Leviticus 18:1-30 NIV

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Leviticus 18:1-5

After divers ceremonial institutions, God here returns to the enforcement of moral precepts. The former are still of use to us as types, the latter still binding as laws. We have here, 1. The sacred authority by which these laws are enacted: I am the Lord your God (Lev. 18:1, 4, 30), and I am the Lord, Lev. 18:5, 6, 21. ?The Lord, who has a right to rule all; your God, who has a peculiar right to rule you.? Jehovah is the fountain of being, and therefore the fountain of power, whose we are,... read more

Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Leviticus 18:6-18

These laws relate to the seventh commandment, and, no doubt, are obligatory on us under the gospel, for they are consonant to the very light and law of nature: one of the articles, that of a man's having his father's wife, the apostle speaks of as a sin not so much as named among the Gentiles, 1 Cor. 5:1. Though some of the incests here forbidden were practised by some particular persons among the heathen, yet they were disallowed and detested, unless among those nations who had become... read more

Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Leviticus 18:19-30

Here is, I. A law to preserve the honour of the marriage-bed, that it should not be unseasonably used (Lev. 18:19), nor invaded by an adulterer, Lev. 18:20. II. A law against that which was the most unnatural idolatry, causing their children to pass through the fire to Moloch, Lev. 18:21. Moloch (as some think) was the idol in and by which they worshipped the sun, that great fire of the world; and therefore in the worship of it they made their own children either sacrifices to this idol,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Leviticus 18:1

And the Lord spake unto Moses ,.... He continued speaking to him, after he had delivered to him the laws respecting the day of atonement, and the bringing of the sacrifices to the door of the tabernacle, and particularly concerning the Israelites not worshipping devils, as they had done in Egypt: the Lord proceeds to deliver out others, the more effectually to guard against both the immoral and idolatrous practice, of the Egyptians and Canaanites: saying , as follows. read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Leviticus 18:2

Speak unto the children of Israel ,.... To the heads of their tribes, that they might deliver to them the following laws; or Moses is bid to publish them among them, either by word of mouth, or by writing, or both: and say unto them, I am the Lord your God ; with which they were to be introduced; showing the right he had to enact and enjoin such laws, since he was Jehovah, the Being of beings, and from whom they received their beings; their sovereign Lord and King, who had a right to... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Leviticus 18:3

After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do ,.... Where they had dwelt many years, and were just come out from thence, and where they had learned many of their evil practices; not only their idolatrous ones referred to in the preceding chapter, which it is certain they followed, Ezekiel 20:7 ; but also their immoral practices, particularly respecting incestuous marriages, after insisted on, some of which were established by a law among them; so Diodorus Siculus... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Leviticus 18:4

Ye shall do my judgments ,.... Which are just and right, and according to the rules of justice and equity; these are things, as Jarchi observes, which are said in the law with judgment, or are laws framed with the highest reason, even by the judgment of God himself, whose judgment is always according to truth: Aben Ezra thinks, these are the judicial laws in Exodus 21:1 ; but though they may include them, they have more particular respect to the following laws: and keep mine ordinances,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Leviticus 18:5

Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments ,.... The same as before; these they were to keep in their minds and memories, and to observe them and do them: which if a man do he shall live in them ; live a long life in the land of Canaan, in great happiness and prosperity, see Deuteronomy 30:20 ; for as for eternal life, that was never intended to be had, nor was it possible it could be had and enjoyed by obedience to the law, which fallen man is unable to keep; but is what... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Leviticus 18:6

None of you shall approach to any that is near of kin to him ,.... Or to all "the rest of his flesh" F20 אל כל שאר בשרו "ad omnes reliquias carnis suae", Montanus; "ad quascunque reliquias carnis suae", Tigurine version. , which together with his make one flesh, who are of the same flesh and blood with him, and are united together in the bonds of consanguinity; and such, with respect to a man, are his mother, sister, and daughter; his mother, of whom he was born, his sister,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Leviticus 18:7

The nakedness of thy father, or the nakedness of thy mother , shall thou not uncover ,.... By uncovering a father's nakedness is not meant anything similar to what befell Noah, which Ham beheld with pleasure, and the other two sons of Noah studiously and with reverence to their father covered; nor any sodomitical practice of a son with his father; as Gersom interprets it; but the same is meant by both phrases, and the words are by many interpreters thus rendered, "the nakedness of thy... read more

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Leviticus 18:1-5

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Leviticus 18:6-18

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Leviticus 18:19-30

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Leviticus 18:1

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Leviticus 18:2

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Leviticus 18:3

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Leviticus 18:4

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Leviticus 18:5

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Leviticus 18:6

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Leviticus 18:7

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