Chapter 20
Themes, discussion questions, Christ connections, and denomination lenses.
Just read this chapter →Scripture
KJV1And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2Again, thou shalt say to the children of Israel, Whosoever he be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn in Israel, that giveth any of his seed unto Molech; he shall surely be put to death: the people of the land shall stone him with stones.
3And I will set my face against that man, and will cut him off from among his people; because he hath given of his seed unto Molech, to defile my sanctuary, and to profane my holy name.
4And if the people of the land do any ways hide their eyes from the man, when he giveth of his seed unto Molech, and kill him not:
5Then I will set my face against that man, and against his family, and will cut him off, and all that go a whoring after him, to commit whoredom with Molech, from among their people.
6And the soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people.
7Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God.
8And ye shall keep my statutes, and do them: I am the LORD which sanctify you.
9For every one that curseth his father or his mother shall be surely put to death: he hath cursed his father or his mother; his blood shall be upon him.
10And the man that committeth adultery with another man’s wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.
11And 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.
12And if a man lie with his daughter in law, both of them shall surely be put to death: they have wrought confusion; their blood shall be upon them.
13If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.
14And if a man take a wife and her mother, it is wickedness: they shall be burnt with fire, both he and they; that there be no wickedness among you.
15And if a man lie with a beast, he shall surely be put to death: and ye shall slay the beast.
16And if a woman approach unto any beast, and lie down thereto, thou shalt kill the woman, and the beast: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.
17And 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.
18And if a man shall lie with a woman having her sickness, and shall uncover her nakedness; he hath discovered her fountain, and she hath uncovered the fountain of her blood: and both of them shall be cut off from among their people.
19And 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.
20And 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.
21And 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.
22Ye shall therefore keep all my statutes, and all my judgments, and do them: that the land, whither I bring you to dwell therein, spue you not out.
23And ye shall not walk in the manners of the nation, which I cast out before you: for they committed all these things, and therefore I abhorred them.
24But I have said unto you, Ye shall inherit their land, and I will give it unto you to possess it, a land that floweth with milk and honey: I am the LORD your God, which have separated you from other people.
25Ye shall therefore put difference between clean beasts and unclean, and between unclean fowls and clean: and ye shall not make your souls abominable by beast, or by fowl, or by any manner of living thing that creepeth on the ground, which I have separated from you as unclean.
26And ye shall be holy unto me: for I the LORD am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine.
27A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood shall be upon them.
“And ye shall be holy unto me: for I the LORD am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine.”
Overview
God prescribes the penalties for violations of the laws given in chapters 18-19. Death is decreed for those who sacrifice children to Molech, practice sorcery, commit adultery, engage in homosexual acts, or commit bestiality. Lesser penalties are given for other offenses. God again calls Israel to be holy and separate from the nations, lest the land vomit them out as it did the Canaanites.
Key Themes
The Severity of God's Justice
The death penalties prescribed here reveal the extreme seriousness with which God views sins that destroy the moral fabric of society — His justice is not lenient toward what corrupts His people.
Separation as a Mark of Holiness
God repeatedly commands Israel to be separate — from pagan practices, from unclean things, and from the moral corruption of surrounding nations — holiness requires distinction.
Community Responsibility for Sin
The community is responsible for executing judgment — if they turn a blind eye to sin, God holds the whole community accountable, teaching that tolerance of evil implicates the tolerant.
Study Questions
Why does God prescribe such severe penalties for these specific sins, and what does this reveal about the sins' destructive potential?
What does it mean that God 'will set his face against' those who turn to mediums and wizards (v. 6), and why is occult practice so serious?
How does the concept of community responsibility for punishing sin challenge modern notions of moral relativism and individual autonomy?
Why does God connect the call to holiness with the distinction between clean and unclean animals (v. 25) — what is the relationship between dietary laws and moral laws?
How should Christians today understand these civil penalties in light of the New Testament's teaching on grace, church discipline, and the separation of church and state?
Connection to Christ
Every death penalty in this chapter points to the wages of sin — death (Romans 6:23). Christ bore the death penalty that God's justice demands for sin, dying in the place of the guilty so that those who deserve judgment might receive mercy and life (Romans 5:8).
Personal Reflection
Take time to journal or meditate on what God is teaching you through Leviticus 20. How can these truths transform your thinking and actions today?