Leviticus 19
Laws of Holiness and Social Justice
1The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
2“Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and tell them, ‘You shall be holy; for I, the LORD your God, am holy.
3“‘Each one of you shall respect his mother and his father. You shall keep my Sabbaths. I am the LORD your God.
4“‘Don’t turn to idols, nor make molten gods for yourselves. I am the LORD your God.
5“‘When you offer a sacrifice of peace offerings to the LORD, you shall offer it so that you may be accepted.
6It shall be eaten the same day you offer it, and on the next day. If anything remains until the third day, it shall be burned with fire.
7If it is eaten at all on the third day, it is an abomination. It will not be accepted;
8but everyone who eats it shall bear his iniquity, because he has profaned the holy thing of the LORD, and that soul shall be cut off from his people.
9“‘When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field, neither shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest.
10You shall not glean your vineyard, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the foreigner. I am the LORD your God.
11“‘You shall not steal. “‘You shall not lie. “‘You shall not deceive one another.
12“‘You shall not swear by my name falsely, and profane the name of your God. I am the LORD.
13“‘You shall not oppress your neighbor, nor rob him. “‘The wages of a hired servant shall not remain with you all night until the morning.
14“‘You shall not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling block before the blind; but you shall fear your God. I am the LORD.
15“‘You shall do no injustice in judgment. You shall not be partial to the poor, nor show favoritism to the great; but you shall judge your neighbor in righteousness.
16“‘You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people. “‘You shall not endanger the life of your neighbor. I am the LORD.
17“‘You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your neighbor, and not bear sin because of him.
18“‘You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people; but you shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.
19“‘You shall keep my statutes. “‘You shall not cross-breed different kinds of animals. “‘You shall not sow your field with two kinds of seed; “‘Don’t wear a garment made of two kinds of material.
20“‘If a man lies carnally with a woman who is a slave girl, pledged to be married to another man, and not ransomed or given her freedom; they shall be punished. They shall not be put to death, because she was not free.
21He shall bring his trespass offering to the LORD, to the door of the Tent of Meeting, even a ram for a trespass offering.
22The priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering before the LORD for his sin which he has committed; and the sin which he has committed shall be forgiven him.
23“‘When you come into the land, and have planted all kinds of trees for food, then you shall count their fruit as forbidden. For three years it shall be forbidden to you. It shall not be eaten.
24But in the fourth year all its fruit shall be holy, for giving praise to the LORD.
25In the fifth year you shall eat its fruit, that it may yield its increase to you. I am the LORD your God.
26“‘You shall not eat any meat with the blood still in it. You shall not use enchantments, nor practice sorcery.
27“‘You shall not cut the hair on the sides of your head or clip off the edge of your beard.
28“‘You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor tattoo any marks on you. I am the LORD.
29“‘Don’t profane your daughter, to make her a prostitute; lest the land fall to prostitution, and the land become full of wickedness.
30“‘You shall keep my Sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary; I am the LORD.
31“‘Don’t turn to those who are mediums, nor to the wizards. Don’t seek them out, to be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God.
32“‘You shall rise up before the gray head and honor the face of the elderly; and you shall fear your God. I am the LORD.
33“‘If a stranger lives as a foreigner with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong.
34The stranger who lives as a foreigner with you shall be to you as the native-born among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you lived as foreigners in the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.
35“‘You shall do no unrighteousness in judgment, in measures of length, of weight, or of quantity.
36You shall have just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.
37“‘You shall observe all my statutes and all my ordinances, and do them. I am the LORD.’”
Leviticus 19 presents the foundational call to holiness based on God's own holy character, followed by a comprehensive collection of laws governing both religious and social conduct. These commandments span worship practices, family relationships, economic justice, legal proceedings, and interpersonal ethics, culminating in the famous command to 'love your neighbor as yourself.' The chapter demonstrates how Israel's holiness was to be expressed through practical righteousness in every aspect of community life.
Context
This chapter follows the Day of Atonement rituals in chapter 16-18 and introduces the broader Holiness Code that continues through chapter 26.
Key Themes
Outline
- 1-4Foundation of HolinessGod calls Israel to holiness based on His own character, beginning with respect for parents, Sabbath observance, and rejection of idolatry.
- 5-8Proper Worship PracticesInstructions for acceptable peace offerings, emphasizing timely consumption and the consequences of profaning holy things.
- 9-18Social Justice and EthicsComprehensive laws covering economic justice for the poor, honest dealings, fair judgment, and loving relationships with neighbors.
- 19-22Purity and Atonement LawsStatutes regarding mixing of species and materials, plus procedures for addressing sexual misconduct involving slaves.
- 23-37Agricultural and Ritual HolinessLaws governing fruit trees, occult practices, physical appearance, prostitution, Sabbath observance, and honest business dealings.
Laws of Holiness and Social Justice
19:1–19:37The Holiness Code combining ritual, moral, and social laws including care for the poor, honest business practices, and respect for parents. These laws demonstrate how Israel's holiness should manifest in all areas of life, reflecting God's character.
quotation_chain
Leviticus 19:18's command to "love your neighbor as yourself" becomes the most quoted Old Testament ethical principle in the New Testament, appearing in Matthew, Mark, Luke, Romans, Galatians, and James.
Leviticus 19:5
Leviticus 22:21lexicalWhoever offers a sacrifice of peace offerings to the LORD to accomplish a vow, or for a free will offering of the herd o…
Leviticus 22:29lexical“When you sacrifice a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the LORD, you shall sacrifice it so that you may be accepted.
1 Samuel 10:8lexical“Go down ahead of me to Gilgal; and behold, I will come down to you to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice sacrifices…
1 Kings 8:63lexicalSolomon offered for the sacrifice of peace offerings, which he offered to the LORD, twenty two thousand head of cattle a…
Exodus 24:5lexicalHe sent young men of the children of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of cattle to the…
Leviticus 19:6
Leviticus 7:17lexicalbut what remains of the meat of the sacrifice on the third day shall be burned with fire.
Leviticus 7:16lexical“‘But if the sacrifice of his offering is a vow, or a free will offering, it shall be eaten on the day that he offers hi…
1 Samuel 30:1lexicalWhen David and his men had come to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had made a raid on the South and on Ziklag, a…
Joshua 11:11lexicalThey struck all the souls who were in it with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying them. There was no one left who…
Leviticus 8:32lexicalWhat remains of the meat and of the bread you shall burn with fire.
Leviticus 19:9
Leviticus 23:22lexical“‘When you reap the harvest of your land, you must not wholly reap into the corners of your field. You must not gather t…
Isaiah 17:5lexicalIt will be like when the harvester gathers the wheat, and his arm reaps the grain. Yes, it will be like when one gleans…
Ruth 2:23lexicalSo she stayed close to the maidens of Boaz, to glean to the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest; and she lived wi…
Ruth 2:3lexicalShe went, and came and gleaned in the field after the reapers; and she happened to come to the portion of the field belo…
Deuteronomy 24:19lexicalWhen you reap your harvest in your field, and have forgotten a sheaf in the field, you shall not go again to get it. It…
Leviticus 19:10
Leviticus 23:22lexical“‘When you reap the harvest of your land, you must not wholly reap into the corners of your field. You must not gather t…
Deuteronomy 24:21lexicalWhen you harvest your vineyard, you shall not glean it after yourselves. It shall be for the foreigner, for the fatherle…
Leviticus 19:14
Isaiah 43:8lexicalBring out the blind people who have eyes, and the deaf who have ears.
Isaiah 35:5lexicalThen the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf will be unstopped.
Exodus 4:11lexicalThe LORD said to him, “Who made man’s mouth? Or who makes one mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Isn’t it I, the LORD?
Isaiah 42:19lexicalWho is blind, but my servant? Or who is as deaf as my messenger whom I send? Who is as blind as he who is at peace, and…
Isaiah 42:18lexical“Hear, you deaf, and look, you blind, that you may see.
Leviticus 19:15
Isaiah 11:4lexicalbut he will judge the poor with righteousness, and decide with equity for the humble of the earth. He will strike the ea…
Isaiah 16:5lexicalA throne will be established in loving kindness. One will sit on it in truth, in the tent of David, judging, seeking jus…
Deuteronomy 16:18lexicalYou shall make judges and officers in all your gates, which the LORD your God gives you, according to your tribes; and t…
Leviticus 19:18
Nahum 1:2lexicalThe LORD is a jealous God and avenges. The LORD avenges and is full of wrath. The LORD takes vengeance on his adversarie…
Matthew 22:39quotationA second likewise is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
Romans 13:9quotationFor the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not cov…
Leviticus 19:20
Leviticus 15:18lexicalIf a man lies with a woman and there is an emission of semen, they shall both bathe themselves in water, and be unclean…
Numbers 5:13lexicaland a man lies with her carnally, and it is hidden from the eyes of her husband and this is kept concealed, and she is d…
Leviticus 22:4lexical“‘Whoever of the offspring of Aaron is a leper or has a discharge shall not eat of the holy things until he is clean. Wh…
Leviticus 19:22
Leviticus 5:16lexicalHe shall make restitution for that which he has done wrong regarding the holy thing, and shall add a fifth part to it, a…
Leviticus 5:18lexicalHe shall bring a ram without defect from of the flock, according to your estimation, for a trespass offering, to the pri…
Leviticus 5:6lexicaland he shall bring his trespass offering to the LORD for his sin which he has sinned: a female from the flock, a lamb or…
Leviticus 5:13lexicalThe priest shall make atonement for him concerning his sin that he has sinned in any of these things, and he will be for…
Leviticus 5:10lexicalHe shall offer the second for a burnt offering, according to the ordinance; and the priest shall make atonement for him…
Leviticus 19:23
Genesis 3:6lexicalWhen the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be d…
Ezekiel 47:12lexicalBy the river banks, on both sides, will grow every tree for food, whose leaf won’t wither, neither will its fruit fail.…
Ecclesiastes 2:5lexicalI made myself gardens and parks, and I planted trees in them of all kinds of fruit.
Leviticus 19:26
Deuteronomy 18:10lexicalThere shall not be found with you anyone who makes his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, one who uses divina…
2 Kings 21:6lexicalHe made his son to pass through the fire, practiced sorcery, used enchantments, and dealt with those who had familiar sp…
2 Chronicles 33:6lexicalHe also made his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom. He practiced sorcery, divination,…
Leviticus 19:30
Leviticus 26:2lexical“‘You shall keep my Sabbaths, and have reverence for my sanctuary. I am the LORD.
Leviticus 19:31
Leviticus 20:6lexical“‘The person that turns to those who are mediums and wizards, to play the prostitute after them, I will even set my face…
2 Kings 23:24lexicalMoreover, Josiah removed those who had familiar spirits, the wizards, and the teraphim, and the idols, and all the abomi…
Isaiah 19:3lexicalThe spirit of the Egyptians will fail within them. I will destroy their counsel. They will seek the idols, the charmers,…
2 Kings 21:6lexicalHe made his son to pass through the fire, practiced sorcery, used enchantments, and dealt with those who had familiar sp…
Leviticus 20:27lexical“‘A man or a woman that is a medium or is a wizard shall surely be put to death. They shall be stoned with stones. Their…
Leviticus 19:34
Numbers 9:14lexical“‘If a foreigner lives among you and desires to keep the Passover to the LORD, then he shall do so according to the stat…
Numbers 15:29lexicalYou shall have one law for him who does anything unwittingly, for him who is native-born among the children of Israel, a…
Leviticus 18:26lexicalYou therefore shall keep my statutes and my ordinances, and shall not do any of these abominations; neither the native-b…
Exodus 12:48lexicalWhen a stranger lives as a foreigner with you, and would like to keep the Passover to the LORD, let all his males be cir…
Ezekiel 47:22lexicalYou shall divide it by lot for an inheritance to you and to the aliens who live among you, who will father children amon…
Leviticus 19:35
Ezekiel 4:16lexicalMoreover he said to me, “Son of man, behold, I will break the staff of bread in Jerusalem. They will eat bread by weight…
1 Chronicles 23:29lexicalfor the show bread also, and for the fine flour for a meal offering, whether of unleavened wafers, or of that which is b…
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