Leviticus 18

Main page Leviticus

Leviticus 18 almost entirely decrees various laws on sexual relations, primarily as concerns illicit partners. The human author of Leviticus is evidenced herein as being Moses (Lv. 1:1; 7:37-38; 14:1-2; 27:34), and it provides covenantal “statutes and judgments and laws, which the LORD made between him and the children of Israel in mount Sinai given in mount Sinai by the hand of Moses” (Lv 26:46). Such statements oppose the Documentary Hypothesis of authorship. Yet as the pagan nations were judged for disobeying the moral laws contained herein, (Lv. 18:24,27,28) and as the actions and laws of God established both the superior God and standard, (Dt. 4:7,8) the moral laws are seen as universally applying.

Overview

Leviticus as a whole is basically divided into three basic sections. The first of which is often called the Priestly Code (1-16,25 ) in which are given ordinances regarding the Aaronic priesthood and its consecration and duties, laws of sacrifices and liturgical seasons, diet, and cleanliness. The second section is usually termed The Holiness Code (18-26), which first deals with both basic moral laws such as deal with forbid idolatry and illicit sexual partners. Such laws most foundationally correctly define how to "love thy neighbor as thyself" (Lev. 19:18) In addition are various culturally applied civil and judicial laws, which are based up foundational moral principals but which usually require the particular culture of Israel at that time for their full literal obedience, though laws based upon their principals are seen to be in force today.

Both Jews and Christians generally recognize the separation of law into moral, civil/judicial and ceremonial categories. Orthodox Jews in particular consider latter to be binding, where possible, and as interpreted, but the moral law is usually regarded by religious Jews as being universally applicable and the more emphasized. Typically, “Whenever Judaism entered into relations with other nations and religions, the moral laws were accentuated, and the ceremonial laws were put into the background.” The most prevalent Christian position is that literal obedience to the ceremonial laws is not enjoined, though faith and works in accordance with their principal is, (1Cor. 5:7; 2Cor. 7:1), while literal obedience to basic moral laws is required, as well as to behavior in accordance to principals behind civil and judicial laws, as understood under the New Testament.

Cultural factors

Much controversy has relatively recent become manifest as regards cultural factors in interpreting Lev. 18, as concerns their scope and transcendence. Cultural factors are to be considered in examining laws, the influence of which may be observed to have has affected the institution of Levitical laws in all its categorizes, as well as laws given elsewhere. Israel was surrounded by idolatry, and for both practical and illustrative purposes their negative examples were often invoked as an example of how not to be, and of the punishment that such iniquities incurred.

While collectively all Old Testament laws established a higher standard that made Israel distinctive, and certain laws directly target specific pagan practices, the often repeated admonition to the people of God not to be like pagans is usually in the immediate context of moral laws, or violations thereof, even in the New Testament (Lv. 18:24,27,28; 20:22,23; Dt. 6:14-18; 8:19,20; 11:28; 12:31; 18:9-12; 1Ki. 14:24; 2Ki. 16:3, 2Ki. 16:3; 17:8-12; 21:2; 1Chrn. 5.25; 2Chrn. 36:14; Jer. 7:6,9; Ezek. 16:50; 23:49; Eph. 4:17-19; 1Pet. 4:3,4). The predominate laws in this moral category are against formal idolatry and sexual immorality, and include certain practices referred to in the second category of derivative culturally applied laws, such as against killing children as an offering to their false gods, or against temple prostitution.

Basic moral laws

This category deals with basic moral actions and attitudes, based upon foundation moral laws and principals, and their moral separation. (Gn. 4:8-16). Such laws are never abrogated, yet the exact penalties may be culture dependent. Though the institution of many or most of these laws may have been occasioned by contemporary pagan idolatry, the proscribed practices in this section were a direct expression of idolatry by nature, not simply a mere accompaniment, and both the practices and their prohibitions are universal, and literally applicable to all cultures. Idolatry is the worship of any false god in any culture, fathers and mothers are to be overall honored (and act honorably), murder is murder, and the injunctions against sex with an illicit partner are univeersal and transcendent from the time of their enactment. Laws against such things as child sacrifice are not simply restricted to the deity of the culture that occasioned it, but apply to any false god. A thorough examination of laws in Lev. 18 yields only v. 19 (laying with one's wife during menstruation) as the only law that might belong outside purely moral laws.

Culturally applied laws

A second category is termed judicial or civil laws, or “culturally applied laws,” which are also part of moral separation. These contain moral civil laws and judicial penalties, but require the context of a certain type of culture for their literal application, and their penalties may be specifically mandated only for the theocracy of Israel. However, these are usually easily modified in accordance with their intent to be applicable today. A society may not have flat roofs where people regularly sleep and thus need fences, but they may have apartment building which require fire escapes. Or it may not need laws penalizing being gored by an ox, but it may need such for being struck by a snowmobile. In addition to such just laws by contemporary authorities, (Rm. :13-17; 1Pt. 2:13,16) obedience in accordance with the principal behind them is enjoined today (i.e., you may not need to help your brother lift up his donkey, (Dt. 3:4,5) but you should help him change his tire)

Ceremonial laws

In contrast to laws regarding such things as illicit sexual partners, are laws in the third section termed ceremonial laws, which may be seen as based upon the principle of separation. (Gn. 1:6) These laws deal with the sacrificial system, and priestly garments, the liturgical calender, or merely touching, tasting, or handling unclean things or persons and related washings. (Lv. 11-15; Col. 2:16,17,21) As a class these find their fulfillment in Christ. Literal obedience to these is not enjoined upon Christians, except as the spiritual principal behind them constrains. Christians do not need to use unleavened bread in the Lord's supper, but are exhorted to eliminate the “leaven of the Pharisees. (Lk. 12:1; 1Cor. 5:8)

More categorically controversial are certain laws which are mostly found in Lev. 19, which forbid cutting or printing marks on one's flesh, or strange haircuts (Lev. 19:26,27) Also included would be not building the temple near a grove of trees. (Dt. 16:21)

In comparison, while idolatry or murder, sex with the wrong person (first category) is unconditionally wrong in any context, regardless of motive, and using a flat roof as a living room without a fence (second category) can be seen as immoral (like driving recklessly today), yet a grove of trees near a church (third category), or how one shaves his beard, or eating pork are essentially amoral practices, only conditionally wrong as part of idolatry, even though certain things like unnecessary mutilation of one's flesh (Lv. 19:28) may be a sign of demonic influence. For Christians this aspect of ceremonial law falls into the area of "Abstain from all appearance of evil." (1Thes. 5:22) While mud on one's forehead is not a sin in itself, the practice of wearing the Hindu Tilaka would be for Christians in India. Some make the same argument regarding holidays like Halloween.

Chapter 18 laws

This chapter provides laws mainly forbidding illicit sexual unions, which as a class and sometimes individually find confirmation in the rest of Scripture as literal sins and prohibitions, including in the New Testament (Mt. 5:32; Mk. 7:21; 1Cor. 5:1,9-11; 6:9,13,18; 7:2; 10:8; 2Cor. 12:21; Gal. 5:19; Eph. 5:3; Col. 3:5; 1Ths. 4:3; 1Tim. 1:10; Heb. 12:16; 13:4; Jude 1:7; Rv. 21:8; 22:15). In contrast, ceremonial laws find their New Testament correlation only in typological application rather than literal.

Laws in this chapter are prefaced with the admonition "After the doings [H4639] of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do: and after the doings [H4639] of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do: neither shall ye walk in their ordinances. [H2708] " (Lv. 18:3)

Also Lev 18:30: "Therefore shall ye keep mine ordinance, [H2708] that ye commit not any one of these abominable customs [H2708], which were committed before you, and that ye defile not yourselves therein: I am the LORD your God."

And in Lev 20:23 "And ye shall not walk in the manners [H2708] of the nation, which I cast out before you: for they committed all these things, and therefore I abhorred them."

The word for “doings” ma‛ăśeh [H4639] here is unique to Leviticus, and refers to works, as in Ps. 106:35, and additionally Israel is forbidden to follow after pagan ordinances (chûqqâh [H2708]), these being laws or statutes, indicating both general as well as religious practices are in view, the latter being made obvious as child sacrifice to Molech (v. 21), this being contrary to foundational law prohibiting murder.

This chapter begins with “The LORD spake unto Moses”, which usually prefaces the beginning of a chapter and sometimes a subsection, as a fuller outline will show. This is not said again until Lv. 19:1. In addition, Lv. 18:24-30 closes this chapter with a uniquely repetitious series of solemn warnings being given directly after it's list of sins, stating that these “abominations” (tô‛êbah,” the “abominable” word used more often to denote violations of immutable rather than ceremonial laws) are what caused the terminal judgment upon the inhabitants whom Israel was to conquer. Though not as extensive, such warnings or statements are also seen in such texts as Lv. 20:22,23; Dt. 9:4,5; 12:30,31; 18:12; 1Kg. 14:24; 16:3, 2Ki_17:34 Lev_18:30, Jer_10:3, but which are not directly seen after laws simply regarding unclean foods and ritual uncleanness.

• 18:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
• 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, I am the LORD your God.
• 3 After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do: neither shall ye walk in their ordinances.
• 4 Ye shall do my judgments, and keep mine ordinances, to walk therein: I am the LORD your God.
• 5 Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am the LORD.
• 6 None of you shall approach to any that is near of kin to him, to uncover their nakedness: I am the LORD.
• 7 The nakedness of thy father, or the nakedness of thy mother, shalt thou not uncover: she is thy mother; thou shalt not uncover her nakedness.
• 8 The nakedness of thy father's wife shalt thou not uncover: it is thy father's nakedness.
• 9 The nakedness of thy sister, the daughter of thy father, or daughter of thy mother, whether she be born at home, or born abroad, even their nakedness thou shalt not uncover.
• 10 The nakedness of thy son's daughter, or of thy daughter's daughter, even their nakedness thou shalt not uncover: for theirs is thine own nakedness.
• 11 The nakedness of thy father's wife's daughter, begotten of thy father, she is thy sister, thou shalt not uncover her nakedness.
• 12 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father's sister: she is thy father's near kinswoman.
• 13 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy mother's sister; for she is thy mother's near kinswoman.
• 14 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father's brother, thou shalt not approach to his wife: she is thine aunt.
• 15 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy daughter in law: she is thy son's wife; thou shalt not uncover her nakedness.
• 16 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy brother's wife: it is thy brother's nakedness.
• 17 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of a woman and her daughter, neither shalt thou take her son's daughter, or her daughter's daughter, to uncover her nakedness; for they are her near kinswomen: it is wickedness.
• 18 Neither shalt thou take a wife to her sister, to vex her, to uncover her nakedness, beside the other in her life time.
• 19 Also thou shalt not approach unto a woman to uncover her nakedness, as long as she is put apart for her uncleanness.
• 20 Moreover thou shalt not lie carnally with thy neighbour's wife, to defile thyself with her.
• 21 And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD.
• 22 Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.
• 23 Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto: it is confusion.
• 24 Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you:
• 25 And the land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants.
• 26 Ye shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations; neither any of your own nation, nor any stranger that sojourneth among you:
• 27 (For all these abominations have the men of the land done, which were before you, and the land is defiled;)
• 28 That the land spue not you out also, when ye defile it, as it spued out the nations that were before you.
• 29 For whosoever shall commit any of these abominations, even the souls that commit them shall be cut off from among their people.
• 30 Therefore shall ye keep mine ordinance, that ye commit not any one of these abominable customs, which were committed before you, and that ye defile not yourselves therein: I am the LORD your God.

See also

• Homosexual misinterpretation