Leviticus 20:16 kjv
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.
Leviticus 20:16 nkjv
If a woman approaches any animal and mates with it, you shall kill the woman and the animal. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood is upon them.
Leviticus 20:16 niv
"?'If a woman approaches an animal to have sexual relations with it, kill both the woman and the animal. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.
Leviticus 20:16 esv
If a woman approaches any animal and lies with it, you shall kill the woman and the animal; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.
Leviticus 20:16 nlt
"If a woman presents herself to a male animal to have intercourse with it, she and the animal must both be put to death. You must kill both, for they are guilty of a capital offense.
Leviticus 20 16 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 1:26-27 | "Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image... male and female he created them." | Distinction between humans and animals. |
| Gen 2:18-24 | "It is not good for the man to be alone... brought them to Adam." | Establishment of human marital union. |
| Exod 22:19 | "Whoever lies with an animal shall surely be put to death." | Earlier formulation of the same law. |
| Lev 18:23 | "And you shall not lie with any beast to make yourself unclean with it..." | Explicit prohibition, linking it to uncleanness. |
| Lev 18:25 | "The land became unclean, so I punished its iniquity, and the land vomited out its inhabitants." | Defilement of land due to such sins. |
| Lev 18:28 | "so that the land may not vomit you out for defiling it..." | Consequence of defilement is expulsion. |
| Lev 19:2 | "You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy." | Underlying principle of holiness. |
| Lev 20:6 | "If anyone turns to mediums and necromancers... I will cut him off..." | Context of various capital offenses. |
| Lev 20:10 | "If a man commits adultery... both the adulterer and the adulteress shall be put to death." | Other sexual offenses punishable by death. |
| Lev 20:15 | "If a man lies with a beast, he shall surely be put to death..." | Adjacent verse for a woman with a beast. |
| Lev 20:22-23 | "You shall therefore keep all my statutes... lest the land vomit you out..." | Reiterates land defilement and expulsion. |
| Deut 27:21 | "Cursed be anyone who lies with any kind of animal..." | Reinforcement through curses for disobedience. |
| Rom 1:24 | "Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity..." | Idolatry leading to sexual degradation. |
| Rom 1:26-27 | "God gave them up to dishonorable passions... abandoning natural relations..." | General principle of unnatural sexual acts. |
| 1 Cor 6:9-10 | "Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral... will inherit the kingdom of God." | Excludes the sexually immoral from God's kingdom. |
| Heb 12:14 | "Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord." | Emphasizes the necessity of holiness. |
| Jude 1:7 | "Sodom and Gomorrah... indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire..." | Examples of judgment for sexual perversion. |
| 2 Pet 2:12 | "But these, like irrational animals... are destined to be captured and destroyed." | Those living depraved lives compared to animals. |
| Rev 21:8 | "But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral..." | Final judgment on those practicing such sins. |
Leviticus 20 verses
Leviticus 20 16 Meaning
Leviticus 20:16 decrees that if a man engages in sexual relations with an animal, both the man and the beast are to be put to death. This severe injunction underscores the profound defilement and transgression against the natural order established by God, demanding the complete eradication of such an abomination from the community and the land.
Leviticus 20 16 Context
Leviticus 20 continues the theme from Chapter 18 regarding prohibited sexual relations and Chapter 19 on general holiness, but shifts focus to the prescribed penalties, primarily capital punishment, for specific transgressions that defile the individual and the community. This chapter delineates offenses related to idolatry (Molech worship), disrespect for parents, various incestuous relationships, and bestiality, emphasizing the extreme seriousness of these sins. The repeated phrase "he shall surely be put to death" underscores the gravity. The historical and cultural context is crucial: Israel was set apart from surrounding Canaanite nations whose practices often included such perversions, sometimes integrated into fertility cults and idolatrous rituals. God's laws here function as a direct polemic against these prevalent pagan practices, asserting Yahweh's unique standards of holiness, purity, and ordered creation. The judgment on both human and animal in bestiality showcases the absolute defilement and need for complete eradication of the stain.
Word Analysis
- If a man: ish (אִישׁ), "male human." This immediately establishes the perpetrator as a human being, emphasizing responsibility and the distinct nature of humanity, created in God's image, separate from the animal kingdom.
- lies with: shakhav (שָׁכַב), "to lie down," specifically used in this context for sexual intercourse. It highlights the direct, intentional nature of the physical act. The term implies a willful participation in the forbidden union.
- a beast: behemah (בְּהֵמָה), typically refers to a domesticated animal or large quadrupeds. This specification underlines the unnaturalness of the act, crossing the divinely ordained boundary between humans and animals. It points to a profound perversion of God's created order where humans are given dominion over, but not intended for sexual union with, animals (Gen 1:26-28).
- he shall surely be put to death: mot yumat (מוֹת יוּמַת), a Hebrew idiom (infinitive absolute followed by imperfect) denoting an absolute and certain death sentence, signifying a capital crime of the highest order. This isn't just "he should die," but "dying he shall die," indicating inescapable and immediate execution, often by stoning by the community. The severity reflects the egregious nature of violating basic created distinctions and introducing profound defilement.
- and you shall kill the beast: The animal, though not morally culpable, becomes contaminated by participating in such an abhorrent act. Its death serves several purposes: it removes any physical reminder or potential for repetition, underscores the profound defilement the act causes to creation, and signifies a complete purging of the abomination from the community and land. This complete eradication is part of the purification process necessary to maintain God's holiness in the midst of His people.
- Words-group analysis: "lies with a beast": This phrase encapsulates the core transgression – the perversion of natural, God-ordained sexual relations. It breaches the fundamental distinction between humanity (made in God's image, intended for relations with other humans) and the animal kingdom (over which humans have dominion). Such an act violates both moral purity and the order of creation.
- Words-group analysis: "he shall surely be put to death, and you shall kill the beast": This compound decree emphasizes the complete eradication of the defilement. The certainty of execution for the man signifies the severe breach of covenant and natural law, while the killing of the beast underlines the pervasive contamination of the sin and the necessity of total purging. The community is tasked with executing this judgment, highlighting collective responsibility for upholding holiness and removing evil from their midst (Deut 13:5, 17:7).
Leviticus 20 16 Bonus section
The inclusion of the animal's death in the punishment highlights a crucial theological concept: human sin has ripple effects that can corrupt aspects of creation. While the animal is innocent of moral wrongdoing, it becomes a party to human defilement, underscoring the severe and contaminating nature of this specific transgression. This can be paralleled with situations like the ox that gores a man to death (Exod 21:28), which must also be stoned and its flesh not eaten, removing its very usefulness after being involved in death. This demonstrates that God's justice and the need for purity extend even to the material objects involved in severe transgressions. The act of bestiality fundamentally violates the divine design for sexual intimacy, which is reserved for human marriage, mirroring the sanctity of life itself and reflecting the gravity of the created order. The explicit punishment for bestiality contrasts sharply with the practices in ancient Near Eastern religions, where sexual acts, including perversions, were sometimes part of pagan cult rituals, further underscoring the unique ethical demands of the God of Israel.
Leviticus 20 16 Commentary
Leviticus 20:16 addresses bestiality, deeming it a capital crime for both the man and the animal. This sin is not merely a social taboo but a grave offense against the divine order, profoundly defiling the individual, the community, and the land itself. God's command reveals His absolute intolerance for practices that distort the created boundaries between humans and animals. Such a perverse act disrupts the purity required of God's covenant people and reflects the degradation witnessed in pagan cultures where moral distinctions were blurred. The stringent penalty ensures the total eradication of such an abomination, emphasizing the purity God demands for Israel to remain His holy nation and retain His presence in their midst. This law served as a potent barrier against the depravities of surrounding nations, reinforcing Israel's distinct calling to live in covenant holiness.