Leviticus 18:6 kjv
None of you shall approach to any that is near of kin to him, to uncover their nakedness: I am the LORD.
Leviticus 18:6 nkjv
'None of you shall approach anyone who is near of kin to him, to uncover his nakedness: I am the LORD.
Leviticus 18:6 niv
"?'No one is to approach any close relative to have sexual relations. I am the LORD.
Leviticus 18:6 esv
"None of you shall approach any one of his close relatives to uncover nakedness. I am the LORD.
Leviticus 18:6 nlt
"You must never have sexual relations with a close relative, for I am the LORD.
Leviticus 18 6 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Lev 20:11-21 | "...If a man lies with his father’s wife..." | Detailed list of incestuous relations and their penalties. |
| Deut 27:20-23 | "Cursed be anyone who lies with his father’s wife..." | Public curses for incestuous acts, emphasizing their gravity. |
| Ezek 22:10-11 | "In you men uncover their fathers' nakedness..." | Prophetic lament over Judah's specific sins, including incest. |
| 1 Cor 5:1 | "...that one of you has his father’s wife." | New Testament condemnation of an unrepented incestuous relationship. |
| Gen 9:22 | "...and uncovered his father’s nakedness." | Ham's transgression against Noah involving shameful exposure. |
| Isa 47:3 | "Your nakedness shall be uncovered..." | Prophetic imagery of shame and judgment, metaphorically using "uncovering nakedness." |
| Ezek 16:36 | "...because your nakedness was uncovered..." | Description of spiritual adultery as uncovering nakedness before idolaters. |
| Gen 2:24 | "...and they shall become one flesh." | Defines exclusive, lifelong, sexual union within marriage, distinct from family kinship. |
| Matt 19:4-6 | "...‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother...'" | Jesus affirms the divine, foundational design of marriage. |
| Heb 13:4 | "Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed..." | Exalts marriage and condemns sexual immorality, reflecting God's order. |
| Exod 20:14 | "You shall not commit adultery." | General prohibition against sexual impurity in the Ten Commandments. |
| Exod 20:2 | "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt..." | Basis of all God's commands: His identity and redemptive work. |
| Lev 19:2 | "You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy." | Calls to moral and cultic holiness as Israel's core identity. |
| Lev 20:26 | "You shall be holy to me, for I the LORD am holy..." | Reinforces the call to holiness as a consequence of God's character. |
| Deut 7:6 | "...a people holy to the LORD your God." | Israel's selection as a special and holy people to God. |
| 1 Pet 1:15-16 | "...as he who called you is holy, you also be holy..." | New Testament reiteration of the call to holiness for believers. |
| Lev 18:3-5 | "You shall not do according to the practices of the land of Egypt..." | Establishes the contrast between Israel's laws and pagan practices. |
| Lev 18:24-30 | "Do not defile yourselves by any of these things..." | Consequences of defilement and expulsion from the land. |
| Eph 5:3 | "But sexual immorality and all impurity..." | New Testament instruction for believers to avoid all sexual immorality. |
| Col 3:5 | "Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality..." | Call to actively abandon sinful sexual practices as believers. |
| Rom 1:26-27 | "...dishonorable passions...exchanged natural relations for..." | Describes the progression of sexual perversion in a society that rejects God. |
| Gen 49:4 | "You defiled my couch by going up to my bed!" | Reuben's dishonoring his father through sexual sin. |
| 2 Sam 16:21-22 | "...Go in to your father’s concubines..." | Absalom's public incestuous act, designed to usurp David's throne. |
| Amos 2:7 | "...and a man and his father go in to the same girl..." | Condemnation of a flagrant display of sexual perversion. |
| Rom 13:9 | "...You shall not commit adultery..." | Summarizes commands related to love for neighbor, including sexual purity. |
Leviticus 18 verses
Leviticus 18 6 Meaning
Leviticus 18:6 sets forth a fundamental divine prohibition against any form of incestuous sexual relations within a family. It declares that no Israelite is to draw near sexually to a close blood relative, described as "his near of kin," for the purpose of illicit intercourse, which is euphemistically termed "uncovering their nakedness." The command concludes with the powerful assertion "I am the LORD," establishing God's ultimate authority, holiness, and the binding nature of this ordinance, which differentiates His covenant people from the depraved sexual practices of surrounding nations.
Leviticus 18 6 Context
Leviticus chapter 18 is part of the "Holiness Code" (Leviticus 17-26), a section of laws primarily focused on defining moral, ethical, and ritual holiness for the Israelites. The overarching purpose of these statutes is to differentiate God's covenant people from the surrounding pagan nations, specifically Egypt and Canaan (Lev 18:3, 24). Before listing the specific prohibitions, the chapter emphasizes the vital necessity of obeying God's statutes and judgments for their well-being and life (Lev 18:4-5). Verse 6 serves as a foundational and overarching principle for the subsequent, detailed list of forbidden sexual relationships, starting with the immediate family (Lev 18:7-18) and then extending to various other forms of sexual immorality and cultic abuses (Lev 18:19-23). The historical context reveals that Canaanite religious practices often included ritual prostitution, incest, and even bestiality, which Leviticus 18 directly condemns as detestable acts that defile the land.
Leviticus 18 6 Word analysis
- None of you: This inclusive phrasing emphasizes that the prohibition applies universally to every individual within the Israelite community, irrespective of status or gender.
- shall approach (לָהִקְרִ֣יב - lāhiqərîḇ): From the Hebrew root qarab (to come near, draw close). In this context, it signifies more than mere physical proximity; it denotes active initiation or participation in an intimate, specifically sexual, encounter. It points to a profound act of drawing into forbidden closeness.
- to any that is near of kin to him (שְׁאֵר֙ בְּשָׂר֔וֹ - šəʾēr bəśārô): Literally "flesh of his flesh" or "remnant of his flesh." This is a strong Hebrew idiom indicating a very close blood relative, emphasizing the biological and familial ties. It points to individuals who are of the same familial "body," whose relationships are naturally sacred and meant to be non-sexual. The term stresses the shared biological substance.
- to uncover their nakedness (לְגַלּ֣וֹת עֶרְוָ֔ה - ləḡallōṯ ʿerwāh): A ubiquitous biblical euphemism for sexual intercourse, especially when illicit or shaming. ʿErwāh refers to genitalia or, more broadly, to sexual indecency or shame. The act of "uncovering" (gālâ) highlights exposure and vulnerability. To "uncover nakedness" of a close relative is to shame, dishonor, and violate deeply sacred familial boundaries through forbidden sexual union.
- I am the LORD (אֲנִ֖י יְהוָֽה - ʾănî Yahweh): This is God's covenant name, appearing repeatedly throughout Leviticus. It serves as a powerful divine authentication of the command, signifying God's ultimate authority, holiness, and sovereignty. It underscores that these laws are not arbitrary human customs but divine imperatives stemming directly from God's character and His unique relationship with Israel.
Words-group analysis:
- "shall approach... to uncover their nakedness": This pairing explicitly defines the prohibited action: the specific act of drawing sexually intimate, illicitly, resulting in defilement and shame. It is a euphemistic but clear condemnation of forbidden sexual relations.
- "near of kin to him... to uncover their nakedness": This phrase combination pinpoints the particular heinousness of incest. The "nakedness" that is uncovered belongs to one's own immediate "flesh," making the violation particularly egregious as it perverts the foundational sanctity and distinct roles within the family unit.
- "None of you... I am the LORD": This frames the entire command. It establishes the universality of the prohibition for all of God's covenant people, and anchors the command firmly in the absolute and holy authority of God Himself. Obedience is demanded because of who God is.
Leviticus 18 6 Bonus section
- Purity of Israel: The detailed laws in Leviticus 18 (and the entire Holiness Code) served as a strong barrier against assimilation into the surrounding pagan cultures, whose loose sexual morality often accompanied their idolatrous worship. By upholding distinct sexual ethics, Israel was literally "set apart" (holy) for God.
- Symbolic Pollution: The "uncovering of nakedness" with kin implies not only physical and emotional harm but also a form of ritual or spiritual pollution. These acts, considered to'evah (abomination), were so defiling that they could pollute the land itself and lead to the land "vomiting out" its inhabitants, underscoring the severe consequences beyond personal transgression.
- Divine Basis: The phrase "I am the LORD" is not merely an exclamation point but the ultimate theological ground for the entire law. It emphasizes that these prohibitions are not arbitrary, socially constructed norms, but derive from God’s intrinsic holy character and His authoritative will for His covenant people. It makes these commands non-negotiable and eternal in principle, regardless of changing human cultural standards.
Leviticus 18 6 Commentary
Leviticus 18:6 establishes the overarching principle that sexual intimacy with one's "near of kin" is absolutely forbidden. This foundational verse initiates the detailed enumeration of incestuous prohibitions in the chapter. The command transcends mere social custom; it is a divine mandate, underlined by God's self-attestation, "I am the LORD." The concept of "uncovering nakedness" encapsulates a profound violation, leading to shame and defilement of familial bonds. This law ensures the clear distinction of roles within families, safeguards the purity of lineage, and, crucially, sets God's people apart from the immoral practices prevalent in pagan cultures. It teaches that proper boundaries within family are integral to a holy community reflecting the character of its holy God. Practically, it affirms that God’s design for human sexuality is inherently orderly, respectful, and intended for sanctity within the divinely ordained covenant of marriage between a man and woman who are not close blood relatives, preserving the sacred integrity of the family.