Deuteronomy 27:20 Meaning and Explanation
“Cursed be he that lieth with his father’s wife; because he uncovereth his father’s skirt. And all the people shall say, Amen.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Family life carries duties of faithfulness, honor, and restraint. This brief declaration addresses conduct that can be hidden from public view yet deeply wounds a household. By requiring the people's Amen, the verse makes clear that such wrong concerns the whole covenant community before God.
Deuteronomy 27:20 publicly condemns sexual union with one's father's wife as a grave violation of the father's household and of the covenant order God gave Israel.
The Context of Deuteronomy 27:20
Moses and the elders command Israel to keep the law as they prepare to enter the promised land. At Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, the law is to be written plainly, an altar is to be built, and the tribes are assigned for blessings and curses. The Levites then proclaim a series of covenant curses in a loud voice. These statements name sins involving idolatry, parents, neighbors, the vulnerable, sexual relations, violence, bribery, and refusal to uphold the law. Each declaration receives the people's spoken Amen. Verse 20 stands among laws that guard the integrity of households and kinship relationships.
What Does Deuteronomy 27:20 Mean?
The verse says, "Cursed be he that lieth with his father's wife," identifying a sexual act that violates a relation established within the father's household. The reason follows: "because he uncovereth his father's skirt." In Scripture, uncovering a person's skirt can speak of exposing the marriage relation and its proper bounds. Here the language emphasizes more than private desire. The act dishonors the father and intrudes upon the household order joined to him. The curse expresses God's judicial opposition to this deed. Israel is taught to regard the family as an accountable sphere of covenant life, where bodily conduct, loyalty, and honor belong together before the Lord.
Within Deuteronomy 27, several curses address acts often committed in secrecy or where a victim may have little power to seek justice. The public assembly hears them because God sees what human courts may miss. The people answer, "Amen," receiving the justice of God's covenant as true and binding. This response does not invite personal retaliation. It acknowledges that the Lord rightly judges conduct that destroys trust and brings shame within a family. The chapter has already joined worship, sacrifice, rejoicing, and obedience at the entrance to the land. Israel's life before God includes the altar and the home, public worship and private faithfulness. Covenant blessing calls for integrity in every setting.
Paul later confronts a case in Corinth involving a man and his father's wife, treating it as serious sin that the congregation cannot calmly tolerate. His response shows that this command's moral gravity remains clear in the apostolic witness. The gospel does not turn sexual wrongdoing into an unimportant matter, and it also opens a path of truth, repentance, cleansing, and restored obedience through Christ. Christ calls his people into holiness that honors God with the body and seeks the good of others. This verse therefore directs us toward reverence for God's judgments, truthful recognition of sin, and the hope of a life reordered under the lordship of Christ.
Bible Verses Related to Deuteronomy 27:20
“The nakedness of thy father’s wife shalt thou not uncover: it is thy father’s nakedness.”
- Leviticus 18:8
“And the man that lieth with his father’s wife hath uncovered his father’s nakedness: both of them shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.”
- Leviticus 20:11
“It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife.”
- 1 Corinthians 5:1
“For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:”
- 1 Thessalonians 4:3
Where Deuteronomy 27:20 Echoes in Scripture
1 Corinthians 5:1 gives a direct later echo by describing a man who had his father's wife. Paul presents the report as a grievous matter within the gathered church and calls for a response shaped by holiness. The passage confirms that Deuteronomy 27:20 addresses an enduring moral evil rather than a merely local concern. It also places communal responsibility beside the need for personal repentance.
How to Apply Deuteronomy 27:20 Today
This verse invites us to treat family relationships with seriousness and care. Homes can carry old wounds, divided loyalties, secrecy, and damaged trust. We can refuse conduct that exploits family bonds or treats another person's marriage and dignity casually. When wrongdoing becomes known, faithfulness includes honesty, protection for those harmed, and wise help from trustworthy spiritual and civil authorities where needed. The communal Amen also reminds us that private choices have shared consequences. Our words and actions can help form households where promises are honored, boundaries are respected, and people are safe to seek help without shame.
Reflection & Prayer
Where might our view of private conduct need to become more answerable to God's care for households and persons? Consider praying: "Holy God, teach us to honor the bonds you have given, to bring hidden wrong into your light, and to walk in purity, truth, and mercy through Jesus Christ. Amen."