Leviticus 18

1 The LORD said to Moses,

2 “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, ‘I am the LORD your God.

3 You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you lived. You shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. You shall not follow their statutes.

4 You shall do my ordinances. You shall keep my statutes and walk in them. I am the LORD your God.

5 You shall therefore keep my statutes and my ordinances, which if a man does, he shall live in them. I am the LORD.

6 “‘None of you shall approach any close relatives, to uncover their nakedness: I am the LORD.

7 “‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father, nor the nakedness of your mother: she is your mother. You shall not uncover her nakedness.

8 “‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s wife. It is your father’s nakedness.

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.

10 “‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your son’s daughter, or of your daughter’s daughter, even their nakedness; for theirs is your own nakedness.

11 “‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s wife’s daughter, conceived by your father, since she is your sister.

12 “‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s sister. She is your father’s near kinswoman.

13 “‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother’s sister, for she is your mother’s near kinswoman.

14 “‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s brother. You shall not approach his wife. She is your aunt.

15 “‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your daughter-in-law. She is your son’s wife. You shall not uncover her nakedness.

16 “‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother’s wife. It is your brother’s nakedness.

17 “‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of a woman and her daughter. You shall not take her son’s daughter, or her daughter’s daughter, to uncover her nakedness. They are near kinswomen. It is wickedness.

18 “‘You shall not take a wife in addition to her sister, to be a rival, to uncover her nakedness, while her sister is still alive.

19 “‘You shall not approach a woman to uncover her nakedness, as long as she is impure by her uncleanness.

20 “‘You shall not lie carnally with your neighbor’s wife, and defile yourself with her.

21 “‘You shall not give any of your children as a sacrifice to Molech. You shall not profane the name of your God. I am the LORD.

22 “‘You shall not lie with a man as with a woman. That is detestable.

23 “‘You shall not lie with any animal to defile yourself with it. No woman may give herself to an animal, to lie down with it: it is a perversion.

24 “‘Don’t defile yourselves in any of these things; for in all these the nations which I am casting out before you were defiled.

25 The land was defiled. Therefore I punished its iniquity, and the land vomited out her inhabitants.

26 You therefore shall keep my statutes and my ordinances, and shall not do any of these abominations; neither the native-born, nor the stranger who lives as a foreigner among you

27 (for the men of the land that were before you had done all these abominations, and the land became defiled),

28 that the land not vomit you out also, when you defile it, as it vomited out the nation that was before you.

29 “‘For whoever shall do any of these abominations, even the souls that do them shall be cut off from among their people.

30 Therefore you shall keep my requirements, that you do not practice any of these abominable customs which were practiced before you, and that you do not defile yourselves with them. I am the LORD your God.’”

Around Leviticus 18

Context

Context for this book is being written. A note appears here only once it names its sources.

AI explanation

Leviticus 18 · Written by an AI model · Not reviewed by a theological reader

This explanation was written by an AI model to help you get started. It names no sources and can contain mistakes. Scripture comes first, and context with sources is shown separately on this page.

What this chapter says

Two lands stand behind this chapter: Egypt, where Israel had lived, and Canaan, where they were going. The LORD says plainly that they must not do as the people of either land do. They are to walk in his ordinances, and “he shall live in them.”

What follows is a long list of forbidden unions. It names close relatives by one title after another: mother, father's wife, sister, granddaughter, aunt, daughter-in-law, brother's wife. It forbids marrying a woman and her sister while the sister lives, and sex with a neighbor's wife. It forbids giving children to Molech. It forbids a man lying with a man as with a woman, and sex with an animal. The warning at the end is stark: the nations before them defiled the land, and the land “vomited out her inhabitants.” Israel must not follow.

Background

The LORD speaks to Moses for all Israel, and the chapter belongs to the Holiness Code that begins in Leviticus 17. The laws are addressed mainly to men and set out limits for the household and for the land. Christians differ on how the verse about two men applies today, and many hold that Jesus and the apostles shape how all these laws are read; see Mark 7 and Acts 15. Many readers also note that the list protects family members from abuse of power.

About this explanation

Written by Claude Sonnet 5.5, an AI model, on 24 October 2026. It draws on the WEB text and general knowledge and was not checked against sources by a person. Every quotation from Scripture is checked automatically against the WEB text.

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World English Bible. Public-domain source and edition notes