Leviticus 20 20

Leviticus 20:20 kjv

And if a man shall lie with his uncle's wife, he hath uncovered his uncle's nakedness: they shall bear their sin; they shall die childless.

Leviticus 20:20 nkjv

If a man lies with his uncle's wife, he has uncovered his uncle's nakedness. They shall bear their sin; they shall die childless.

Leviticus 20:20 niv

"?'If a man has sexual relations with his aunt, he has dishonored his uncle. They will be held responsible; they will die childless.

Leviticus 20:20 esv

If a man lies with his uncle's wife, he has uncovered his uncle's nakedness; they shall bear their sin; they shall die childless.

Leviticus 20:20 nlt

"If a man has sex with his uncle's wife, he has violated his uncle. Both the man and woman will be punished for their sin, and they will die childless.

Leviticus 20 verses

Leviticus 20 20 Meaning

Leviticus 20:20 declares that if a man engages in sexual relations with his paternal uncle's wife, he has violated and brought dishonor upon his uncle's sanctity within the family. As a direct consequence, both individuals involved will be held accountable for their sin, facing divine judgment which includes the severe penalty of dying childless. This outcome signifies the cutting off of their lineage, preventing the perpetuation of their name or heirs within the covenant community.

Leviticus 20 20 Context

Leviticus chapter 20 serves as a detailed elaboration and a declaration of specific penalties for the sexual sins and idolatries first outlined in chapter 18. It is an integral part of the Holiness Code (Lev 17-27), which delineates God's standards for a holy nation, separate from the practices of surrounding Canaanite and Egyptian peoples. The verse speaks to the profound sacredness of family bonds, the sanctity of marriage, and the imperative to uphold sexual purity within the Israelite community. The historical context reflects a deliberate call for Israel to distinguish itself from widespread immoral practices of pagan nations, where incestuous unions were sometimes tolerated or even practiced, particularly in fertility cults. The severe punishment highlights the abhorrence of God for such transgressions that threaten the social and moral fabric of His chosen people.

Leviticus 20 20 Word analysis

• And if a man: Hebrew: 'Ish (אִישׁ). Refers to an adult male. The opening highlights the direct human agent of the transgression.
• shall lie with: Hebrew: shakhav (שָׁכַב). While literally "to lie down," in this context, it unequivocally signifies sexual intercourse. It denotes the consummation of the prohibited act.
• his uncle's wife: Hebrew: 'eshet dodov (אֵשֶׁת דֹּדוֹ).
  • 'Eshet (אֵשֶׁת): "wife of."
  • Dod (דֹּד): Specifically refers to a paternal uncle, the father's brother. This precision identifies the woman as the transgressor's aunt by marriage, indicating a severe breach of family structure and respect.
• he hath uncovered his uncle's nakedness: Hebrew: 'ervat dodo gillah (עֶרְוַת דֹּדוֹ גִּלָּה).
  • 'Ervah (עֶרְוָה): "nakedness," signifying the private parts, sexual exposure, or anything causing shame or dishonor. In this context, it is figurative.
  • Gillah (גִּלָּה): "to uncover, reveal."This phrase means more than mere physical exposure; it refers to the deep defilement, dishonor, and profound violation inflicted upon the uncle through the sexual desecration of his marriage, which represents his honor and familial purity.
• they shall bear their sin: Hebrew: yis'u chet'am (יִשְׂאוּ חֶטְאָם).
  • Yis'u (יִשְׂאוּ): "they shall bear, carry, endure."
  • Chet'am (חֶטְאָם): "their sin," referring to their guilt, transgression, and its culpability.This signifies their personal and complete responsibility for their actions, implying divine accountability and the enduring consequences of their trespass against God's law.
• they shall die childless: Hebrew: 'aririm yamutu (עֲרִירִים יָמֻתוּ).
  • 'Aririm (עֲרִירִים): "childless, without progeny, desolate of offspring." This is not necessarily physical barrenness, but a divine decree that their line will be terminated or their children will not survive or be recognized as legitimate heirs.
  • Yamutu (יָמֻתוּ): "they shall die."This pronounces a severe and absolute divine judgment: the utter extinction of their family line, a profound curse in a culture where progeny was vital for identity, inheritance, and continuity within the covenant community. It effectively severs their connection to the promised future and lineage.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "And if a man shall lie with his uncle's wife, he hath uncovered his uncle's nakedness": This phrase complex explicitly defines the forbidden act as a violation of familial honor and marital sanctity. The act of "lying with" an "uncle's wife" is intrinsically deemed "uncovering his uncle's nakedness," meaning it is a direct act of dishonor, betrayal, and profound defilement against the elder male relative and the sacred bond of his marriage. It transgresses not only a sexual boundary but also the core principle of familial respect and purity.
• "they shall bear their sin; they shall die childless": These two clauses represent the two facets of the divine judgment for this particular transgression. "Bearing their sin" highlights their full culpability before God, indicating that divine justice will be executed upon them. The concrete manifestation of this judgment is "they shall die childless," which symbolizes the utter nullification of their lineage and the complete eradication of any posterity within the community. It represents a divine cleansing, removing the tainted line from the holy congregation, emphasizing that such severe violations against the family unit lead to a spiritual barrenness that extends to their future.

Leviticus 20 20 Bonus section

• The particular punishment of "dying childless" for this offense, as opposed to stoning (which is prescribed for other capital sexual sins in Lev 20), is notable. It suggests a divine emphasis on cutting off the lineage of such defilement, perhaps seen as a more pervasive and lasting judgment on the perpetuation of unholiness than mere physical death for the offenders themselves.
• The repetitive nature of such prohibitions and their associated penalties across Leviticus 18 and 20 underlines the extreme importance God places on sexual purity and the sanctity of family structures for the health and holiness of His covenant people. These laws ensured Israel remained distinct from the corrupted societies around them.
• In ancient Near Eastern cultures, familial ties, especially patriarchal lineage, were central to identity, inheritance, and social standing. The curse of childlessness attacked the very foundation of this, portraying ultimate divine rejection and stripping away the hope of future generations continuing the family name and legacy in the Promised Land.

Leviticus 20 20 Commentary

Leviticus 20:20 articulates one of the most grievous sexual prohibitions in the Old Testament: a man's cohabitation with his paternal uncle's wife. This act is not merely an external legal breach but an inherent desecration, symbolized by "uncovering his uncle's nakedness," which means bringing deep shame and dishonor upon a respected family member and defiling the purity of his marital union. Such incestuous relationships were a mark of the idolatrous nations that Israel was called to separate from, practices explicitly linked to the land "vomiting out" its inhabitants (Lev 18:28). The penalty of dying "childless" is a spiritual and covenantal death, rather than necessarily physical barrenness, signifying that any offspring from such an illicit union would not perpetuate the family line within the covenant and the community. This judgment protected the sanctity of the family unit, upheld God's standard of holiness, and served as a powerful deterrent against a sin that fundamentally undermines social and moral order, cutting off the very hope of generational blessing.