“Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God.”
My Notes
What Does Leviticus 20:7 Mean?
"Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God." The command is TWO-PART: sanctify YOURSELVES (the human action) and BE HOLY (the resulting state). The reason: I AM the LORD your God. The holiness-command is grounded in the IDENTITY of the commander. You must be holy because of WHO GOD IS. The holiness isn't arbitrary. It's RELATIONAL — demanded by the nature of the relationship between the holy God and His people.
The phrase "sanctify yourselves" (vehithqaddishtem — make yourselves holy, set yourselves apart) is a REFLEXIVE command: the sanctifying is done to YOURSELVES, by YOURSELVES. God commands the PEOPLE to participate in their own sanctification. The holiness isn't entirely passive (God does it all) or entirely active (the people do it all). It's COOPERATIVE — God commands and the people act on the command. The reflexive says: YOU participate in YOUR OWN setting-apart.
The "for I am the LORD your God" (ki ani YHWH Eloheikhem — for I am the LORD your God) is the REASON that makes the command LOGICAL: because I am who I AM (the LORD — YHWH, the covenant name, the self-existent, the holy one), you must be who I CALL you to be (holy). The holiness-command flows from the holiness-IDENTITY of the commander. The 'I am' produces the 'you must be.' The divine nature demands the human conformity.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What does sanctifying YOURSELF — active participation in your own holiness — look like today?
- 2.What does the command being REFLEXIVE (you do it to yourself) teach about human agency in holiness?
- 3.How does 'because I AM the LORD' make God's identity the REASON for holiness?
- 4.What does the sequence (sanctify → be holy) teach about process producing condition?
Devotional
Sanctify YOURSELVES. BE holy. Because I AM the LORD your God. Two commands grounded in one reason: make yourselves holy AND be holy — BECAUSE of who God is. The holiness isn't arbitrary. It's demanded by the IDENTITY of the commander. You must be holy because GOD is holy. The nature of the God determines the nature of the people.
The 'sanctify yourselves' is the REFLEXIVE command: YOU participate in YOUR OWN sanctification. The holiness isn't something done entirely TO you (passive). It's something you DO to yourself (reflexive). God commands. YOU act. The sanctifying requires YOUR participation. The setting-apart involves YOUR cooperation. The holiness of the people requires the PEOPLE'S agency.
The 'be ye holy' is the RESULTING STATE: the sanctifying (the process) produces the holiness (the condition). Sanctify yourselves → be holy. The doing produces the being. The action produces the state. The two commands are sequential: first the SANCTIFYING (the work of separation), then the BEING (the condition of holiness). You can't BE holy without first SANCTIFYING yourself.
The 'for I am the LORD your God' is the FOUNDATIONAL REASON: the holiness-command rests on the holiness-IDENTITY. Because GOD is holy, the people must be holy. Because GOD is the LORD (YHWH — the covenant name), the people are under covenant-obligation. Because GOD is YOUR God (the possessive — the relationship is established), the relationship DEMANDS conformity to the God's character. The 'I am' produces the 'you must be.'
What does 'sanctify YOURSELF' — your active participation in your own holiness — look like today?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Sanctify yourselves therefore,.... By abstaining from such impious and idolatrous practices, and separating themselves…
Moses is here directed to say that again to the children of Israel which he had in effect said before, Lev 20:2. We are…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture