Leviticus 18

Leviticus · Chapter 18

Leviticus 18:23

1And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,2Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, I am the LORD your God.3After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do: neither shall ye walk in their ordinances.4Ye shall do my judgments, and keep mine ordinances, to walk therein: I am the LORD your God.5Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am the LORD.6None of you shall approach to any that is near of kin to him, to uncover their nakedness: I am the LORD.7The nakedness of thy father, or the nakedness of thy mother, shalt thou not uncover: she is thy mother; thou shalt not uncover her nakedness.8The nakedness of thy father’s wife shalt thou not uncover: it is thy father’s nakedness.9The nakedness of thy sister, the daughter of thy father, or daughter of thy mother, whether she be born at home, or born abroad, even their nakedness thou shalt not uncover.10The nakedness of thy son’s daughter, or of thy daughter’s daughter, even their nakedness thou shalt not uncover: for theirs is thine own nakedness.11The nakedness of thy father’s wife’s daughter, begotten of thy father, she is thy sister, thou shalt not uncover her nakedness.12Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father’s sister: she is thy father’s near kinswoman.13Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy mother’s sister: for she is thy mother’s near kinswoman.14Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father’s brother, thou shalt not approach to his wife: she is thine aunt.15Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy daughter in law: she is thy son’s wife; thou shalt not uncover her nakedness.16Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy brother’s wife: it is thy brother’s nakedness.17Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of a woman and her daughter, neither shalt thou take her son’s daughter, or her daughter’s daughter, to uncover her nakedness; for they are her near kinswomen: it is wickedness.18Neither shalt thou take a wife to her sister, to vex her, to uncover her nakedness, beside the other in her life time.19Also thou shalt not approach unto a woman to uncover her nakedness, as long as she is put apart for her uncleanness.20Moreover thou shalt not lie carnally with thy neighbour’s wife, to defile thyself with her.21And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD.22Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.23Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto: it is confusion.24Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you:25And the land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants.26Ye shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations; neither any of your own nation, nor any stranger that sojourneth among you:27(For all these abominations have the men of the land done, which were before you, and the land is defiled;)28That the land spue not you out also, when ye defile it, as it spued out the nations that were before you.29For whosoever shall commit any of these abominations, even the souls that commit them shall be cut off from among their people.30Therefore shall ye keep mine ordinance, that ye commit not any one of these abominable customs, which were committed before you, and that ye defile not yourselves therein: I am the LORD your God.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
23Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto: it is confusion.You must not lie carnally with any animal, thus defiling yourself with it; a woman must not stand before an animal to mate with it; that is a perversion.And thou shalt not lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith; neither shall any woman stand before a beast, to lie down thereto: it is confusion.

In context

Who is speaking and to whom, what is happening, when and where, and why it matters, each with its sources. Coming with the context cards.

Original Hebrew words

EnglishHebrewSay itStrong'sMeaning
and in anyוּבְכָל־u-ve-KHOL-H3605
all

כֹּל (kol) 1) all, the whole 1a) all, the whole of 1b) any, each, every, anything 1c) totality, everything Aramaic equivalent: kol (כֹּל "all" H3606)

animalבְּהֵמָ֛הbe-he-MAHH0929
animal

בְּהֵמָה (be.he.mah) 1) beast, cattle, animal 1a) beasts (coll of all animals) 1b) cattle, livestock (of domestic animals) 1c) wild beasts

notלֹא־lo'-H3808
not

לֹא (lo) 1) not, no 1a) not (with verb-absolute prohibition) 1b) not (with modifier-negation) 1c) nothing (subst) 1d) without (with particle) 1e) before (of time) Aramaic equivalent: la (לָא "not" H3809)

you will giveתִתֵּ֥ןti-TENH5414O
to give: give

נָתַן (na.tan) : give/deliver/send/produce 1) to give, put, set 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to give, bestow, grant, permit, ascribe, employ, devote, consecrate, dedicate, pay wages, sell, exchange, lend, commit, entrust, give over, deliver up, yield produce, occasion, produce, requite to, report, mention, utter, stretch out, extend 1a2) to put, set, put on, put upon, set, appoint, assign, designate 1a3) to make, constitute 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be given, be bestowed, be provided, be entrusted to, be granted to, be permitted, be issued, be published, be uttered, be assigned 1b2) to be set, be put, be made, be inflicted …

copulation yourשְׁכָבְתְּךָ֖she-kha-ve-te-KHAH7903
copulation

שְׁכֹ֫בֶת (she.kho.vet) copulation

to be uncleanלְטָמְאָה־le-ta-me-'ah-H2930A
to defile

טָמֵא (ta.me) 1) to be unclean, become unclean, become impure 1a) (Qal) to be or become unclean 1a1) sexually 1a2) religiously 1a3) ceremonially 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to defile oneself, be defiled 1b1a) sexually 1b1b) by idolatry 1b1c) ceremonially 1b2) to be regarded as unclean 1c) (Piel) 1c1) to defile 1c1a) sexually 1c1b) religiously 1c1c) ceremonially 1c2) to pronounce unclean, declare unclean (ceremonially) 1c3) to profane (God's name) 1d) (Pual) to be defiled 1e) (Hithpael) to be unclean 1f) (Hothpael) to be defiled

and a womanוְאִשָּׁ֗הve-'i-SHAHH0802G
woman

אִשָּׁה (ish.shah) : woman 1) woman, wife, female 1a) woman (opposite of man) 1b) wife (woman married to a man) 1c) female (of animals) 1d) each, every (pronoun)

notלֹֽא־lo'-H3808
not

לֹא (lo) 1) not, no 1a) not (with verb-absolute prohibition) 1b) not (with modifier-negation) 1c) nothing (subst) 1d) without (with particle) 1e) before (of time) Aramaic equivalent: la (לָא "not" H3809)

she will standתַעֲמֹ֞דta-'a-MODH5975J
to stand: stand

עָמַד (a.mad) : stand/stop/establish 1) to stand, remain, endure, take one's stand 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to stand, take one's stand, be in a standing attitude, stand forth, take a stand, present oneself, attend upon, be or become servant of 1a2) to stand still, stop (moving or doing), cease 1a3) to tarry, delay, remain, continue, abide, endure, persist, be steadfast 1a4) to make a stand, hold one's ground 1a5) to stand upright, remain standing, stand up, rise, be erect, be upright 1a6) to arise, appear, come on the scene, stand forth, appear, rise up or against …

to beforeלִפְנֵ֧יlif-NEIH6440G
face: before

פָּנֶה (pa.neh) : before/to/front 1) face 1a) face, faces 1b) presence, person 1c) face (of seraphim or cherubim) 1d) face (of animals) 1e) face, surface (of ground) 1f) as adv of loc/temp 1f1) before and behind, toward, in front of, forward, formerly, from beforetime, before 1g) with prep 1g1) in front of, before, to the front of, in the presence of, in the face of, at the face or front of, from the presence of, from before, from before the face of

an animalבְהֵמָ֛הve-he-MAHH0929
animal

בְּהֵמָה (be.he.mah) 1) beast, cattle, animal 1a) beasts (coll of all animals) 1b) cattle, livestock (of domestic animals) 1c) wild beasts

to stretch out with itלְרִבְעָ֖הּle-riv-'AHH7250
to mate

רָבַע (ra.va) 1) to lie stretched out, lie down 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to lie down 1a1a) for repose 1a1b) for copulation (of woman with beast) 1b) (Hiphil) to cause to lay down (of cattle breeding) Also means: re.va (רֶבַע "to lie down" H7252)

[is] confusionתֶּ֥בֶלTE-velH8397
perversion

תֶּ֫בֶל (te.vel) 1) confusion (violation of nature or divine order) 1a) perversion (in sexual sin)

itהֽוּא׃Hu'H1931
he/she/it

הוּא (hu) pron 3p s 1) he, she, it 1a) himself (with emphasis) 1b) resuming subj with emphasis 1c) (with minimum emphasis following predicate) 1d) (anticipating subj) 1e) (emphasising predicate) 1f) that, it (neuter) demons pron 2) that (with article)

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.