Leviticus 20
Category:Old Testament -> Leviticus
20:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
20:2 Again, thou shalt say to the children of Israel, Whosoever he be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn in Israel, that giveth any of his seed unto Molech; he shall surely be put to death: the people of the land shall stone him with stones.
(20:2) “Whosoever ... that giveth any of his seed unto Molech; he shall surely be put to death.”
Does God approve of human sacrifice?
20:3 And I will set my face against that man, and will cut him off from among his people; because he hath given of his seed unto Molech, to defile my sanctuary, and to profane my holy name.
20:4 And if the people of the land do any ways hide their eyes from the man, when he giveth of his seed unto Molech, and kill him not:
20:5 Then I will set my face against that man, and against his family, and will cut him off, and all that go a whoring after him, to commit whoredom with Molech, from among their people.
(20:5-6) “All that go a whoring after him, to commit whoredom with Molech”
Don’‘t go a whoring with Molech, wizards, or people with “familiar spirits”.
20:6 And the soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people.
20:7 Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God.
(20:7) “Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy.”
Is only God holy?
20:8 And ye shall keep my statutes, and do them: I am the LORD which sanctify you.
20:9 For every one that curseth his father or his mother shall be surely put to death: he hath cursed his father or his mother; his blood shall be upon him.
(20:9-16)
People who must be killed.
Does God approve of capital punishment?
What the Bible says about children, homosexuality, capital punishment, parenting, and crime and punishment
(20:9) Children that curse their parents.
“For every one that curseth his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.” Couldn’‘t we try spanking first?
20:10 And the man that committeth adultery with another man’s wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.
(20:10) Both parties in an adultery.
(But see 2 Samuel 12:13 where God makes an exception for King David by killing the baby instead.)
How should adulterers be punished?
20:11 And the man that lieth with his father’s wife hath uncovered his father’s nakedness: both of them shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.
(20:11) If a man has sex with his father’‘s wife, kill them both.
20:12 And if a man lie with his daughter in law, both of them shall surely be put to death: they have wrought confusion; their blood shall be upon them.
(20:12) If a man has sex with his daughter in law, kill them both.
20:13 If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.
(20:13) If a man has sex with another man, kill them both.
How should homosexuals be treated?
What the Bible says about homosexuality
20:14 And if a man take a wife and her mother, it is wickedness: they shall be burnt with fire, both he and they; that there be no wickedness among you.
(20:14) If a man has sex with his wife and her mother (now that sounds like fun!), burn to death all three.
What the Bible says about burning people to death
20:15 And if a man lie with a beast, he shall surely be put to death: and ye shall slay the beast.
(20:15) “If a man lie with a beast”
(20:15-16) If a man or woman has sex with an animal, kill them both.
20:16 And if a woman approach unto any beast, and lie down thereto, thou shalt kill the woman, and the beast: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.
20:17 And if a man shall take his sister, his father’s daughter, or his mother’s daughter, and see her nakedness, and she see his nakedness; it is a wicked thing; and they shall be cut off in the sight of their people: he hath uncovered his sister’s nakedness; he shall bear his iniquity.
(20:17, 19-21) Don’‘t uncover the nakedness of (have sex with) your sister, uncle’‘s wife, or your brother’‘s wife. (Just tell them to wear clothes whenever you’‘re around.)
Is incest forbidden?
20:18 And if a man shall lie with a woman having her sickness, and shall uncover her nakedness; he hath discovered her fountain, and she hath uncovered the fountain of her blood: and both of them shall be cut off from among their people.
Don’‘t have sex with menstruating women.
How should a man who has sex with a menstruating woman be punished?
What the Bible says about menstruation
20:19 And thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy mother’s sister, nor of thy father’s sister: for he uncovereth his near kin: they shall bear their iniquity.
20:20 And if a man shall lie with his uncle’s wife, he hath uncovered his uncle’s nakedness: they shall bear their sin; they shall die childless.
Don’‘t have sex with your aunts.
20:21 And if a man shall take his brother’s wife, it is an unclean thing: he hath uncovered his brother’s nakedness; they shall be childless.
(20:21) Don’‘t have sex with your uncle’‘s or brother’‘s wife or you’‘ll die childless.
20:22 Ye shall therefore keep all my statutes, and all my judgments, and do them: that the land, whither I bring you to dwell therein, spue you not out.
20:23 And ye shall not walk in the manners of the nation, which I cast out before you: for they committed all these things, and therefore I abhorred them.
(20:23) “I abhorred them.”
Contrary to popular opinion, the god of the bible does not love everyone. (Some people he abhors.)
Does God love everyone?
20:24 But I have said unto you, Ye shall inherit their land, and I will give it unto you to possess it, a land that floweth with milk and honey: I am the LORD your God, which have separated you from other people.
20:25 Ye shall therefore put difference between clean beasts and unclean, and between unclean fowls and clean: and ye shall not make your souls abominable by beast, or by fowl, or by any manner of living thing that creepeth on the ground, which I have separated from you as unclean.
20:26 And ye shall be holy unto me: for I the LORD am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine.
20:27 A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood shall be upon them.
(20:27) Stone to death any witches or wizards
“Their blood shall be upon them.”
What the Bible says about stoning
Further Reading
Dwindling in Unbelief
Biblical Justice: Everybody must get stoned (20:2, 27)
CNNN: Which bits of the Bible are we still to believe? (20:9)
A sermon for Hillary (20:10)
The Christopher Hitchens / Douglas Wilson debate (20:10, 13)
Top Ten Abominations to God (20:13)
Ted Haggard: It’s written in the Bible (20:13)
Bible-based Platforms for Republicans and Democrats (20:13)
Is it wrong to burn people to death? (20:14)
The Bible and the Quran agree: Stay away from menstruating women (20:18)
Things on which the Bible and Quran agree (20:18)
Whom does God hate? (20:23)
God hates brats (20:9)
God hates vaginas (20:18)
Slate Blogs the Bible by David Plotz
The Most Glorious Chapter in the Bible
Leviticus on Slavery
Christian Response
Annotated Skeptic’s Annotated Bible
Yea, I throughly washed away thy blood from thee (Lev. 15:24 & 20:18)
GotQuestions.org: Responses to the Skeptic’s Annotated Bible Cruelty Short List - Leviticus
Leviticus 20:9 - “Death penalty for cursing one’s father and mother”
Leviticus 20:12-16 - “Death penalty for sins of incest, sodomy, bestiality”
Leviticus 20:27 - “Death penalty for ‘mediums’ and ‘wizards’”
