Leviticus 18:8 kjv
The nakedness of thy father's wife shalt thou not uncover: it is thy father's nakedness.
Leviticus 18:8 nkjv
The nakedness of your father's wife you shall not uncover; it is your father's nakedness.
Leviticus 18:8 niv
"?'Do not have sexual relations with your father's wife; that would dishonor your father.
Leviticus 18:8 esv
You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's wife; it is your father's nakedness.
Leviticus 18:8 nlt
"Do not have sexual relations with any of your father's wives, for this would violate your father.
Leviticus 18 8 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Lv 18:7 | "You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father or the nakedness of your mother..." | Immediate context; forbids incest with the mother. |
| Lv 20:11 | "If a man lies with his father's wife, he has uncovered his father's nakedness..." | Confirms the prohibition, specifies the death penalty. |
| Dt 22:30 | "A man shall not take his father's wife, nor shall he uncover his father's skirt." | Reiteration of the law in Deuteronomy. |
| Dt 27:20 | "Cursed be anyone who lies with his father’s wife, because he has uncovered his father’s skirt." | Proclamation of a divine curse for this severe sin. |
| Gen 35:22 | "While Israel lived in that land, Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine..." | Biblical example of violating this very prohibition. |
| 2 Sam 16:21-22 | "...Ahithophel said to Absalom, 'Go in to your father’s concubines...' So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof, and Absalom went in to his father’s concubines..." | Example of public and highly significant violation of a father's honor and royal authority. |
| 1 Kgs 2:13-25 | (Adonijah requesting Abishag, a concubine of David, for wife) | A request for the father's former wife often signified a claim to the deceased father's throne, which Solomon rejected. |
| 1 Cor 5:1 | "It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you... a man has his father’s wife." | New Testament example of the same severe sin among believers. |
| Lv 18:3 | "You shall not do according to the practices of the land of Egypt, where you dwelt, or according to the practices of the land of Canaan..." | Broader context of separating from pagan immorality. |
| Lv 18:6 | "None of you shall approach anyone of his own flesh to uncover nakedness..." | General principle underlying all the specific prohibitions. |
| Ex 20:12 | "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land..." | Principle of honoring parents, violated by the sin. |
| Heb 13:4 | "Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled..." | General command for marital purity and honor. |
| Mt 19:4-6 | "He answered, 'Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female... a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife...'" | Biblical foundation of marriage as one-flesh union. |
| 1 Thes 4:3-5 | "For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor..." | Command for sexual holiness and self-control. |
| Eph 5:3 | "But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints." | Call to extreme purity among believers. |
| Lv 20:26 | "You shall be holy to me, for I the Lord am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine." | Call to holiness, the overarching theme of Leviticus. |
| Rom 1:26-27 | "...their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another..." | Speaks to deviations from God's created sexual order. |
| Prov 6:29 | "So is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife; none who touches her will go unpunished." | General warning against illicit sexual encounters and consequences. |
| 1 Cor 6:18 | "Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body." | Emphasizes the unique harmful nature of sexual sin. |
| Jas 4:4 | "You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?" | Figurative "adultery" highlighting spiritual unfaithfulness, echoing the severity of marital infidelity. |
| Gn 9:22-23 | "And Ham... saw the nakedness of his father and told his two brothers... but Shem and Japheth took a garment... and covered the nakedness of their father..." | Early example illustrating the shame and dishonor associated with "uncovering nakedness" and the proper response. |
| Mk 6:17-18 | "For Herod himself had sent and arrested John and bound him in prison... because he had married his brother’s wife, for John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”" | New Testament example showing the continuation of prohibitions against certain close familial unions. |
Leviticus 18 verses
Leviticus 18 8 Meaning
Leviticus 18:8 prohibits a man from having sexual relations with his father's wife, which refers to his stepmother. This act is strictly forbidden as it is considered an ultimate affront and desecration of his father's personal honor and marital sanctity, even if the father is deceased or no longer with the woman. The verse underscores the importance of maintaining proper boundaries and honor within kinship relations, essential for the holiness of the Israelite community.
Leviticus 18 8 Context
Leviticus chapter 18 outlines a series of prohibitions regarding sexual relations, forming a core part of God's covenant laws for Israel. These statutes were given to define Israel's ethical and moral distinctiveness as a holy nation, setting them apart from the idolatrous and immoral practices prevalent in Egypt (from which they had come) and Canaan (into which they were about to enter). The chapter begins with a general command for Israel to observe God's ordinances and not follow the customs of the surrounding nations (Lv 18:1-5). The enumerated forbidden relations, including that with a father's wife, emphasize the sanctity of family relationships, the importance of defined roles, and the avoidance of all forms of sexual perversion that defile individuals, families, and the land itself. Historically, in some ancient Near Eastern cultures, a son might claim his deceased father's concubines as a way to assert succession to the father's authority or status, a practice that this law would emphatically forbid for Israel.
Leviticus 18 8 Word analysis
- You shall not (לֹא תְגַלֶּה, lo tigleh): "Lo" is a strong negation, and "tigleh" is the hiphil form of the verb "to uncover" or "reveal," used here in the imperative sense, emphasizing a strict prohibition. This strong negative command underscores the severity of the action forbidden.
- uncover the nakedness (תְגַלֶּה עֶרְוַת, tigleh ervat): This is a standard biblical idiom for engaging in sexual intercourse, specifically illicit or forbidden sexual acts. "Nakedness" (ervah) refers not only to physical exposure but also signifies vulnerability, shame, disgrace, and defilement. "Uncovering nakedness" in this context implies a profound violation of privacy, honor, and sacred boundaries within family relationships. It leads to defilement of both the individuals involved and, collectively, the community.
- of your father's wife (אֵשֶׁת אָבִיךָ, 'eshet 'abikha): This refers to a stepmother. The term denotes her legal relationship to the father, regardless of whether she is the man's biological mother, if the father is alive or deceased, or if he is divorced from her. This prohibition prevents the confusion of lineage and the blurring of essential kinship boundaries within the family unit.
- it is your father's nakedness (הִיא עֶרְוַת אָבִיךָ, hi 'ervat 'abikha): This phrase provides the fundamental reason and gravity of the prohibition. It states that an intimate relationship with one's stepmother is equivalent to violating the father directly. It is a supreme act of dishonor, disrespect, and an assault on the father's conjugal rights, authority, and even his very person or legacy, reflecting a profound disruption of the divinely ordained family order.
- Words-group Analysis:
- "uncover the nakedness of...": This consistent phrase throughout Leviticus 18 (and other parts of the Torah) signals sexual acts that are considered transgressive, defiling, and dishonoring. It is never used in the Bible for legitimate marital intercourse. The very language evokes a sense of shame and defilement inherent in such illicit unions.
- "your father's wife; it is your father's nakedness": The direct equation here ("it is your father's nakedness") elevates the offense from mere illicit sexual contact to an act that deeply undermines paternal honor and status. This connection means the wife is so inextricably linked to the husband's identity and honor that to violate her is to violate him directly. This specific linking reinforces the sacredness of the marital bond and familial hierarchy, safeguarding against any attempt to usurp paternal authority or lineage by assuming intimacy with the father's consort.
Leviticus 18 8 Bonus section
The phrase "uncovering nakedness" carried particular weight beyond just the physical act. In ancient cultures, one's spouse was seen as an extension of one's own honor and dignity. Therefore, an offense against a spouse, particularly the wife, was an direct offense against the husband. For a son to lie with his stepmother was a deep personal and public humiliation to his father, reflecting a complete disregard for familial and divine order. This was not merely a matter of consanguinity (blood relation) but also of affinity (relation by marriage) and, crucially, a question of deeply established familial respect and authority structures. The enduring nature of the marital bond, even after death or separation from the man's direct parent, highlights God's design for lasting and clearly defined family relations.
Leviticus 18 8 Commentary
Leviticus 18:8 provides a clear boundary for sexual conduct, strictly forbidding relations with a stepmother. This prohibition is rooted in the deep reverence and honor due to parents within Israelite society. Engaging in such a relationship would constitute a severe violation of the father's honor and authority, treating his legitimate consort as available, thereby dissolving sacred familial distinctions. It asserts that even the father's former wife remains linked to his "nakedness"—his most private and honored marital space—meaning any infringement upon it is an attack on the father's person and integrity. This commandment ensured moral purity and prevented chaos within family structures and the community. Its ultimate goal was to distinguish Israel from the pervasive immorality of the surrounding pagan cultures, calling them to live a life consecrated to a holy God. This foundational principle teaches us the sanctity of marriage and family relationships as designed by God, upholding boundaries and honor as integral to a life of faith and obedience.