19“ ‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother’s sister, nor of your father’s sister, for he has made his close relative naked. They shall bear their iniquity.20If a man lies with his uncle’s wife, he has uncovered his uncle’s nakedness. They shall bear their sin. They shall die childless.
21“ ‘If a man takes his brother’s wife, it is an impurity. He has uncovered his brother’s nakedness. They shall be childless.
19 “ ‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother’s sister, nor of your father’s sister, for he has made his close relative naked. They shall bear their iniquity.
20 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.
21 “ ‘If a man takes his brother’s wife, it is an impurity. He has uncovered his brother’s nakedness. They shall be childless.
KJVKing James Version
19 And thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy mother’s sister, nor of thy father’s sister: for he uncovereth his near kin: they shall bear their iniquity.
20 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.
21 And if a man shall take his brother’s wife, it is an unclean thing: he hath uncovered his brother’s nakedness; they shall be childless.
Show all 3 translations
JPSJPS Tanakh (1917)
19 And thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy mother's sister, nor of thy father's sister; for he hath made naked his near kin; they shall bear their iniquity.
20 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.
21 And if a man shall take his brother's wife, it is impurity: he hath uncovered his brother's nakedness; they shall be childless.
Questions where the Bible appears to say two different things, with the passages on each side set together.
Is incest forbidden?Leviticus 18 and 20 and Deuteronomy 27 explicitly criminalize sex between half-siblings who share a father — it's called "a wicked thing" and draws a curse.
Is it okay to marry your brother's widow?Deuteronomy 25:5 not only permits but commands a man to marry his deceased brother's childless widow — the institution of levirate marriage (Hebrew yibbum), wi…
Leviticus 18:16(v21)“ ‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother’s wife. It is your brother’s nakedness.
Leviticus 18:14(v20)“ ‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s brother. You shall not approach his wife. She is your aunt.
Leviticus 18:6(v19)“ ‘None of you shall approach any close relatives, to uncover their nakedness: I am Yahweh.
Matthew 14:3-4(v21)For Herod had arrested John, and bound him, and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife. For John said to…
Exodus 6:20(v19)Amram took Jochebed his father’s sister to himself as wife; and she bore him Aaron and Moses. The years of the life of Amram were one…
Show all 12 cross-references
Leviticus 18:12-30(v19)“ ‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s sister. She is your father’s near kinswoman. “ ‘You shall not uncover the nakedness…
Job 18:19(v20)He will have neither son nor grandson among his people, nor any remaining where he lived.
Psalms 109:13(v20)Let his posterity be cut off. In the generation following let their name be blotted out.
Jeremiah 22:30(v20)Yahweh says, “Record this man as childless, a man who will not prosper in his days; for no more will a man of his offspring prosper,…
Luke 1:7(v20)But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they both were well advanced in years.
Luke 1:25(v20)“Thus has the Lord done to me in the days in which he looked at me, to take away my reproach among men.”
Luke 23:29(v20)For behold, the days are coming in which they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never…
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (14 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
Geneva Bible translators1599 · Public DomainOn vv19–21Hebrew, flesh.
Hebrew, flesh.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp1656 · Public DomainOn vv19–21Lev 20:19 And thou shalt not uncover the nakedness…
Lev 20:19 And thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy mother’s sister, nor of thy father’s sister: for he uncovereth his near kin: they shall bear their iniquity.
Ver. 19. See on Lev 18:1-30.
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 Poole1685 · Public DomainOn vv20–21i.e. Either shall be speedily cut off ere they…
i.e. Either shall be speedily cut off ere they can have a child by that incestuous conjunction, that the remembrance of the fact may be blotted out: or, if this seem a less crime than most of the former incestuous mixtures, because the relation is more remote, and therefore the magistrate shall forbear to punish it with death, yet they shall either have no children from such an unlawful bed, or their children shall die before them, Hos 9:11,12; or shall not be reputed their genuine children, but bastards, and therefore excluded from the congregation of the Lord, Deu 23:2.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill1763 · Public DomainOn vv19–21And thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy…
And thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy mother's sister, nor of thy father's sister,.... An aunt either by mother or father's side, against which the law is, Lev 18:13,
for he uncovereth his near kin; as an aunt is to a man, and so an uncle to a woman, and both equally criminal; for it is a rule that holds good in all those cases, though not expressed, that what is binding upon one sex is upon the other, being in the same degree of relation, whether of consanguinity or affinity:
Read full note →
they shall bear their iniquity; "both" of them, as the Vulgate Latin version, the man and his aunt, and so a woman and her uncle:
the guilt of their sin shall be upon them, and the punishment of it be inflicted on them; either they should be cut off from their people, as before, or be childless, as in the following instances.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley1765 · Public DomainOn vv20–21They shall die childless - Either shall be speedily…
They shall die childless - Either shall be speedily cut off ere they can have a child by that incestuous conjunction; if this seem a less crime than most of the former incestuous mixtures, and therefore the magistrate forbear to punish it with death; yet they shall either have no children from such an unlawful bed, or their children shall die before them.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Joseph Benson1811 · Public DomainOn vv20–21Lev 20:20. They shall die childless — Both shall…
Lev 20:20. They shall die childless — Both shall be speedily cut off ere they can have a child by that incestuous conjunction; or, if this seem a less crime than most of the former incestuous mixtures, and therefore the magistrate forbear to punish it with death, yet they shall either have no children from such an unlawful bed, or their children shall die before them.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes1834 · Public DomainOn v20They shall die childless - Either the offspring should…
They shall die childless - Either the offspring should not be regarded as lawfully theirs, nor be entitled to any hereditary privileges, or they should have no blessing in their children.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary1859 · Public DomainOn vv19–20Flesh, or relation. (Menochius)
Flesh, or relation. (Menochius)
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).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown1871 · Public DomainOn v20they shall die childless--Either by the judgment of God…
they shall die childless--Either by the judgment of God they shall have no children, or their spurious offspring shall be denied by human authority the ordinary privileges of children in Israel.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon1874 · Public DomainOn vv19–2019. They shall bear their iniquity — Oehler thinks…
19. They shall bear their iniquity — Oehler thinks that this expression does not involve the death penalty. See Lev_10:17; Num_9:13, notes.
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 Readers1878 · Public DomainOn vv19–21(19) Thy mother’s sister.—See Lev_18:12.
(19) Thy mother’s sister.—See Lev_18:12.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary1880 · Public DomainOn v20Vers. 20, 21. They shall die childless; ... they…
Vers. 20, 21. They shall die childless; ... they shall be childless. "It cannot be supposed that a perpetual miracle was to be maintained through all the ages of Israel"s history; but the meaning evidently is that the children of such marriages should be reckoned, not to their actual father, but to the former husband of the woman. In the strong feeling of the Israelites in regard to posterity, this penalty seems to have been sufficient" (Gardiner).
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0On v19sleeps with
sleeps with
This is a polite way of saying that he had sex with his aunt. Some languages use more direct phrases such as "had sex with." (See: Euphemism)
Read full note →
You must carry your own guilt
The idiom "carry your own guilt" means "you are responsible for your own sin." AT: "You are responsible for your sin" or "I will punish you" (See: Idiom)
I will take away from their children any property they may have inherited from their parents
Many versions of the Bible translate this as "they will die childless."
Tyndale Open Study Notes2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0On v2020:20-21 Being left childless carried a social stigma and…
20:20-21 Being left childless carried a social stigma and was considered a judgment from God (see Gen 30:1-2; Deut 7:14). What situation is envisioned in these verses? Sexual relations with a sister-in-law (Lev 18:16) or an uncle’s wife (18:14) have already been discussed. Adultery is dealt with elsewhere and would bring death to both parties (Deut 22:22). If the woman involved was a widow without a male heir, the law of levirate marriage could be invoked (Deut 25:5-6; see study note on Lev 18:16). Since those situations don’t seem to apply, it would appear that this law refers to marrying an aunt or a sister-in-law after she has been divorced from her husband. John the Baptist apparently applied this law to condemn Herod Antipas’s marriage to Herodias (see Mark 6:17-29).
GEBible — Godless Engineer's Bible App
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv19–21 Hebrew, flesh.
Hebrew, flesh.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv19–21 Lev 20:19 And thou shalt not uncover the nakedness…
Lev 20:19 And thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy mother’s sister, nor of thy father’s sister: for he uncovereth his near kin: they shall bear their iniquity.
Ver. 19. See on Lev 18:1-30.
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 On vv20–21 i.e. Either shall be speedily cut off ere they…
i.e. Either shall be speedily cut off ere they can have a child by that incestuous conjunction, that the remembrance of the fact may be blotted out: or, if this seem a less crime than most of the former incestuous mixtures, because the relation is more remote, and therefore the magistrate shall forbear to punish it with death, yet they shall either have no children from such an unlawful bed, or their children shall die before them, Hos 9:11,12; or shall not be reputed their genuine children, but bastards, and therefore excluded from the congregation of the Lord, Deu 23:2.
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 On vv19–21 And thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy…
And thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy mother's sister, nor of thy father's sister,.... An aunt either by mother or father's side, against which the law is, Lev 18:13,
for he uncovereth his near kin; as an aunt is to a man, and so an uncle to a woman, and both equally criminal; for it is a rule that holds good in all those cases, though not expressed, that what is binding upon one sex is upon the other, being in the same degree of relation, whether of consanguinity or affinity:
Read full note →
they shall bear their iniquity; "both" of them, as the Vulgate Latin version, the man and his aunt, and so a woman and her uncle:
the guilt of their sin shall be upon them, and the punishment of it be inflicted on them; either they should be cut off from their people, as before, or be childless, as in the following instances.
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 On vv20–21 They shall die childless - Either shall be speedily…
They shall die childless - Either shall be speedily cut off ere they can have a child by that incestuous conjunction; if this seem a less crime than most of the former incestuous mixtures, and therefore the magistrate forbear to punish it with death; yet they shall either have no children from such an unlawful bed, or their children shall die before them.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv20–21 Lev 20:20. They shall die childless — Both shall…
Lev 20:20. They shall die childless — Both shall be speedily cut off ere they can have a child by that incestuous conjunction; or, if this seem a less crime than most of the former incestuous mixtures, and therefore the magistrate forbear to punish it with death, yet they shall either have no children from such an unlawful bed, or their children shall die before them.
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 On v20 They shall die childless - Either the offspring should…
They shall die childless - Either the offspring should not be regarded as lawfully theirs, nor be entitled to any hereditary privileges, or they should have no blessing in their children.
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 On vv19–20 Flesh, or relation. (Menochius)
Flesh, or relation. (Menochius)
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).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On v20 they shall die childless--Either by the judgment of God…
they shall die childless--Either by the judgment of God they shall have no children, or their spurious offspring shall be denied by human authority the ordinary privileges of children in Israel.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv19–20 19. They shall bear their iniquity — Oehler thinks…
19. They shall bear their iniquity — Oehler thinks that this expression does not involve the death penalty. See Lev_10:17; Num_9:13, notes.
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 On vv19–21 (19) Thy mother’s sister.—See Lev_18:12.
(19) Thy mother’s sister.—See Lev_18:12.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On v20 Vers. 20, 21. They shall die childless; ... they…
Vers. 20, 21. They shall die childless; ... they shall be childless. "It cannot be supposed that a perpetual miracle was to be maintained through all the ages of Israel"s history; but the meaning evidently is that the children of such marriages should be reckoned, not to their actual father, but to the former husband of the woman. In the strong feeling of the Israelites in regard to posterity, this penalty seems to have been sufficient" (Gardiner).
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v19 sleeps with
sleeps with
This is a polite way of saying that he had sex with his aunt. Some languages use more direct phrases such as "had sex with." (See: Euphemism)
Read full note →
You must carry your own guilt
The idiom "carry your own guilt" means "you are responsible for your own sin." AT: "You are responsible for your sin" or "I will punish you" (See: Idiom)
I will take away from their children any property they may have inherited from their parents
Many versions of the Bible translate this as "they will die childless."
translationWords
die
brother
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 On v20 20:20-21 Being left childless carried a social stigma and…
20:20-21 Being left childless carried a social stigma and was considered a judgment from God (see Gen 30:1-2; Deut 7:14). What situation is envisioned in these verses? Sexual relations with a sister-in-law (Lev 18:16) or an uncle’s wife (18:14) have already been discussed. Adultery is dealt with elsewhere and would bring death to both parties (Deut 22:22). If the woman involved was a widow without a male heir, the law of levirate marriage could be invoked (Deut 25:5-6; see study note on Lev 18:16). Since those situations don’t seem to apply, it would appear that this law refers to marrying an aunt or a sister-in-law after she has been divorced from her husband. John the Baptist apparently applied this law to condemn Herod Antipas’s marriage to Herodias (see Mark 6:17-29).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.