The
Lord spoke
to Moses, saying: “Say further to the people of Israel:
'Any of the people of Israel, or of the aliens who reside in Israel, who give any of their offspring to Molech1 shall be put to death; the people of the land shall stone them to death.2 I myself will set my face against them, and will cut them off from the people,3 because they have given of their offspring to Molech, defiling my sanctuary and profaning my holy name.4 And if the people of the land should ever close their eyes to them, when they give of their offspring to Molech, and do not put them to death, I myself will set my face against them and against their family, and will cut them off from among their people,5 them and all who follow them in prostituting themselves to Molech.6
If any turn to mediums and wizards, prostituting themselves to them, I will set my face against them,7 and will cut them off from the people.8 Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy; for I am the Lord your God.
Keep my statutes, and observe them; I am the Lord; I sanctify you. All who curse9 father or mother shall be put to death;10 having cursed father or mother, their blood is upon them.
If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbour,11 both the adulterer and the adulteress shall be put to death.12 The man who lies with his father’s wife has uncovered his father’s nakedness; both of them shall be put to death; their blood is upon them.13 If a man lies with his daughter-in-law, both of them shall be put to death; they have committed perversion; their blood is upon them.14 If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall be put to death; their blood is upon them.15 If a man takes a wife and her mother also, it is depravity; they shall be burned16 to death, both he and they, that there may be no depravity among you. If a man has sexual relations with an animal, he shall be put to death; and you shall kill the animal.17 If a woman approaches any animal and has sexual relations with it,18 you shall kill the woman and the animal; they shall be put to death, their blood is upon them.
If a man takes his sister, a daughter of his father or a daughter of his mother, and sees her nakedness, and she sees his nakedness, it is a disgrace,19 and they shall be cut off in the sight of their people; he has uncovered his sister’s nakedness, he shall be subject to punishment.20 If a man lies with a woman having her sickness and uncovers her nakedness, he has laid bare her flow and she has laid bare her flow of blood;21 both of them shall be cut off from their people.22 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother’s sister or of your father’s sister, for that is to lay bare one’s own flesh; they shall be subject to punishment. If a man lies with his uncle’s wife, he has uncovered his uncle’s nakedness; they shall be subject to punishment; they shall die childless.23 If a man takes his brother’s wife, it is impurity; he has uncovered his brother’s nakedness; they shall be childless.
You shall keep all my statutes and all my ordinances, and observe them, so that the land to which I bring you to settle in may not vomit you out. You shall not follow the practices of the nation that I am driving out before you.24 Because they did all these things, I abhorred them.25 But I have said to you: You shall inherit their land, and I will give it to you to possess, a land flowing with milk and honey. I am the Lord your God; I have separated you from the peoples.26 You shall therefore make a distinction between the clean animal and the unclean,27 and between the unclean bird and the clean; you shall not bring abomination28 on yourselves by animal or by bird or by anything with which the ground teems, which I have set apart for you to hold unclean. You shall be holy to me;29 for I the Lord am holy, and I have separated you from the other peoples to be mine.
A man or a woman who is a medium or a wizard shall be put to death; they shall be stoned to death, their blood is upon them.'30
'Any of the people of Israel, or of the aliens who reside in Israel, who give any of their offspring to Molech1 shall be put to death; the people of the land shall stone them to death.2 I myself will set my face against them, and will cut them off from the people,3 because they have given of their offspring to Molech, defiling my sanctuary and profaning my holy name.4 And if the people of the land should ever close their eyes to them, when they give of their offspring to Molech, and do not put them to death, I myself will set my face against them and against their family, and will cut them off from among their people,5 them and all who follow them in prostituting themselves to Molech.6
If any turn to mediums and wizards, prostituting themselves to them, I will set my face against them,7 and will cut them off from the people.8 Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy; for I am the Lord your God.
Keep my statutes, and observe them; I am the Lord; I sanctify you. All who curse9 father or mother shall be put to death;10 having cursed father or mother, their blood is upon them.
If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbour,11 both the adulterer and the adulteress shall be put to death.12 The man who lies with his father’s wife has uncovered his father’s nakedness; both of them shall be put to death; their blood is upon them.13 If a man lies with his daughter-in-law, both of them shall be put to death; they have committed perversion; their blood is upon them.14 If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall be put to death; their blood is upon them.15 If a man takes a wife and her mother also, it is depravity; they shall be burned16 to death, both he and they, that there may be no depravity among you. If a man has sexual relations with an animal, he shall be put to death; and you shall kill the animal.17 If a woman approaches any animal and has sexual relations with it,18 you shall kill the woman and the animal; they shall be put to death, their blood is upon them.
If a man takes his sister, a daughter of his father or a daughter of his mother, and sees her nakedness, and she sees his nakedness, it is a disgrace,19 and they shall be cut off in the sight of their people; he has uncovered his sister’s nakedness, he shall be subject to punishment.20 If a man lies with a woman having her sickness and uncovers her nakedness, he has laid bare her flow and she has laid bare her flow of blood;21 both of them shall be cut off from their people.22 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother’s sister or of your father’s sister, for that is to lay bare one’s own flesh; they shall be subject to punishment. If a man lies with his uncle’s wife, he has uncovered his uncle’s nakedness; they shall be subject to punishment; they shall die childless.23 If a man takes his brother’s wife, it is impurity; he has uncovered his brother’s nakedness; they shall be childless.
You shall keep all my statutes and all my ordinances, and observe them, so that the land to which I bring you to settle in may not vomit you out. You shall not follow the practices of the nation that I am driving out before you.24 Because they did all these things, I abhorred them.25 But I have said to you: You shall inherit their land, and I will give it to you to possess, a land flowing with milk and honey. I am the Lord your God; I have separated you from the peoples.26 You shall therefore make a distinction between the clean animal and the unclean,27 and between the unclean bird and the clean; you shall not bring abomination28 on yourselves by animal or by bird or by anything with which the ground teems, which I have set apart for you to hold unclean. You shall be holy to me;29 for I the Lord am holy, and I have separated you from the other peoples to be mine.
A man or a woman who is a medium or a wizard shall be put to death; they shall be stoned to death, their blood is upon them.'30
1
Going back to chapter 18
2
Not only death, but the type of death is proscribed
3
They are “cut off from the people” by God in addition to being
stoned?
4
Giving children to sacrifice is “defiling God's sanctuary and
profaning his holy name”. That certainly isn't the direction of
the main sentiment against child sacrifice that would be expressed
in modern times.
5
If Israel does not carry out this punishment, then God will set his
face against not only those who give their children to Moloch, but
all those who let it go on without capital punishment.
6
My Study Bible states that some experts believe the action warned
against here isn't actual child sacrifice, but some other form of
devoting one's children to other gods.
7
God Himself is the only one who punishes those who turn to mediums.
8
Does not mention putting the mediums themselves to death, but that
will come later in the passage.
9
What is a “curse” specifically, and how old must one have been
to fall under this threat? Is there any possibility that this
command actually means something else which has lost meaning outside
of that context?
10
In our society, putting someone to death for cursing their parents
seems incredible.
11
If a single woman has sex with a married man, is that similarly
punished?
12
Chapter 18 only mentioned the man's perspective, but here both are
punished. David later ignores this punishment.
13
Again, both man and woman are punished.
14
Judah slept with Tamer, his daughter-in-law.
15
Male homosexuality receives the death penalty. Like in Chapter 18,
female homosexuality is ignored.
16
First time burning is mentioned as a punishment.
17
Why the animal should be killed is unclear. Has it done something
wrong itself? Or is it not unclean in some way?
18
Once again specifying the woman too.
19
While death is proscribed for adultery, sex with father's wife, sex
with a woman and her daughter, sex with a man, or sex with an
animal, other forms of incest are a “disgrace” and receive a
lighter punishment.
20
Abram may have violated this one. The punishment is unclear.
21
This particular command is ignored today.
22
It is unclear whether these “shall be cut off from their people”
punishments are to be carried out by God or by the people.
23
Quite unusual punishment compared to the others. I would assume that
only God could carry it out.
24
Once again, the “practices of the nation” is being specified at
the end of a chapter about sexual practices and idolatry (this time
also included cursing one's parents).
25
God abhors them because they did all these things, indicating that
the practices, including the child sacrifice, may be abhorrent in
themselves, and not just because the pagans did them.
26
The idea of “separation” from other peoples is again made
explicit.
27
What is the connection between clean/unclean animals and the
practices just named? It appears again to be the “separation”
theme.
28
Contact with unclean animals is called “abomination”. This is
later reverted in Christianity.
29
Now being “holy”, the theme of chapter 19, is included here as
well.
30
Specifies punishment on practice that was decried earlier. Why so
out of place?
Take-home: Several of the commands given in the previous 2 chapters are associated with their punishments. The importance of following these ordinances in order to distinguish between the clean and the unclean, so that they will be worthy of the land God is giving them, is emphasized.
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