Leviticus 20:17

My Notes

What Does Leviticus 20:17 Mean?

"And 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." The prohibition against sibling incest is stated with EMPHATIC finality: it is a WICKED THING (chesed — here meaning disgrace, shameful deed). The penalty: CUT OFF in the sight of the people — public excommunication. The guilt: HE bears the iniquity. The prohibition covers BOTH paternal and maternal half-siblings — 'father's daughter OR mother's daughter.' The net catches every form of the offense.

The phrase "it is a wicked thing" (chesed hu — it is a disgrace/shame) uses the word chesed in its RARE NEGATIVE sense: chesed usually means 'lovingkindness' or 'covenant-love.' Here it means DISGRACE — the same word, opposite meaning. The context determines the valence. The incest that SHOULD be prevented by family-love (chesed as kindness) is itself called chesed (as disgrace). The word that normally describes the BEST of relationships describes the WORST of violations.

The "cut off in the sight of their people" (venikhretu le'einei benei ammam — they shall be cut off before the eyes of the children of their people) makes the penalty PUBLIC: the cutting-off happens where the PEOPLE CAN SEE. The excommunication is VISIBLE. The community WATCHES the expulsion. The publicity serves as DETERRENT — the seeing of the consequence teaches the witnesses. The public cutting-off is both PUNISHMENT (for the offenders) and EDUCATION (for the watchers).

Reflection Questions

• 1.What boundaries does your community maintain publicly to protect vulnerable relationships?
• 2.What does chesed meaning BOTH lovingkindness AND disgrace teach about love perverted into violation?
• 3.How does public cutting-off serving as BOTH punishment AND education describe communal discipline?
• 4.What 'every configuration' (covering all forms of the relationship) models thorough boundary-setting?

Devotional

If a man takes his sister — father's daughter OR mother's daughter — it is a WICKED THING. They shall be CUT OFF in the sight of their people. He bears his iniquity. The prohibition covers every form of sibling incest. The penalty is public excommunication. The guilt is specifically assigned.

The 'wicked thing' (chesed — here meaning disgrace) uses a word that NORMALLY means lovingkindness: the same word (chesed) that describes God's covenant-love describes THIS act as DISGRACE. The double-meaning is haunting: the family-love that SHOULD protect siblings (chesed as kindness) is perverted INTO the violation that destroys them (chesed as shame). The word carries both meanings because the relationship carries both possibilities.

The 'father's daughter OR mother's daughter' covers EVERY sibling configuration: full sister (same father AND mother), paternal half-sister (father's daughter by another woman), or maternal half-sister (mother's daughter by another man). The prohibition leaves NO GAP. Every form of the sibling-relationship is covered. The net catches every configuration.

The 'cut off in the sight of their people' makes the consequence PUBLIC and VISIBLE: the excommunication happens WHERE the community can SEE. The watching is part of the punishment AND part of the prevention. The community that SEES the cutting-off learns from the SEEING. The publicity is educational. The visibility is deterrent. The public consequence teaches what the private prohibition couldn't prevent.

What boundaries does your community maintain — publicly, visibly — to protect the most vulnerable relationships?

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture