Leviticus 20:22 kjv
Ye shall therefore keep all my statutes, and all my judgments, and do them: that the land, whither I bring you to dwell therein, spue you not out.
Leviticus 20:22 nkjv
'You shall therefore keep all My statutes and all My judgments, and perform them, that the land where I am bringing you to dwell may not vomit you out.
Leviticus 20:22 niv
"?'Keep all my decrees and laws and follow them, so that the land where I am bringing you to live may not vomit you out.
Leviticus 20:22 esv
"You shall therefore keep all my statutes and all my rules and do them, that the land where I am bringing you to live may not vomit you out.
Leviticus 20:22 nlt
"You must keep all my decrees and regulations by putting them into practice; otherwise the land to which I am bringing you as your new home will vomit you out.
Leviticus 20 22 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Lev 18:28 | "...that the land may not vomit you out when you defile it, as it vomited out the nations that were before you." | Direct parallel warning concerning land defilement and expulsion. |
| Lev 26:3 | "If you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments and perform them..." | Conditions for blessings related to obedience to God's laws. |
| Lev 26:33 | "...I will scatter you among the nations and draw out a sword after you; your land shall be desolate..." | Severe consequence of disobedience: exile and land desolation. |
| Num 35:33-34 | "...you shall not defile the land...for blood defiles the land, and no expiation can be made for the land..." | The land's defilement through shedding of innocent blood. |
| Deut 4:1 | "Now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the judgments which I teach you to observe..." | Exhortation to Israel to obey laws for survival and possession of land. |
| Deut 4:40 | "...that it may go well with you and with your children after you, and that you may prolong your days in the land..." | Longevity and prosperity in the land are outcomes of obedience. |
| Deut 8:19-20 | "...if you...follow other gods...you shall surely perish, just as the nations which the Lord destroys before you shall perish." | Idolatry as a direct cause for perishing from the promised land. |
| Deut 11:17 | "...then the Lord’s wrath will burn against you...and you will perish quickly from the good land..." | Divine wrath leading to swift removal from the land for disobedience. |
| Deut 28:15 | "But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the Lord your God...that all these curses will come upon you..." | Introduction to curses for breaking covenant, including exile. |
| Deut 30:19 | "...choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice..." | A call to choose obedience to ensure life and continued dwelling. |
| Josh 1:7-8 | "...only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you..." | Success and dwelling in the land are contingent upon full obedience to the Law. |
| Judg 2:11-15 | "...they forsook the Lord God...and followed other gods...therefore the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel..." | Israel's apostasy leads to divine anger and vulnerability to enemies, beginning expulsion. |
| 2 Kgs 17:7-18 | "...because the children of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God...they walked in the statutes of the nations whom the Lord had cast out..." | Historical account of Israel's exile due to adopting pagan practices. |
| Ps 1:1-3 | "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly...but his delight is in the law of the Lord...and whatever he does shall prosper." | The blessedness of obedience and adherence to God's law. |
| Ps 119:9-11 | "How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word...Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You." | Importance of meditating on and internalizing God's word to avoid sin. |
| Isa 24:5 | "The earth is also defiled under its inhabitants, because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant." | Cosmic consequences of humanity's sin and breaking God's laws. |
| Jer 7:15 | "...I will cast you out of My sight, as I have cast out all your brethren, the whole posterity of Ephraim." | Prophetic warning of Judah's impending exile mirroring previous judgment on Israel. |
| Jer 25:9-11 | "...I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants...and this whole land shall be a desolation and an astonishment..." | Prophecy of Judah's exile and the land's desolation due to unfaithfulness. |
| Ezek 36:16-19 | "...I poured out My fury on them for the blood they had shed on the land, and for their idols with which they had defiled it." | Explains reasons for Judah's exile, explicitly linking sin with land defilement. |
| Matt 7:24-27 | "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock..." | Jesus emphasizes the wisdom and stability of those who actively obey His teachings. |
| Rom 2:13 | "...for not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified." | Reinforces the necessity of active obedience to God's law for righteousness. |
| Jas 1:22 | "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." | A call for active obedience to God's word, rather than passive listening. |
Leviticus 20 verses
Leviticus 20 22 Meaning
The verse emphatically commands the Israelites to diligently observe and obey all of God's statutes and judgments. The purpose of this complete obedience is presented as a vital condition: that the Promised Land, which the Almighty is sovereignly bringing them to inhabit, does not expel them due to their defiling sins, mirroring how it expelled its prior inhabitants. It underscores a profound and direct link between Israel's ethical and ceremonial adherence to divine law and their continued right to reside in the sacred land.
Leviticus 20 22 Context
Leviticus Chapter 20 delineates specific abominable sins that warrant the severest punishment, often death. These prohibitions reinforce Israel’s call to holiness and distinctness from the surrounding Canaanite cultures. The chapter elaborates on the general prohibitions of chapter 18, listing particular capital offenses such as child sacrifice to Molech, consulting mediums, dishonoring parents, various forms of incest, adultery, bestiality, and homosexual acts. Each specified sin brings defilement upon the perpetrator, their family, and the community. This verse, Lev 20:22, functions as a climactic summary and urgent warning at the end of this list of heinous acts. It reiterates the fundamental principle that Israel's residency in the promised land is conditional upon their corporate and individual obedience to the divine covenant. Historically, the Israelites were encamped on the plains of Moab, on the cusp of entering the Land of Canaan. The indigenous Canaanite nations had extensively practiced these very detestable acts, polluting the land. Therefore, the Lord explicitly warned Israel not to repeat these sins, or the land, acting as an instrument of divine judgment, would "vomit" them out, just as it had previously rejected the Canaanites.
Leviticus 20 22 Word analysis
- You shall therefore keep (`וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם` - `shmartem`): The Hebrew verb `shamar` carries the meaning of guarding, protecting, preserving, or watching over diligently. This indicates a conscious and persistent effort to uphold God's commands, not just intellectual understanding or passive acceptance. The "therefore" logically links this obedience to the prior warnings about the devastating consequences of defilement.
- all My statutes (`כָּל־חֻקֹּתַי` - `kol-chuqqotay`): `Chuqqim` refers to divine decrees or fixed ordinances, often moral, ethical, or ceremonial laws whose reasoning might not be immediately obvious, emphasizing their basis solely on God’s sovereign authority. "All" stresses the comprehensive nature of this command, allowing for no selective obedience.
- and all My judgments (`וְאֶת־כָּל־מִשְׁפָּטַי` - `v'et-kol-mishpatay`): `Mishpatim` pertains to divine rulings, often laws dealing with justice, rights, and societal order. These typically appear as case law or moral principles with clearer practical application. Together, `chuqqot` and `mishpatim` encapsulate the entirety of the Law given at Sinai, encompassing all aspects of ethical, civil, and cultic life.
- and perform them (`וַעֲשִׂיתֶם אֹתָם` - `va'asitem otam`): The verb `asah` means to do, make, or act. This adds an active dimension, emphasizing that obedience requires tangible action, implementation, and lifestyle choices, moving beyond mere contemplation or passive acknowledgment of the laws.
- that the land (`הָאָרֶץ` - `ha'aretz`): This specifically denotes the Land of Canaan, promised by the Creator to Abraham's descendants. In biblical theology, the land is not a mere geographical entity but an active participant in the covenant relationship, sensitive to the moral conduct of its inhabitants.
- where I am bringing you to dwell (`אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי מֵבִיא אֶתְכֶם שָׁמָּה לָשֶׁבֶת בָּהּ` - `asher ani mevi etkhem shammah lashevet bah`): This highlights God’s sovereign initiation and power in providing the land. "To dwell" (`lashevet`) implies a stable, secure, and permanent residence, contingent upon their faithfulness.
- may not vomit you out (`לֹא־תָקִיא אֶתְכֶם` - `lo' taqî' etkhem`): This is an incredibly graphic and powerful anthropomorphic metaphor. It portrays the land as a living, morally sentient entity that, much like a person’s stomach rejecting repulsive food, will expel those whose defiling actions become unbearable. This vividly illustrates that pervasive unholiness and abominable sins create an internal toxicity that the land itself cannot tolerate, resulting in expulsion as an organic reaction. The image underscores the dire and self-inflicted consequence of disobedience.
- "Keep all My statutes and all My judgments and perform them": This collective phrase underlines the imperative for complete and active adherence to the entirety of God's revealed will. It implies an comprehensive embrace of divine commands, from abstract principles to specific rituals and ethical guidelines, transforming not just actions but also thoughts and intentions into a lifestyle of obedient holiness.
- "that the land...may not vomit you out": This striking imagery forcefully communicates the conditional nature of Israel’s tenure in the Promised Land. It portrays a creation that reacts directly to the moral status of humanity, highlighting that severe, persistent sin not only offends the Most High but also defiles and provokes the very ground on which one dwells, ultimately leading to expulsion. It’s a divine principle of justice integrated into the fabric of creation.
Leviticus 20 22 Bonus section
The concept of the "land vomiting out" (ki t-tashmī' from root qîʾ, 'vomit') extends beyond simple divine punishment to suggest an almost biological reaction from the land itself to the impurities of its inhabitants. This anthropomorphic expression reveals a profound interconnectedness within creation. It implies a divinely established organic system where sustained human depravity physically stains and offends the very ground, ultimately triggering its violent rejection of the polluters. This holistic view of land defilement (e.g., from innocent blood in Num 35:33-34) underscores that sin has far-reaching consequences that impact not just the human-divine relationship but also the created order. The Land of Promise was meant to be a holy sanctuary for a holy people, and any pervasive unholiness was fundamentally incompatible with its very essence. This imagery reinforced the gravity of these specific sins to Israel, as their very national existence and secure dwelling depended upon avoiding the abominations that provoked the land's righteous expulsion mechanism.
Leviticus 20 22 Commentary
Leviticus 20:22 stands as a potent climax to a chapter outlining a series of grievous sins and their consequences, primarily sexual abominations and idolatry, which mirrored Canaanite practices. It encapsulates the core condition for Israel's enduring inheritance of the Promised Land: unreserved and diligent obedience to God’s comprehensive law. The stark imagery of the land "vomiting out" its inhabitants reveals a profound theological truth: the creation itself holds a moral sensitivity, reflecting the holiness of its Creator. The Land of Promise, therefore, is not a mere territory but an active participant in God's covenant with Israel, and it becomes polluted by the unholiness of its residents. When sins, especially those identified as abominations, become prevalent, they saturate the land to a degree that it effectively rejects those who defile it, similar to how it expelled the preceding nations. This verse serves as an enduring reminder that God’s presence, the purity of His people, and the blessings upon their dwelling are intrinsically interconnected, requiring faithful, practical adherence to His divine standards in every aspect of life.