Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version “’Do not have sexual relations with an animal and defile yourself with it. A woman must not present herself to an animal to have sexual relations with it; that is a perversion. New Living Translation “A man must not defile himself by having sex with an animal. And a woman must not offer herself to a male animal to have intercourse with it. This is a perverse act. English Standard Version And you shall not lie with any animal and so make yourself unclean with it, neither shall any woman give herself to an animal to lie with it: it is perversion. Berean Standard Bible You must not lie carnally with any animal, thus defiling yourself with it; a woman must not stand before an animal to mate with it; that is a perversion. King James Bible Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto: it is confusion. New King James Version Nor shall you mate with any animal, to defile yourself with it. Nor shall any woman stand before an animal to mate with it. It is perversion. New American Standard Bible Also you shall not have sexual intercourse with any animal to be defiled with it, nor shall any woman stand before an animal to mate with it; it is a perversion. NASB 1995 ‘Also you shall not have intercourse with any animal to be defiled with it, nor shall any woman stand before an animal to mate with it; it is a perversion. NASB 1977 ‘Also you shall not have intercourse with any animal to be defiled with it, nor shall any woman stand before an animal to mate with it; it is a perversion. Legacy Standard Bible Also you shall not lie with any animal to be defiled with it, nor shall any woman stand before an animal to mate with it; it is a perversion. Amplified Bible You shall not have intimate relations with any animal to be defiled with it; nor shall a woman stand before an animal to mate with it; it is a perversion. Christian Standard Bible You are not to have sexual intercourse with any animal, defiling yourself with it; a woman is not to present herself to an animal to mate with it; it is a perversion. Holman Christian Standard Bible You are not to have sexual intercourse with any animal, defiling yourself with it; a woman is not to present herself to an animal to mate with it; it is a perversion.” American Standard Version And thou shalt not lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith; neither shall any woman stand before a beast, to lie down thereto: it is confusion. Contemporary English Version Anyone who has sex with an animal is unclean. English Revised Version And thou shalt not lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast, to lie down thereto: it is confusion. GOD'S WORD® Translation Never have sexual intercourse with any animal and become unclean with it. A woman must never offer herself to an animal for sexual intercourse. It is unnatural. Good News Translation No man or woman is to have sexual relations with an animal; that perversion makes you ritually unclean. International Standard Version "You are not to present yourself to an animal in order to have sexual relations with it and by doing so to defile yourself. A woman is not to present herself to an animal to have sexual relations with it. It's detestable. Majority Standard Bible You must not lie carnally with any animal, thus defiling yourself with it; a woman must not stand before an animal to mate with it; that is a perversion. NET Bible You must not have sexual intercourse with any animal to become defiled with it, and a woman must not stand before an animal to have sexual intercourse with it; it is a perversion. New Heart English Bible "'You shall not have sexual relations with any animal to become defiled with it, nor shall any woman give herself to an animal to have sexual relations with it. It is a perversion. Webster's Bible Translation Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto: it is confusion. World English Bible “‘You shall not lie with any animal to defile yourself with it. No woman may give herself to an animal, to lie down with it: it is a perversion. Literal Translations Literal Standard VersionAnd you do not commit your intercourse with any beast, to become unclean with it; and a woman does not stand before a beast to mate with it; it [is] perversion. Young's Literal Translation And with any beast thou dost not give thy copulation, for uncleanness with it; and a woman doth not stand before a beast to lie down with it; confusion it is. Smith's Literal Translation And to any quadruped thou shalt not give thy bed, to be defiled with it: and a woman shall not stand before a quadruped, to lie with it: it is profanation. Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleThou shalt not copulate with any beast, neither shalt thou be defiled with it. A woman shall not lie down to a beast, nor copulate with it: because it is a heinous crime. Catholic Public Domain Version You shall not commit sexual acts with any animal, nor shall you be defiled by it. A woman shall not lie down with a beast, nor commit sexual acts with it; for this is wickedness. New American Bible You shall not have sexual relations with an animal, defiling yourself with it; nor shall a woman set herself in front of an animal to mate with it; that is perverse. New Revised Standard Version You shall not have sexual relations with any animal and defile yourself with it, nor shall any woman give herself to an animal to have sexual relations with it: it is perversion. Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleNeither shall you lie with any beast to defile yourself with it; neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie with it; because it is an abomination. Peshitta Holy Bible Translated And do not expel your seed into any beast and be defiled with it, and a woman shall not stand before a beast that she be mounted by it, because that is an abomination. OT Translations JPS Tanakh 1917And thou shalt not lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith; neither shall any woman stand before a beast, to lie down thereto; it is perversion. Brenton Septuagint Translation Neither shalt thou lie with any quadruped for copulation, to be polluted with it: neither shall a woman present herself before any quadruped to have connexion with it; for it is an abomination. Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context Unlawful Sexual Relations…22You must not lie with a man as with a woman; that is an abomination. 23You must not lie carnally with any animal, thus defiling yourself with it; a woman must not stand before an animal to mate with it; that is a perversion. 24Do not defile yourselves by any of these practices, for by all these things the nations I am driving out before you have defiled themselves.… Cross References Deuteronomy 27:21 ‘Cursed is he who lies with any animal.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’ Exodus 22:19 Whoever lies with an animal must surely be put to death. Leviticus 20:15-16 If a man lies carnally with an animal, he must be put to death. And you are also to kill the animal. / If a woman approaches any animal to mate with it, you must kill both the woman and the animal. They must surely be put to death; their blood is upon them. Romans 1:26-27 For this reason God gave them over to dishonorable passions. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. / Likewise, the men abandoned natural relations with women and burned with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men and received in themselves the due penalty for their error. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who submit to or perform homosexual acts, / nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. 1 Timothy 1:9-10 We realize that law is not enacted for the righteous, but for the lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinful, for the unholy and profane, for killers of father or mother, for murderers, / for the sexually immoral, for homosexuals, for slave traders and liars and perjurers, and for anyone else who is averse to sound teaching Genesis 6:5-7 Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great upon the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was altogether evil all the time. / And the LORD regretted that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. / So the LORD said, “I will blot out man, whom I have created, from the face of the earth—every man and beast and crawling creature and bird of the air—for I am grieved that I have made them.” Genesis 19:5 They called out to Lot, saying, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Send them out to us so we can have relations with them!” Judges 19:22-24 While they were enjoying themselves, suddenly the wicked men of the city surrounded the house. Pounding on the door, they said to the old man who owned the house, “Bring out the man who came to your house, so we can have relations with him!” / The owner of the house went out and said to them, “No, my brothers, do not do this wicked thing! After all, this man is a guest in my house. Do not commit this outrage. / Look, let me bring out my virgin daughter and the man’s concubine, and you can use them and do with them as you wish. But do not do such a vile thing to this man.” 2 Peter 2:6-8 if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction, reducing them to ashes as an example of what is coming on the ungodly; / and if He rescued Lot, a righteous man distressed by the depraved conduct of the lawless / (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)— Jude 1:7 In like manner, Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, who indulged in sexual immorality and pursued strange flesh, are on display as an example of those who sustain the punishment of eternal fire. Ephesians 5:3-5 But among you, as is proper among the saints, there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed. / Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk, or crude joking, which are out of character, but rather thanksgiving. / For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure, or greedy person (that is, an idolater) has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Colossians 3:5-6 Put to death, therefore, the components of your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry. / Because of these, the wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience. Galatians 5:19-21 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; / idolatry and sorcery; hatred, discord, jealousy, and rage; rivalries, divisions, factions, / and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. Revelation 21:8 But to the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and sexually immoral and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This is the second death.” Treasury of Scripture Neither shall you lie with any beast to defile yourself therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto: it is confusion. any beast Leviticus 20:15,16 And if a man lie with a beast, he shall surely be put to death: and ye shall slay the beast… Exodus 22:19 Whosoever lieth with a beast shall surely be put to death. confusion Leviticus 20:12 And if a man lie with his daughter in law, both of them shall surely be put to death: they have wrought confusion; their blood shall be upon them. Jump to Previous Act Animal Beast Confusion Copulation Defile Defiled Herself Intercourse Making Mate Perversion Relations Sex Sexual Stand Thereto Therewith Thyself Unclean Uncleanness UnnaturalJump to Next Act Animal Beast Confusion Copulation Defile Defiled Herself Intercourse Making Mate Perversion Relations Sex Sexual Stand Thereto Therewith Thyself Unclean Uncleanness UnnaturalLeviticus 18 1. Unlawful marriages and unlawful lustsYou must not lie carnally with any animal This command is part of the Holiness Code, a section of Leviticus that outlines moral and ceremonial laws for the Israelites. The prohibition against bestiality is rooted in the creation order, where God established distinct boundaries between humans and animals (Genesis 1:26-28). This act is seen as a violation of the natural order and an affront to the sanctity of human sexuality, which is intended to reflect the covenant relationship between God and His people. The prohibition is reiterated in other parts of Scripture, such as Exodus 22:19 and Deuteronomy 27:21, emphasizing its importance in maintaining the purity and holiness of the community. thus defiling yourself with it a woman must not stand before an animal to mate with it that is a perversion Persons / Places / Events 1. MosesThe author of Leviticus, who received the laws from God to instruct the Israelites. 2. Israelites The primary audience of the Levitical laws, called to be a holy nation set apart for God. 3. Canaan The land where the Israelites were headed, which was inhabited by people practicing abominable customs, including those prohibited in Leviticus 18. 4. God The divine lawgiver who establishes moral and ceremonial laws for His people. 5. Animals Creatures that are explicitly mentioned in this verse as being involved in prohibited acts. Teaching Points Understanding HolinessGod calls His people to be holy, distinct from the surrounding nations. This includes adhering to His standards for sexual conduct. Respect for God's Creation Order Recognizing the boundaries God has set between humans and animals is crucial for maintaining the order He established at creation. Guarding Against Cultural Influence The Israelites were warned not to adopt the practices of the Canaanites. Similarly, Christians today must be vigilant against cultural norms that contradict biblical teachings. The Seriousness of Sexual Sin Sexual immorality, including bestiality, is a serious offense against God. It defiles the individual and disrupts the sanctity of God's design for human relationships. Repentance and Restoration While the law highlights sin, the New Testament offers hope through repentance and the redemptive work of Christ, who restores us to right relationship with God.(23) Any beast.--The necessity for the prohibition of this shocking crime, for which the Mosaic law enacts the penalty of death (see Leviticus 20:15-16; Exodus 22:18), will appear all the more important when it is borne in mind that this degrading practice actually formed a part of the religious worship of the Egyptians in connection with the goat deities.Verse 23. - The fifth prohibition (see Herod., 2:16). The penalty is death (chapter 20:15). Parallel Commentaries ... Hebrew You must notלֹא־ (lō-) Adverb - Negative particle Strong's 3808: Not, no have sexual relations תִתֵּ֥ן (ṯit·tên) Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular Strong's 5414: To give, put, set with any וּבְכָל־ (ū·ḇə·ḵāl) Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every animal, בְּהֵמָ֛ה (bə·hê·māh) Noun - feminine singular Strong's 929: A dumb beast, any large quadruped, animal thus defiling yourself לְטָמְאָה־ (lə·ṭā·mə·’āh-) Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct | third person feminine singular Strong's 2930: To be or become unclean with it; בָ֑הּ (ḇāh) Preposition | third person feminine singular Strong's Hebrew a woman וְאִשָּׁ֗ה (wə·’iš·šāh) Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular Strong's 802: Woman, wife, female must not לֹֽא־ (lō-) Adverb - Negative particle Strong's 3808: Not, no stand תַעֲמֹ֞ד (ṯa·‘ă·mōḏ) Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular Strong's 5975: To stand, in various relations before לִפְנֵ֧י (lip̄·nê) Preposition-l | Noun - common plural construct Strong's 6440: The face an animal בְהֵמָ֛ה (ḇə·hê·māh) Noun - feminine singular Strong's 929: A dumb beast, any large quadruped, animal to mate with it; לְרִבְעָ֖הּ (lə·riḇ·‘āh) Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct | third person feminine singular Strong's 7250: To squat, lie out flat, in copulation that הֽוּא׃ (hū) Pronoun - third person masculine singular Strong's 1931: He, self, the same, this, that, as, are is a perversion. תֶּ֥בֶל (te·ḇel) Noun - masculine singular Strong's 8397: Mixture, unnatural bestiality Links Leviticus 18:23 NIVLeviticus 18:23 NLT Leviticus 18:23 ESV Leviticus 18:23 NASB Leviticus 18:23 KJV Leviticus 18:23 BibleApps.com Leviticus 18:23 Biblia Paralela Leviticus 18:23 Chinese Bible Leviticus 18:23 French Bible Leviticus 18:23 Catholic Bible OT Law: Leviticus 18:23 You shall not lie with any animal (Le Lv Lev.) |
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