Chapter 18

Leviticus 18 - GENERAL REMARKS - If you place chapter 18 and 20 side by side, you will see remarkable similarities. They cover many of the same topics: human sacrifice to Molech, immoral relations, call to be holy, and a prohibition of intercourse during a woman's menstrual cycle. Chapter 20 has a few things chapter 18 does not: laws against necromancers and mediums, and laws concerning clean or unclean animals. Where the two overlap, it seems that chapter 20 prescribes the punishment where chapter 18 only addresses the prohibition.

Leviticus 18:3 - The following things were practiced throughout the Ancient Near East. They were practically the rule of the day, as the Lord says, "you shall not walk in their statutes" (NASB). Acceptable practices of the day do not make it right with God, if it goes against His word.

Leviticus 18:4 - The NASB misses the force of this verse. The words "my judgments" and "my statutes" are put before the verbs, which is out of normal order and signifies emphasis on the direct object. The Lord emphasizes, "My judgments you will do. My statutes you will keep; to walk in them." Then there is an major accent mark before the next phrase (an Athnah was used), which also places emphasis on what follows: "I am YAHWEH (the divine name) your God."

Leviticus 18:9 - The NASB translates this verse literally, but does not accurately convey the sense. The literal location of birth is not in view (born inside the house or outside). It has to do with whether the girl is a step-sister or full sister. A step-sister is not technically a blood relative. However, in either case, it is wrong. Why? Because to have relations with a close relation (blood relative or not) would upset the fabric of society. It would also be occasion for others to stumble who did not know the girl was a step-sister. It could be a slippery-slope for the society. Once it accepted relations between step-children, it would soon accept relations between blood children.

Leviticus 18:17 - If a man marries a woman who already has a daughter, he may not marry the daughter or any of the grandchildren after his wife passes away. He may not marry kin.

Leviticus 18:18 - It is permitted, however, to marry a sister only after his wife has died. You may marry women from the same family, if the first wife has died. Jacob's uncle Laban caused Jacob to transgress this law, though Jacob was guiltless because the law had not yet been written. Perhaps the Lord saw the distress caused to the sisters by having the same husband, and He was careful to write this law.

Leviticus 18:19 - A woman's menstrual cycle was a time of uncleanness, which is why a man should not have intercourse with her at that time. There is no further comment in this passage, but in chapter 20:18, the Lord says if a man lies with a woman in her cycle, they both should be cut off from the people.

Leviticus 18:20 - The Hebrew of this verse is a little complicated. I think Young's Literal Translation is best: "And unto the wife of thy fellow thou dost not give thy seed of copulation, for uncleanness with her."

Leviticus 18:21 - Sacrificing children to Molech was strictly prohibited. And the Lord adds to the prohibition, "nor shall you profane the name of your God" (NASB). Why would He add this? Because according to some Jewish scholars, the Israelites would sacrifice their children, as the other nations did, in times of great distress thinking that by making the ultimate sacrifice, God would help them. That action profanes the name of the Lord.

Leviticus 18:22 - Homosexuality is called an abomination. The Hebrew word is specifically "abomination." In the next verse, Moses uses a different word.

Leviticus 18:23 - The NASB renders it "perversion," but the word has the connotation of confusion of creation or divine order. It would be an error to say the difference in the words means a difference in the degree of sin (e.g., to say abomination is worse than perversion). In the analogous chapter (20), both sex with animals and homosexuality are punishable by death. Thus, both are equally sinful in the eyes of God.

Leviticus 18:25 - This is not the only place where an inanimate object (such as land or stones) are spoken of as if they had thoughts and feelings. At Jesus' triumphal entry, He said even the rocks would cry out. Paul said in Romans 8:19 that all creation is waiting eagerly for the revelation of the sons of God. Here, God punished the land because of the inhabitants, so the land was eager to eject the inhabitants.

Leviticus 18:30 - It strikes me what the Lord says, "I am the LORD, your God." In English, "Lord" is a generic word for someone who is over another. Hence we say, "Don't lord it over me." The way it comes across in English is as if the Lord were using two (2) generic names for Himself: Lord and God. But LORD is actually using His specific divine name, which He gave to Moses, when He says, "LORD." I think the effect is supposed to be something like this:
"You see all those other nations? They commit these abominations in the name of their gods. I don't want you to do that. I am the One, True, Living God. My name is Yahweh, and I am your God. You will listen to Me and not them."
That has much more force when understood thus. This happens all over in the OT, and whenever you see "LORD" in capitalized letters, you know the specific divine name is involved. Following an ancient Jewish custom, we do not vocalize the divine name, so we just say "Lord."