“ ‘If a man takes his sister—his father’s daughter, or his mother’s daughter—and sees her nakedness, and she sees his nakedness, it is a shameful thing. They shall be cut off in the sight of the children of their people. He has uncovered his sister’s nakedness. He shall bear his iniquity.
Parallel Translations
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“ ‘If a man takes his sister—his father’s daughter, or his mother’s daughter—and sees her nakedness, and she sees his nakedness, it is a shameful thing. They shall be cut off in the sight of the children of their people. He has uncovered his sister’s nakedness. He shall bear his iniquity.
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And if a man shall take his sister, his father’s daughter, or his mother’s daughter, and see her nakedness, and she see his nakedness; it is a wicked thing; and they shall be cut off in the sight of their people: he hath uncovered his sister’s nakedness; he shall bear his iniquity.
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And if a man shall take his sister, his father's daughter, or his mother's daughter, and see her nakedness, and she see his nakedness: it is a shameful thing; and they shall be cut off in the sight of the children of their people: he hath uncovered his sister's nakedness; he shall bear his iniquity.
Examined in Scripture Analysis
Contradictions (1)
Questions where the Bible appears to say two different things, with the passages on each side set together.
Cross-references (5)
Passages linked to Leviticus 20:17 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Leviticus 18:9 “ ‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your sister, the daughter of your father, or the daughter of your mother, whether born at home or born abroad.
- Deuteronomy 27:22 ‘Cursed is he who lies with his sister, his father’s daughter or his mother’s daughter.’ All the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
- Genesis 20:12 Besides, she is indeed my sister, the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.
- 2 Samuel 13:12 She answered him, “No, my brother, do not force me! For no such thing ought to be done in Israel. Don’t you do this folly.
- Ezekiel 22:11 One has committed abomination with his neighbor’s wife; and another has lewdly defiled his daughter-in-law. Another in you has humbled his sister, his father’s daughter.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (12 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain Hebrew, in the eyes of the children of their…
Hebrew, in the eyes of the children of their people.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Lev 20:17 And if a man shall take his…
Lev 20:17 And if a man shall take his sister, his father’s daughter, or his mother’s daughter, and see her nakedness, and she see his nakedness; it [is] a wicked thing; and they shall be cut off in the sight of their people: he hath uncovered his sister’s nakedness; he shall bear his iniquity.
Ver. 17. And see her nakedness.] In the Pope’s war against the Albigenses, those ancient French Protestants, when the bishops had taken a great town yielded to them, they commanded the inhabitants, both men and women, to depart stark naked, Partibus illis, quae honeste nominari non possunt, sanctorum illorum cruciatorum oculis expositis, saith Rivet, {a} not suffering them to hide from the impure eyes of those pope holy fathers those parts that nature would have covered. David that had faulted in looking lustfully on bathing Bathsheba, prays hard, after he had smarted for it, "Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity," &c. {Psa 119:37}
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“ Cur aliquid vidi, cur noxia lumina feci? ” - Ovid.
See Hab 2:15. Of looking comes lusting, especially when they do σκοτειν, which is the apostle’s word, {2Co 4:14} so look, as the archer at the mark.
It is a wicked thing.] Heb., An impiety or reproach: Chesed, it is called, per antiphrasin. That may have a good name, the nature whereof is so ill that it is not to be named.
{a} Jesuita Vapulans., p. 331.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain Seeing is here understood, either,
Seeing is here understood, either,
1. Properly, and so God would cut off the occasions of further filthiness. Or rather,
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2. Improperly, for touching her or lying with her; for,
1. The sense of seeing is oft put for other senses, as for hearing, Gen 42:1, compared with Act 7:12; Exo 20:18 Rev 1:12; and for touching, as Joh 20:25,29.
2. That act is expressed by words parallel to this of seeing, as by uncovering, or discovering, and by knowing, Gen 4:1.
3. So it is directly explained in the following words,
he hath uncovered his sister’s nakedness, which manifestly signifies lying with her.
4. It is not probable that an equal punishment would have been appointed to an immodest sight, and to the highest act of filthiness.
5. Nor seems there to be any reason why this crime should be restrained to this rather than to any other relations, when it was as great, yea, a greater crime in some other relations. In the sight of their people, i.e. publicly, for the terror and caution of others.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain And if a man shall take his sister, his…
And if a man shall take his sister, his father's daughter, or his mother's daughter,.... Take her to be his wife, or commit lewdness with her, whether she be his sister by both father and mother's side, or whether by one only, either way she is his sister, and it is not lawful to marry her, or lie with her, see Lev 18:9,
and see her nakedness, and she see his nakedness; which is not to be understood of an immodest view, exposing to each other what should not be seen, and pleasing themselves wills such obscene sights, but of the act of lying together, for so it is afterwards explained by a phrase frequently used to express that action by; and it denotes, as Aben Ezra observes, their mutual consent and agreement in it:
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it is a wicked thing; and by no means to be done; it is a breach of a former law, it is a scandalous and reproachful thing, and the word is sometimes used for reproach, as in Pro 14:34,
and they shall be cut off in the sight of their people; by death, either by the hand of the civil magistrate, or by the hand of God, by the pestilence, as the Targum of Jonathan; Ben Gersom interprets it, of their dying childless, as in some following cases, Lev 20:20,
he hath uncovered his sister's nakedness; or lay with her, which explains a preceding clause:
he shall bear his iniquity; the punishment of it, and he alone, as Aben Ezra observes.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain See her nakedness - In this and several of…
See her nakedness - In this and several of the following verses, uncovering nakedness plainly appears to mean not marriage, but fornication or adultery.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain Lev 20:17. See her nakedness — In this and…
Lev 20:17. See her nakedness — In this and several of the following verses, uncovering nakedness plainly appears to mean not marriage, but fornication or adultery.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain Cut off ... - See Exo 31:14 note. The…
Cut off ... - See Exo 31:14 note. The more full expression here used probably refers to some special form of public excommunication, accompanied, it may be, by expulsion from the camp.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain A crime. Hebrew chesed, commonly signifies an act of…
A crime. Hebrew chesed, commonly signifies an act of piety or goodness, as if Moses intended to insinuate that such marriages were at first lawful. (Thalmud; Selden, Jur. v. 8.) But a softer term is used to denote a great impiety, as the Hebrews say to bless, when they mean to curse, or to blaspheme; (Calmet) and the Greeks call the furies Eumenides, or "the good-natured." --- One another’s. Hebrew, "He hath uncovered his sister’s," &c. Whether they saw what was indecent or not, if they admitted of any unlawful commerce, they were to be stoned to death. (Haydock)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 17. Sister — See Lev_18:9; Lev_18:11, notes.
17. Sister — See Lev_18:9; Lev_18:11, notes.
Wicked thing — Properly a disgrace.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (17) Take his sister.—See Lev_18:9.
(17) Take his sister.—See Lev_18:9.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 a man sleeps with
a man sleeps with
This is a polite way of saying that he had sex with his sister. Some languages use more direct phrases such as "a man had sex with." (See: Euphemism)
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a daughter of his father or a daughter of his mother
This means a man cannot sleep with his sister, even if she has a different mother or father. The full meaning of this statement can be made explicit. AT: "whether it is his full sister or half-sister" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
must be cut off from
A person being excluded from his community is spoken of as if he had been cut off from his people, as one would cut a piece of cloth or cut a branch from a tree. This can be translated in active form. See how you translated this idea in Leviticus 7:20. AT: "that person may no longer live among his people" or "you must separate that person from his people" (See: Metaphor and Active or Passive)
He must carry his guilt
This phrase means the man is responsibile for his sin. AT: "He is responsible for his sin" or "You must punish him" (See: Idiom)
menstrual period
the time when a woman bleeds from her womb
he has uncovered the flow of her blood, the source of her blood
This phrase compares having sex with a woman during her menstrual period to removing the cover off of something that should remain hidden. The fact that this was a shameful thing to do can be stated clearly. AT: "he has done a shameful thing by by uncovering the flow of her blood" (See: Metaphor and Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
Both the man and woman must be cut off
It can be stated clearly why this must be done. AT: "Because they have done this shameful thing, both the man and woman must be cut off" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
translationWords
had relations with
sister
ancestor
shame
cut off
people group
guilt
blood
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 20:17 a shameful disgrace: Proper conduct brings honor both…
20:17 a shameful disgrace: Proper conduct brings honor both to individuals and to their households; improper conduct brings shame. • Both parties are cut off (see 7:20-21), but the man will be punished (see 5:1; 18:6).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.