her flesh.” The LXX reads “your” here (followed by NRSV). If the LXX reading were followed by the present translation, the result would be “They are closely related to you.”
[18:17] 25 tn The term rendered “lewdness” almost always carries a connotation of cunning, evil device, and divisiveness (cf. HALOT 272 s.v. I זִמָּה 2, “infamy”), and is closely associated with sexual and religious infidelity (cf., e.g., Lev 19:29; 20:14; Job 31:11; Jer 13:27; Ezek 16:27; 22:9). Recent English versions differ on how they handle this: NAB “would be shameful”; CEV “would make you unclean”; NIV “wickedness”; NLT “horrible wickedness”; NRSV “depravity”; TEV “incest.”
[18:18] 26 tn Or “as a concubine”; Heb “And a woman to her sister you shall not take to be a second wife [or “to be a concubine”].” According to HALOT 1059 s.v. III צרר, the infinitive “to be a second wife” (לִצְרֹר, litsror) is a denominative verb from II צָרָה A (“concubine; second wife”), which, in turn, derives from II צר “to treat with hostility” (cf. J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 283, and B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 122).
[18:18] 27 tn Heb “on her in her life.”
[18:19] 28 tn Heb “in the menstruation of her impurity”; NIV “during the uncleanness of her monthly period.”
[18:20] 29 tn Heb “And to the wife of your fellow citizen you shall not give your layer for seed.” The meaning of “your layer” (שְׁכָבְתְּךָ, shÿkhavtÿkha) is uncertain (see B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 122, “you shall not place your layer of semen”; but cf. also J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 283, and the literature cited there for the rendering, “you shall not give your penis for seed”).
[18:21] 30 tn Heb “And from your seed you shall not give to cause to pass over to Molech.” Smr (cf. also the LXX) has “to cause to serve” rather than “to cause to pass over.” For detailed remarks on Molech and Molech worship see N. H. Snaith, Leviticus and Numbers (NCBC), 87-88; P. J. Budd, Leviticus (NCBC), 259-60; and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 333-37, and the literature cited there. It could refer to either human sacrifice or a devotion of children to some sort of service of Molech, perhaps of a sexual sort (cf. Lev 20:2-5; 2 Kgs 23:10, etc.). The inclusion of this prohibition against Molech worship here may be due to some sexual connection of this kind, or perhaps simply to the lexical link between זֶרַע (zera’) meaning “seed, semen” in v. 20 but “offspring” in v. 21.
[18:21] 31 tn Heb “and you shall not profane.” Regarding “profane,” see the note on Lev 10:10 above.
[18:22] 32 tn Heb “And with a male you shall not lay [as the] lyings of a woman” (see B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 123). The specific reference here is to homosexual intercourse between males.
[18:22] 33 tn The Hebrew term תּוֹעֵבָה (to’evah, rendered “detestable act”) refers to the repugnant practices of foreigners, whether from the viewpoint of other peoples toward the Hebrews (e.g., Gen 43:32; 46:34; Exod 8:26) or of the
[18:23] 34 tn See the note on v. 20 above.
[18:23] 35 tn Heb “to copulate with it” (cf. Lev 20:16).
[18:23] 36 tn The Hebrew term תֶּבֶל (tevel, “perversion”) derives from the verb “to mix; to confuse” and therefore refers to illegitimate mixtures of species or violation of the natural order of things.
[18:24] 37 tn Heb “which I am sending away (Piel participle of שָׁלַח [shalakh, “to send”]) from your faces.” The rendering here takes the participle as anticipatory of the coming conquest events.
[18:25] 38 tn Heb “And.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) can be considered to have resultative or even inferential force here.
[18:25] 39 tn Heb “and I have visited its [punishment for] iniquity on it.” See the note on Lev 17:16 above.
[18:26] 40 tn Heb “And you shall keep, you.” The latter emphatic personal pronoun “you” is left out of a few medieval Hebrew
[18:26] 41 tn Heb “the native and the sojourner”; NIV “The native-born and the aliens”; NAB “whether natives or resident aliens.”
[18:27] 42 tn Heb “for all these abominations the men of the land who were before you have done.”
[18:28] 43 tn Heb “And the land will not vomit you out in your defiling it.”
[18:28] 44 tc The MT reads the singular “nation” and is followed by ASV, NASB, NRSV; the LXX, Syriac, and Targum have the plural “nations” (cf. v. 24).
[18:29] 45 sn Regarding the “cut off” penalty see the note on Lev 7:20.
[18:30] 46 tn Heb “to not do from the statutes of the detestable acts.”
[18:30] 47 tn Heb “and you will not.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) can be considered to have resultative force here.
[19:3] 48 tn Heb “A man his mother and his father you [plural] shall fear.” The LXX, Syriac, Vulgate, and certain Targum
[19:4] 49 sn Regarding the difficult etymology and meaning of the term for “idols” (אֱלִילִים, ’elilim), see B. A. Levine, Leviticus (JPSTC), 126; J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 304; N. H. Snaith, Leviticus and Numbers (NBC), 89; and Judith M. Hadley, NIDOTTE 1:411. It appears to be a diminutive play on words with אֵל (’el, “god; God”) and, perhaps at the same time, recalls a common Semitic word for “worthless; weak; powerless; nothingness.” Snaith suggests a rendering of “worthless godlings.”
[19:5] 50 tn Heb “for your acceptance”; cf. NIV, NLT “it will be accepted on your behalf.”
[19:6] 51 tn Heb “from the following day” (HALOT 572 s.v. מָחֳרָת 2.b).
[19:6] 52 tn Heb “shall be burned with fire”; KJV “shall be burnt in the fire.” Because “to burn with fire” is redundant in contemporary English the present translation simply has “must be burned up.”
[19:7] 53 tn Heb “And if being eaten [infinitive absolute] it is eaten [finite verb].” For the infinitive absolute used to highlight contrast rather than emphasis see GKC 343 §113.p.
[19:7] 54 tn Or “desecrated,” or “defiled,” or “forbidden.” For this difficult term see J. Milgrom, Leviticus (AB), 1:422, on Lev 7:18.
[19:8] 55 tn See the note on Lev 17:16 above.
[19:8] 56 sn Regarding “profaned,” see the note on Lev 10:10 above.
[19:8] 57 tn Heb “the holiness of the
[19:8] 58 sn On the “cut off” penalty see the note on Lev 7:20.
[19:9] 59 tn Heb “And in your harvesting the harvest.”
[19:9] 60 tn Heb “you shall not complete the corner of your field to harvest.”
[19:10] 61 tn Heb “And you shall not deal severely with your vineyard.”
[19:11] 62 tn Heb “you shall not deal falsely a man with his fellow citizen.”
[19:12] 63 tn Heb “And you shall not swear to the falsehood.”
[19:12] 64 tn Heb “and you shall not profane”; NAB “thus profaning.”
[19:13] 65 tn Heb “You shall not oppress your neighbor and you shall not rob.”
[19:13] 66 tn Heb “hold back with you”; perhaps “hold back for yourself” (cf. NRSV “keep for yourself”).
[19:14] 67 tn Heb “You shall not curse a deaf [person] and before a blind [person] you shall not put a stumbling block.”
[19:14] 68 tn Heb “And you shall fear.” Many English versions (e.g., KJV, ASV, NAB, NASB, NIV) regard the Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) as adversative in force here (“but”).
[19:15] 69 tc Smr has the singular rather than the plural “you” of the MT, which brings this verb form into line with the ones surrounding it.
[19:15] 70 tn Heb “You shall not do injustice in judgment” (NASB similar); cf. NIV “do not pervert justice.”
[19:15] 71 tn Heb “You shall not lift up faces of poor [people] and you shall not honor faces of great.”
[19:15] 72 tn Heb “In righteousness you shall judge your fellow citizen.”
[19:16] 73 tn The term רָכִיל (rakhil) is traditionally rendered “slanderer” here (so NASB, NIV, NRSV; see also J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 304, 316), but the exact meaning is uncertain (see the discussion in B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 129). It is sometimes related to I רָכַל (“to go about as a trader [or “merchant”]”; BDB 940 s.v. רָכַל), and taken to refer to cutthroat business dealings, but there may be a II רָכַל, the meaning of which is dubious (HALOT 1237 s.v. II *רכל). Some would render it “to go about as a spy.”
[19:16] 74 tn Heb “You shall not stand on the blood of your neighbor.” This part of the verse is also difficult to interpret. The rendering here suggests that one will not allow a neighbor to be victimized, whether in court (cf. v. 15) or in any other situation (see the discussion in B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 129).
[19:17] 75 tn Heb “and you will not lift up on him sin.” The meaning of the line is somewhat obscure. It means either (1) that one should rebuke one’s neighbor when he sins lest one also becomes guilty, which is the way it is rendered here (see NIV, NRSV, NEB, JB; see also B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 129-30, and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 303, and the discussion on pp. 316-17), or (2) one may rebuke one’s neighbor without incurring sin just as long as he does not hate him in his heart (see the first part of the verse; cf. NASB, NAB).
[19:18] 76 tn Heb “and you shall not retain [anger?].” This line seems to refer to the retaining or maintaining of some vengeful feelings toward someone. Compare the combination of the same terms for taking vengeance and maintaining wrath against enemies in Nahum 1:2 (see J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 305).
[19:18] 77 sn Some scholars make a distinction between the verb אָהַב (’ahav, “to love”) with the direct object and the more unusual construction with the preposition לְ (lamed) as it is here and in Lev 19:34 and 2 Chr 19:2 only. If there is a distinction, the construction here probably calls for direct and helpful action toward one’s neighbor (see the discussion in J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 305, and esp. 317-18). Such love stands in contrast to taking vengeance or bearing a grudge against someone and, in NT terms, amounts to fulfilling the so-called “golden rule” (Matt 7:12).
[19:19] 78 tn Heb “Your animals, you shall not cross-breed two different kinds.”
[19:19] 79 tn Heb “you shall not cause to go up on you.”
[19:19] 80 sn Cf. Deut 22:11 where the Hebrew term translated “two different kinds” (כִּלְאַיִם, kil’ayim) refers to a mixture of linen and wool woven together in a garment.
[19:20] 81 tn Heb “And a man when he lies with a woman the lying of seed.”
[19:20] 82 sn That is, the woman had previously been assigned for marriage to another man but the marriage deal had not yet been consummated. In the meantime, the woman has lost her virginity and has, therefore, lost part of her value to the master in the sale to the man for whom she had been designated. Compensation was, therefore, required (see the explanation in B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 130-31).
[19:21] 83 sn On the guilt offering see the note on Lev 5:15 above.
[19:22] 84 tn Heb “on his sin which he has sinned.”
[19:22] 85 tn Heb “there shall be forgiveness to him” or “it shall be forgiven to him.”
[19:22] 86 tn Heb “from his sin.”
[19:23] 87 tn Heb “tree of food”; KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV “trees for food.”
[19:23] 88 tn Heb “you shall circumcise its fruit [as] its foreskin,” taking the fruit to be that which is to be removed and, therefore, forbidden. Since the fruit is uncircumcised it is forbidden (see J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 306, and esp. B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 131-32).
[19:23] 89 tn Heb “it shall be to you uncircumcised.”
[19:24] 90 tn See B. A. Levine, Leviticus (JPSTC), 132, where the translation reads “set aside for jubilation”; a special celebration before the
[19:25] 91 tn Heb “to add to you its produce.” The rendering here assumes that the point of this clause is simply that finally being allowed to eat the fruit in the fifth year adds the fruit of the tree to their harvest. Some take the verb to be from אָסַף (’asaf, “to gather”) rather than יָסַף (yasaf, “to add; to increase”), rendering the verse, “to gather to you the produce” (E. S. Gerstenberger, Leviticus [OTL], 260, and see the versions referenced in J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 306). Others take it to mean that by following the regulations given previously they will honor the
[19:26] 92 tn Heb “You shall not eat on the blood.” See the extensive remarks in J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 319-20, and B. A. Levine, Leviticus (JPSTC), 132-33. The LXX has “on the mountains,” suggesting that this is a prohibition against illegitimate places and occasions of worship, not the eating of blood.
[19:26] 93 tn Heb “You shall not practice divination and you shall not practice soothsaying”; cf. NRSV “practice augury or witchcraft.” For suggestions regarding the practices involved see B. A. Levine, Leviticus (JPSTC), 133, and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 320.
[19:27] 94 tc Heb “and you [singular] shall not ruin the corner of your [singular] beard.” Smr, LXX, Syriac, and Tg. Ps.-J. have the plural pronouns (i.e., “you” and “your” plural) rather than the singular of the MT.
[19:28] 95 tn Heb “And slash for the soul you shall not give.” The Hebrew term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “soul, person, life”) can sometimes refer to a “dead person” (cf. Lev 21:1, 5; 22:5). See J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 306, 320-21.
[19:28] 96 tn Heb “and a writing of incision you shall not give in you.”
[19:29] 97 tn Heb “to make her practice harlotry.” Some recent English versions regard this as religious or temple prostitution (cf. TEV, CEV).
[19:29] 98 tn Heb “and the land become full of lewdness.” Regarding the term “lewdness,” see the note on Lev 18:17 above.
[19:31] 99 sn The prohibition here concerns those who would seek special knowledge through the spirits of the dead, whether the dead in general or dead relatives in particular (i.e., familiar spirits; see J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 321, and B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 134). Cf. Lev 20:6 below.
[19:33] 100 tn Heb “And when a sojourner sojourns.”
[19:34] 101 tn Heb “and.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) can be considered to have resultative force here.
[19:35] 102 tn That is, liquid capacity (HALOT 640 s.v. מְשׂוּרָה). Cf. ASV, NIV, NRSV, TEV “quantity”; NAB, NASB “capacity.”
[19:36] 103 tn Heb “balances of righteousness,” and so throughout this sentence.
[19:36] 104 sn An ephah is a dry measure which measures about four gallons, or perhaps one third of a bushel, while a hin is a liquid measure of about 3.6 liters (= approximately 1 quart).
[19:37] 105 tn Heb “And you shall keep all my statutes and all my regulations 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).
[20:2] 106 tn Heb “or from the sojourner who sojourns”; NAB “an alien residing in Israel.”
[20:2] 107 tn Heb “his seed” (so KJV, ASV); likewise in vv. 3-4.
[20:2] 108 tn Regarding Molech and Molech worship see the note on Lev 18:21.
[20:2] 109 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).
[20:3] 110 tn Heb “And I, I shall give my faces.”
[20:3] 111 sn On the “cut off” penalty see the notes on Lev 7:20 and 17:4.
[20:3] 112 tn Heb “for the sake of defiling my sanctuary and to profane my holy name.”
[20:4] 113 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.
[20:4] 114 tn Heb “from that man” (so ASV); NASB “disregard that man.”
[20:5] 115 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.
[20:5] 116 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.
[20:6] 117 sn For structure and coherence in Lev 20:6-27 see the note on v. 27 below.
[20:6] 118 tn See the note on the phrase “familiar spirits” in Lev 19:31 above.
[20:6] 119 tn Heb “I will give my faces.”
[20:8] 120 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.).
[20:9] 121 sn Compare the regulations in Lev 18:6-23.
[20:9] 122 tn Heb “If a man a man who.”
[20:9] 123 tn Heb “makes light of his father and his mother.” Almost all English versions render this as some variation of “curses his father or mother.”
[20:9] 124 tn Heb “his blood [plural] is in him.” Cf. NAB “he has forfeited his life”; TEV “is responsible for his own death.”
[20:10] 125 tn Heb “And a man who.” The syntax here and at the beginning of the following verses elliptically mirrors that of v. 9, which justifies the rendering as a conditional clause.
[20:10] 126 tc The reading of the LXX minuscule
[20:11] 127 sn See the note on Lev 18:7 above.
[20:11] 128 tn See the note on v. 9 above.
[20:12] 129 tn The Hebrew term תֶּבֶל (tevel, “perversion”) derives from the verb “to mix; to confuse” (cf. KJV, ASV “they have wrought confusion”).
[20:13] 130 tn Heb “[as the] lyings of a woman.” The specific reference here is to homosexual intercourse between males.
[20:14] 131 tn Heb “And a man who takes a woman and her mother.” The Hebrew verb “to take” in this context means “to engage in sexual intercourse.”
[20:14] 132 tn Regarding “lewdness,” see the note on Lev 18:17 above.
[20:14] 133 tn Heb “in fire they shall burn him and them.” The active plural verb sometimes requires a passive translation (GKC 460 §144.f, g), esp. when no active plural subject has been expressed in the context. The present translation specifies “burned to death” because the traditional rendering “burnt with fire” (KJV, ASV; NASB “burned with fire”) could be understood to mean “branded” or otherwise burned, but not fatally.
[20:15] 134 tn See the note on Lev 18:20 above.
[20:16] 135 tn Heb “to copulate with it” (cf. Lev 20:16).
[20:17] 136 tn Heb “takes.” The verb “to take” in this context means “to engage in sexual intercourse,” though some English versions translate it as “marry” (e.g., NIV, NCV, TEV, CEV).
[20:17] 137 tn Regarding the “cut off” penalty, see the note on Lev 7:20.
[20:17] 138 tn See the note on Lev 17:16 above.
[20:18] 139 tn Heb “and the two of them.”
[20:19] 140 tn Heb “his flesh.”
[20:19] 141 tn See the note on Lev 17:16 above.
[20:21] 142 tn Heb “takes.” The verb “to take” in this context means “to engage in sexual intercourse.”
[20:21] 143 sn See the note on Lev 18:7 above.
[20:22] 144 tn Heb “And you shall keep all my statutes and all my regulations 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.).
[20:22] 145 tn Heb “and.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) can be considered to have resultative force here.
[20:23] 146 tc One medieval Hebrew
[20:24] 147 tc Here and with the same phrase in v. 26, the LXX adds “all,” resulting in the reading “all the peoples.”
[20:25] 148 tn Heb “And you shall distinguish.” The verb is the same as “set apart” at the end of the previous verse. The fact that God had “set them apart” from the other peoples roundabout them called for them to “distinguish between” the clean and the unclean, etc.
[20:25] 149 tn The word “creatures” has been supplied in the translation to make it clear that the following relative clause modifies the animal, bird, or creeping thing mentioned earlier, and not the ground itself.
[20:25] 150 tc The MT has “to defile,” but Smr, LXX, and Syriac have “to uncleanness.”
[20:27] 151 tc Smr, LXX, Syriac, and some Targum
[20:27] 152 tn See the note on the phrase “familiar spirit” in Lev 19:31 above.
[20:27] 153 tn This is not the most frequently-used Hebrew verb for stoning, but a word that refers to the action of throwing, slinging, or pelting someone with stones (see the note on v. 2 above). Smr and LXX have “you [plural] shall pelt them with stones.”
