Leviticus 18:6-23

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Leviticus 18:14

Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father's brother ,.... Which Gersom understands of committing sodomy with him, on which account he was doubly guilty, partly because of lying with a male, and partly because of uncovering the nakedness of his father's brother; but it rather seems at first sight as if the sense was, that a woman should not marry her father's brother, that is, her uncle, as a man might not marry his aunt, whether by father or mother's side, as in Leviticus 18:12 ;... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Leviticus 18:15

Thou shall not uncover the nakedness of thy daughter in law ,.... Shall not he with her in his son's lifetime, or marry her after his death: she is that son's wife ; and so one flesh with him, and who is of the same flesh and blood with his father, and therefore the nearness of the relation forbids such incestuous copulation or marriage: thou shall not uncover her nakedness ; or have carnal knowledge of her, whether in the life or after the death of his son, even then marriage with... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Leviticus 18:16

Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy brother's wife ,.... Neither debauch her nor after the death of the brother marry her, that is, unless he dies without issue; and then, by another law, he was obliged to marry her, Deuteronomy 25:5 ; hence the Targum of Jonathan adds; by way of explanation."in the life of thy brother, or after his death, if he has children,'but then that law was but an exception from this general rule, and so did not make it void in other respects, but bound it... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Leviticus 18:17

Thou shall not uncover the nakedness of a woman and her daughter ,.... That is, if a man marries a woman, and she has a daughter, which is the man's daughter-in-law, after the death of his wife he may not marry this daughter; for this daughter is of the same flesh with her mother, who became one flesh with the man she married, and therefore his relation to her daughter is too near to marry her: Jarchi says, if he does not marry the woman, but only deflower her, it is free for him to marry... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Leviticus 18:18

Neither shalt thou take a wife to her sister ,.... Both of them together, as Jarchi; two sisters at one and the same time; so the Targum of Jonathan,"a woman in the life of her sister thou shall not take;'that is, in marriage, that sister being his wife; for the sense of the Targumist can never be that a man might not take a woman for his wife, she having a sister living, but not to take one sister to another, or marry his first wife's sister, whether, as Maimonides F19 Hilchot Issure... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Leviticus 18:19

Also thou shall not approach unto a woman ,.... Not even a man to his own wife, and much less to another woman: to uncover her nakedness, as long as she is put apart for her uncleanness ; in her monthly courses; and the time of her separation from her husband on that account was seven days, Leviticus 15:19 ; if a man lay with a woman when in such circumstances, they were both to be cut off from their people, Leviticus 20:18 ; and such an action is reckoned among sins, and uncleanness... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Leviticus 18:20

Moreover, thou shalt not lie carnally with thy neighbour's wife ,.... Which is adultery, and a breach of the seventh command, Exodus 20:14 , to defile thyself with her ; not only adultery is a defiling a man's wife, as it is sometimes called, but the adulterer defiles himself: all sin is of a defiling nature, but especially this, which defiles a man both in soul and body, and brings a blot and stain upon his character, which shall not be wiped off, Proverbs 6:32 . read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Leviticus 18:21

And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech ,.... The name of an image or idol, according to Aben Ezra, who observes, that their wise men interpret it as a general name for everyone whom they made to reign over them; and it is right, he says, that it is the abomination of the children of Ammon, and so the same with Milcom, 1 Kings 11:5 ; and with Baal, as appears from Jeremiah 32:35 ; and they are both of much the same signification, the one signifies a king,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Leviticus 18:22

Thou shall not lie with mankind as with womankind ,.... By carnal knowledge of them, and carnal copulation with them, and mixing bodies in like manner: this is the sin commonly called sodomy, from the inhabitants of Sodom, greatly addicted to it, for which their city was destroyed by fire: those that are guilty of this sin, are, by the apostle, called "abusers of themselves with mankind", 1 Corinthians 6:9 , it is abomination ; it is so to God, as the above instance of his vengeance... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Leviticus 18:23

Neither shall thou lie with any beast, to defile thyself therewith ,.... A female one, as Aben Ezra notes, as a mare, cow, or ewe, or any other beast, small or great, as Ben Gersom, or whether tame or wild, as Maimonides F2 Hilchot Issure Biah, c. 1. sect. 16. ; and even fowls are comprehended, as the same writers observe: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto : that is, stand before a beast, and by a lascivious and obscene behaviour solicit the beast to... read more

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