Leviticus 20:1-5
New English Translation
Prohibitions against Illegitimate Family Worship
20 The Lord spoke to Moses: 2 “You are to say to the Israelites, ‘Any man from the Israelites (or any of the resident foreigners[a] who live in Israel) who gives any of his children[b] to Molech[c] must be put to death; the people of the land must pelt him with stones.[d] 3 I myself will set my face[e] against that man and cut him off from the midst of his people,[f] because he has given some of his children to Molech and thereby defiled my sanctuary and profaned my holy name.[g] 4 If, however, the people of the land shut their eyes[h] to that man[i] when he gives some of his children to Molech so that they do not put him to death, 5 I myself will set my face against that man and his clan. I will cut off from the midst of the people both him and all who follow after him in spiritual prostitution,[j] committing prostitution by worshiping Molech.[k]
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Leviticus 20:2 tn The noun “foreigner” (גֵּר; ger) is based on the same verbal root as “lives” (גּוּר; gur), which means “to sojourn, to dwell as an alien.” On the Hebrew ger (גֵּר) “resident foreigner” see notes at Exod 12:19 and Deut 29:11.
- Leviticus 20:2 tn Heb “his seed” (so KJV, ASV); likewise in vv. 3-4.
- Leviticus 20:2 tn Regarding Molech and Molech worship see the note on Lev 18:21.
- Leviticus 20:2 tn This is not the most frequently-used Hebrew verb for stoning (see instead סָקַל, saqal), but a word that refers to the action of throwing, slinging, or pelting someone with stones (רָגָם, ragam; see HALOT 1187 s.v. רגם qal.a, and B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 136).
- Leviticus 20:3 tn Heb “And I, I shall give my faces.”
- Leviticus 20:3 sn On the “cut off” penalty see the notes on Lev 7:20 and 17:4.
- Leviticus 20:3 tn Heb “for the sake of defiling my sanctuary and to profane my holy name.”
- Leviticus 20:4 tn Heb “And if shutting [infinitive absolute] they shut [finite verb].” For the infinitive absolute used to highlight contrast rather than emphasis see GKC 343 §113.p.
- Leviticus 20:4 tn Heb “from that man” (so ASV); NASB “disregard that man.”
- Leviticus 20:5 tn The adjective “spiritual” has been supplied in the translation to clarify that this is not a reference to literal prostitution, but figuratively compares idolatry to prostitution.
- Leviticus 20:5 tn Heb “to commit harlotry after Molech.” The translation employs “worshiping” here for clarity (cf. NAB, NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT). On the “cut off” penalty see the note on Lev 7:20.
Leviticus 20:1-5
Expanded Bible
Warnings About Various Sins
20 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “You must also tell the ·people [L sons; children] of Israel these things: ‘If a person in your country gives one of his children to Molech [18:21], that person must be ·killed [put to death]. It doesn’t matter if he is a ·citizen [L son of Israel] or a ·foreigner living [L resident alien sojourning] in Israel; you must ·throw stones at [stone] him and ·kill him [put him to death]. 3 I will be against him and cut him off from his people, because he gave his children to Molech. He showed that he ·did not respect [profaned] my holy name, and he made my ·Holy Place [sanctuary] unclean. 4 The people of the ·community [L land] might ·ignore [close their eyes to; or connive with] that person and not kill the one who gave his children to Molech. 5 But I will ·be [L set my face] against him and his family, and I will cut him off from his people. I will do this to anyone who follows him in ·being unfaithful to me [L prostituting himself] by worshiping Molech.
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